Mind Stories Work Wonders

“Your brain doesn’t distinguish between what’s happening in the present moment and what you’re experiencing as you retell a story about the past. Neuroscientists are discovering that at a synaptic level, a real and a recalled event both register in the neocortex and the limbic system in the same way, with the same intensity. Career athletes know that to perform at their best, they need to start by visualizing themselves completing a perfect ski run or hitting the golf ball onto the green. Athletes who see themselves receiving a gold medal don’t do as well as those who visualize themselves successfully running the course because the former are dreaming wishfully while the latter are laying the neural pathways for a successful run.”

—Alberto Villoldo from Courageous Dreaming