Thoughts create reality

Think of your favourite food … and you salivate. Why?

Neuroscience has shown that when you imagine something in detail, the same neural pathways light up as when we actually experience it. Put simply: the brain does not know the difference between reality and a thought. This phenomenon is at the heart of visualisations and meditations. For example, athletes who mentally rehearse their sport activate the same brain regions as when they’re physically training. Over time, this mental practice translates into improved real-world performance.

This blurring between thought and experience is both a challenge and an opportunity. It explains why we can suffer over things that are long gone or not yet real – our minds replaying pain or fear like a movie reel. But it also opens a door: if your brain responds to imagined scenarios with the same biochemical responses as real ones, then you can use thoughts to shift your emotional state or even heal.

By consciously creating new mental experiences filled with compassion, safety and strength, you can literally rewire the brain. This is the principle behind self-directed neuroplasticity: changing the structure and function of the brain through focused thought.

For example:

• instead of replaying an argument, imagine a resolution where you feel heard.

• Instead of reliving trauma, visualise a scene where you feel safe and strong.

• Instead of worrying about illness, imagine your body healing, cell by cell.

These aren’t just comforting fantasies. They help regulate the nervous system, reduce stress hormones and increase feel-good chemicals. Over time, this process can shift how you feel, think and even how your body heals.

Note: this doesn’t mean you ignore reality or pain. Instead, it means we participate in choosing where we place our attention. The body hears and responds to the mind in powerful ways – otherwise we wouldn’t salivate when we think of our favourite food.

Self-discovery Lab uses these and other techniques on their retreats and workshops to support nervous system calibration. Our trained and experienced facilitators provide personalised care within an evidenced-based framework.