This technique, also called guided imagery, is used to promote physical, mental and emotional health by imagining positive images and desired outcomes to specific situations. It is used in traditional societies and in religious communities such as Tibetan Buddhists who focus on the image of a deity when asking for healing. Visualization therapy is believed to encourage activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, related to creativity and emotions.
Many athletes claim to have had competitive success by using visualization.
Visualization therapy is often used as an adjunct to conventional cancer treatment.