“Daydreaming
again, Bard? You’ll never amount to anything if you spend your time that
way! Can’t you find something useful to do? ”
Many
youngsters have heard words like those from their parents. And until
recently this hostile attitude towards daydreaming was the most common
one. Daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it was considered an
unhealthy escape from real life and its duties. But now some people are
taking a fresh look at daydreaming. Some think it may be a very healthy
thing to do.
Attitudes towards daydreaming are changing in much
the same way that attitudes towards night dreaming have changed. Once it
was thought that nighttime dreams interfered with our needed rest. But then
researchers tried interrupting the dreams of sleepers. They learned that
sleepers who aren’t allowed to dream lose the benefits of rest. They become
tense and anxious. They become irritable. They have trouble
concentrating. Their mental health is temporarily damaged. To feel well
again, they must be allowed to dream.
Now
researchers are finding that daydreaming may also be important to mental
health. Daydreaming, they tell us, is a good means of relaxation. But its
benefits go beyond this. A number of psychologists have conducted
experiments and have reached some surprising conclusions.
Dr.
Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to
intellectual growth. It also improves concentration, attention span, and
the ability to get along with others, she says. In an experiment with
school children, this same researcher found that daydreaming led the
children to pay more attention to detail. They had more happy feelings.
They worked together better. Another researcher reported that daydreaming
seemed to produce improved self-control and creative abilities.
But
that’s only part of the story. The most remarkable thing about
daydreaming may be its usefulness in shaping our future lives as we want
them to be. Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser believed that much of his
success was due to the positive use of daydreaming. He maintained that “
you can imagine your future. ” Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming
a nurse. The young Thomas Edison pictured himself as an inventor. For
these notable achievers, it appears that their daydreams came true.
Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick believed that the way
we picture ourselves is often the way we turn out. He offered this advice:
“ Hold a picture of yourself…in your mind’s eye, and
you will be drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as defeated, and that
alone will make victory impossible. Picture yourself as winning, and that
will contribute immeasurably to success. Do not picture yourself as anything,
and you will drift…
”
The
experiences of some athletes seem to confirm this belief. For instance,
John Uelses, a former pole-vaulting champion, used daydreaming techniques
before each meet. He would imagine himself winning. He would vividly
picture himself clearing the bar at a certain height. He would go over all
the details in his mind. He would picture the stadium and the crowds.
He’d even imagine the smell of the grass and the earth. He said that
this exercise of the imagination left memory traces in his mind that would
later help his actual performance.
Why would a mental vision of success help produce
real success? Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a surgeon and author, says this: “ Your
nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience
and a real experience. In either case it reacts automatically to information
that you give it… It reacts appropriately to what you think or imagine to
be true. ”
He
believes that purposeful daydreaming builds new “ memories ” in the
brain. These positive memories improve a person’s self-image. And
self-image has an important effect on a person’s actions and
accomplishments.
Can you
use purposeful daydreaming to shape your own future? Why not try? Here is
how those who believe in creative daydreaming recommend going about it.
Choose a time when you can be alone and undisturbed. Close your eyes, to
permit your imagination to soar more freely. May people find that they get
best results by pretending that they are sitting before a large screen.
They project the desired image of themselves onto that screen.
Now
picture yourself—as vividly as possible—the way you want to be.
Remember to picture your desired goals as if you had already attained
them. Go over all the details of this picture. See them clearly and
sharply. Impress them strongly on your memory. The resulting memory traces
will supposedly start affecting your everyday life. They will help lead
you to the attainment of your goals.
Of
course daydreaming is no substitute for hard work. If it’s athletic
achievement you want, you also have to get lots of practice in your sport.
You have to work hard to develop skills. If it’s school success you’re
after, you can’t neglect studying. Daydreaming alone can’t turn you
into your heart’s desire. But in combination with the more usual methods
of self-development, it might make a critical difference. It could be the
difference.
If what
researchers are saying is true, a life lived without fantasies and
daydreams isn’t as rich and rewarding as life can be. So they suggest
setting aside a few minutes each day for daydreaming. By so doing, you may
improve your physical and mental well-being. By taking a ten- or
fifteen-minute “ vacation ”into the realm of imagination each day, you
may add much to the excitement and enjoyment of your life. And who knows:
You might see your own daydreams come true.
hostile |
a. |
unfriendly; belonging to an enemy 敌对的
|
view |
vt. |
consider, regard
|
escape |
n.& v. |
逃跑;逃避
|
nighttime
|
a. |
occurring at night
|
interfere |
vi. |
get in the way of another 干涉;妨碍
|
interference |
n. |
|
researcher
|
n. |
a person who does research
|
benefit |
n. |
advantage, profit, good effect 益处
|
tense |
a. |
feeling or showing nervous anxiety 紧张的
|
irritable |
a. |
easily annoyed or made angry
|
means |
n. |
method or way
|
psychologist
|
n. |
person who has studied or is skilled in psychology 心理学家
|
contribute |
vi. |
help in bringing about 贡献 |
growth |
n. |
growing; development
|
concentration |
n. |
concentrating or being
concentrated
|
span |
n. |
length of time during which sth. continues or works well 一段时间
|
self-control
|
n. |
control of one’s own
feelings, behavior etc.
|
creative |
a. |
having the power to create;
inventive
|
remarkable |
a. |
deserving attention; unusual, out of the ordinary 显著的;非凡的
|
shape
|
vt. |
influence and determine the course or form of 形成,塑造
|
industrialist
|
n. |
one owning an industry or
engaged in its management
|
maintain |
vt. |
state or assert as true; keep up 断言;维持
|
picture
|
vt. |
imagine; make a picture of
|
inventor |
n. |
a person who makes up or
produces sth. new
|
notable
|
a. |
outstanding; worthy of notice 著名的;值得注意的
|
achiever
|
n. |
one who achieves; winner
|
vividly |
ad. |
in a lively manner 生动地,逼真地
|
vivid |
a. |
|
immeasurably
|
ad. |
to an extent or degree too
great to be measured; beyond measure
|
drift |
vi. |
float or be driven along by wind, waves or currents 漂(流)
|
athlete |
n. |
person who is trained and skilled in physical exercises and who competes
in games that need strength and speed 运动员
|
pole-vaulting
|
n. |
jumping with the help of a long pole held in the hands 撑竿跳
|
champion |
n. |
person or team taking the first place in a competition 冠军
|
meet |
n. |
(AmE) gathering esp. for
competitive sports
|
clear |
vt. |
get past or over without
touching
|
bar |
n. |
横竿;杆;条状物
|
stadium |
n. |
露天体育场
|
trace |
n. |
mark showing that sb. or sth. has existed or happened 痕迹
|
memory trace
|
|
chemical change occurring in the brain when new information is absorbed
and remembered 记忆痕(脑部吸收或记忆信息时所产生的化学变化)
|
vision |
n. |
sth. seen in the mind’s eye; the power of imagination 想象(力)
|
automatically |
ad. |
自动地;无意识地
|
automatic |
a. |
|
appropriately |
ad. |
properly, suitably
|
appropriate |
a. |
|
purposeful
|
a. |
having a conscious purpose
|
self-image
|
n. |
view of oneself 自我形象
|
accomplishment |
n. |
sth. completely and successfully done 成就
|
recommend |
vt. |
advise or suggest; speak favorably of 建议;推荐
|
soar |
vi. |
fly or go up high in the air; rise 翱翔
|
screen |
n. |
white surface on which cinema films, TV programs, etc. are shown 银幕;屏幕
|
project |
vt. |
cause a picture from a film or slide to fall on a surface, etc. 映,投射
|
goal |
n. |
one’s aim or purpose 目标
|
attain |
vt. |
succeed in arriving at, esp. after effort, reach 获得;达到
|
supposedly |
ad. |
presumably; probably
|
affect |
vt. |
have an effect on 影响
|
attainment
|
n. |
the act of attaining; (usu. pl)
sth. successfully reached or learnt, esp. a skill
|
substitute |
n. |
a person or thing acting in place of another 代替者;代用品
|
athletic
|
a. |
having to do with active
games and sports; of or concerning athletes
|
achievement |
n. |
sth. successfully finished or gained 成就
|
after |
prep. |
in pursuit of; in search of
|
neglect |
vt. |
pay no attention to; give no or not enough care to 忽视
|
combination |
n. |
joining or putting together 结合
|
method |
n. |
way of doing sth.
|
merely |
ad. |
only; simply
|
well-being |
n. |
health and happiness; welfare 康乐;安康
|
vacation |
n. |
time of rest and freedom
from work or school; holiday
|
realm |
n. |
area; kingdom 领域;王国
|
enjoyment
|
n. |
the act or fact of enjoying;
pleasure; satisfaction
|