ABSTRACT
This chapter makes a case for approaching mental imagery methods as a stand-alone practice rather than one-off techniques. This is discussed within the wider context of continued Western cultural ambivalence towards imagination despite the establishment of a new paradigm of embodied cognition. It includes some consideration of the impact of digitalised communication which is heavily weighted towards visual imagery produced by the conceptual mind. The implications of this one sided production of imagery is discussed in the light of McGilchrist’s thesis of brain hemispheric asymmetry. The chapter discusses strategies to bolster the establishment of an ongoing imagery practice including journaling and paying attention to dreams.
The author then raises the issue of where this practice should be situated and argues that no single discipline can contain the full range of functionality displayed by mental imagery when applied to creativity. A broader interdisciplinary field of mental imagery is indicated and the chapter discusses the advantages of such a move, including its potential to bridge the empirical/phenomenological divide and provide opportunities for cross-fertilisation of research, theory-development and practice innovations.
