Markham, Ursula. The Elements of Visualization. Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1991.
Ursula Markham's The Elements of Visualization is a handbook for people who want to change their lives through visualization. Energy that is used in dreaming by the subconscious is consciously directed toward solving problems in everyday life. By consciously channeling this energy, we are able to effect our behavior and change those traits that hinder us to becoming a better person. Visualization doesn't apply to only the sense of sight, but also includes the other senses of hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
The power of unconscious dreams are a well-spring for some forms of visualization to occur. By concentrating on a problem before sleep, it is possible to come to a conclusion the next day or in the near future. Markham uses the examples of many famous creative people that used the power of dreams to solve creative problems. "Thomas Edison claimed that, if he made a note of those problems which concerned him the most before he went to sleep, when he awoke he would have discovered an answer…. Robert Louis Stevenson insisted that most of his plots came to him either in dreams or immediately upon waking" (15).
Another part of visualization is the ability to totally relax the mind and body at will. Without relaxation, the subconscious mind cannot effectively produce dreams. There are many methods to relaxation that are effective in getting into a better physical, emotional, and mental state to let dreams to occur. Techniques vary from simply counting down from ten to lying still and "squeezing" the tension from your body. Squeezing is a technique in which tension in the muscles are gradually "squeezed" from the tip of the toes to the top of the head. It begins by tensing the entire body and gradually relaxing the toes first and then slowly letting the rest of the body relax until the top of the head is reached. Other methods include visualizing that you are taking off a "tension coat" or taking off tension one layer at a time. Another is visualizing that tension is released through deep breathing. Fresh, relaxing air, is breathed in and tense air is breathed out.