Manifesting with Vision Boards

I began using vision boards when I was the facilitator of a women’s group at an inpatient psychiatric unit many years ago. I found creating boards to be a helpful tool to engage clients and stimulate meaningful conversation. The first step, selecting a “focus” word for the center, helped clients to visually conceptualize their personal goals for the year. Popular focus words included freedom, recovery, courage, relationships, and peace. For some, it was difficult to identify a focus; however, once determined, even those struggling the most would take pride in their word. Focus words established a basis and tone for each group session. As in life, our boards were always a work in progress.

Beyond focus words, our boards were filled with magazine clippings, quotes, words, and drawings, and group members would proudly share their meanings. Vision boards are highly customizable. Some went all out, using lots of colors and filling every inch of their poster board. Others kept it minimal but significant, placing great emphasis on each word and image choice. In my own boards, I always included a cat for comfort. Across the group the impact was the same: sharing our vision boards helped each of us to better understand each other (the good, the bad, and the realities of life), while further counseling ourselves on our individual and shared aspirations.

A form of visual affirmation, vision boards use the natural law of attraction to facilitate focus. The images on our boards helped my group and I to let go of the past and pivot to the future. Group sharing evoked positive vibrations of empathy and excitement, creating a surge of energy towards manifesting a better, happier life.

We are fortunate to offer Bringing Vision Boards into Clinical Practice, a new spring training with Amy Lane — more famously known as the Literate Yogi. As the Administrative Training Specialist for the Consortium, Amy graciously offers yoga and meditation classes on our Facebook page. She is a former teacher who continues to connect and share with others. Amy’s own approach to vision board creation underlines the value of creativity in therapy, recovery, and beyond. Read below for a few of Amy’s thoughts on vision boards and her upcoming training.  

Get your glue sticks ready and creative juices flowing…

Vision Boards and other concrete goal-setting tools are essential in motivating clients to address checklist items from the smallest of tasks to the largest, life-changing desires. To realize a client’s aspirations, the best form of attack is to create a plan that is:

1. individualized from the client, for the client,

2. reasonable and attainable,

3. visually motivating with rewards built in, and

4. shows successes along the way.

Creating opportunities for clients to formulate goals using various visual maps encourages excitement, creativity, and accountability throughout the process. In my experiential workshop, you will learn about the process of setting attainable goals and the opportunity to use various goal-setting activities, including creating your own vision board for your own personal goals.