創造性想像（英語：Creative visualization），是有目的地產生視覺心像的認知過程 。無論是否睜開眼睛，[1][2]人們都可以模擬或重建視知覺 ，[3]維持、檢閱和轉換這些心像，改變相關的情緒或感受，[4][5][6]目的是為了體驗隨後有益的生理、心理或社會效果，例如加速身體傷口癒合，[7]儘量減少身體痛苦 ， 緩解包括焦慮、悲傷、低落情緒的心理痛苦 ，[8]改善自尊或自信心，[9]加強與他人互動時的應對能力。[10][11]
「心靈之眼」至少可以追溯到西塞羅的討論，他在討論恰當的演說時的明喻用法時，提及這個概念。[12]
在這次討論中，西塞羅觀察到「他遺產中的加貝斯灣 」和「他所擁有的卡律布狄斯」涉及「過於牽強 」的明喻；而他建議演說者只要分別說「海灣」和「岩石」，理由是「心靈之眼更容易指向我們所看到的那些物體，而不是那些我們只聽過的人。」[13]
「心靈之眼」的概念首先出現在傑弗里·喬叟的「法律之人」的坎特伯雷故事集中 ，他告訴我們住在城堡里的三個人之一是瞎的，只能用「他的心靈之眼」去領會，也就是所有人在失明後所見的「那些眼睛」。[14]
大腦也能夠產生其它類型的心像 ，除了視覺心像以外，感知模擬或重建是跨越所有感覺系統，包括聽覺系統的聲音 ，味覺心像的味覺 、嗅覺的氣味、[15] 運動心像的運動、和觸覺心像的觸摸 (包含質地 、溫度、壓力的組合)。[16][17]
儘管能夠在感官模式中生成心像，[18][19]但「創造性想像」這一術語表示一個人特定地生成和處理視覺心像的過程。
創造性想像與引導心像密切相關，且通常被視為引導心像的一部分。在引導心像中，受過訓練的從業者或教師幫助參與者或患者喚起並生成心像[20] ，模擬或重建視覺、[3][21]聲音、[22] 味覺[23] 、[24]氣味、[15] 運動 [25]、觸覺，[17]甚至是主觀體驗，與傳統感覺有別的想像或心理內容 [26]
不過在受控實驗中，人們參與引導心像[27] [24] ，視覺心像在科學文獻中留下最為廣泛的研究和記錄，視覺和聽覺心像仍是人們最常見的經歷。[28][29][30]
所有心像，包括透過創造性想像產生的視覺心像，都可能使強烈的情緒或感覺沉澱或與之產生關聯。[4][5][31]
根據實驗心理學 的心像計算理論，[32] [33] [34]創造性想像的過程包括四個階段：
第1階段是「心像生成」。這涉及從記憶 ，幻想或兩者的組合以產生心像。
第2階段是「心像維護」。這涉及故意維持或維持心像，若沒有維持，心像會快速衰減 ，心像的維持時間不足以進入下一階段。 [34]
第3階段是「心像檢查」。在這個階段，一旦心像被生成和維持，就會對心像進行檢查、探索及詳細闡述，並根據參與者進行解釋。 [35]這階段通常涉及掃描過程，參與者的注意力將遍歷心像及其周圍，並模擬感知視角的變化。
第4階段是「心像轉換」。參與者會改變生成心像的內容，改變那些像是指出並加劇心理痛苦、強調缺陷或無能為力的心像，這階段會將這些負面情緒心像替換成引發正面情緒的心像，如影射自主性，應對能力，以及身心能力提升。
為了使參與者從這個階段性的創造性想像過程中受益，參與者須能夠容易進入沉浸狀態或是對吸引性（absorption）具有敏感性，這就是「對進入沉浸狀態和進入自我改變體驗的開放性」。 [36] [37]
此外，處理視覺心像的過程會對認知注意力資源提出了要求，包括工作記憶 。[38] [39]
因此，創造性想像在臨床實踐中，通常作為多模式策略的一部分，該策略整合了其他干預措施 ，最常見的是引導冥想或某種形式的冥想練習 、放鬆技巧、冥想音樂、接受性音樂治療 ，因為這些方法可以提高參與者或患者的吸引性，增強對注意力的控制，補充必要的認知資源，從而提高創造性想像的潛在功效。 [40] [41]
患有注意力不足過動症（ADHD）的個體通常表現出更大的創造潛力。有較強的能力去創造、想像獨特的想法。 [42]然而，如果給定限制性標準（例如程序、實用性、時間），就會表現出較弱的創造性解決能力。這種弱點是由於認知僵化 ，[43]經常與ADHD 共病。注意力、聚焦、動機的缺點會在剛性挫折下更加嚴重，在給出指導方針時，更難引起創造性的概念化。[44]然而，ADHD所增加的思維徘徊 、橫向思維、持久性，可以提供更多跳出邊框的思維 。因此，儘管更能夠想像創造性和原創性的抽象概念，[45]但在給定特定標準時，他們無法創造和確定最終想法。[46][47]
雖然視覺和聽覺心像最為常見[27] [24] ，視覺心像甚至在科學文獻中留下最廣泛的研究記錄，[28] [29] [30]但是「創造性想像」這術語的使用在科學、同行評審、學術出版物中遠遠少於「引導心像」（guided imagery），研究作者通常用「引導心像」來指示所有形式的心像的生成、維護、檢查和轉換，以及專指視覺心像的過程。此外，一些作者將「創造性想像」一詞與「引導心像」互換使用。同時，另一些人則表明引導心像包括創造性想像。[48][49][50]
此外，調查、臨床、科學、學術作者經常測量、分析、討論創造性想像及引導心像的影響，這些影響與他們結合的其他身心干預密不可分，通常包括冥想音樂、接受性音樂治療、放鬆、引導冥想、冥想練習 、自我反思日記 。這常使得難以將正面或負面結果歸因於任一種特定技術。 [49] [51] [52] [53]
創造性想像可能有助於癌症患者感覺更積極，但「沒有令人信服的證據表明創造性想像對噁心和嘔吐等身體症狀有正面影響。」 [54]
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