The definition of pain segregates it in two dimensions: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential damage, or described in terms of such damage. As the threat for damage has negative survival connotations, perception of pain is always accompanied by negative emotions.

They are:

• Selective Perception.
• Projection.
• Stereotyping.
• Halo Effect.
• Contrast Effect.

Contrast Effects Evaluations of a person’s characteristics that are affected by comparisons with other people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics.

occipital lobes

cerebrum

occipital lobe

Frontal cortex

Mental imagery seems to be better than no practice at all, but mental imagery alone is not as good as physical practice alone. Mental imagery is most effective when practiced over time; however, research has shown that athletes most often use mental imagery immediately prior to an event to help boost performance.

Because mental imagery connects different aspects of the brain, imagery has been shown to increase imagination and memory capacity. By being able to manipulate the cupcake image in this way, clients can work up to practicing changing more negative images that elicit negative emotions for them.

A mental image or mental picture is an experience that, on most occasions, significantly resembles the experience of visually perceiving some object, event, or scene, but occurs when the relevant object, event, or scene is not actually present to the senses.