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Stress & Cortisol
Breaking the cycle of survival mode.
Does stress interfere with goal visualisation?
Chronic stress impairs prefrontal function, which supports planning and forward imagery. That makes stress reduction a plausible precondition for this kind of work rather than an optional extra. The direction is well supported; the size of the effect varies widely.
Source: HPA-axis and prefrontal-function literature
Frequently asked
Should I fix stress before visualising?
If stress is at a level that disrupts sleep, concentration or daily function, that is the more urgent problem and it is a clinical one. Imagery works better alongside it, not instead of it.
Does imagery reduce stress?
MIT's Future You study measured reduced anxiety after interacting with an AI-generated future self. That is one preregistered result over a short interaction, not evidence of a durable treatment effect.