What Is This Teaching?
Imaginal Acts are short, intentional scenes you live inside in imagination as if your desire is already fulfilled. By repeatedly assuming the feeling and awareness of the wished-for state, you impress your subconscious and bring outer events into alignment with that inner reality.
Core Principles
- Imagination is causative: your inner scene is the seed that produces outer effects
- Feeling is the operative power: the emotion of fulfillment, not intellectual wishing, solidifies the act
- State first, events follow: assume the end-state now and let reality rearrange through the "bridge of incidents."
- Persistence + release: continue the imaginal act until it feels natural, then stop straining and allow manifestation to unfold
Quick Techniques to Start Today
- SATS (State Akin To Sleep) - Steps: relax until drowsy, form one short, specific scene in present tense showing your wish fulfilled, fully feel the emotion of it, repeat 2-5 times, end and either sleep or return to waking without analyzing outcomes
- Single-Scene Rule - Create one concise, repeatable scene (30-90 seconds) that implies completion; rehearse it nightly until it becomes effortless, then stop forcing it
- Revision Technique - Before sleep, mentally rewrite a negative or unfinished event from the day so it ends the way you wished; feel the satisfaction of the corrected outcome and let it go
Key Insights
- Vivid sensory detail helps, but the dominant requirement is genuine feeling of fulfillment - emotion anchors the scene.
- Drowsiness matters because the critical faculty relaxes then, allowing the imaginal act to impress the subconscious faster.
- Repetition builds conviction; however persistence means repeating without strain - once the scene feels natural, stop forcing it and trust the process.
- Signs are confirmations, not the method: watch for inner and outer confirmations but don’t fixate on how or when the result appears (the "bridge of incidents").
- Most people fail by rehearsing problems or arguing with reality; rehearse the resolved outcome and refuse to re-enter the problem-state.
Biblical Foundation
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24
Neville's interpretation:
Prayer is not pleading but the inner act of assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled. 'Believe that you have received it' means assume the experience inwardly now. Imaginal Acts are the discipline that creates that belief by living in the end.
“...God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”
Romans 4:17
Neville's interpretation:
Scripture speaks metaphorically of the human imagination as the creative Word. 'Calling into being things that were not' is done by imagining them as real - bringing the unseen into sense-experience by sustained inner acts. The 'dead' are unrealities until imagined alive.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
Neville's interpretation:
Your inner assumption determines your outer state. Imaginal Acts change the 'heart thinking' (inner conviction) so that outer circumstances align. The verse provides the moral of the technique: change your inner story and your life will follow.
Step-by-Step Practice Method
- Preparation (10-20 minutes total daily) - Set an intention for one clear desire. Keep it specific and morally comfortable to you. Limit to one scene at a time. - Establish a mental-diet plan for the day: notice and gently replace contrary thoughts with short affirmations (examples below)
- Create a single, short scene (1-2 minutes) - Construct one brief scene that implies the wish fulfilled; it must be a closed sensory moment that you can 'enter' now. Example: reading a signed contract, a loved one embracing you and saying your name, a doctor saying "You're well." Keep it in present tense, first person, and sensory-rich. - Avoid long movies, future planning, or sequences of events. One small proof scene is powerful
- SATS (State Akin To Sleep) - the cornerstone - Do this at night just before sleep or during an afternoon rest when drowsy. Lie down, relax, breathe slowly. - Enter the scene with your eyes closed. Use the first-person present ("I am..."). Include touch, sound, smell if applicable. Most important: generate the feeling of fulfillment - gratitude, relief, joy. - Repeat the scene 1-5 times until the feeling is vivid but relaxed. As you sink into sleep, hold the last image and feeling with gentle attention. Do not strain
- Feeling is the Secret (sustain emotion) - For Neville, feeling creates. Make the scene emotionally real. If you can "remember" it as if it already happened ("I remember when..." phrasing) that anchors feeling as memory rather than fantasy
- Release and forget (the letting go) - After SATS, release anxiety. Trust the imagination to do the work. Do not replay doubt or try to manipulate evidence. - Continue the mental diet during waking hours - when contradictory thoughts arise, replace them with a brief inner statement that returns you to the assumed state (e.g., "I am already receiving this" or a sensory word: "warmth" or "signed")
- Revision (daily corrective technique) - Each evening, review the day. If anything unpleasant occurred, mentally rewrite it the way you wished it had gone, replaying the corrected scene until the feeling is strong. This erases contrary realities and reinforces the assumed state
- Persistence without impatience - Practice SATS nightly for at least 7-21 consecutive days for a single scene. Stop changing the scene except to deepen feeling. If you change, you change the assumption; keep it constant until evidence appears. Practical session template (20-30 minutes): - 5 min relax/mental-diet check - 10-15 min construct and rehearse your single scene with feeling - 5-10 min SATS hold until drowsy, then let go Notes on posture, language and content: - Use first-person present tense ("I am", "I have"). Avoid future tense ("I will"). - Keep the scene private; do not seek evidence or speak about it until you feel certain inside. - Do not visualize the 'how' or steps to get it. Imagine the end scene only. Mental Diet specifics: - Catch negative statements and mentally say, "Not this," then immediately replace with a micro-imaginal cue tied to the end-state. - Keep short trigger-phrases ("I am settled," "It is done") to interrupt drift. Tracking progress: - Keep a short journal: note feelings after SATS, dreams, small coincidences, inspired ideas, and any changes in inner assumptions
Real-World Applications
Example:
❌ Wrong way:
- Rehearsing lack: imagining bank statements, calculating shortfalls, visualizing worry and 'how' to get money. Chanting affirmations without feeling. - Outcome: more anxiety, actions driven by fear, conflicting assumptions
✅ Right way:
- Single scene: You open an email or hold an envelope; the subject line has the payor's name; you smile as you read, feeling relief and gratitude. Hear the tone in the email or feel the texture of the check/envelope. - Practice: SATS at night, 3-5 repetitions, ending with a warm sense of relief. During day, when worry arises, replace with the short cue: "Paid; settled." Keep silent until evidence shows. - Typical result: unexpected payment, cleared mind, inspired phone call, steps show up without frantic planning
Example:
❌ Wrong way:
- Rehearsing confrontation, pleading, imagining convincing the other person, or picturing a future argument. - Outcome: pushes the other away, inner fear remains, contradictions perpetuate
✅ Right way:
- Single scene: a short, private moment where the person embraces you and says your name warmly, or you sit together laughing over coffee. Focus on the feeling of being loved/accepted, the smell of coffee, the warmth of the embrace. - Practice: SATS nightly; use "I remember when we laughed" phrasing to solidify memory-feel. Keep dignity-do not beg outer behavior to change; assume the inner state first. - Typical result: shifted tone in interactions, small friendly gestures, opening that leads to reconciliation or new loving magnetism
Example:
❌ Wrong way:
- Replaying pain, checking symptoms, visualizing medical procedures, wanting proof from tests. - Outcome: symptom focus strengthens attention to pain, no inner assumption of health
✅ Right way:
- Single scene: you walk up steps easily, notice the smooth movement and absence of pain, or the doctor smiles and says, "Everything is perfect." Feel the ease and freedom in the joint. - Practice: SATS with tactile sensations (pressure, looseness), use "I am whole" as internal revision during the day when pain thoughts arise. Use revision to rewrite any day's pain episodes as comfortable moments. - Typical result: decreased symptom focus, gradual bodily changes, improved mobility and inspired treatment options. Each example emphasizes: one sensory-focused scene, first-person present tense, feeling of fulfillment, SATS practice, daytime mental diet, and deliberate release
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Inconsistency / stopping too soon - Why it fails: Imaginal conditioning requires repetition to change inner assumptions. Stopping before the belief takes root returns you to old patterns. - How to avoid: Commit to a minimum run (e.g., 21 consecutive nights). Use a calendar or habit tracker. Short sessions are fine; regularity matters
- Imagining the process or "how" instead of the end - Why it fails: Focusing on logistics reinforces lack and creates resistance; the imagination must present the fulfilled state. - How to avoid: Create one small proof scene that implies completion. If you catch yourself planning, gently redirect to the end-image and feeling
- Weak or intellectual visualization without feeling - Why it fails: Feeling is the creative agent. Intellectual images alone do not change the heart assumptions. - How to avoid: Use 'memory phrasing' ("I remember when..."), sensory detail, and cultivate gratitude/relief. Practice amplifying feeling gradually
- Conflicting assumptions and self-contradictory life - Why it fails: Your outer life will mirror dominant inner assumptions. If you assume scarcity by words or actions, imaginal acts are undermined. - How to avoid: Adopt a strict mental diet, monitor inner conversation, and refrain from speaking beliefs that contradict your assumption. Revise daily to erase contrary incidents
- Anxiety, clinging, or impatience after the act - Why it fails: Clinging signals doubt; anxiety attracts the opposite of the wish. Impatience changes the assumption to wanting. - How to avoid: After SATS, practice deliberate forgetting. Use a simple trust phrase such as "It is settled" and return to daily life. Journal small confirmations to build faith but avoid obsessing. General remedy: Whenever you notice failure patterns, return to one short assured scene, deepen feeling, and maintain mental diet until inner conviction replaces doubt
Advanced Techniques
- Compound SATS (stacked imaginal acts) - Purpose: intensify conditioning for complex desires by linking several microscenes that all imply the same fulfilled assumption. - How to practice: Choose 3-4 very short related scenes (10-20 seconds each) that imply the same end-state. During SATS, move through them fluidly, ending each sequence with the same emotional peak. Repeat sequence 3-5 times. Example: for abundance, see an email, a bank notification, then a celebratory conversation - all implying the same arrival. - Note: Keep each microscene compact and sensory; do not make it a narrative
- "I Remember When" (memory anchoring) - Purpose: Convert imagined scenes into subjective memories to bypass conscious doubt. - How to practice: After SATS, or during a waking rehearsal, phrase the scene as a past memory: "I remember when I finally received that call; I was so relieved." Repeat until it feels like a true memory. Neville taught that assumed memory has the power of fact in consciousness. - Use-case: Particularly effective for transforming relationships or past disappointments
- Revision for retroactive correction (healing & chance events) - Purpose: Change the emotional interpretation of past events so they no longer anchor present contradictions. - How to practice: Each evening, lie down briefly and replay any undesirable moments from the day, rewriting them as you wished they had been. Make the corrected version sensorial and feel-good. This quiet nightly habit prevents accumulation of contrary assumptions and can rapidly alter long-standing patterns. Advanced tips: - Use sensory specificity to anchor belief (voices, textures, precise words). - Pair imaginal acts with small inspired outer steps when they arise - imagination creates opportunities; action must follow when intuition prompts. - For persistent issues, increase the felt vividness rather than the length of visualizing sessions
Signs of Progress
- Increased inner peace and certainty about the desire. You experience moments of forgetting the want because it 'feels' already done.
- Dreams begin to reflect your scene or produce symbolic confirmations. Vivid dream-bridges often precede external evidence.
- Reduced obsessive thinking about 'how' and fewer fearful rehearsals.
- Small coincidences and synchronicities that point toward the desire: a call, a message, meeting a helpful person, an unexpected bill paid - these are 'first fruits.'
- Changes in other people's behavior or circumstances that align with your assumption.
- Tangible outcomes (money, relationship shifts, improved health) that follow the inner change.
- You notice inspired ideas and effortless actions rather than forced effort. Decisions feel clearer and less anxious.
- Your appetite for contradiction (gossip, fear-based talk) wanes; you naturally protect your mental diet.
- Expect a period of internal resistance surfacing: doubts, old memories, or an increase in contrary events. This is often a sign the inner work is approaching manifestation and is clearing inner blocks.
- Response: deepen SATS feeling, hold to the assumption, and continue revision. Do not abandon the scene because of temporary contrary appearances.
- Keep a short progress log: date, scene used, feeling intensity (1-10), any dreams, and any external clue. Over 2-6 weeks you should see an upward trend of feeling certainty and growing coincidences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an imaginal act and how do I perform one?
- Define the end clearly. Be specific about the result you want and state it in the present tense. Avoid imagining the means; imagine the end itself. For example, instead of imagining finding a job, imagine signing a contract or celebrating a first day at the new workplace
- Create a short scene. Keep it brief and self-contained, a moment that could only occur if your desire is already fulfilled. Scenes work best when they imply completion rather than show the process
- Enter the SATS (state akin to sleep). Lie down or sit comfortably, relax, and allow your body to get drowsy while your attention stays awake and imaginal. Neville recommended doing imaginal acts in this receptive state
- Use sensory detail and, above all, feeling. Engage sight, sound, touch, even smell and taste if relevant, but make the emotional conviction the anchor. The feeling of having what you want is the signal to the subconscious
- End the scene and rest. After experiencing the scene and its feeling, let it fade without forcing outcomes. Give thanks inwardly. Drowsiness helps sink the impression into the subconscious
- Persist until it feels natural. Repeat nightly or until the inner conviction hardens into certainty and you begin to notice movement in your outer world. Common concerns and blocks: Many get lost in wishful thinking or create long movies that never end. Keep scenes short and concluded. Doubt and criticism are the main blocks; combat these with small, believable scenes at first so you build evidence to yourself, and use Neville techniques such as revision to neutralize past negatives. Remember, according to Neville, 'feeling is the secret' - feeling the state accomplished matters more than perfect detail
What is the SATs method and why is drowsiness helpful?
- Choose a quiet time, commonly just before sleep or on waking. Lie down or recline comfortably
- Relax the body progressively. Breathe slowly, release tension, and allow the eyelids to feel heavy
- Keep awareness on your imagined scene while the body drifts. Do not fight drowsiness; let it deepen naturally
- Replay your short scene once or a few times until the feeling becomes convincing. Then allow the scene to fade and drift into sleep while maintaining the inner conviction. Why drowsiness is helpful: - It quiets the analytical mind that would otherwise judge, disbelieve, or dissect the image. - It bridges conscious intention and the subconscious, enabling the impression to be accepted and acted upon by imagination-as-cause. - In sleep the subconscious consolidates impressions; ending the imaginal act as you fall asleep lets the new state register deeply. Cautions and tips: - Do not force sleep; the aim is a relaxed receptivity with inner attention intact. - If you fall fully asleep mid-scene, that is often fine. If doubt arises, stop, breathe, and come back another night. - Consistency is more important than length. Short nightly SATS rehearsals produce cumulative effect. Biblical perspective: Psalm 63:6 speaks of meditating on God in the night; Neville used such scriptural language metaphorically to encourage inner communion in peaceful states. SATS is effectively a discipline of inner communion with the desired reality
How vivid must an imaginal scene be to produce results?
- Enough detail to evoke genuine emotion. Use those senses that make the scene real to you. For some people a single strong visual plus the feeling is enough. For others, adding sound or touch strengthens the impression. Keep it minimal yet convincing.
- Present tense and first person. Imagine seeing through your own eyes or experiencing the fact as you, rather than watching as a detached spectator.
- Avoid unnecessary complexity. Too many separate images dilute conviction. A single, closed scene that implies completion is better than a long movie of steps toward the goal.
- Quality over quantity. A short, intensely felt scene leaves a deeper impression than a long, vague fantasy.
- Use tangible anchors: a particular piece of clothing, the feel of a handshake, the exact words someone says to you. These concrete elements make imagination easier to sustain.
- Start small with rehearsals of minor wins to strengthen your 'imagination muscle' and to build evidence in your life.
- If details fade, return to the feeling and the essential image. The subconscious needs the tone and conclusion more than the full screenplay.
How do I distinguish signs from the bridge of incidents?
- Note everything but do not overinterpret. Keep a journal of signs and incidents. This trains discernment
- Look for patterns that lead to action. If a series of events produces a real opportunity (meeting the right person, a job posting that matches your imagined scene), that is bridge material
- Treat signs as reassurance, not instruction. A sign is helpful but not necessarily the path. Trust your inner guidance about whether to act
- Stay faithful to the imaginal act. Neville warned against chasing every outer sign; your job is to maintain the inner conviction and then follow the practical opportunities the bridge provides. Common mistakes and blocks: - Mistaking every coincidence for prophetic instruction leads to confusion. If an outer event requires you to do something constructive and moves you toward the end, it is likely part of the bridge. - Anxiety and eagerness can make you read false patterns. Calm confidence and the practice of letting the scene be will clarify which events are substantive. Remember, the inner state creates the outer; your role is to assume and act where action is sensible
How often should I repeat the scene versus letting it be?
- Daily SATS practice: For most desires, rehearse your short imaginal scene once nightly in SATS until it evokes a deep, settled feeling of being. This might take days or weeks depending on your resistance
- Repetition frequency: Repeat the scene enough that it becomes a lived memory internally rather than a forced fantasy. Initially, nightly repetition is recommended. As the feeling of the state becomes natural and unforced, reduce frequency to maintenance rehearsals - perhaps once a week or whenever doubt arises
- Signs of enough repetition: You stop needing to visualize vividly to feel the reality. The feeling of the fulfilled desire settles into your self-concept. You begin to act and accept as if it is already true
- Letting it be: After you have established inner conviction, release anxious attention. Live naturally in the assumption and go about ordinary life. Neville emphasized 'living in the end' privately while letting outward circumstances arrange themselves. Dealing with doubt and impatience: - If doubt creeps in, return to short, confident rehearsals rather than long anxious fantasies. Quality beats quantity. - Use revision on disturbing daily events to neutralize negative evidence. - Maintain gratitude as the way to let it be; gratitude affirms the end and removes undermining tension. Neville versus generic law of attraction: Neville places primary emphasis on the inner act of assumption and identity - becoming the person who already has the desire - rather than on external techniques or affirmations alone. The repetition is to establish an inner state, not to manipulate the outer world by force. Once the inner state is real, the outer bridge forms naturally
The Bible Through Neville
2 Kings 23:1
Joshua 1:1
Isaiah 33:5
Jeremiah 18:4
Isaiah 24:1
Numbers 19:14
2 Chronicles 31:16
Nehemiah 7:63
1 Corinthians 7:2
Jeremiah 3:6
Neville Bible Sparks
1 Samuel 3:9
2 Samuel 8:10
Psalms 44:11
Leviticus 14:53
Matthew 6:24
Proverbs 29:21
Hebrews 10:15
Ezekiel 14:21
Joel 3:15
Genesis 28:15
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