Invisible Counselors Technique: A Visualization for Problem-Solving

The “Invisible Counselors Technique” is a great mental exercise to help boost creativity and problem-solving.

It’s a visualization that requires a bit of imagination to get started, but with practice it can become a really interesting way of brainstorming and playing with new ideas.

The basic idea is to imagine yourself in a “counselor’s room” with a group of role models you think would be able to provide you with good advice (these role models can be both fictional and non-fictional).

Then, you can ask your “invisible counselors” whatever questions you want and imagine how they would respond back to you.

The “Invisible Counselors Technique” was first developed and popularized by Napoleon Hill, the classic self-help author from the early 20th century, including author of the popular book Think and Grow Rich published in 1936.

While this exercise is nearly a century old now, it’s still highly effective and remains a classic. And you can apply it to any situation in life (whether it’s related to work, relationships, health, or any other big life decision).

Here’s how to do it!

Invisible Counselors Technique: A Visualization

This exercise is simple in theory, although it can definitely take some practice before you start seeing results.

Here’s a breakdown of how to do it:

• First think of a specific problem in your life that you want help with (it could be work, relationships, goals, etc.)
• Then write down 5-7 “role models” who you think would be good people to get advice from on this specific problem (your role models can be alive, dead, fictional, non-fictional – it doesn’t matter).
• Now close your eyes and imagination yourself in a committee room, with you and your role models all sitting around a large table.
• Take a moment to introduce yourself to the group. Then go around the table and have each role model say something as well. Try to really imagine each “role models” individual personality and presence in the room.
• Now begin to ask questions to one of your role models in the group. Focus on questions related to the specific problem you started this “imaginary meeting” for.
• Try your best to really imagine each role model’s answers to you. (Take a “What would _____ do?” type of perspective).
• You can expand on this by also having your “role models” talk among each other. What types of things would they say? What would they agree on? What would they disagree on?
• Have fun and don’t take it too seriously. The more you “let go” and let your mind go wild, the easier it will be to arrive at interesting thoughts and insights.

The stronger your imagination, the better. But don’t worry if you’re not naturally a creative or imaginary person; like most things, this skill can be developed with practice.

You may not receive any insights the first time you meet with your “invisible counsel,” but with practice you will get better at listening to the answers that come from your imagination and subconscious.

When Napoleon Hill practiced the “Invisible Counselors Technique,” he talked of tapping into the minds of famous figures such as Jesus, Lincoln, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Homer, Edison, and Newton.

He writes…

“While the meetings with my counselors may be purely fictional and exist only in my imagination, they have led me down a glorious path of adventure, rekindled my appreciation of true greatness, encouraged many creative endeavors, and emboldened the expression of honest thought.”

When we imagine these “invisible counselors,” our minds are creating an archetype or representation of how we imagine those people to be. There is nothing magical or supernatural about it.

Thus, the more you know about your role models, the more you’ll be able to really tap into their way of thinking and see things how they see them. This is known as a type of empathy or “perspective-taking.”

There’s a great power in being able to temporarily pretend to be someone else. When we can tap into other people’s minds, we expand ourselves and become more flexible in our perspective and thinking.

It’s helpful to ask in certain situations, “What would _____ do or say in this situation?” And sometimes by taking that outside perspective, you can come to answers and insights that you normally wouldn’t get to.

This is the power behind the “Invisible Counselors Technique.” It teaches you how to be a more flexible and creative thinker by stepping outside of yourself.

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