Yes. Visualisation is optional, and weak visual imagery does not disqualify you from pursuing any goal.
What this does — and does not — mean
Communities can overstate vividness, first-person perspective or scene precision until the exercise becomes an imagery test. The useful move is to distinguish the internal experience from the mechanism that would have to produce the external result.
Why the claim can feel convincing
Mental simulation can influence behaviour, but people differ in imagery ability and can rehearse with words, sound, concepts or external plans. This keeps the explanation narrow enough to be testable instead of turning every outcome into proof of a universal manifestation rule.
A grounded way to respond
Use verbal rehearsal, checklists, if-then plans, sample schedules or process practice if pictures are not useful. Put the next step into a calendar or planner where possible. The test is whether the practice improves clarity, behaviour or decision quality—not whether you can maintain an ideal mental state all day.
An example
A speaker can rehearse the sequence of opening, pausing and answering a question without seeing a vivid inner movie. Notice how the example preserves ordinary cause, uncertainty and feedback. That makes it more useful than explaining both success and failure with the same invisible reason.
The boundary that matters
Do not interpret aphantasia or low imagery vividness as a spiritual defect. A trustworthy manifestation practice should expand agency without pretending you control every variable.
Evidence note
Imagery varies widely between people. Mental rehearsal can be verbal, spatial, auditory or conceptual; vivid visual pictures are only one format.
Bottom line
Choose the representation that improves preparation. The goal is transfer into life, not performance inside the imagination exercise.
A practical audit
Try three versions of the same rehearsal: written steps, spoken self-instruction and visual imagery. Use the version that leaves you clearest about the next real action. The point is to create evidence that can genuinely change your next decision rather than another explanation that fits whatever happens.
Do not collapse these categories
Low imagery vividness is not low motivation, low creativity or low worth. Aphantasia shows that people can plan and create with very different internal experiences. Keeping the categories separate usually reduces both magical certainty and unnecessary self-blame.
A safeguard worth keeping
If visualisation produces frustration or makes you feel defective, stop measuring the pictures. Move to process rehearsal, checklists or external reference material. A useful practice should remain optional enough that you can stop it without fearing that reality will punish you.
Example without the hype
Someone with weak visual imagery prepares for an interview by speaking answers aloud and writing a one-page map of examples. They are rehearsing effectively without seeing vivid pictures. This kind of example is useful because the ordinary causal chain remains visible instead of being replaced by one explanation that can fit anything.
What to keep
A grounded model is representation-neutral. The brain can plan through language, sound, spatial structure, motor rehearsal and external tools. Use the channel that makes the task more executable. The practice earns its place by improving function, not by demanding loyalty to a particular technique or metaphysical interpretation.
What to measure
After rehearsal, check whether recall and delivery improve. That transfer is the point; image vividness is not the score. Write the result down before changing the explanation. A stable review standard makes it easier to learn rather than retrofitting the story after every outcome.
For future planning, external visual aids can replace internal imagery entirely. A calendar, diagram, reference photo or checklist can hold the representation outside your head. The important thing is whether the representation supports better choices.
For some tasks, physical rehearsal is even better than inner imagery: practise the presentation aloud, walk through the route, organise the workspace or simulate the exam. The external rehearsal produces direct feedback.
You can also rehearse contingencies rather than ideal scenes. Ask what you will do if the interviewer challenges you, the presentation technology fails or the exam question is unfamiliar. Contingency rehearsal builds flexible readiness because it includes recovery, not only the preferred sequence. A person with little visual imagery can work through these branches verbally and still become better prepared.