The method of Imaginary Brainstorming, invented by Arthur F. Keller, is still far from being as well known as its famous sister, the original Brainstorming. This is particularly surprising because it offers some specific advantages over brainstorming (for example, eliminating the possibility of getting stuck on ideas that keep coming up) and thus, above all, fosters creativity and inventiveness.
The trick used in Imaginary Brainstorming is to leave the usual thinking paths by radically reversing the basic influencing factors of the idea environment, thus activating the imagination.
Only at the end of the method are the ideas obtained checked to see whether they also fit the original problem. However, this mental sidestep only works particularly well if the “alienated” problem is as far away as possible from the original problem in order to leave the prefabricated thought patterns. Therefore, the “alienated” problem should also be chosen very surreal and unreal. The seemingly pointless brainstorming through this sidestep may seem strange at first, but our brain is always able to create the feedback to the actual problem.