Progress report: First, Id like to thank Dorin for sharing their experiences. This time, definetly my brain remembered the last night training because the image faded in ~2 seconds (first try), not milliseconds like in the beggining. :) Dead Sea Mud. It appears smaller, like at a greater distance compared to the observable shape. I am truly desperate to learn how to visualise. Cristina, Hi, these seem like good exercises but I have a problem when I try and visualise and maybe you can help me or know if it has a name. Like with the other imagination exercises, this is about patience and details. I have done progress with visualisation. Its NOT really a VISION, but a mental construct. There is a question bothers me a lot . I used to be able to visualize very bright, vivid images, but one day after having a panic attack (a result of a stressful 12-year career in corporate America, a breakup, etc), I suddenly started see black whenever I closed my eyes. Great effort youre putting into it. Just for reference: I never did #1, didnt suit me. please sir, when you visualize with your eyes closed, do your eye balls move as if to scan the mental images? Very likely, aphantasia-normal-hyperphantasia is a spectrum, on one extreme some people can't experience any sensory things mentally, on the other maybe they can play out literal movies in their head. Im so happy that I found your explanation and exercises. nice advices, thank you. Youll know youre improving if you can perceive the smallest improvements in: Conclusion: there is a massive change after 7 days only (5 hours of practice, daily, on average). Now light it for real. THIS. Close your eyes and attempt see the object (or scene) with your minds eye. I was shocked and amazed at the same time. I didnt want to accept the fact that I cant do what so many take for granted. And I look like a fool I guess visualising with open eyes in the day time. Try visualiying the scenes of the guided meditations. My images are still dark and blurry, but sometimes I can see full color and sometimes there are images that come up unsolicited. Take the room you are in. SO HAPPY :). Ill be posting later when my brain finally will release from that hashimoto chains, When I come back to sleep, before jumping in my bed, a VERY vivid shape appeared in an instant, basically without any reason (visible with my eyes closed or open for 10-15 seconds): many coloured bubles rotating all together in a cylindrical shape. But Marko how would you even have the skills of mental rotation before you had the static image to rotate. # My question is, how long did it take you to go from seeing afterimages to a mental image? (Apparently, some studies stated that these exercises increase your IQ when performed frequently). Perhaps the prehensile toes on the feet can do it? As you have succeeded in visualizing, among these which exercises were most beneficial for you (surely some of them should be more beneficial than the other) ? Or, just last week, before drawing some images (for a video presentation) I switched into mind-mode and visualized how Id draw a heart or a glass of sparkling wine. Im certain, if you stay with it, youll find you can recreate images in their true colors. Brandon, I cannot control them. Or you could try to make it smaller and smaller, until it turns into a dot and then completely disappears. Eyes Opened & Eyes Closed Finally, Id like to note some of my experiences are quite similar to Dorins. This Urbandale park is unique because it is a natural playscape. Youre on the right track. Perhaps you pick your favorite book, one youve read already. I just figured it was all in the mind. Sometimes I try to go for 30-40 sec and make a blinking motion (like snapshot) every 3 sec. First Relax, after relax, visualise, and my visualisation seems to be little better, well see later. Do this over and over, and then progress to a wider landscape: everything you can see through your eyes, for example. You can use them rather as a stencil for actual mental image to fade into. So after you have reached a primitive stage of conjuring pictures in your mind, what are the steps/exercises to improve clarity of the pictures ? Another example is when I do the candle exercise, I can see the black rubber band on my wrist, but it shows up as a fluorescent white color. Or focus on your your breathing and only that for as long as possible. You could do this anytime during your day. If you have aphantasia, then it is not possible to learn how to visualize. How long should I do the exercises every day? Then, this also reminds me of the white flashes you see when you apply pressure to your eyes. This is totally normal. is 15 20 minutes okay? What does it mean that I could do this on the first day??? The Mind's eye most likely utilizes the Visual cortex and adjacent predominantly visual cortical areas of the Parietal lobe and Temporal lobe ( Seeing and Imagining: Clues to the Workings Of the Mind's Eye ). Books are usually full of very detailed descriptions of people, places, objects, etc. Persistence is everything, everywhere. Far from me the idea of being pretentious, I just want to share my story with people and I hope I can be helpful to even one person. Research into the subject was tricky, as every time I included the term visualization in my searches, I would find countless videos teaching people who already possess the ability to create mental images how to use their ability to achieve personal success. But yeah, going into a dark cave for a period of time was, like, a rite of passage in some cultures and it totally makes sense. Today Ill start doing everything I can. Now, observe that shape calmly for a moment. Note: when I close my eyes, I also use my hands to block the additional light through my eyelids. Do you see anything at all yet? 3. Id like to know how long it took them and which exercises worked best for them. Id suggest you pick 2-3 exercises you feel comfortable with. Dont give up. Start collecting images and quotes that represent how you'd like your future self to be. Now in order to develop mental rotation skills using the glass scenario would I then physically turn the mug around so the handle was on the left side when you looked at it straight on and then try to pay attention to details of how the mug looked, before it was rotation and after it was rotating and then do the close eye and open eye exercise. If you wont get anything at all, try this: Hi William! 6. Youve got a fanstastic foundation already! When I recall my dreams, its like remembering a movie I saw yesterday, I can tell you what I saw, but I dont see the images again. From time to time, color spots appeared: purple (many times), yellow and pink once. Practically, before you practice visualizing, say, a glass, carefully observe all its aspects. Thank you for your response. Youll be able to automatically capture more details with a single look. I cant change the colors. If youre having trouble to imagine the right colors then you may want try working with solid colors only. The only way to be sure you have aphantasia would be to see a neurologist and potentially get fMRI brain imaging done, to look at whats happening in your brain when you try to visualize, Swart explains. The keys are persistence and regular exercises. you can use and listen to their full hypnosis for 90 days, and then just refund it to get your cash back they wont even ask you for any reasons. Think of redrawing the shape with that imaginary pencil.Try holding out your finger and slowly draw the shape into the air in front of you (with eyes closed).This is critical now; If you dont see anything, explain to yourself in your mind like, I see the top edge of the triangle. This is your minds eye at work. Gradually add more and more detail. If you really get bored with any of these exercises, try to get some variation. Its generally very simple, but if you cant do it for whatever reason, you may try to move a shape in any direction until it is no longer in the field of view. I recently decided to meditate in order to be less stressed and found that not being able to mentally see images transforms the process into a nightmare. The subliminal visualization video didnt seem to work for me; I am focusing on image streaming now (30 to 60 minutes a day). In your visualization, be the first Ive tried the online videos a few times, but a microsecond after my eyes close I have no idea what the thing I was just looking at looks like. For example, you enter a restaurant and you make it your goal to perceive as much as possible. Or just when i visualize consciously? Now, when you have mastered thi But now i want to start again. This demands a high level of concentration and control and youll quickly register progress. Make sure to keep the muscles that control your eyes, your eyelids, and all surrounding facial muscles entirely relaxed at all times. 5. Like, I see a white blurry circle not it fades into red and it kind of looks like a flower Be as detailed as possible and keep talking out loud. I would now say that my visualization is 22.5/10. So, if youve tried everything else and you dont know where else to look for a solution, go to their website and read the full description. when you visualise something, does it show up in the same place as those weird swirly patterns do when you rub your eyes too hard? If you can only see small parts of the image, and that only for a very short time, thats totally normal. Other people, who dont even have this sensation of sensing things, might rely more on visually seeing seeing scenes like dream scapes, movie scenes, or photos in their mind. I am scared that i will never be better at it, even if i started witch seeing something :O. I have attempted in the past to visualize (via assignments in classes that require such) I will commit to a few months of 5 or so minutes a day of the third exercise that appealed the most to me, and reply after that time if any progress is made. Wait. I know, this can be a frustrating process but, because this is such an intangible matter, only persistant experimentation will show you the ideal way to practice. The exercises Ive doing are: for about a month I was staring at a triangle, then closing my eyes, and trying to hold the image as long as possible. I did the same for ~1.5 hours. But using the inner voice to describe details can definitely help to gain more clarity and to stabilize the image. Definitely, my brain is doing something. Its kind of like the aurora borealis, sometimes swirling or cascading. 1,5 hours a day sounds too much but I noticed that if you trully want it, you dont even think about it. To me, this experience was entirely profound. After 2 months and 3 days i still have visualisation skill like at the begin. Please share your thoughts and theories below. I couldnt see anything either, but I tried to describe what I remembered until I was just repeating myself, then looked again. One bit of encouragement was a beautiful lucid dream last week. They spend a great deal of time visualizing every day routinely, automatically honing this asset. The color of these shapes is a little bit greenish but mostly white/light. About after image evolution: I can recall them up to 6 times. First, thank you for this write up. Nonetheless, I think youre making a great suggestion and Ill update this article asking people to leave specific feedback on their progress so that Ill be able to compound it to a dedicated post. Just make sure to relax your eyes and your eyelids when closing them. It makes me very happy :) Im going to keep practicing, until I can visualize everything. When you are able to start seeing an image can your mind automatically rotate that image or is their some exercises out their to practice mental rotation. I wish you good luck. Im sure, youre here because you cant visualize. Are the after images contained in a small rectangle in the center of your vision when you close your eyes for anybody else? Maybe, after youve used it for some time, you can report back to us again. Marko just discovered something and thought I would share it with you. I was laying in bed, trying to imagine/see something with my eyes closed while listening to a rainy sound. In your case (and this applies to probably thousands of other successful, happy people, too) writing is a perfectly effective substitute to get clarity, direction and drive in life. Remember how it looks like. I want to thank you so much. To point you to some great resources to get the most out of life through writing, check out some of these titles on Amazon or your local book store: Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within- Janet Conner Especially in the beginning its every easy to give up. Now that youre receiving an after-image (even though its unstable) you can get a feel for visualization. I really enjoyed the tune and tried to youtube the song while dreaming but to no avail. (Dont forget you are not trying to see it with your eyes, it feels to be residing somewhere else, at least in the beginning of practice) As soon as the image begins to fade, open your eyes and look at the real drawing. Is there anyway I could contact you to ask you a few questions? While awake I can think only in words and concepts. It might just be a learned association, in which case it could be reversed in time. 4. Start with a tiny part of it. I could even see the paper at some point. Its hard to start from ground zero. Did this happened to you ? In my experience it helps to say out lout what you want to see (or what your already seeing) to give it stability and clarity. My question is: Do i have to focus on the afterimage? 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