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How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

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Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#51

Post by toombowoombo »

Hnrobert42 wrote: post #17
CommieBobDole wrote: post #4

So, wait, are people normally actually seeing images, with their eyes, when they imagine what something looks like? Like, the brown-blackness of the back of your eyelids gets replaced with something you actually see, like it's projected there? I can imagine what something looks like, and I guess I sort of 'see' it, but closing my eyes doesn't make it any more real. It doesn't seem to involve the eyes or any part of t…

I am like you. I’m guessing that the author needed to use the stuff seen by his eyes while closed as a springboard to seeing something with his mind’s eye. My dad told me about monk’s who meditate on imagining that their thoughts exist behind their belly button. As you noted, your mind’s eye is not located in the same physical space as your actual eyes. Similarly, there is no reason the thoughts you hear couldn’t be…

Try pinching yourself randomly so that you can attract your mind to different spots in your body. I used to do that when I had headpain to distract me from it (I was a minor back when I learned that. In my country everyone is very careful with any substance given to minors)

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#52

Post by Jiocus »

CommieBobDole wrote: post #4

So, wait, are people normally actually seeing images, with their eyes, when they imagine what something looks like? Like, the brown-blackness of the back of your eyelids gets replaced with something you actually see, like it's projected there? I can imagine what something looks like, and I guess I sort of 'see' it, but closing my eyes doesn't make it any more real. It doesn't seem to involve the eyes or any part of t…

If I remember correctly, aphantasia is inability to visualise images, objects or memories in the mind, and this seems to be what the author actually refers to. The alternative, to actually perceive imagery with the eye that isn't there is usually called hallucination. The article doesn't get at this difference and seems to be based on Youtube videos about aphantasia.

If you've ever had a dream with vivid first person eyesight (like most people during dreams) then it's easy to see that we should be very capable of producing high quality visuals without external stimuli.

I've been practicing on this kind of thing as it's a technique for dropping into a lucid dream. In my case, I manage to find some kind of repeat pattern in the visual random noise of my closed eyes. Slowly and consciously I manage to see clouds or waves on an open sea, maybe add color. Then I can try something more advanced. If going to sleep, these images get more vivid and might classify for something called hypnagogic hallucinations[0], but then it's not quite the same level of conscious involvement steering what to see. In any case, it's nowhere near what I'd imagine as useful for an on-site photo session, more like a high effort meditation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#54

Post by layer8 »

drewtato wrote: post #47
layer8 wrote: post #40

I would be careful with the eye rubbing, as that’s an important risk factor for keratoconus: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6848869/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9800344/

Maybe this is too obvious to spend words on, but it's really weird that neither actually define eye rubbing, specifically as being with the eyelids closed. The first one even has a section for the definition of eye rubbing and fully avoids defining it.

I don’t think many people would be able to rub their eyes with their eyes open ;), but yes, more precision would be useful.

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#56

Post by Ericson2314 »

CommieBobDole wrote: post #4

So, wait, are people normally actually seeing images, with their eyes, when they imagine what something looks like? Like, the brown-blackness of the back of your eyelids gets replaced with something you actually see, like it's projected there? I can imagine what something looks like, and I guess I sort of 'see' it, but closing my eyes doesn't make it any more real. It doesn't seem to involve the eyes or any part of t…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperphantasia seems like the "fully visual" one is different, and possibly not good.

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#57

Post by Ericson2314 »

norrius wrote: post #22
davidhunter wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. I am like you in that I cannot actually see anything visual in my minds eye but I can still 'visualise' it. For example, I can rotate a die in my minds eye without actually seeing it. It's hard to explain. It was a revelation when I found out that most people can actually see things visually in their minds eye. A friend of mine can actually place imagined objects into their field of view, like AR.

> I can rotate a die in my minds eye without actually seeing it. It's hard to explain. I think I'm the same. It's as if I can imagine a geometry, but it doesn't have any texture or colour. It's not black, not grey, not brown... It's a shape in its pure form, maybe like a wireframe, without a physical manifestation. However, I can imagine music and actually hear it. I had this a couple of times where I "replay" a song…

I definitely do abstract shapes more often, but I thought but and I could do some lighting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_teapot#/media/File:Utah_t... Play with the Utah teapot and then try to do the same thing mentally. Like imagine where the shadows are supposed to go and then see if you are right.

For colors imagine something corny like like a laser scan passing over, and then try to imagine different colors or laser.

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#58

Post by krapp »

_dain_ wrote: post #37
krapp wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> are people normally actually seeing images, with their eyes, when they imagine what something looks like? Like, the brown-blackness of the back of your eyelids gets replaced with something you actually see, like it's projected there? No. >I can imagine what something looks like, and I guess I sort of 'see' it, but closing my eyes doesn't make it any more real. It doesn't seem to involve the eyes or any part of the…

>No. ahem. yes we do. we really, really do.

Really? Like you literally see the things you imagine?

How do you function? How do you manage to drive, without your thoughts blocking your view? How can you even tell if anything you see is real or a product of your imagination?

I feel like if that's what is actually happening you should see a professional.

Re: How to see bright, vivid images in your mind’s eye (2016)

#59

Post by nabakin »

pizzafeelsright wrote: post #29

I thought I could use my mind's eye until I read similar threads. I have a vivid imagination but it turns out it's all conceptual. I don't see an apple. I see a mostly circle shape. It's either green or red. Maybe yellow. I can't draw well but I can draw anything. I know the concepts and can poorly draw the approximate.

I find that I visualize things vaguely/abstractly by default but I can put a bit of effort in thinking about the detail of the object I'm trying to imagine and then I can see that detail.

So I might imagine an Apple as a circle but if I need it in more detail, I put more effort into it, recalling the detail and able to see the red, the stem, peel it with a small knife, add a chunk taken out because it was bitten, etc.

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