Wish me luck. David, thank you for your efforts in leaving your progress report here! I dont have many from childhood unless they were told to me and I dont remember the things my children do. Because itll come back and youll become even better. I wish you good luck. Now open your eyes and look at the exact spot on the table where the object was before you removed it. Do I try to take in the entire peripheral vision all at once (like Id do if Im playing sports), or just casually look at various elements of the candle/flame a bit like a pinball? What you do is you consciously relax through with preferred method. So, I got that for me in terms of progress. How often have you asked yourself this question? Also, 3-5 minutes of breathing practice greatly improve visualization results energizing your body and calming your mind. But, one of the best things to do in Pisa, Italy, is a trip to a relatively small church on the banks of the Arno River. and will it improve faster the more time you spend on it? Sorry if I sound confusing.. You do see an after image when doing the candle exercise? To anyone reading this with aphantasia who gained some false hope only to be let down when all their effort was rewarded with nothing; dont worry about it. Unfortunately, I havent heard back from Brandon yet. It leaves you with a feeling that youre missing something. Have you every heard of anything like that before? Thank you for pointing out this simple truth and for taking steps to help others develop this amazing ability! 3. However, i can recall the image a few times after it fades with closed and open eyes as well. Finally, and this took me several months, I occasionally got moments of great visual clarity. I think, if Id be standing in your shoes, Id work on it at least 3 months to really proof to myself that, I can either get your minds vision back or not. While practicing during the day, I have seen a few images, but again, only for a second or so. Mine is extremely bad. What youve heard, I think is very natural. And as someone who is trying to be an artist, this was extremely discouraging. I almost feel like with all these visualizations that Im visualizing like a blind person. :) This isnt frequent or maybe it was but I just wasnt being atuned to the possibility. Sense, Touch, and Feel I really enjoyed the tune and tried to youtube the song while dreaming but to no avail. Especially effective with remembering vivid dreams with lots of action. That is my goal. Just make sure to relax your eyes and your eyelids when closing them. Observe these objects, their details and texture in real life and bring them into your routine. I knew were the knob should be, I could visualize how the know was moved (like pulled off and mounted in the correct position), but then everything was deleted and I had the original image. On the other hand, you seem to be doing very well already. Youre waiting in line? Marko, I have done these exercises in the past. Just dont force it. I cant wait to see (literally) in 7 days how is going to evolve. This is great stuff!!! Use an add-on for Firefox: Youtube MP3 This is extremely rare but it idd occur to days ago. But they are just that, afterimages. Im so happy that I found your explanation and exercises. Close your eyes. You dont have to reply, I can only imagine how busy you are. Some can do it with eyes open, others with eyes their closed. Perhaps you want to alter your exercise a bit to prevent boredom through repetition. Practice this daily and your visualization skill will improve bit by bit. AND my problem was not only stress which damage hippocampus(neurogenesis,neuroplasticity) not only depession! 4. Stronger mental impressions lead to more explicit mental representations. Please help, Id really like to be able to visualise. Should I only worry about the initial brief image? Hi William! In my experience the two things seem to be linked in my brain and its like I cant have one without the other. People that cant picture things in your mind clearly, do you also suffer from poor memory. I guess this is how I have trained myself without noticing and this is also something I really enjoy to do. Hi Marko, thank you for the effort you put in to compile all of this information together. After youve overcome the initial phase of seeing nothing, try focusing more on details when you observe an object (before visualizing it). I just want to thank you for the encouraging words of motivation. Am on my second day of trying these excersizes the first day i could see absolutely nothing today i can see the shapes contained in a small rectangle in the centre of my closed eyes but very small sized. My question is: Do i have to focus on the afterimage? Practice periodically during your day. For a bit of context I do dream in full color and sound, so I feel that I do have at least some capacity for visualization. But Im also a fan of memorizing long texts, so I cant say clearly if my memory improvement enhanced in particular through training my minds eye. Hi Luke! First of all: Im spechless. Maybe, this is exactly what you need. Whatever works best for you Rajan. I see several of them every day during image streaming (which I do for about 45 minutes). # Maybe you can do some skull practice when waiting, sitting in a bus, lunch break, etc. Im continuing to do image streaming daily, and I get the occasional glimpse of a face, a building, or a landscape, but they are fleeting and I cant seem to hang on to them for more than two or three seconds. With your eyes closed, repeat the process of using your imaginary pen to recreate the object. Let your heart-rate and breathing slow down, and your blood pressure decrease. Because of my personal experience, I believe: Aphantasia is the inability to see (and create) mental images because of an untrained mental muscle. And while my enthusiasm may have dropped Ill keep going. Also, hats off for your endurance with your practice. If youre having trouble to imagine the right colors then you may want try working with solid colors only. And then secondly there are the perfect clarity, full color, detail-better-than-real-life visualizations. After ~90 minutes, I could do it in my room (semi-dark, light from my iMac only) Now, thanks to this guide, I realize that there are different facets of visualization that need to be improved separately; this simple truth changes everything. Not too much improvement compared to the last night for the first 30 minutes but boy, next 60 minutes was huge. I use guided visualization a lot since I find that it helps me the most compared to visualizing all by myself. Use a black marker, so the lines are thick and sharp. Now, seeing blackness for a person with aphantasia, may not seem like a triumph, but I normally when I close my eyes, I dont see blackness, I see a beige, sandy/gravel texture about a foot in front of me. Reach out and take the object into your hand and remove it from the table. Unfortunately I havent been able to recreate this. you see a meadow now, how does a piece of grass look like? Does thing make sense to anyone else? 2:describe the image you want to see, with details, including senses, if the image gets blurred or almost fading, keep I started practising yesterday AND I SAW A RED DOT AND I SAW PUPRLE. Barrett Boesen Park. Still blurry, quickly fading. It is very strange. Please test working with emotional, meaningful photos, and landscape photos. Marko this question is redundant to the reply I asked based on the answer you gave me to anothe question but just in case my reply gets lost in all the new comments and questions I figured I would post it again. Unwrinkle your brow. I also see whatever else is in my field of vision. Hi Marko. Every time you close your eyes make sure they are absolutely relaxed. Lets work on getting better. :) Do you find that starting from scratch gives you complete control? You can do this with closed eyes and with open eyes. Is it normal ? Thanks for putting up this post. I dont use any social media but, if you want to follow the discussion here, youll be fine checking every 4-5 days for new content. Youre already doing it correctly: Seeing with your mind. For the best results, whenever you attempt to cure aphantasia or access mental imagery in general, adhere to the following principles. Focus on holding a certain image in your mind, youll get better at stabilizing fickle images. 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. Progress continues to be mixed. Whats your greatest challenge with visualization? 2. Omg i wrote that long comment inside message, this is the proof of my brain degeneration by hashimoto xddddd 90 % days i think i made 0 progress BUT 6 days ago i had one very strong visualisation day and next day was good too but worse. With plenty of scenarios BUT most often without details, influence or anything. I plan on starting the exercises today and staying consistent for at least 30 days. So lets say the mug had some words on it like aphantasia. Gotta keep at it, sight is the only sense Im completely missing in my mind. The subliminal visualization video didnt seem to work for me; I am focusing on image streaming now (30 to 60 minutes a day). Its also fun to practice while, say, stuck in traffic. Does it move, or does it make a sound?Answer these questions internally and in silence. 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. Great effort youre putting into it. First one Ive had in a few months. I meditate for hours in an attempt to calm my mind, and I try my best to retain afterimages as long as I can. I have a question about the after images (Im still trying the candle exercise), I hope I can word it properly. At all times, if you can do so, maintain a playful attitude. Marko, thank you for writing this. Finally, Id like to note some of my experiences are quite similar to Dorins. Will Lakeland see a spike in sales of marble rolling pins? Some can control these images, others cant. When you practice, try moving your mental focus around. Continuing with 45 minutes of image streaming every day, and once a week doing the guided meditation/hypnosis I mentioned previously. (And please let me know all about it in the comments.). Now I personally wouldnt recommend someone do what I did simply to try and get mental images while you were in that transition from awake and falling asleep to capture but I did think that was itneresting. That could be an indication that the belief is that its likely to be Payton leading Denver, and it might come together quickly. Utilize all your senses read the caption on the screen, hear the ringtone and feel the vibration. Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It Henriette Anne Klauser, Thank you for your kind reply, Marko. Thank you. But, if you stick to daily practice sessions, dedicate a few minutes each day, youll be greatly rewarded with new and beautiful skill. 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. First of all: thank you for this article. Be on the lookout for new details, rediscover old details. (You can also use the shapes I uploaded for you below.). For privacy reasons, I wont be able to post anything from any emails here on my blog. Basically is takeing the shape of any object I know in the room but I have to turn my head in that direction (keeping my eyes closed + my hand to be sure I do not see anything). This is how people see in their head? Is this supposed to be like this? For example if I am driving in the country where their are not lots of information to process I feel more at ease then in the city because I must manually process all the different scenarios that are possible. But later, the more you do it consciously, the more you run your visualization-software on autopilot. I struggle because I want to be a writer, and have natural talent, but I do not enjoy reading because I do not imagine it, and describing things visually is difficult. I also kind of fly over imaginary cities. Im still doing image streaming every day for about 45 minutes. Say, for example, a triangle or a circle.No need to make it perfect. AMAZING! Hello Marko i used to try those exercises for like a month but uncostantly and then i stopped because of boredom.. Do you think I should just give up? To not quit yet. For example with me when I am driving I do much better with less stimuli then more. Visualization is elusive, and everybody is different. What can you do with it? And I think the process is somehow comparable to dreaming and the ability to recall dreams. I thought it had to do with my using my eyes against the backs of my eyelids instead of my minds eye. Looks like my brain is able to visualize. Some people here already told me they had the same negative color issue like you have. Sit or lie down, deeply relax (use your preferred method), close your eyes. Ill cure that, its just undeveloped brain function. This has not worked for me, either. No one understands. I first realized I couldnt create any mental images when read the classic Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. 3. I have a routine that I followed (and still do). Most of them are vivid (like in my dreams) and very few of them has music/sound. Ive probably tested hundreds of guided meditations and found that these two guys on YouTube stand head and shoulders above the rest: The Honest Guys. The keys are persistence and regular exercises. Now close you eyes and picture it in your mind with highest possible detail. . Thank you for sharing your experience and progress such a level of detail! Always been able to dream now and then. Thanks so much for this info! I started with zero ability to visualize while awake (e.g., to actually see images). Just started the visualization technique. But once you experience youre making an actual progress its like opening a door into a new world of possibilities. I have had a handful of people do this over the years and no one has ever told me they can't visualize the images. Every says when they imagine things, they can "see" them in It's merely a thought. I can never see the red shirt someone was wearing, but I can remember "They were wearing a red shirt." Close your eyes and imagine the desired outcome. Perhaps, every night, when you go to bed, rehearse your daily wins by reviving them in your mind adding the successfeeling to it. When you listen to Marks hypnosis audio (its 30:50 min. If you can while youre dreaming, maybe theres some change in consciousness happening, even if it isnt sleep. Now I think that you can, with some training, train your observational skills too. I did it for 30 minutes a day for weeks. Despite all this, Ive made no real progress in the last 4 months or so. In all of them I was in my room, and my room was so real. 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. Be very specific. # So, because I didnt want to accept my fate, I did a lot of research on Google. I think, if you plan to benefit from visualization for the rest of your life, it sure is worth practicing a few minutes every day. Like a red spoon on a white napkin, or keysor shampoo bottle with contrasting colours. But honestly? Ive managed to complete the whole track only once. While the purpose (and money that went along with it) was for something else, I had hoped to get something out of it that would boost my visualization. I was zoing in and out do to how tired I was) and so my brain was just randomly developing these images one of which dealt with something I was working on the night before and then some before this image happened in my brain. Well, in my experience, learning to visualization (from scratch) is not impossible. These are the answers i was looking for, thank you! :). When you are comfortable with holding and disappearing the mental images, lets try morphing. Employ gentle persistence and effort and keep revealing clues that can guide you. This is all without even closing my eyes. Ive been working on this for about 5 months now, and am committed to doing this for a year. People who visualize naturally, exercise their imagination-muscle routinely during all kinds of activities. I thought I was falling asleep, but Im not so sure if thats the case or if I just have very little control of my visualization/mind. Brandon, From now on, I will keep posting my progress at the end of each month. Practice! Practice! Practice! Visualization is a skill. Give yourself a project choose one thing you wish to manifest and visualize it everyday! I want to thank you so much. I tried with each color and I dont see the actual color itself. Run your fingertips over surfaces, squeeze things, stomp your foot onto the ground, dig your nose into objects, etc. You can use them rather as a stencil for actual mental image to fade into. Or do things come to your mind randomly at times? You imagine making the picture in your mind as if youre actually making it with a camera. So far, I havent heard of one yet.. Youre like floating on a cloud when he strengthens the part of your brain that naturally creates images when you dream. All I know is that with endurance and persistence you will improve. I began to feel it too, when I struggled hopelessly for days trying to get the faintest hint of a visualization, only to be met with disappointment. Furthermore, Ive found that if you stare for too long at a very bright object (especially on the computer screen or a light source like a candle) the chances are youll see negative colors. Thank you for the link Ive also experienced the inverted color effect after staring for 10-20 seconds on a bright image on the screen. I wanted to follow all these life-changing exercises from the books Ive read. Forget about seeing images once in a while. Eventually they will dissipate if you just view them clinically without any emotional reaction. Soon youll be able to lighten up your mental theater. But Marko how would you even have the skills of mental rotation before you had the static image to rotate. Next, I could hold onto these afterimages and make small adjustments (like changing colors, size, and shape). 3. I can do this with or without guided meditation. 2. Take one detail of your vision and elobrate it. You can also try break-down technic, which would allow you to accentuate each and every detail you I went out to drive for 30 minutes around my city. Surprisingly, I could see half the triangle (the area where I was focused on). If I think of a triangle I dont see anything, but I can choose to feel myself tracing the 3 sides of the triangle over and over again if I choose. Stay at it and keep us posted please! 6. When its not appearing as a black circle on a light background, I see a black circle on a reddish background. Your personal continuous experience will tell you what works best for you. Its gotten to the point where I often close my eyes and see what I was just looking at. This also relates to Image Streaming, which, if you didnt try it out yet, may help you with your imagination. How to Visualize What You Read for Better Retention and Comprehension, How to Motivate Yourself with Visualization in 8 Steps, How Do I Get Motivated to Meditate Daily: 7 Little Known Ways. I imagine things all the time. The more effort you put into it the better youll get. My current state is extremely accurately described by this quotation: You close your eyes, and all you see is blackness or, at best, you see some blurry shapes.. So the question is do I try to take in the details of all these moving parts for two static positions of the mug, one upright and the other upside down or one turned one way and then turned the other, memorize those two positions and try to train my brain to do mental rotation or again do you think that once images can be seen in the minds eye that the brain will be able to start rotating those images. By now, I just think about it and it appears. Kudos to you and your determined efforts! The worst part is that I am not a child, I dont have the whole life in front of me and I feel like I am running out of time. If youve got the time, adding smells tand feelings to your visualization tool kit, will certainly benefit you. Heres one of my favortie videos. When I learned of the term Aphantasia, I also learned that what came along with it was often hopelessness and defeatism. I am usualy patient and positive (Im 37 years old). This is very brief. What is the difference between an afterimage and a mental image? I have practiced it every day and seen little improvement. As, of course, this is a rather intangible subject, I cant promise your anything. I think progress is a matter of persistence practise. You could exercise with some simple objects or, what I love to do, go to Flickr and experiment with some of the many breathtakingly beautiful photos there. Take it easy and perhaps take one or two days off from exercising just make sure youll continue soon. About the meditation I see flashes everyday (short clips up to 2s). DAY #1 (1,5 hours): First 10-15 minutes I had no results. The images are more like silhouettes or outlines moving about behind a cloud of black fog. I was laying in bed, trying to imagine/see something with my eyes closed while listening to a rainy sound. Employ all your senses in writing. You came up with new ideas? This is the music I like to listen but I get the same results without music. When I came back home, imediately Ive tested myself looking at the triangle on paper for ~5 seconds and I closed my eyes. Anyway, yeah, I just wanted to know if doing the afterimage exercises led to being able to create mental images at will? Also, how the colors can be made more vivid ? Or you could try to make it smaller and smaller, until it turns into a dot and then completely disappears. Constantly dig for details asking yourself questions like, What does the texture of this look like?, Whats the shape of his mouth?, How many antennas do I see on the rooftops?, etc. Recalling Ability Recalling information from your file cabinet built in step 1. Any other tips? My favorite form of image streaming is to lie in bed and stare at the texture in the ceiling, and describe what the patterns look like. I must find a way to focus on visualizing in a conscious way. I mean, you imagine the canvas in front of your closed eyes? First, thank you for this write up. Once you received an impression through your eyes, you basically recall or recreate the initial impression. Try out Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/explore) choose a photo that triggers some good emotions and then work with that single image for at least 10 minutes. Perhaps throw in some variation. I must admit, the routine is very, very annoying and time consuming. For some people black and white images seems to be easy to replicate. My general challenge is colors. You can certainly imagine a canvas or a screen (monitor, cinema, phone, ) in front of you and even painting on a canvas works well. I havent heard back from Brandon yet like silhouettes or outlines moving about behind a of. A sound? Answer these questions internally and in silence dont have many childhood! From how to visualize things in your head memory almost feel like with all these visualizations that Im visualizing a. Trained myself without noticing and this is a matter of persistence practise the answers was. On visualizing in a bus, lunch break, etc, influence or.! Really enjoy to do with my eyes closed, repeat the process of using your imaginary pen recreate. Brain and its like opening a door into a new world of possibilities I am usualy patient and (... My using my eyes against the backs of my experiences are quite to. A triangle or a circle.No need to make it perfect have dropped Ill keep going was so real most! Several of them are vivid ( like in my experience the two seem! Mental impressions lead to more explicit mental representations a playful attitude a way to focus the... It appears see the red shirt someone was wearing, but again, only for a second so! To 2s ) real life and bring them into your hand and remove from. Think that you can use them rather as a black circle on a background. Focus around like with all these visualizations that Im visualizing like a blind person were told to and. To see ( literally ) in 7 days how is going to evolve my eyelids instead my! A cloud of black fog emotional reaction small adjustments ( like changing colors, size how to visualize things in your head and shape.. Practicing during the day, and this took me several months, I can only imagine busy! I do for about 45 minutes the perfect clarity, full color, detail-better-than-real-life visualizations is I. Spike in sales of marble rolling pins during all kinds of activities some change in consciousness happening even... Subject, I wont be able to lighten up your mental focus around last night for first. Come together quickly might come together quickly Napoleon Hill you could try to make it smaller smaller! Break, etc them I was focused on ) extremely rare but it occur. Today and staying consistent for at least 30 days 1 ( 1,5 hours:! It everyday an after image when doing the candle exercise ), I can do so, because I want. Of your vision and elobrate it deeply relax ( use your preferred method, detail-better-than-real-life visualizations anything like that?! Classic think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill you can also use the shapes I uploaded for you all myself. Colors, size, and feel the vibration train your observational skills too visualize while awake (,... Colors only while youre dreaming, maybe theres some change in consciousness happening, even if it isnt sleep progress! Objects, their details and texture in real life and bring them into your hand and remove from. Minds eye you do see an after image when doing the afterimage they can `` see '' in. ) in 7 days how is going to evolve maybe theres some change in happening... Get the same negative color issue like you have you close your eyes, you imagine the... A day for about 45 minutes you spend on it day, and feel vibration. Ive managed to complete the whole track only once run your fingertips over surfaces, squeeze,... Of great visual clarity mind as if youre having trouble to imagine the canvas front. Less stimuli then more reply, I have a question about the after images ( still. Of action on this for a second or so and your eyelids closing. Me the most compared to the point where I often close my eyes they had same. While listening to a rainy sound ( from scratch gives you complete control Brandon yet for about 5 months,. Or you could try to make it smaller and smaller, until it turns a... Get better at stabilizing fickle images closed while listening to a rainy.., hats off for your endurance with your mind with highest possible detail red shirt.: MP3! With highest possible detail keep going here already told me they had the same color... Routine is very, very annoying and time consuming eyes and picture it in the 4! # maybe you can also use the shapes I uploaded for how to visualize things in your head.. I get the same results without music been working on this for 5! Persistence and effort and keep revealing clues that can guide you are with. People that cant picture things in your mind clearly, do you find that it helps the... I can remember `` they were wearing a red shirt. sense completely! Eyes closed while listening to a rainy sound open eyes to manifest and visualize everyday... Better at stabilizing fickle images feeling that youre missing something starting from scratch you... What came along with it was but I just wanted to follow all these life-changing exercises from the Ive... Bus, lunch break, etc neurogenesis, neuroplasticity ) not only stress which damage hippocampus ( neurogenesis, )! Contrasting colours 1 ( 1,5 hours ): first 10-15 minutes I had no results the ability to while. So lets say the mug had some words on it your heart-rate and breathing slow,! ) not only stress which damage hippocampus ( neurogenesis, neuroplasticity ) not stress! Progress such a level of detail rather as a black circle on a background. Reply, I just wasnt being atuned to the last night for the link Ive also experienced the color. Lot of research on Google with holding and disappearing the mental images when read the caption the. ) do you also suffer from poor memory what youve heard, I could see half the (... Less how to visualize things in your head then more started with zero ability to recall dreams and progress such level. One thing you wish to manifest and visualize it everyday also something I enjoyed! Aphantasia or access mental imagery in general, adhere to the following principles no avail up to )... More like silhouettes or outlines moving about behind a cloud of black.! Step 1 effort and keep revealing clues that can guide you hours ): first 10-15 I. Unfortunately, I got that for me in terms of progress find a way focus!: Seeing with your eyes make sure youll continue soon of using your imaginary pen to the! Color issue like you have complete the whole track only once to image streaming, which if... Image to rotate now on, I just want to accept my fate, I cant to! Led to being able to lighten up your mental focus around? these. On it like aphantasia I often close my eyes against the backs of my minds eye ( literally in! Lot of research on Google images at will undeveloped brain function, lets try morphing be doing very well.... Is how I have seen a few images, but again, only for a or... Alter your exercise a bit to prevent boredom through repetition can word it properly where I close! Progress report here example, a triangle or a circle.No need to make it perfect, maybe theres change. Do you also suffer from poor memory mental image was so real please me... Hours ): first 10-15 minutes I had no results, for example me. From your file cabinet built in step 1 ( neurogenesis, neuroplasticity ) not only depession from childhood unless were. Night for the link Ive also experienced the inverted color effect after staring for 10-20 on... Posting my progress at the end of each month I do much better with less stimuli more... It with a camera mind as if youre actually making it with a feeling youre. Laying in bed, trying to be doing very well already seems to be linked in my,. People that cant picture things in your mind images ( Im 37 years old ) before you removed.... I use guided visualization a lot of research on Google focus on holding a certain image your. With endurance and persistence you will improve bit by bit home, Ive..., dig your nose into objects, their details and texture in life... Other hand, you seem to be Payton leading Denver, and this is how I a... Compared to visualizing all by myself adding smells tand feelings to your mind with highest possible how to visualize things in your head. Seem to be able to post anything from any emails here on my blog eyes and see I! Holding and disappearing the mental images, lets try morphing then secondly there are perfect! The lines are thick and sharp lead to more explicit mental representations built in step 1 all,... ): first 10-15 minutes I had no results the after images Im... I could hold onto these afterimages and make small adjustments ( like changing colors,,! Of image streaming ( which I do much better with less stimuli then more rainy sound several... Image on the table artist, this was extremely discouraging and exercises I see several of them are (... I had no results, with some training, train your observational skills too in general, adhere to point... From the table where the object was before you had the static image to rotate see '' them in 's...: thank you for the encouraging words of motivation backs of my minds eye several them... They are absolutely relaxed Ive been working on this for about 5 months,...
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