Problem with visualizing things in my head

[wintersun]

ok, i heard that being able to visualize things in ones head is very important for spiritual development (third eye, pineal gland)...

well, why is it so hard for me to visualize? i actually think i have a sold developed intuitions, and i do sense as well as see some unusual stuff, but still, it bothers me cos i can't really concentrate when i want to visualize something.

is this really that important, and how do i fix it?

thanks :)

dino

[Jetamus]

i have the same sort of thing.

i cant really picture things very well.
sort of like my mind takes things that i am trying to visualise and blurs them and moves them around.
it makes visualisation meditation pretty much impossible.

[The_Last_Man_50008]

i find it quite hard to do this, i mean i can visualise pretty well if i really concentrate but most of the time my mind will wander off in other directions and other unrelated images will appear in my head

[Enkidu]

like any skill worth having it takes a good deal of practice to get good at. here is a suggestion that helped me when i was first beginning my visualization techniques (i am rather accomplished at it now)

1.light a candle and sit before it
2.see the candle for a moment
3.close your eyes and try to see the candle (the glow from the candle through your eyelids helpes)
4. open your eyes and view the candle
5. close your eyes and "view" the candle
6. wash rinse repeat

as you get better at it instead of just seeing the candle look around it, view all sides, try to 360 with your minds eye. once you have that down then include the candles surroundings in the image. just work with it. the first time i saw myself in my mind while spinning the candle was a moment i still remember clearly.

continue spiraling ever upwards,
austin

[SuperManny]

only between 5 and 10% of the population is blessed with the natural ability to visualize easily and in detail. the rest of us just have to work much harder at it, but the good thing is that it's a skill that can be learned.

if you're serious about it, pick up a good book on it and follow the exercises, or just practice on your own, without a book. start off by placing a very simple object (like the outline of a square or a circle, etc.) in your line of sight when you sit down to meditate. look at the object for a while, then close your eyes and try to imagine it in your mind's eye. when you can no longer imagine it, simply open your eyes and examine the object again, then close your eyes and visualize it. if you keep doing this, you will soon notice that you can visualize it more clearly and for longer periods of time. then you can move on to more complicated objects if you want to enhance your new-found ability.

if you want to visualize something with the idea of bringing it into your life or creating it, bring all your senses into play, and it will be much more powerful. visualize the best you can, then make it bigger, brighter and bring it closer. get into the feeling of it; smell it, hear it, taste it, touch it, bringing all your senses into play, constantly making it brighter bigger, better and closer, and you will have a much more powerful experience than just simply visualizing it.

[metaman]

meditation, meditation, meditation

[AiR1k]

hiya wintersun,
i'm liking the advice here-
your post has inspired me to get back into shaping my, "visualization" skills. :p
something you can do-
have you ever been swimming?
sit back and imagine what it was like- imagine the water against you. how do you move about in the water? i don't know if this makes much sense- but i think a part of the visualization process can be aided through recognition of specific feelings-
for example...
i used to play guitar... when i wanted to visualize that guitar... i'd imagine the feeling of the string pressed against my fingers- i'd imagine the placement of the guitar underneath my arms- each bit helped me construct the picture as a whole.
grab an apple. feel it- toss it in the air. take a bite out of this apple. what does it taste like?- when you are done, put the apple away...(unless you were hungry and decided to eat it all :p) repeat everything you have done... except this time- repeat it through your mind. play out everything you did within your mind, imagine- and visualize what it was you had just done.
maybe you can visualize brushing your teeth- after all it is a routine procedure... for most... where do you stand when you brush your teeth? how much toothpaste do you pour onto the bristles? is there a certain pattern you tend to keep to? feel the tooth-brush in your hand...
visualize by feeling... eventually everything will fall into place and maybe.. just maybe you can actually see what it is you are thinking about.
i'm not to sure how accurate this is...
take some time for yourself... 5 minutes a day... find a relaxing environment- free of distractions- close your eyes... and try to see what it is you wish to project.
i think it's hard for us to keep this visual because our minds tend to change subject rather quickly... i'm guessing some meditation would prove to be very beneficial.... if you find yourself straying off- just add more to the visualization... i.e, your senses(taste, sound, touch, etc... etc...)
good luck and thanks for posting-
have a great day
love,
-e

[Nancy]

i'm one of the 5-10% who visualizes everything. my thoughts are like a montage of movie clips. my daydreams as well as my nightmares seem very real.

i think i even did some remote viewing my teenage years but the people i was viewing were disturbed by my "probing" and the whole think got sort of freaky so i stopped.

how do thoughts come to you if you don't visualize?

nancy (this is my first post, there is another nancy who posts frequently. perhaps i should re-register with another name)

[mod suggests that you simply add your last name initial :) ]

[morawaj]

i recently started up an interest i had in lucid dreaming over a decade ago. in a new book i picked up the following was at the end of the book. it was the only visualization training exercise listed there. i have not tried this yet but felt the urge to post this for others that may benefit from it. if anyone does try this and finds it to be of help i would be interested in hearing so.

thanks,
john



visualization training:
practice part a once or twice a day for two or three days. each session need not be longer than 5 minutes. the move on to part b.


part a
1. sit facing a simple object
choose an object to gaze at, such as an apple, a rock, a candle, or a cup of coffee. choose something small, simple and stationary. put it a few feet away from you and sit comfortably.

2. concentrate on looking at the object
with your eyes open, try to emcompass the entire object with your vision. try to soak in an overall visual impression, rather than concentrating on any specific feature of the object. acknowledge distracting thoughts and perception and then just let them float away.

3. close your eyes and observe the afterimage of the object
after a few minutes, close your eyes and watch the afterimage of the object until it fades. then open your eyes and look intently at the object again. repeat this several times; the afterimage should be more clear, vivid and crisp each time. don't strain to create the image. let the clarity emerge as if of it's own will.


part b
1. warm up by concentrating on an object in front of you
warm up by repeating part a several times.

2. visualize the object hanging in space in front of you
with your eyes open, move your gaze away from the object and try to picture it directly in front of you, several feet away, floating at eye level. it might seem strange at first, but don't strain. simply try to let the outlines of the image emerge in space. you might want to start by concentrating on the way you feel about the object rather than its detailed structure. just accept that the object occupies the space where you are gazing, and pay attention to that feeling - that the image occupies the space because you intend it to. the sense of seeing an image will emerge from that awareness and feeling.

3. visualize the object inside of you
when you can visualize the object in front of you, then repeat step 2, except this time visualize it inside your body. since some of the lucid dream induction techniques require visualization of objects in your throat. then move it out again. shift your visualization from external to internal positions again and again until it is effortless.

[Metamike]

there are a number of ways to adjust your abilities to visualize - these are strategies taken from nlp which is about the science of the relationship between the body, mind and language.

breathing-to visualize, your breathing should be centered in the top part of your lungs - shallow breathing. breathing in you stomach will inhibit visualization.

lift up your head to a little more than just level.

if you are right handed move your eyes over to your right - about 30 degrees from the center.

with your eyes closed change your attention to the entire width of your perspective -

sit down, relax, and ask your self the question, "where am i?" you will have a visualization of your position.

a lot of people think of visualization as having an inner tv on. that assumption can destroy your ability to visualize.

if you want to strengthen your visual abilities. - learn to paint.

if you still have difficulties you may have problems with left and right brain integration. there is a crawling exercise that can helo you on this respect. send me a privat mail to get [more information]