Sensory Concentration -- Remembering - vs. - Creating
© 2003
>> Any tips on maintaining a "step into it" type multi-sense visualization for the full 5 minutes? I can maintain an unfamiliar scene much easier than a familiar one. <<
The multi-sense scene is a composite of single-sense creations. Sort of like in printing a color image composed of four color components (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). The "trick" is to layer each single-sense creation, one at a time, until your scene is complete. For example, begin by creating the visual component, then add the auditory component, then the smell component, then the tactile component, and so on, until your multi-sense scene is fully formed. Once the scene is complete, it becomes a simple matter of maintaining a one-pointedness of mind.
The fact that you can maintain an unfamiliar scene longer than a familiar scene is, I imagine, a fairly common experience. It was certainly my own experience at first until I analyzed the situation and realized that, with the familiar scene, I was relying upon my memory instead of using my creative imagination to construct the scene. When I shifted from reliance upon memory to actually creating the scene from the ground up, so to speak, it was no different from my work with unfamiliar scenes.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
04 May 2003
>> When I work on visualizing something I seem to have two distinct modes. Mode 1 feels like it is deep inside --- it's like remembering an image. Mode 2 feels like it is a projection of an image on the insides of my eyelids. Mode 1 images seem to have better texture and color and mode 2 images are more vivid (they seem to glow). Please note that the images that appear to be projected on the inside of my eyelids do NOT appear to be just a fading after-image from whatever I looked at before I closed my eyes. Anybody have any suggestions about which of the two modalities is the correct one for IIH? <<
The second mode is what you're aiming for, but the first mode is a part of the process of reaching the second. Your second mode is the truly creative mode which is not dependent upon memory and this is the ability that these Step Two exercises strive to teach -- *creative* imagination.
These are not merely memory improvement exercises. This becomes especially evident when you're creating an image that you've never seen before -- in such a case, there's no memory to rely upon.
There's a similar corollary with the other sensory concentration exercises as well. For example, with the auditory exercise it's important that you are *creating* the sound, not just remembering it.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
12 May 2003