brains, curious, visualization

[wispfox]

When you close your eyes, do you see something?


I was asked this at Thanksgiving, after a long conversation involving face blindness, the fact that I have no visual memory and only vague glimmerings - after a _lot_ of work - of visual imagination. My initial reaction was utter and complete confusion, to the point of asking if the person only asked to get that reaction from me. It was, in fact, a serious question, although the reaction was itself appreciated.

I see nothing at all. I didn't really consider that other people might see something.

Indeed, this makes me wonder if this is why I am so sound-oriented when navigating a dark room; at least some of the other people in the room apparently visualize the room they are in when their eyes are closed. And were, indeed, perplexed when I said that I _listen_ to get around places that I cannot see, in addition to feeling my way. In fact, making noise so other people know where I am actively interferes with my ability to not run into things, because I am no longer able to _listen_. (I can hear when I am near objects because the sound quality changes, especially walls and doors and such. Less so smaller objects, since they are not at my ear height, I suspect, and are less fully encompassing and thus causing echos that I can hear)

Comments

A metaphorical answer

[gentlescholar.livejournal.com]

I think my brain uses vision in three modes: the window, the canvas, and the cable TV.

The window is what comes into my eyes and registers. So the window shows only red/black splotches when I close my eyes.

The canvas is blank, and requires an effort of will to make things appear. This is where I deliberately imagine things, their appearance, etc. So I could decide whether to make a drawing in real life by drawing it on the canvas first to see what it would look like, and spare myself the effort if it would look ugly.

The cable TV is what is running in the background without my conscious control. My hindbrain or whatever it is that builds my dreams never really shuts up; I just don't pay any attention to it when there's anything better going on, or I'm making something more interesting myself. The cable TV only wins when the window and the canvas are less interesting than the random daydream images taking up CPU time in the back of my head.

When I am trying to get to sleep, I generally am failing when I look at the canvas, and get insomnia. I fall asleep when I watch the cable TV.

Re: A metaphorical answer

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like the way you put this.

For me, the main differences are:

a) my canvas doesn't seem to function all that well. I can visualize slight changes to something I'm already looking at, and I can summon vague recollections of things I've seen in the past, but picturing something new is really tough for me.

b) my cable TV, as far as I can tell, only shows brief flickers of visual images from time to time, although its soundtrack is running pretty much constantly.

c) visual images don't keep me awake nights; it's the inner monologue that does that. No idea how to shut it off, either.

Re: A metaphorical answer

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I do navigate in dark rooms by trying to picture what I saw there when the room wasn't dark.

Re: A metaphorical answer

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Huh. Neat. Actual mental picture, not some other method? :)

Re: A metaphorical answer

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

I think so, yeah. Huh. I just tried navigating with my eyes closed and I found I have a pretty stable mental image of the room, that even changes appropriately when I move. I didn't actually think my visualization skills were that good, but apparently for familiar things they are, at least on a coarse-grained "here's where the furniture is" level.

Re: A metaphorical answer

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Huh. So you can imagine visual things, but it is an effort of will. Your cable TV is fascinating; not sure that I have it.

Re: A metaphorical answer

[gentlescholar.livejournal.com]

Well, the three modes sort of blend together; it's a matter of what gets my attention. If I don't steer, my hindbrain does. So I can choose what to visualize, or something will get visualized for me, amounting to daydreams that can more or less tune out actual vision, making vision a background process that only jumps back when my environment reminds me to pay attention to it.