May or may not be applicable to this forum.
Quote:In the 1930s, research by psychologist Wolfgang Metzger established that when subjects gazed into a featureless field of vision they consistently hallucinated and their electroencephalograms changed.
The Ganzfeld effect is the result of the brain amplifying neural noise in order to look for the missing visual signals. The noise is interpreted in the higher visual cortex, and gives rise to hallucinations. This is similar to dream production because of the brain's state of sensory deprivation during sleep.
The Ganzfeld effect has been reported since ancient times. The adepts of Pythagoras retreated to pitch black caves to receive wisdom through their visions[2], known as the prisoner's cinema. Miners trapped by accidents in mines frequently reported hallucinations, visions and seeing ghosts when they were in the pitch dark for days. Arctic explorers seeing nothing but featureless landscape of white snow for a long time also reported hallucinations and an altered state of mind.
The effect is a component of a Ganzfeld experiment, a technique used in the field of parapsychology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganzfeld_effect
Instructables
http://mindwavesgoggles.com/
Quote:When Ganzfelds have been tried by experienced meditators, they have described the effect as instant meditation. This is not surprising, since most forms of meditation require you to focus your attention on a spot, flower, mantra, etc.
While traditional meditation can take many years of practice, a Ganzfeld works for most people in a matter of minutes. (Some researchers have claimed to also have tested the effects of Ganzfelds on psychic abilities, and have found a statistically significant increase in test scores.)
The Effect Described
When someone is exposed to a Ganzfeld, they often experience a progression of effects that can be described as follows:
All color drains from your field of vision
The size of your field of vision oscillates
You "see" a swirling Kaleidoscope of colors and with practice
You completely ignore your vision as you us your mind in an extremely focused way
People have reported using Ganzfelds in the following ways:
Instant Meditation
Self Hypnosis
Astral Journeys
Past Lives Regressions
Psychic Abilities
Guided Imagery
Creativity
Relaxation
Self Healing & Improvement
Building The Ganzfeld Device
Materials
1 ping pong ball
pink, yellow or blue marker or water color
Instructions:
Cut ping pong ball in half (each half will cover one eye)
Color outside of ball evenly
Usage
Sit or lay in a well lit room.
Place over your eyes.
http://www.dreamviews.com/f45/ganzfeld-e...ons-88552/
Similarly, people suffer from a Ganzfeld effect when faced with ambiguity of ideas or ideas which have not yet been informed. That is, their mind tends to fill in the blanks with what may be related from their hopes or fears (some unbalanced distortion).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/162835.php
Quote:How Believing Can Be Seeing: Context Dictates What We Believe We See
(...)
Contrary to what one might expect, it is a vague rather than a bright and clearly visible context that most strongly permits our beliefs to override the evidence and fill in the blanks. In fact, a bright and clearly visible context actually overrides the evidence in the opposite direction - suppressing our 'seeing' of the vague target even when it is present.
(...)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...103210.htm
Paper:
http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info...bi.0040014
Have you tried this, Pickle?
(03-25-2012, 11:11 PM)Diana Wrote: [ -> ]Have you tried this, Pickle?
I've tried it, but there are actually better ways to get the same effect. Just develop your imagination and become familiar with your symbols. This is not 'scrying', but a full-fledged dialog with the unconscious. So no 'neurological' aspect required. Jung called that work 'active imagination' (Shamen call the exact same thing 'journeying'). Further, if you incorporate 'indigo ray' there is no need to 'astral travel' to 'go' some place (and there is no need for 'guided meditation' either). The place, person, or thing literally comes to you (as its 'vibrational essence', in symbolic form).
Not yet, I need a ping pong LoL!
I almost have a meditation room setup, and gonna pick up one of those gaming chairs to see if I can get comfy.
A strong ability to visualize would really be something.. "Transcending boredom".. Is there anyone here that has dedicated enough time to the practice to attain this level of skill that Ra refers to?
(03-25-2012, 11:46 PM)zenmaster Wrote: [ -> ] (03-25-2012, 11:11 PM)Diana Wrote: [ -> ]Have you tried this, Pickle?
I've tried it, but there are actually better ways to get the same effect. Just develop your imagination and become familiar with your symbols. This is not 'scrying', but a full-fledged dialog with the unconscious. So no 'neurological' aspect required. Jung called that work 'active imagination' (Shamen call the exact same thing 'journeying'). Further, if you incorporate 'indigo ray' there is no need to 'astral travel' to 'go' some place (and there is no need for 'guided meditation' either). The place, person, or thing literally comes to you (as its 'vibrational essence', in symbolic form).
Any simple, concise recommendations for doing this you could link or recommend?
(03-27-2012, 07:37 PM)abridgetoofar Wrote: [ -> ]Any simple, concise recommendations for doing this you could link or recommend?
At all times, the self wants to be whole. Here, in 3D, you can think of most of the 'self' to be the unconscious mind. What is presented of this unconscious mind (to consciousness, i.e. as catalyst) is either what may be allowed by the conscious mind (i.e. a conscious perception) or something bursting through to the conscious mind or more likely, to the subconscious mind, like the compulsory reaction you get with an emotional response.
The mind is like a landscape (an 'inner plane'), and the key is to actually 'go' to that place where the 'distortion' exists otherwise it can not be addressed.
For the higher-level work, you can give the unconscious mind a voice by allowing imagery to form, in a conscious manner. That's the active dialog. The meaning of the imagery is translated in the same manner as would be done with dreams. Into this dialog, you may introduce (your idea of)actual people, places, and things. If your idea of these things is congruent with their actual energy, the result will be a manifestation (to some extent) on the 'outer plane'.
For the lower-level work, the subject/object of the dialog can be targeted or elicited by examining your feelings for some imbalance (a charge such as uneasiness, insecurity, fear, etc). It's helpful to approach with a friendly and humble attitude with anything undesired found there, because that welcoming posture sets expectations for ultimate acceptance and understanding required to integrate that aspect of self. Once identified, attempt to understand how you actually feel and consciously accept it as a part of you. (In EFT, meridian tapping is done and tell you to take a deep breathe until it no longer carries the charge.)
Problem is that many people are not stable enough to do this type of work (too dissociated from their psyche), and it can easily result in anything from compulsive crying (which could be good if not due to fear) to psychosis. Why is that? Well by drawing out these things, you are necessarily charging them. And complexes and other buried aspects of self were buried in the first place due to inability to accept/cope to some degree.