Suggestion for first person visualisation

[TurtleSnake]

Gday

I suffer from an issue that I think a lot of people, that's the curse of third person visualization. Maybe it too much thinking like a movie or something and it's difficult to get a first person perspective on your visuals, especially something that tangible enough to trick the subconscious into believing it's in the dream state.

However the first thing I've been doing is practicing, all the time during the waking hours when my mind isn't busy with something. But the first person thing was still hard, yet I discovered a trick. There's one type of memory you have thats generally perfect visuals, great clarity of memory and best of all guaranteed first person recollection. That's memories where you've been in a fight or flight response. For example, if you've been in a car crash, even if only a minor one, memories are clear and always in the first person (I've found and many I have asked agree). My first skydive was the same. If you've been in a fight at any stage that's generally pretty strongly in the first person.

So I started by using a pretty epic sorta car crash I had, right up to when i stopped and got out, then, I visualized grabbing a cab and catching it a club and telling him to step on it. I tried to keep the emotive level up and sure enough I noticed that on the cab ride over and at the club we arrive at my subconscious was brilliantly filling in the details like it should and I was still comfortable visualizing in the first person.

Did the whole club walkthrough (I worked there so it's a place I walked around... a lot) so still something I knew, then headed out and tried something different. Decided to go for an old ww2 era spitfire, took it off from the city and then started flying over various fantasy style vistas. All managed to be maintained in the first person a lot easier once it gave you a kick start. Maybe not something to do when you're trying to focus, might pull you out of it, but great way to practice and teach your mind to get in the habit of visualizing in the first person.

Anyway, good luck all.

[Xanth]

If you find it easier to do your visualizations in third person, then do them that way.

Are you speaking about doing a Mental Rundown as a primer to phasing?  Cause if you are, as long as you're engaging all of your senses within the scene, you'll eventually step right into it regardless if you're doing it in third or first person perspective. 

[TurtleSnake]

Yeah pretty much that stage Im referring too, much how difficult is it to engage the tactile senses when you're in third person? I never found that it's been as engaging, apart from a focus image to keep your consciousness.

[Xanth]

It's no different really.  Just apply your senses to the individual you're watching.

In any case, what it sounds like to me is that you're over-thinking this. 
Just jump into your mental rundown and go with it.

[CFTraveler]

Another thing you can do is meditate for a few seconds with your eyes closed, in the center of a room.  Try to become aware of all the noises that happen around you.  Then try to become aware of everything that's around you.  Once you think you've done this, open your eyes, and try to see globally around you, and feel your center in the middle of the room.
This is practice to get that first person visualization 'feel'.  I find it very helpful.

[Stookie]

I'm right with you on that TurtleSnake. I've done very similar things (and still do) to improve my 1st person visualizations. Everyone visualizes differently, but it can always be honed and improved. Being able to hold onto it in a 1st person perspective increases you chances of a "switch" to 1st person. IMO a rundown should always be done in 1st person to properly engage a more realistic feel of senses, like wind on your face.