When you read/process information...

When you read/process information... what is going on in your head?

My room mate is very intelligent, and I asked him what he does when he reads, and he said he visualizes in his head. I mean in one way this is common sense, you have to "visualize". But I wanted to know hard far you can improve your visualization. I thought about this, and started consciously visualizing what I read.

This has been over the course of a month.

I kept consciously saying "double it", "2x detail", "zoom in" "turn up the brightness level" "Make everything more clear" and sure enough my brain kept going. I would close my eyes and sit there and visualize something I just read, creating everything as vividly as I could. I tried and tried to create the images while the words flowed. At first I could only very clearly visualize with my eyes close. Eventually I got to the point where I was creating vivid images while the sentences flowed together. Then I realized that instead of images, go full blown video make sure everything is moving, if something was not moving, I would move in 3D space, spin objects around.

I started saying to my brain "faster, more detail, clear, double it" and sure enough I can move around spin in 3D space, creating vivid video while reading. Then I started asking more questions. I can create all the senses in my head, it is not limited to video. Sound, touch, taste, smell, they are all used in experiencing reality. Instead of using imagery and visualize I started called this the parallel reality since, it is not images anymore, it is not just using visuals. I realized I can create a whole reality while reading, while is running along parrellel to the real reality.

I started touching the objects and concepts with my hand in the parallel reality with my hands, and everything becomes clearer still. Then after practicing, I didn't have to use my hand anymore, I could well feel the objects, or touch-feel the objects all over extremely fast, which makes them even more real. I also have started feeling things like the wind, and water depending on the settings.

For sounds I am hearing the sounds objects in the environment make, and what sound an object would make if I hit it, like a wall. For taste, I have actually started to imagine miniturizing an object and what would it feel like in my mouth to chew it, basically your brain will need more data then it is giving you at the moment so it creates even more lifelike objects when you imagine doing something like this. For smells lot's of objects like food have smells but I lot of objects don't I'm still thinking what do do with this.

It seems like I have gone from faint imagery while reading to full blown reality creating, and I don't even know how many times this has improved my comprehension. It has started to come automatic unlike before when it was forced. I can't read any other way now. Instead of seeing the words, I feel the reality being created as I read almost if it is read and I don't even have to close my eyes. When I have conversations with people, I create what they are saying in my head, and can understand what people are saying a lot better.

I thought that maybe everyone is creating these strong realities when they read, so I started asking people what happens in their brain when they read and some of them are put off "I just read the words" "no I don't visualize anything" "sometimes I can't visualize anything" "what are you talking about?" "I read the words and think about it" "yeah I make some images" "I dunno"

They can't even describe what goes on in their head, while I could go on for hours about what is going on in my head while creating these models and realities now, while before in the past I would have just said in response to my question "I just read the words" I mean, I go to a hard university and wasn't dumb before and these people are not dumb either, but I can comprehend and understand so much more now!

BTW, I have been reading nonfiction biology, chemistry, neuroscience, economic books. I haven't even read a fiction book with this new "reality reading" yet, I have been concentrating on school.

I don't think people realize that they can create a reality that is as clear as real reality and use this to comprehend extremely complex information in less time, I didn't before. It also took practice, it just didn't click on like a light switch, and the results are not apparent right away.

I tried telling some people, they are really skeptic. I think there is a lot more to reading and information comprehension potential than meets the eye. I'm a neurobiology major and love figuring out how the brain works.

So after knowing my story, can you describe what is happening when you are reading in as much detail as possible? I would like different perspectives on this.

-StarBeamAlpha

Jam it back in, in the dark.

When I read, I imagine as well. Its kinda interesting how I am able read in that sense. I know for much of the the rest of my family, they have a difficulty to that. With the exception of my mother. She reads a lot, and reads very fast. My siblings don't really seem to read that way.

Since I am a History major, I have to read much more and have to imagine situations that happened more often. You kinda have to find a way to put yourself into another person's shoes that lived during that time and place.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

That was a good read, StarBeamAlpha. Ironically, as I was reading your post, I was imagining the words, visions, tastes, etc.

What I was ACTUALLY picturing, turned out to be completely wrong. I was imagining that you were reading a fiction a book, and I set it in a pleasant meadow, under a willow tree, with a cool brook flowing by. I imagined you were holding an apple and spinning it in your hand, without actually using your fingers. And then I imagined the apply by itself -- a perfect, red apple that you would see in any cartoon or television ad. And then I took a bite of the apple, just a little tart but sweet and juicy.

In reality, this is how I've always read. I've never trained my imagery like you seem to have done, but I make little movies in my head as I'm reading. Unfortunately, when I'm reading school material my mind seems to wander to scenes like I described above. I have to stop, focus myself, and re-read whatever I'm studying.

Then, I got to the subject of your schoolwork, and it reminded me I have a pharmacology final on Monday that I'm wholly unprepared for, and it brought me crashing back to reality. Thanks a lot...

Still, a good read!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I thought this was the way that everyone did it. I guess I was wrong... When I read, I have a tendency to be drawn into the book myself, taking the role of a character in the book. Visualizing yourself as the character, good or bad, makes you understand that character better. However, sometimes my imagination is a bit too vivid and I seem to lose track of the text and just make up my own stories in my head, just like Plainsman. When I come to, I have usually "read" a lot of text without actually reading it. Just passed over it, reading the words, but visualized something completely different.

When generally trying to visualize something in my mind there are some obstacles I can't seem to overcome, though:

I can't concentrate on keeping the same image in place, it's constantly changing and moving around. Most of the times it gets out of hand and the object, world or whatever I'm concentrating on transforms into something completely different than I first intended.

I can touch objects, feel the difference between cold and warm, even feel pain and sometimes I can smell stuff, but however hard I try, I just can't imagine opening my mouth and insert food, like an apple. It's like it disappears in mid-air right in front of me! If I use my hand to move the imaginary object and actually open my mouth, it's a whole different story, though, and it works out just fine.

I can't see everything clearly. It's like the imagery is shrouded with some kind of veil that makes it harder to see. The only times I actually can see things clearly, as clearly as in real life, is when I've just woken up from a dream. I'm half awake and starting to fall asleep, or half awake starting to wake up. A very limited time span, but I can do anything! Lucid dreaming? More like lucid thinking!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I'm one of those "read the words" people. When I'm reading fiction, I get varying strengths of imagry, visual and maybe sound, but I don't become part of it. I end up jumping around, and might end up getting lost on some completely irrelevant thought and stop reading all together. Then I realize I'm a page over and have no idea what happened.

I mostly read technical material, textbooks and so forth. Usually the only processing I get is a voice in my head reading the words to me. And it's difficult to retain, and that's probably why. But I just can't see how I could draw myself further into say, advanced mathematics. Come to think I also completely lose myself in this material too. No avoiding that I guess.

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Wow, I want some of that shit you're smoking, StarBeamAlpha.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

When reading fictional books at home I find it very easy to see what I'm reading, and sometimes it actually feels like the person that I'm reading about is me.

When it comes to text books though, I struggle with them. Even if something has just been read out or if I have just read it, then I struggle to remember things. I just have to read through it several times to remember what it is that I have just read.

FELIPE NO

When reading fiction, I tend to get into a frame of mind similar to you StarBeam, but a lot less vivid I think. My most vivid moments feel slightly like something that could be interpreted as "video" as you would put it, but I can't say that I recall any times where I've actually gone as far as to feel the water around me. I'd have to be asleep for that type of sense perception, aside of course from real life :P

Now, when it comes to non-fiction, this becomes a bit more difficult. I don't read very much non-fiction, aside from my academic studies. When reading philosophy, for example, to better comprehend the material, I often read sentences aloud and try to pretend that I'm actually speaking the line of text to someone else in the form of a casual sentence. Some of the complex philosophical ideas are best read like this for me.

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I often use my imagination while reading. Sometimes, though, it's a little lacking. As in, some places that are described like places I know take on the forms of the those places. I don't really work on details, though. Facial features and specific clothing, unless specified, aren't really included in my visual images.

Outside of novels and short stories, I read things like I'm hearing a report. It isn't as interesting, depending on the topic, but it helps me focus on whatever it is and learn the information being provided.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

For studying, I think the more times you can get the information circling around your brain, the better you will remember it. That's why when you speak out what you're reading, you remember it better, because:
1. You process it visually (one pass through the brain)
2. You process it in your language center (two passes)
3. You process it in your motor cortex (three passes)
4. You process it auditorially (the fourth pass).

How ya doing, buddy?

I think it has more to do with the level of imagery and desriptive language than any mental effort on my part that I can sometimes visualize anything at all. When I read fiction I like to read as much as possible in as long as stretch as possible with no one else around in order to get completely absorbed in the story. No matter what I'm reading I take it as reality for the moment. But with me it's not that I'm surrounded by the people or scenes I'm reading about. Instead, I become interconnected with the plot so the details are less significant. That's why it doesn't work too well when I read non-fiction. I'd rather try to visualize something abstract no matter how futile than think deeply about day-to-day sensations.

I use visualization to help me study for tests since my memory is flaky, but that's ephemeral and counterproductive in the long run. After reading your post though, I see the value in making it a habit since it's often the little things we overlook that get us into trouble. Plus having that skill easily at hand sounds awesome. I'll try it and see what happens.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by FlamingScurve

When I read fiction I like to read as much as possible in as long as stretch as possible with no one else around in order to get completely absorbed in the story.

That's very similar to how I get best involved in my reading. I find that the longer I read something, the more I start to become "integrated" within whatever I'm reading.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Visualizing is everything. Technically that is supposed to be the human reaction to reading. Your imagination is picking up the information. It's like when you read a book....your picturing the story in your head. If you have trouble reading....it's not that you "can't" visualize anything, but you just have a shorter attention span, and your mind wonders to others things...then you start visualizing too many things or the wrong thing. So controlling your ability to clear your head and only focus on one visualization, will in-turn allow you to focus better on what your reading.

I was speaking idiomatically.

When I read a story in a book or novel, I enjoy it and let my imagination take over. But when I read something like a newspaper or something in which I speed read, I just try to catch as much information as possible so I can think about it later and gain an understanding of it.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

It really depends on what I'm reading/processing personally.

If I'm reading a novel, I can picture exactly what is going on in my head (as long as I'm interested enough to do so) and I can see it as I read. If I'm processing things like mathematics, I'll more than likely be drawing up geometric figures and figuring a geometric interpretation of things.

If I'm reading something like a Chemistry Textbook, no, I can't visualize that worth shit. Which is probably why I suck ass at Chemistry.

FELIPE NO

The mind's ability to visualize is something that can be trained and enhanced with time and concentration. One of my teachers once suggested that nations like China perform better than the USA in math and sciences because they are educated in visualization, and can "see" in their mind's eye things that most of us rely on textbook memorization to keep track of. I honestly don't know how true that is. But it is certainly true that the brain can be trained to better synthesize & extrapolate memory into visual form (and the other senses), just like writers are able to form more distinct, vivid, and even subtly symbolic phrases as they exercise those writing abilities.

I can't say I'm quite on your level StarBeam, but at times I do indeed construct a limited reality in my mind from words I read. Haven't really tried it with heard conversation. But I definitely will since I'm often nervous and need any aid I can get to keep in my memory what is being said.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I definitely construct a visualization of 'reality' in my mind when I read, but it only comes naturally when I'm reading topics I'm comfortable with. For example, ficticious reads with a storyline and characters and all that jazz comes in crystal clear detail, whereas I have had to work my tail off to visualize Machiavelli. As I become more accustomed to an author's writing style or to the subject matter being discussed, more avenues of visualization open up to me. For that reason I typically get more out of the end of assigned reading for a class than I do the beginning, and essays after all is said and done come much more naturally than if you asked me an in-depth question partway through, even if I've alreay covered the material it deals with.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I sort of visualize what I am reading subconsciously, probably already to used to it from reading. But then again, what I read has to be of interest to me, otherwise imagining something boring does not seem to work out very well lol

How ya doing, buddy?

It depends on what I'm reading. For example, if I'm reading a novel, I imagine the things happening, I visualise. Like, if I'm reading Harry Potter I'm trying to visualise a Quidditch math taking place in front of my eyes.

On the other hand, if I'm reading non-fiction material, like Donald Trump's How to Get Rich, I normally "see" the guy like he was talking to me, having a conversation over a cup of coffee, for example.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

It depends entirely on what's being read. When I read fiction, I do visualize all that I'm able to based on the descriptions of what I'm reading.

If I'm reading something for class though, I tend to repeat what I just read to myself while I continue reading. I'll read the next actively (sometimes outloud) while passively reviewing the previous sentence.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?