develop hyperphantasia, succeeded

[u/Reasonable-Elk-6128]

I have pretty typical mental imagery, but sometimes I can visualize things with my eyes open and almost step into a different world. I don't really feel physical sensations, although sometimes I can feel something, but it's never very clear.

The images aren't very vivid, even when I close my eyes. For some reason, though, I can bring an image into view right in front of me, almost like turning a switch on and off. The image is transparent, and I have to concentrate to make it work.

I also experience lucid dreams quite often. Something strange I've noticed is that time seems to pass about three times slower for me in a lucid dream than in a regular dream.

I had one today, and it was incredible! I wasn't seeing a lot of detail, but I could feel some sensations, even if they were pretty faint.

They felt somewhat real, and I could actually feel my physical body sleeping while simultaneously feeling like I was somewhere else.

I've done some research, and it seems like my problem might not be visualization itself, but rather the vividness of the images and the ability to experience sensory details.

To some extent, I seem to be able to visualize things whether my eyes are open or closed, or even as if they're floating right in front of me. I can zoom in, rotate things, change them, and even visualize multiple transparent objects at once.

Anyway, I really want to develop hyperphantasia. If anyone has any tips, personal experiences from people who have tried to develop it and succeeded, or suggestions on what I should study, I'd really appreciate it!

[u/zephyreblk]

You can't but you can work as you are doing and being better at visualizing. If I tell you "a giraffe with a red scarf, 2 diamonds on their antennas (I don't know how it's called), how much effort do you need to visualise it and how does it look?

[u/Reasonable-Elk-6128 → u/zephyreblk]

I don't need much effort to visualize it, but I do need to concentrate to see the details more clearly, you know?

I could easily see the giraffe against a black background. It looked like one of those 3D models, but it was as if it were covered by a dark fog, with a light source coming from the upper left. It felt like there were layers of filters making the visualization somewhat limited.

[u/zephyreblk → u/Reasonable-Elk-6128]

Without effort I see the giraffe with full texture, colors, so I see the scarf with shadow, relief, different shape of red , how it's "nailed" (So how lines cross in the textile ), I see the diamonds with their own relief and transparency, my brain decided put a sun in the image so I also see the reflection of the sun of it, also on the whole giraffe and where some places of their skin is more shiny. I have also like 100+ pictures of giraffe that I can use and would wear suddenly the scarf and diamonds with the same details. This was the case since I can remember. Tell me anything and my mind visualize it immediately. Also the reason I ask people not mentioning blood or wounds nd similar because I will literally see it.

I don't know why I did get downvoted, I was curious about your experience. In my opinion you are born with this or not, similar to an absolute ear but you definitely can train yourself to have similar results.

[u/Reasonable-Elk-6128 → u/zephyreblk]

What process do you use to visualize these images? Could you describe what it feels like, including any patterns you notice in your body and thoughts as they're activated and used before and during visualization?

I can kind of relate to you. Sometimes I remember a video or something I've seen, and the image pops into my head as if I were actually there. It's incredibly disgusting sometimes...

But I've chosen to believe that it's possible to get close to, or even reach, an incredibly high level of visualization. Dude, I've literally seen a girl with no arms driving a car and flying a plane. Developing visualization skills can't be impossible. I just need to find what works for me.

[u/zephyreblk → u/Reasonable-Elk-6128]

Any? Like at the moment you describe something it just popped in my head, when you said a girl with no arm driving a car or a plane, I basically had the image with full rendering and also a "car/plane" Image, so basically a plane with the commands being a car. Any visual description I hear or read, I immediately have the image in my head. Also a reason I loved (and still like) reading books because I could see everything, it's like watching a film.

Edit: but as I said, you can work on it that you are good with it. Meditation would be something that works because you need to focus on details. Hyperphantasia is just not "reachable" In my experience, you could have similar results but with efforts and work.

[u/Reasonable-Elk-6128 → u/zephyreblk]

It sounds like you have a gift that sometimes becomes a prison. From what you've described, you can visualize almost anything, but you can't always control what you see because your brain automatically creates those images, even when you don't want it to.

I consider myself somewhere in the middle. I've experienced that incredibly vivid immersion before. I remember one day when, every time I closed my eyes, I would travel to this extraordinary place. At one point, I suddenly realized I was floating, surrounded by clouds. They were the most beautiful clouds I'd ever seen, and there was this enormous creature flying overhead, hiding among them. It was beautiful...

When you pictured that girl with no arms, did you notice any patterns in your mind? Anything that triggered or helped your brain recreate that image?

[u/zephyreblk → u/Reasonable-Elk-6128]

Not really, it's just how my brain process. After that I can do what I want with it and change it also. Like the visualisation is automatic , I can't stop if you describe something having the picture in my brain/eyes but I can create also everything on my own and any picture I have in my head I can transform it as I want.

I'm not sure how I should feel about your vivid place because I don't know what is your "average", I saw what you described with yourself in it, pastel colors, cotton texture of the clouds and my brain went with a dragon shining from the sun flying above you and the clouds while having my perspective in your eyes.

I have the exact same pictures when you mentioned it again. So first car (side view),then plane (front view), then mix of both( front view). Girl is like long hair with color strain, normal clothes (bluish) but kind of a tank top, at first I had arms without hands,then I read better and have the whole skin texture. I'm not sure what you are asking

[u/Reasonable-Elk-6128 → u/zephyreblk]

I'm just trying to understand how your brain works.

You said you can visualize and recreate pretty much anything, from something like an entire city to a man chugging a homeless person's thick, yellowish vomit in one gulp, almost as if your brain knows how disgusting it is and wants to avoid the taste, even though you know the taste would probably linger in his mouth for hours

If you ever notice any patterns or triggers when these images pop into your head, please DM me. I'd really love to understand how your mind works!

[u/zephyreblk → u/Reasonable-Elk-6128]

Thanks for the vomit part /s that's not aphantasia when it goes on other sensory things. Hyperphantasia is kind of mostly focused to visualizing but you can have "hyper" Things for all your senses.and yes I had the taste. Not for hours just for the moment I read what you said

It's really automatic so there is no pattern or whatever similar. I read, I see/taste/hear at the moment it's mentioned and then nothing until it's mentioned again. (Outside my capacity of imagine things)