next »

[pestaa]

While concentrating deeply, is it normal to see the peripheral areas as darkened, blurred and generally less functioning? In fact, my overall sight degraded by orders of magnitude.

Am I doing something wrong or this counts as a successful attempt?

This was a 15-minute session, and it was so tiresome I felt its impact on my body and mind after an hour. Does it only mean I'm a beginner and just need more practice, or I completely messed up?

[K-Mentalz]

By concentrating deeply, do you mean that you were meditating? Also what were you concentrating on and were your eyes open or closed?

[pestaa]

I wasn't meditating, or at least my purpose wasn't meditation. My eyes were open, I was sitting in front of a match-stick, looking at the phosphorus end the whole time.

[ShadowRain]

It sounds to me like you're straining to concentrate.  Where you mentally or physically (or both) tense while doing the exercise?  Tight facial and scalp muscles can result in darkened peripheral vision, and if you hold it long enough, it will probably give you a headache.

In my opinion, practicing relaxed focus is more helpful than concentration, because you don't have to spend as  much energy keeping you attention is one place.  Instead, all that energy can be used for whatever you intend to do.  Granted, keeping your focus on something while remaining relaxed can be more difficult, but it is better for your body.

[The Adfeng]

If I stare for long enough at something, everything around that object goes dim/black/whatever you want to call it and I can't see anything but that object, that is, if I want to concentrate on just that object.

[SoSaTr]

If I stare for long enough at something, everything around that object goes dim/black/whatever you want to call it and I can't see anything but that object, that is, if I want to concentrate on just that object.

When I was a kid I'd hold an object a sort of near my face, and switch my concentration between the background and the object.
One would go blurry when I looked at the other.

Just my two cents, if that helped.

[The Adfeng]

If I stare for long enough at something, everything around that object goes dim/black/whatever you want to call it and I can't see anything but that object, that is, if I want to concentrate on just that object.

When I was a kid I'd hold an object a sort of near my face, and switch my concentration between the background and the object.
One would go blurry when I looked at the other.

Just my two cents, if that helped.

That's how human perception works.

[issacweirdo]

If I stare for long enough at something, everything around that object goes dim/black/whatever you want to call it and I can't see anything but that object, that is, if I want to concentrate on just that object.

When I was a kid I'd hold an object a sort of near my face, and switch my concentration between the background and the object.
One would go blurry when I looked at the other.

Just my two cents, if that helped.

That's how human perception works.

Bingo. Never ceases to amaze me though...

[Notagh]

In my opinion, practicing relaxed focus is more helpful than concentration,

  Relaxed focus is more versatile and functional.  To paraphrase, "to focus on all the trees, focus on the forest"

If I stare for long enough at something, everything around that object goes dim/black/whatever you want to call it and I can't see anything but that object, that is, if I want to concentrate on just that object.

Tunnel vision.

[issacweirdo]

In my opinion, practicing relaxed focus is more helpful than concentration,

  Relaxed focus is more versatile and functional.  To paraphrase, "to focus on all the trees, focus on the forest"

Quick question. What is the exact term for "relaxed focus"? I only know what you are referring to because 1) I know how to do it and have already experienced the sensations and 2) it's referred to in a conversation between Tholey and Laberge (http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/conversa.htm). Tholey doesn't go too in-depth about the term though.

[Notagh]

In my opinion, practicing relaxed focus is more helpful than concentration,

 Relaxed focus is more versatile and functional.  To paraphrase, "to focus on all the trees, focus on the forest"

Quick question. What is the exact term for "relaxed focus"? I only know what you are referring to because 1) I know how to do it and have already experienced the sensations and 2) it's referred to in a conversation between Tholey and Laberge (http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/conversa.htm). Tholey doesn't go too in-depth about the term though.

 I have no idea.  I've heard of it described/explained in various ways throughout but never as one word.

[pestaa]

Thanks for all the contributions. As far as I can tell, it wasn't a forced concentration, but I merely stared at the object while maintaining near-zero analytical overlay.

Adfeng, can you please elaborate a little on your practices? It looks to me you're in the same boat. Do you have articles or something similar?

Notagh, I did a small research on tunnel vision, but it's more of a medical term for losing peripheral vision. I've experienced no damage to my health at all.

It's scientifically proven all the information is preprocessed by the unconscious and only a small fraction of it is forwarded to the conscious. My gut tells me this exactly what happens here, and the unconscious decides to partially neglect the peripheral view and gives the top-level brain a blurry picture.

What I can't understand though is that the object I concentrate on is blurry too. Would it be a thoughtless guess to think it's because I concentrate on the existence on the object and not its appearance? It's so far from a real experimentation, yet I feel quite lost.

[issacweirdo]

You might want to go to a doctor about that then.

[Notagh]

Notagh, I did a small research on tunnel vision, but it's more of a medical term for losing peripheral vision. I've experienced no damage to my health at all.

I've heard of it being used as a term for temporary loss of p vision as a result of focusing on something too long.  The context was about self-defense and not medical, so I don't know how accurate the terminology is.

[issacweirdo]

Well, I found one bit of information that might help...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accommodation_%28eye%29

I remember reading about the sides of ones vision blacking out, but I forgot where I read it.

Just look more into peripheral vision and your field of vision (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_vision). The main information you want to look up is how meditation influences your field of vision when you keep them open. In other words, specific information on open eye meditation. I still highly recommend you to check with a doctor about your problems. They are the professionals.

[pestaa]

Thanks again for your input. I'll check this out with medical help. I wear glasses (although pretty entry level), so it might be just that I didn't wear them this time.

On the other side, how physically demanding can concentration be? It was one of my first attempts, and I felt its impact for an hour. It was tiresome, and couldn't mentally work for the rest of the day. Do psionics feel the same?

[Notagh]

On the other side, how physically demanding can concentration be? It was one of my first attempts, and I felt its impact for an hour. It was tiresome, and couldn't mentally work for the rest of the day. Do psionics feel the same?

Maybe you were concentrating too hard.  I don't know about you, but I always found a calm and relaxed focus to be sometimes more effective and less tiring than straining focus.

[pestaa]

.Maybe you were concentrating too hard.  I don't know about you, but I always found a calm and relaxed focus to be sometimes more effective and less tiring than straining focus.

What does qualify as relaxed focus? Staring at an object with near-empty mind is not straining in my book, but I start to feel I'm looking for concrete borders in sand. Thanks for your help, I can use these thoughts.

[neo]

I'm kind of late on this but I experienced this also, and I believe that it started as a conscience thing and ended in sub-conscience thing. I think it could have been your sub-conscience started to try and make you see what it sees. Or like trying to see auras, maybe. Here's a good like on some sub-conscience things that you can look at.

http://www.psipog.net/art-communicating-with-subc.html

Its very good stuff.

sometimes you can't just look at medical reasons but i don't want you to not go see a doctor since it was recommended. If a doctor says to stop the concentrations then stop but if not, more concentrations could actually make you become a better psionic. And also could lead to better meditations.

While concentrating deeply, is it normal to see the peripheral areas as darkened, blurred and generally less functioning? In fact, my overall sight degraded by orders of magnitude.

Am I doing something wrong or this counts as a successful attempt?

This was a 15-minute session, and it was so tiresome I felt its impact on my body and mind after an hour. Does it only mean I'm a beginner and just need more practice, or I completely messed up?

i had this my first time i was concentrating to. i just want to know were the colors getting mixed or just doing weird things?

On the other side, how physically demanding can concentration be? It was one of my first attempts, and I felt its impact for an hour. It was tiresome, and couldn't mentally work for the rest of the day. Do psionics feel the same?

that tiresome felling might have been your brain trying to think about other things that you normally do, but you forced it to try and stop the natural flow of thought. I suggest that you do it for less time and more reps.
like 6.5 minutes(with a timer) and 4-6 times. if you still fell tiresome take the reps down.

[The Adfeng]

I just stare at an object and black out everything while I think.  It's just what I do.  If that's what you're asking me, pestaa.  It doesn't really black out, it's just as if I'm ignoring it like it wasn't there.