Think

think visually
Visually
Win Wenger, Ph.D.
Think Visually
Win Wenger, PhD.

© 2002
Anyone Can Learn to Think Visually
Impressions stream through our mind all the
time as an ongoing reaction to our experiences
of the world. ImageStreaming is simply closing
the eyes and noticing and then describing in the
present tense those inner impressions all the
while they are occurring. Once you receive any
kind of impression, describe it extensively as if
you were still looking at it, even if you saw only
a fleeting glimpse. As you continue describing,
you will find more and more impressions coming.
If you do get pictures, proceed with experiencing
and practicing ImageStreaming for 10 to 30
minutes at a time. If you are planning to teach,
you may want to be familiar with all of the
sensory stimulation techniques below.

The ideal discovery state, and the ideal personal

growth state, is the process of rapidly describing
in rich, accurate detail the flow of visual mental
images that are undirected except for their
intermodulations with your rich treasure trove of
beyond-consciousness understandings and
perceptions.

ImageStreaming occurs naturally. All sorts of

people, even those who do not consider
themselves visually adept, can be taught to tap
into their inner spring of impressions. Most
children have active imaginations and see vivid
inner pictures. The highest incidence of people
having difficulty getting pictures I have thus far
met have been people who train other people in
imagery or in various forms of meditation.

Once you develop a rapid flow of sensory-rich

inner phenomena, you will find the experience
more rewarding than making up a story. Over
time, practicing ImageStreaming trains you to be
a highly efficient, sensitive, accurate observer
not only of your inner imagery but also of all
your senses, interior and exterior.

2
What if you did not get an ImageStream?
First take the Ten-Ten Test, ten minutes of
ImageStreaming a day for at least ten days. If you
do not find your life positively and miraculously
transformed, then rest easy. Take a vacation from
trying hard to ImageStream and do some of the
following stimulation techniques instead. They
are designed to start a flow of perceptions for you
to describe until you find yourself working with
consciously undirected impressions.

The goal in every technique is to move from directed

thought to undirected free association:
• Find any entry into description.
• Keep the flow moving so rapidly that you
must move beyond what you can
consciously calculate.
• Force your conscious mind to accept and
process fresh input from your subtler
resources.

How to Achieve Internal Images and

Other Impressions
For years it was cited as a scientific fact that one
American in three was unable to visualize. And—
oh, yes—I was one of those who absolutely could
not until I used the following methods to get
pictures for myself. Then I found visual thinking
so useful that I began teaching it to others, but I
discovered that the methods used to teach me did
not work for many other people, so I consulted my
own visual thinking for guidance. Since then, out
of thousands I have taught to ImageStream, every
person has succeeded and thus enjoyed the benefits
of visual thinking.

In each of the following techniques, the person

seeking images is the ImageStreamer and the
listening partner is the Listener. Once you both get
images flowing, you can simultaneously play
ImageStreamer and Listener in a single session. As
the first describer pauses, the second can rush in
with his or her own image descriptions, allowing
the maximum viewing and describing in the
available time.

As I considered how to enable different types of

thinkers to get imagery, one method after another
taught itself to me. This Helper Technique was one
of the first and has remained one of the strongest
methods for stimulating ImageStreaming.

3
1. The Helper Technique
You will need a partner to follow these instructions
with you and act as a spotter and Listener while
you navigate this deeply unconscious realm.

As impressions stream in, some images come

through stronger than others. Even though at first
you may not realize what you are doing, you
automatically make little responses that are visible
to outside observers. These responses are
“attention cues” that show up when you are
giving attention to a stimulus. In the Helper
Technique your partner prompts you to notice
your impressions so you can then begin the flow
of description. When observing a cue, your
partner gently asks you, “What was in your
awareness just then?”
Here are two attention cues and ways to recognize them:

A) Pause in Breathing
When we give attention to something, we naturally
hold our breath. Start by closing your eyes and
breathing slowly, smoothly, rewardingly, and
continuously with no pauses between breathing in
and breathing out. When you get an image, the
resulting pause in breath will be highly noticeable
to your partner, who should then ask, “What was
in your awareness just then?”

B) Eye Movement
When you close your eyes and your eyes move
under your lids, your partner should then ask,
“What are you seeing?” Eye movement under
closed lids, not merely eyelid flutter, signals
visualization.

If you as Listener have doubts about recognizing

breathing or eye cues, feel free to ask the
prompting question. Similarly, when you are the
one ImageStreaming, you do not need to wait for
your partner’s question. Begin describing sensory
impressions as soon as you are aware of them.

Once you get any impressions at all, describe them

fully in as much detail as possible. Make up detail
if need be to start the flow. Your partner then listens
in order to avoid slowing or interrupting the flow
and only asks questions if the flow falters. More
and more imagery will come and, with time, the
ImageStreamer will enjoy being an accurate
reporter of increasingly meaningful and intriguing
internal perceptions.

4
This spotting and identifying of attention cues is
the preferred way to begin ImageStreaming if you
did not self-start. However, there are many other
stimulation techniques available. If a ten-minute
try of cue reinforcing does not bring about the
sought-after perceptions, move on to one of the
following alternative methods. Everyone who has
tried these varied techniques has found at least one
that successfully stimulates impressions. Find the
procedure that helps you and practice it. Once you
find an effective technique, you can skip the others.
It does not matter how you begin—the essential
work is in the ImageStreaming.

2. Afterimage Technique
You will need a partner or, if you are working on
your own, an audio recorder.

Afterimages are leftover prints of light on the retina

at the back of the eye. For 30 seconds, stare at a light,
window, or part of the room that has a strong
contrast. Do not use the sun or anything else very
bright—20 to 40 watts of light is more than bright
enough. When you look away from the light or close
your eyes, you will see momentary afterimages. You
may see a floating blob of light or color or perhaps a
line. Describe what you see in detail and continue
describing as it changes color and shape.

Unreinforced afterimages last only a few seconds.

Reinforced by attention and description, your
afterimage can last minutes. We have found
experimentally that some lasted as long as four
hours. If yours fades after a few moments,
recharge on the light and resume describing.

At some point while examining and describing

your afterimages, you may notice other kinds of
images, such as trace impressions or a momentary
eye, face, landscape, vase, etc. The ImageStreamer
is seeking these more developed impressions, so
notice when you get one and switch to describing
it. Describe in the present tense, as if you still see
it, even if you caught only a momentary glimpse.
With your attentive detailed sustained flow of
description, more images will come.
If 10 to 20 minutes sustained effort with afterimages
does not lead you to more interesting perceptions,
smile, breathe, and try this next technique.

3. ImageStream Worth Describing

You may have seen areas of color, lines, patterns
5
or other impressions and not reported them because
you thought they were too trivial to mention. You
may have had experiences in other sensory
channels, such as sounds, tingles, or sensations of
pressure or movement. These inner phenomena are
indeed worth describing and, if you report them
rapidly and with enough detail to sustain the flow
of description, you will find that they lead to other
profound impressions.

If after 10 to 20 minutes of reporting areas of color,

you do not notice anything else, keep your eyes
closed and:

A) Deliberately look beyond the color as beyond a

colored screen. Gaze just a few feet farther to see
what lies behind. Or

B) Breathe as if to “inhale” the nearest of the colors,

thereby clearing the way to see other impressions.

4. Phosphenes
Phosphenes are luminous impressions that result
from changing pressure on the retina. Gently rub
your own closed eyes like a sleepy child and
describe the light and color variations you see.
Continue describing what develops.

The next two procedures become so deeply

introspective that you may slip into sleep.
Therefore, your partner plays an important role as
Listener and spotter, prompting images and
watching for the attention cues introduced in the
Helper Technique.

5. Stream From Memory

Keep your eyes closed as the Listener prompts you
to remember a real scene, especially a beautiful
landscape, object, or even a dream. Or the Listener
may prompt you to make up a lovely garden or
park. Even if you make up the story at first and do
not draw from a memory, describe the scene in as
rich detail as possible. Act as a reporter, describing
the unfolding action in the present tense rather than
relaying it as past. Your partner should watch your
closed eyes closely for movement and seize that
occasion to ask you what was in your awareness
just then. When the Listener notes an attention cue,
shift to describing the image that prompted it,
whether it is a memory or a fresh perception. Pay
special attention when images or sensations appear
that do not fit the story or scene in progress.

6
The Listener encourages description from your
word-based memories or your imagination until
images themselves flow. The Listener then moves
out of the way of the flow by not interrupting with
questions or any encouragement more involved
than a lightly positive “Um-hm.” Remember to
work in richly textured detail, sustained without
interruption, lapse, or much repetition.

6. Open The Door

This technique is similar to Streaming From Memory
with the adjustment that the Listener has the
ImageStreamer imagine being in front of a closed
door. Your partner prompts you to describe that
door, including the feel of it as if you have just put
your hand on it. Then your partner has you fling
open the door to catch by surprise whatever is on the
other side and asks your first impressions of what is
there or what may have been there. Describe that
impression, no matter how fleeting, as if it were still
there and whatever else comes into your
awareness.

If nothing at all comes, your partner repeats the

door procedure by inviting you to stand before
colorful textured window curtains or by having
you jump around the corner of a high wall. If your
partner opens the view suddenly enough, something
unexpected, valuable, or useful may be waiting on
the other side. The more unexpected the contents
of the imagery, the better your chances that they
are coming from farther ranges of the brain and not
just the conscious treadmill, which is likely to deal
up pictures of what you already consciously know
about the context or present situation. The more
surprising what you find, the better your chances
of getting sensitive, comprehensively based fresh
perceptions and insights.

After you have become conscious of your

impressions and have some practice in observing
and describing them, you can also use such doors,
curtains, corners, etc. as a way to find ingenious
answers and solutions to questions and problems.
While in contact with the far side of the perceptual
barrier, pose questions to your beyond-conscious
mind. Then, suddenly, look into the answer space
and describe your first impression. Allow yourself
to be surprised by what you find. If the outcome is
metaphoric or hard to understand, find second and
third such answer spaces. Ask to be shown another
scene that gives you exactly the same answer to
the same question but in an entirely different way.

7
The information that stays the same when
everything else has changed becomes key to the
meaning: through inductive inference, several
specific results are taken to represent the general
result. Consider any outcome, however clear or
certain-meaning, as one possible answer or
solution, and verify it as you would if it had come
from any other source.

These next nine exercises set up situational, multi-

sensory demands on your imaging faculties to bring
your responses to above conscious threshold.

7. Music
You will need an audio recorder or a partner to act
as Listener and spotter.

Close your eyes and listen to richly textured music,

preferably classical, French impressionist, or
progressive jazz. Choose complex music that attracts
and involves your more sensitive faculties. When
the music inspires an image or sensation, delve deep
into description. If you have seen Walt Disney’s film
Fantasia, you may remember the intense connection
between the classical music score and the animated
action and dance that sprang from it. Music often
stimulates strong reactions, so your partner plays an
important role in listening but also in spotting
attention cues, such as eye movements under the
lids, pauses in breathing, and shifts in face, neck,
and shoulder muscles.

8. Background Sounds
You will need a recording of background sounds
and an audio recorder or a partner to act as
Listener and spotter.

You can find a recording of background sounds at

many music, book, or health food stores. Close
your eyes, listen, and speak aloud details of what
the sounds evoke in you. Allow all expressions
that arise, even if they do not seem to logically
follow from the specific sounds. Let the sounds
end, and continue describing as you move from
directed imagery to the undirected realm of
ImageStreaming.

9. Home Blindfolded
Make your way around your apartment or house
blindfolded, feeling various objects and describing
them at length. For an alternative experience, have
your partner create a grab bag of many highly diverse

8
objects for you to feel. Regardless of whether you
successfully identify the item, describe it fully.

This exercise is also a creative problem-solving

technique. If you have been working to solve a
problem and have not yet gotten your a-ha!, you
can turn to perception by asking yourself, “How
would I experience this if I could not see? How
would I “see” it differently from how I am seeing
it now?” Or if I could not hear? Or if I were very
short or very tall? Do anything to change the way
you are approaching the problem to shift you
from your stuck “knowledge” and your neuronal
habituation into perception.

10. Air sculpting

Close your eyes and begin “sculpting” from thin
air (or even from clay) some object d’art. Keeping
your eyes closed, hold your sculpture in your
hand, and describe it in detail.

11. Passenger
While riding as a passenger in a car, bus, or train,
close your eyes and describe what you think the
landscape or street scenes might be. Each of them is
calling on other resources to help you visualize
these situations. How many times have you had to
feel your way through the dark to some goal, as in
your own house when you are groping your way
toward the bathroom without waking anyone else?

12. Eat Blindfolded

Describe in detail what you are eating. Include
taste, smell, sound, texture, and appearance.

13. Aroma
Remove the tops from the bottles of four or five
spices set them before you. Close your eyes, shuffle
the bottles, and try to identify each delicious aroma.
Do the scents trigger further images or associations?
If they trigger only memories, describe one memory
in vivid detail, and let it develop imaginatively.

14. Afterimage Room

Stand in a dark room looking toward where the
light will be, turn on the lights, and immediately
close your eyes. You should find elaborate
afterimages or even an entire scene. Vary the
exercise by quickly flicking the lights on and off
several times with eyes open and leaving them on
or off after you close your eyes. Compare
9
afterimages with lights left on or off. Describe
everything in your awareness.

15. Stroboscope
Note: If you are epileptic, skip this technique.
Obtain a simple stroboscope and set the light
between 4 and 12 beats a second. Close your
eyes, look in the direction of the strobe light, and
notice what colors and patterns it evokes. If this
exercise does not lead to other images and
sensory experiences in 10 to 15 minutes, look at
the strobe light with eyes closed and describe an
imagined or remembered scene. Set the strobe to
different frequencies until you find the greatest
color and pattern display for your closed eyes.

16. Scenes From a Story

Read an entertaining novel or a story long enough to
have developed characters and scenes. Close your
eyes and record yourself imagining new scenes based
on what you read. You can enjoy the same technique
by remembering a favorite story or novel.

You may soon discover new awareness and skills

you deepen your experience with the story. We learn
and experience more when we feel pleasure, so
make your explorations delightful so that you will
open yourself to fresh perceptions and insights.

Guided Paths Into Unguided ImageStreaming

Following are eight popular guided imagery
techniques. Even if you are able to look in and self-
start, you occasionally may want to vary your entry
into the ImageStream with one of these guided
starts. My personal favorite is the next one.

17. Tree and Cloud

Imagine and describe wandering through a
meadow. Find yourself going toward a single
immense tree at the top of the hill. Engage all your
senses in experiencing the warm breeze, sunshine
on your neck, face, and shoulders, scents of the
meadow, the pull of walking up a gradual slope for
a long time, the variety of wildflowers, the sounds
of the grasses, the sounds of your own steps and
of your breathing. When you reach the top of the
long hill, rest on the soft moss at the base of the
tree. Lie back and look up the tree’s immense
trunk. Gaze between the branches at the sky, low
and high, near and far. Watch the clouds moving
across the sky and notice how their movement

10
makes you feel that you, the tree, and the hill are
all moving. Let the experience continue unguided.

18. Windblown
Be a leaf or a fluff of dandelion floating on the
wind. Drift around corners of buildings and over
trees, and race across an immense landscape of your
own devising.

19. Beneath the Boat

Imagine riding a boat gently on a lake or down a
broad, slow river. Peer into the water, past the
ripples, sparkles, and surface reflections to discover
and describe what lies below.

20. Forest
Climb through a forest up a steep hillside or mountain,
and describe your multisensory journey. As you
reach the top, you arrive at the edge of a clearing,
and the scenery unexpectedly opens. What is there?

These next three are helpful especially to those

who are oriented toward science and technology:

21. Elevator
You are riding in an elevator. The door opens to
reveal a place you have never been or seen.
Describe your fast first impression.

22. Outer Space

As a seed or spore floating far away in outer space,
you are cocooned and have floated comfortably
and safely for millions of years. Now approach a
world different from any you have ever experienced.
Drift down onto it, describing what you see and
encounter.

Now become a being from that world. Suddenly

look down where your feet would be if you were
human. What sounds do you hear? What do you
see? What do you smell? What surface are you on?
What other sensations do you have?

23. Radio Pulse

Be a pulse of electricity traveling along a wire into
a huge radio telescope and transmitter. What would
it be like to be a radio wave pulsed out through that
telescope and sent across deep space between stars
and galaxies? Describe your first impressions of
where you journey and where you arrive.

11
The following exercise frequently gives rise to
great illuminating experiences.

24. Light
You sense tremendous light emanating from the
other side of a door. Feel the excitement,
expectation, and exhilaration in knowing that
something bright, powerful, and transcendent
awaits you on the other side. Describe the door;
feel it, stroke it. Suddenly open that door and rise
exhilarated into that light. At first there is so much
light that you cannot make out what is there. You
begin to clear the air by breathing in the light,
slowly and luxuriously, feeling more exhilarated
with each breath you take. Look around at what
you can now see.

Also do this exercise with curtains, a long staircase,

or some other barrier holding back the light.

You can invent and experiment with hundreds of

other techniques to trigger ImageStreaming for
you. Partially or fully develop sensory-rich contexts
that allow directed images to lead to undirected
associations.

We have provided here some of the backup

techniques to ensure that everyone “gets pictures”
and becomes active in thinking visually. Thus, the
benefits and advantages of visual free thinking are
widely available not just to a fortunate few but to
everyone who cares to make use of them.

12
Innovating ways for you to experience your potential

2000 Plymouth Road

Minnetonka, Minnesota 55305-2335 USA
Toll-Free 1-888-800-2688 • 1-952-767-9800
Fax 952-475-2373
Mail@LearningStrategies.com
www.LearningStrategies.com