Sensory Acuity
1. Observe Something -
Ask the client to observe things about you and about herself. This is to extrovert her and get her to actually observe rather than just think about things. Coach her in the direction of actually observing, not make mental inferences. Get her to be specific
"Observe something about me"
("What do you observe about ___?")
"Observe something about yourself"
("What do you observe about ___?")
2. Experience Me -
Ask the client to interchangeably "experience" you and herself. Don't clear up what "experience" means in advance, it is not a mental exercise. But "experience" is more direct, more feeling oriented than "observe" which is mostly visual. There might be some embarrassment about it, but it is useful to get over. It might establish a better relation between the facilitator and client.
"Experience me"
"Experience you"
3. Perceptual Distinctions #
Take one perceptual distinction at a time. Notice it in great detail in the present. Talk about everything that one is perceiving. Describe it or write it down. Walk around as necessary and have the client perceive some stuff with the designated perceptual distinction. This can be done quite thoroughly and extensively. That is, for many many hours, exploring all the details of each distinction. And the point is to perceive them, not to say clever things about them. These are some distinctions that can be used:
Visual(Seeing) |
Auditory(Hearing) |
Kinesthetic(Feeling) |
Olfactory(Smelling) |
Color
Shape
Brightness
Contrast
Shading
Size
Magnification
Angle
Foreground/Background
Clarity (focused/fuzzy)
Panorama (narrow, wide)
3-dimensional/flat
Borders/frames
Movie/still shots
|
Tone
Tempo
Volume
Timbre
Pitch
Rhythm
Duration
Harmony
Timing
|
Temperature
Pressure
Weight
Moisture
Texture
Tension
Solid/liquid/gaseous
Movement
Vibration
Acceleration
Expanding/contracting
Friction
Uniformity
Structure
|
Organic
Inorganic
Gustatory(Tasting)
Sour
Bitter
Sweet
Salty
|
4. Quiet Perception #
Having to describe what one perceives can be distracting, or can misleadingly imply that the description is the perception. You can ask the person to perceive a certain distinction without any requirement of talking about it. This is something she can do during the week by herself. You can give her the homework of during the week continuously noticing a particular perceptual distinction, like the colors of things. Not labeling it, just being aware of it and experiencing it.
5. Distinctions #
Explore perceptual distinctions any way you can think of. Like:
- Remember distinctions in different situations, different incidents, different periods.
- Compare distinctions between different times, different places, different people.
- Reproduce distinctions as possible, like duplicate people's tone of voice etc.
- Recognize distinctions. Go out looking for specific colors, sounds, etc.
- Imagine each different distinction in various ways.
- Put labels on all distinctions.
- Don't put labels on anything.
- etc.
6. Peripheral Vision #
Train peripheral vision. Have the person exercise seeing things out of the periphery. That is where the majority of the information is, not on what one focuses directly on. Have the client look at one thing while describing what she is there in the periphery, or vice versa. Have her read aloud from a book while at the same time saying whenever you lift a finger or something like that. As homework have her notice peripheries. Also notice the whole of a picture, rather than just one part at a time. One can sit and look at a picture without focusing on anything in particular. Or one can sit and listen to the whole sound picture without separating out anything in particular. All the perceptions have peripheries. Also, discuss the idea with the person. Most psychic perceptions are developed out of peripheral perceptions.
7. Important Sounds -
Discuss the implications of different auditory qualities. Which ones are there, what do they mean, which ones does she like, etc. The auditory distinctions are what many people are relatively unconscious of.
"What don't you want to hear?"
"What are you trying to hear?"
"What nuances are unimportant?"
"What rhythms are there in your life?"
"What kind of pitch do you like?"
"What tones make you feel good?"
8. Now #
Have a conversation about anything whatsoever. However, insist unbendingly on the client only talking about what she perceives right here and now. Refuse any references to stuff that happened earlier or might happen later, refuse any conjecture, any inferences, any abstract ideas, etc. Whatever she says, lead it back to present time perceptions. If she references anything else, get her to describe how she is perceiving it right now. If she states anything as a fact, inquire on how she is perceiving that right now. Do this at least until she has a big realization on the difference between what actually exists and what is just ideas about stuff that isn't there. If she expands her space to perceive some of that other stuff more directly, that is great too.
9. Duplication #
Get the client to repeat duplicates of motions that the facilitator does. Mostly do hand and arm motions. Do one unit at a time. That is, do a movement, look expectantly at the client, and let her do it. Then do another movement. If she has trouble getting a movement, repeat it, or break the components down and practice those. It might work well to use a certain object you move and then ask the client to duplicate the motion and path of that object. Like, hold a pen or a book, make movements, circles, lines, etc. with it, and then hand it to the client and ask her to repeat the same sequence of motions. Linear motions are much easier to duplicate than curved ones.
10. Mirroring #
Get the client to mirror movements that the facilitator does at the same time. Start with simple hand movements. Then move around and do whole body stuff. Also facial expressions. Start very easy and only gradually make it more and more challenging. Client should act like a picture in a mirror, moving at the same time. Facilitator should do it in a manner so that the client can continuously do it. No sudden movements, your job is to make sure the person can follow along. But make it more and more challenging and faster as you go along.
11. Auditory Matching #
Facilitator and client sit back to back. Facilitator says a sentence. Client needs to match in turn tonality, pitch, tempo, rhythm etc. First do them one by one until she can do it. That is, keep repeating the same sentence the same way until she gets the tonality right. Then say something else and work on pitch. Finally do all auditory qualities at the same time until she can sound exactly like you. There is a certain strange quality of somebody matching your voice and statement exactly.
12. Body Feelings #
Concentrate on different areas of the body. Notice how that body part feels. Describe it. Notice what is the most prominent feeling in that area. Then narrow it to a smaller area and do the same. Like, left foot, then the left big toe. Do with many areas.
13. Imaginary Space #
Do acting type of exercises where one imagines the space being changed in some wacky way and walks around in it. For example, decree that the ground is made of rubber, and walk around on it as if it is. Then your bodies are made of rubber and everything bounces around as you walk. Or imagine that your bodies are emanating energy and you are leaving trails behind you of everywhere you've been. Or imagine that your bodies get blown up as balloons and walk around as figures in a parade. The idea is in part to heighten one's sense of the space, to be able to change the perceptual distinctions, and also to be more in touch with one's body and one's space.
14. Connect and Disconnect #
Connect and Disconnect from physical objects in the immediate environment. Walk around. Facilitator asks client to connect with objects, then hold it for a moment, then asks to disconnect. That might mean touching, and probably should, at least initially. But, if we know the client is really doing it, it could work fine without touching also.
15. Familiarization #
Do the Connect/Disconnect exercise with particular elements of the person's life. Go to her work area or home area. Repeatedly connect and disconnect with machinery she operates, her car, her clothes, the dishes, her belongings, the walls, etc. Do it for any amount of time until she gets more comfortable with it and it all seems more real to her. The idea is to get to first base with the stuff she is operating, to be able to simply be with it and be familiar and comfortable with it. That is nothing to take for granted, and this is not a mental thing at all. It is a physical ability to be connected that we are aiming at, a certain groundedness in the actual physical circumstances.
16. Internal Machinery -
Examine what the person is doing that might slow down reaction time. Like, if there is an internal machinery that has to do a certain time-consuming processing of everything. Find out if there are more efficient ways of doing it.
"What are you doing when you sit down doing nothing?"
"What are you doing when you are looking around the room?"
"What are you doing when somebody says something?"
17. Body Touch -
In turn touch all main parts of the person's body, asking her to feel them. That is, place a finger in sequence on all different parts of her body that aren't particularly embarrassing to her. do it symmetrically, that is, first right side, then left in the same spot. She needs to actually feel from the inside that spot, not just notice that you touched her. And then she should confirm that she has done that, by saying "yes" or nodding or something.
18. Internal Body Touch -
Again have her feel all the different parts of her body, but do it without touching her. Mention a body part and ask her to feel it from the inside. She needs to actually get an internal feeling perception of the body part. Just remembering that there is such a body part doesn't work. She needs to bring up her awareness of her own body.
"Feel your index finger"
"Feel your biceps"
"Feel your elbow"
19. Muscle Tightening -
Have the client tighten each muscle in the body in turn and then relax it. Systematically go though the whole body. This increases awareness of the body and is also very relaxing.
"Tighten the back of your neck"
"Now relax it"
"Tighten your shoulders"
"Relax your shoulders"
Previous / Next / Contents