Student and Therapist Newsletter Archive
   - Visualisation

+ 3D visualisation tips - October 07

***QUESTION***

Dear Mr Dalton,
I am writing to you in the hope that you may be able to help me. I am having trouble visualising the anatomical structures associated with my craniosacral studies. When I close my eyes all I can see are the pictures from the anatomy books I have studied.
You have said in previous newsletters that we need to develop the facility to look at these structures from any angle with our minds eye. I have never been very good at this kind of thing.
I have difficulty reading maps, for example.
Do you have any technique to help marry these flat images to what I am feeling with my hands and make my mental images more real.
Kind regards,
P.B.
United Kingdom.

>>>MY COMMENTS:

The first thing to do is let go of the notion that you are not very good at this. If you are intent at getting better at cranio sacral work that thought is not going to help.
Do your best to replace it with, 'I may not have been good at this kind of thing in the past but that doesn't mean I am not going to be good at it now.'

Here are some exercises that may help. Before you start it is a good idea to get both sides of your brain involved. Any kind of cross body activity will help this.

For example, while standing begin to 'march' in time. Raise your knees and alternately touch each knee with your opposite hand. Progressively, move your elbows to each knee in sequence.
Alternatives are to touch each heel behind your back with opposite hands or tug each earlobe with opposite hands.

You can also do what are called 'lazy eights'.
Draw a large figure eight [about 18cms long] on a piece of paper. Turn the picture sideways. Hold your head steady, then place your finger at the
centre of the eight.

Keeping your eyes fixed on the tip of your finger start to trace the figure eight with your finger tip.
It is the movement of your eyes that activates the hemispheres of your brain so make sure you move only them and not your head.
Once you get the hang of this exercise you can do away with the paper.

Feeling all integrated?

Lovely. Lets get on with the exercises.

Start off with something simple and familiar like a teacup or milk jug. Take a seat at your kitchen table and place the teacup in front of you with the handle facing away.

Close your eyes and try and visualise what the teacup looks like from the other side. The side you can't see. The side with the handle.
If you draw a blank pick it up and look at what it looks like from the other side. Then start again.

Once this starts to get easier then include the environment the teacup is in. When you visualise what the teacup looks like from the other side
include the whole picture.

As well as seeing the other side of the teacup you will see the other side of the room. The side of the room that is behind you.

You will know you are making progress when you can see the other side of the cup, including the other side of the room and including yourself
sitting there visualising it.

Wha?

From the other side of the teacup you are in the picture, right?

Next, think of your minds eye like a camera.
This time, instead of seeing the other side of the teacup, circle around the teacup with your minds eye to the other side.
Make sure you see the different facets as you go. If you have trouble with this do it for real.

Open your eyes and slowly circle the teacup to the other side taking careful note of how it changes as you move. Then go back to the other side close your eyes and start again.

Next, try and visualise what the teacup looks like from above. If you find this hard, stand up and look down on the cup. Take it all in, fix it in your minds eye, then sit down, close your eyes and try again.

Next, try and visualise what the teacup looks like from below. If you find this hard, pick up the cup and look at it from below. Put the cup back down, close your eyes and try again.

To include what the environment the teacup is in, and looks like from below, imagine that the kitchen table is made of glass.

If you can't imagine what that would look like take the cup out of the way and put your head on the table looking up.
If any friends or family are around it might be worth explaining to them what your are doing.
Other wise it might look to them like you have been staring intently at the china for no apparent reason and now you are having a little kip on the
kitchen table.

That done, sit down again and try and visualise what the teacup looks like from below including the view of the room from that perspective.

Once you get the hang of this, introduce movement. Imagine what it would look like if you were looking at the cup from above and then circle downwards until you were looking up at the cup from below.

As before, if you have trouble visualising this then do it for real. Stand up and look down on the cup then circle downwards all the time looking at the cup, taking in the changing perspective and being careful not to bump your head on the table.

Next, get under the table and see what it looks like from below. Fix it in your mind. Take your seat again and imagine what the underside of the table looks like.

Next imagine your minds eye being able to see through the table. So you should be able to see the underside of the teacup again. Practice going back and froth with this. See the underside of the cup then pull back to seeing only the underside of the table then go through the table again to the underside of the cup and so on.

Do the exercise with objects of progressively more complex shape. Work up to an organic object like a house plant.

When you feel like you are doing well with this, introduce a second object. It will be easier if you use objects of contrasting shape in the beginning. So instead of using two teacups use a teacup and a box. That way the curves of the
teacup will contrast nicely with the angles of the box.

Go through the above exercise again.
When you start to introduce movement, make sure that you can visualise both objects simultaneously. In the beginning you may find that you can only visualise one object or the other.

Also, make sure that you can visualise how they move in relation to each other.
Repeat the exercise until you can see the two objects from all perspectives in your minds eye.

Then add a third object and start again.
Repeat the process until you can hold five objects in your minds eye.

Next put a tablecloth on the table and put the five objets on it. Allow space between each object. Take a corner of the tablecloth and pull it gently. Take note of how the objects move as you pull the tablecloth.

Close your eyes and try and replay what you have seen in your mind. Then try and see it from different angles. If you get stuck open your eyes go to the angle you can't visualise and watch it for real. You may need to get someone else to do the tablecloth tugging.

This tablecloth exercise will give you a good idea of what effect restrictions have on structures in our bodies.

Once you get into the swing of this kind of visualisation you can do it anywhere.
Take whatever you are looking at and see if you can visualise what it looks like from all angles. Cars, buses, trains, trees, buildings.

When you feel like you are mastering this you can progress to remodelling in your head.

Start with your living room. Move the furniture around in your head. Try and imagine what the furniture will look like in different places. What will fit where?

If it's not too difficult physically move the furniture to the places you imagined and see if you were right. Did that table fit in that corner and so on.

Another very useful exercise you can do is to make models of the structures you are trying to visualise. You don't have to get all fancy with it and it doesn't have to be pretty. You can use pipe cleaners and card bord boxes or anything you find it easy to work with.

I once had a student that was convinced she was 'no good at art' and so couldn't make models. We talked about it and focused on what she thought she WAS good at. Eventually she admitted she was good at cooking. So after a little persuasion she went on to make some fantastic models made out of food.

And finally get yourself a copy of Edward Muntinga's DVD. He has packed it with some excellent animated 3D models of the structures we
work with. It will help a lot.

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