Quote Originally Posted by sisyphus View Post
This. I would add that, a key concept is that visualization starts with memory. Either short term memory (start at an object, then close your eyes) or long term memory (recreate a scene that you are very familiar with, such as your room). So, visualization starts with memory, thus you begin training visualization by exercising your memory.

Next after memory is improvisation. Improvisation is a creative activity, but not random or unstructured. It is guided by a set of rules or goals. To train this, you would step further to a moving object or scene. For short term memory, a candle flame is a ideal, and is used traditionally in a particular style of meditation. The flame moves, but within a narrow range of possibilities. You don't need to memorize every exact movement, you just need to grasp the general pattern. Knowing the pattern, you can recreate it in visualization using a combination of memory (what the flame looks like) and improvisation (how it changes over time). For long term memory, I would chose a familiar activity that has movement, but, like the flame, has a regular pattern. Examples might be a dense crowd of people walking across a street or the back-and-forth of a tennis match.
It is interesting because when visualizing chess or my phone, or anything I find that my mind comes up with its own possibilities and strategies as well as gull conversations that make sense throughout my text messages (or skype messages). I never thought of it much since I thought "makes sense in a dream, why not in a visualization"