Thread: Visualization, imagination, etc. nomenclature question

Words, words, words. They are my favorite topic. Let's see here, now. I have read ETWOLD, but it was years ago that I read it all the way through. I skim passages now and then but I can't claim to really recall particular phrasing in such detail. So I don't speak for LaBerge here. Nevertheless, I have some commentary to offer.

Visualize, Imagine, Pretend

Visualization emphasizes the sense of vision. It is a mental process that replicates the experience of seeing. In the context of lucid dreaming, I think its particular purpose is to link memory with sensory detail, and that can be a powerful thing. It doesn't necessarily have to be a real memory, but the elements in the visual scene will probably borrow from memory. Example: Visualize the rocky red landscape of Mars.

Imagination emphasizes mental simulation. In contrast to visualization, it isn't necessarily exclusive to vision. It can include other senses, emotions, and narrative. In the vein of narrative, I think imagination implies something more than just what you can capture in one glance. Imagination might progress through a longer period of time and several scenes, connected with a logical cause-and-effect or some other relationship. For lucid dreaming, imagination invites you to take a few details and then build and explore them further. Example: Imagine what life would be like on Mars.

Pretending emphasizes a particular premise that, while not true, is nonetheless interesting for the sake of consideration. It usual starts with a fanciful statement, and provokes you to proceed from there with imagination. For lucid dreaming, I think the purpose is to invite the suspension of disbelief so that you can temporarily set aside the confines of rules and instead explore possibilities. Example: Pretend it's 100 years in the future and you were born on a human colony on Mars. What would your life be like?

Intend, Resolve

To intend means to assign a desired outcome. The desire is the important part. For example, words can have an intended meaning, but you wouldn't say that of resolve. An intention might be for something you don't have total control over, but nonetheless, your intention expresses your desire: I intend for my son to go to college. For lucid dreaming, an intention can be a form of indirect control; you want something to happen. But perhaps it is describe as a general situation rather than a specific action: I intend to visit Mars in my next dream.

To resolve means to decide a future action. To be meaningful, it must something you can control. So choice and control is the important part. And furthermore, to resolve means your decision is final without possibility of amendment. Even so, as language is, to resolve might still be an expression of desire rather than absolute action: I resolve to quit smoking. For lucid dreaming, to resolve means to plan a specific action, not just that something happens: I resolve that, when I become lucid, I will look up, see Mars, and fly there.