Hypnogogic Images. Could someone explain to me EXACTLY...

Could someone explain to me EXACTLY what hypnogogic images look like?

sometimes when you are drifting off to sleep, you start seeing swirling colours, or faces, or sometimes whole scenes (like dreamlits), or you may find sometimes that whatever you think about appears in front of you as if you are really looking at it… this is all hypnogogic imagery, and the state is called hypnogogia.
also you may hear hyp. sounds, i.e. some voices, or noise, or even music.

Okay, thjank you. In that case, I can induce hypnogogic imagry (swirling colors) in meditation after, like, ten minutes.

this kind of thing isn’t for me reduced to just when I go to sleep I can see almost whenever I close my eyes or when I have a day dream

Hypnagogics should not be confused with phosphenes, which are swirling dots of light/colors often seen when you rub your closed eyes. Phosphenes often occur before falling asleep, and they can sometimes develop into hypnagogics. While phosphenes are usually restricted to dots and/or swirls, hypnagogics are more complex and occur while being deeper into sleep. Hypnagogics are characteristically correlated with theta brainwaves, while phosphenes are usually a result of stimulation of the visual system (like, by random neuronal firing in that area).
Hypnagogics can be extremely vivid visuals or auditory hallucinations, even complete scenarios. But unlike dreams, it’s extremely difficult to actively interact with these fleeting images without waking up as a result. One usually remains a passive observer, but once one tries to interact with the images, everything usually collapses and one wakes up.

Or, if you’re like me, you’ll open your eyes due to the confusion of being able to see your bedroom with your eyes shut… I’ve actually done that a number of times…

Hm, once I seemed to able to interact with the HI scene - however, it’s hard to tell if it was complex HI or simpley a very weak dream.

mystic, you said " while phosphenes are usually a result of stimulation of the visual system (like, by random neuronal firing in that area)."
I read this right after some relaxation/meditation. When my eyes were closed, is started to see the phosphenes. I thought they were random, like you said, but I kept seeing the same thing over and over again. The whole thing lasted only about 3 or 4 seconds, but when it was over it just started from the beginning. How can this be neurons firing randomly?

It’s a good question. Actually, you can see sometimes repetitive patterns, for instance rotating phosphenes coming again and again, or a black area becoming smaller and smaller and when it disappears in the center of your vision, it reappears and shrinks again. This is probably due to the repetitive activity of a brain part near the visual cortex or the optical nerve, which is transmitted through neurotransmitters to them and provoke visuals. But there is still a random aspect in it.

When I try to WILD i get some flashes of light from time to time . :neutral:
It last like 1/2 a second , and is gone , I`ve heard a laughter once too , scaring, would be nice in a movie .
When you see it .
How do you see it ?
As trough “eyes” ?
or as a memory ?

And I hear music , but that ain`t louder than when Ihear a song over and over again in my head :sad:

Is this signes that I get closer ? :cool_laugh:

it starts by being just ‘thoughts’, seeing it as if visualizing something, but it becomes mroe and more clear, and suddenly you realize you are seeing it as if looking at it with your eyes. i don’t mean it’s ‘touching your eyes’, i mean with the same clarity.