Daily Hits of Happy: May 20, 2020 - 250 - "What You See When You Close Your Eyes"

Eyes Wide Shut

You know those things that happen in life that are so tiny, and so ephemeral that you rarely think to talk about them? This is one of them.

For as long as I can remember, when I close my eyes, I've 'seen' something.

I realize I've only thought to mention this phenomenon twice. Both were times when what I was 'seeing' changed.

The Crazy Things You Find On the Internet

If you Google 'seeing things with your eyes shut', you will find all sorts of people talking about this.

Weird, huh?

I'm pretty sure this is proof you can find anything on the internet.

Light Show

When I was a kid, I mainly remember seeing various patterns of light.

It usually happened at the end of the day when I was settling in to go to sleep.

I only thought about this experience briefly, at these tiny moments at the end of the day. It never really occurred to me to discuss it with anyone.

I always figured it was some sort of mind glitch. Like the brain was processing some sensory input that it didn't get around to earlier.

It's not much of an explanation. But it was always good enough for me.

A Google search revealed there's an actual name for this: Phosphenes. "Phosphenes are like visual noise that our retinas make." (-Wikipedia)

Face It

Then came a time, maybe 10-12 years ago, where I started seeing faces.

I'd close my eyes and see a face. It was always very up close. Like, I never really notice a hairdo, eyeglasses, hats or clothes. I just see the face.

When it happens, it feels just like when you're standing in front of someone. It feels real-like I could reach out and touch these people. But then they change into another person.

Usually, as I look at the faces, they start moving a little, maybe smiling, or slowly nodding, just small motions or changes in expression. Then they begin to morph into another face.

I saw a commercial a couple of years ago that recreates this experience in a very similar way to how I 'see' it. I guess the creator of that ad has experienced this too. Or is incredibly creative. I don't think I would have consciously come up with this on my own.

The faces are never anyone I recognize. Some articles about this said that people sometimes see scary people or scenes. I'm happy to say I never have. Every once in awhile, one of the people will make me feel a little uncomfortable. Not in any threatening way. But then they morph into someone else, so it's just a fleeting moment.

There's a term for when you see faces in inanimate objects. (Like when the grain in wood looks like eyes and a nose...). The word for that is pareidolia.

Some think seeing faces at night is related to this natural tendency for the brain to look for faces everywhere.

Others think you're connecting to actual people...living or dead. I sort of think it's something about the 'collective unconscious' Jung talked about. Some kind of an ancestral memory, or instinct. Others have all kinds of metaphysical explanations.

Many suggest that these things come from your third eye opening up.

Michael and I were talking about all of this. He thought it would be a bummer if you suddenly had to go to the optometrist to get a new 'script for that extra eye.

I would hope if I had this fabulous extra 'sight'...I wouldn't have an astigmatism or anything in it.

Personally, I just sort of accepted the experience and moved on. Until last week...

A Landscape Phase

All of a sudden, I don't see faces. When I close my eyes at night I 'see' beautiful scenery. Rich green meadows and hillsides, or a mountain, or some farmland.

What caught my eye the first time was the disorienting sense of movement. It's like when you've accidentally taken a 'Live' photo on your phone. You're flipping through your pictures, and one of them moves. It gives me a kind of dizziness. A feeling of being off-kilter.

It's from a low level - like about car height - but I'm floating along. There usually aren't roads in these scenes. It's like I'm on a low-flying quadcopter.

There were a lot of explanations of various hallucinations on the internet. I didn't see anything specifically about landscapes. But it's been a sudden and dramatic change from the all-faces-all-the-time shows before, to just random terrain.

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Well, that's all I have to say about this topic. I don't really have any theories about it, but I have experienced it.

The good news is: I didn't spend another day whining about how tired I am. Though now I think of it...