[stylist] Visual illusions

Fri Feb 17 17:24:28 UTC 2012

WOW, this describes what I SEE to a T...whatever that T stands for, I never 
knew! haha

Yes, they occur whe I am tired and watching TV in the late afternoon or 
evening, or when at a boring meeting sitting around a table talking and when 
I am very uninterested in the topic of discussion.  Also, at night before 
going to sleep. When I close my eyes, I am often watching animated scenes 
and portraits of people who are in the process of doing something active.

This is amazing. My husband has NO idea I see these things because it is so 
weird I never told him. It is in the perception of those things that we know 
that we are not having dilusions - I have never perceived them as real.
After 4 years of sight loss, I still have them all the time. I just think it 
is because I am a visual artist and when the eyes don't give me the 
VIS"UALS, then the BRAIN does it.

Fascinating, isn't it.  One of the totally blind persons who worked with me 
at the BVRS in Homestead, PA also had this happen to her all the time. So, 
therefore, I was not afraid when it happened as I realized that some of us 
have it.  IF ther is ANYTHING strange or WEIRD out there, believe me, I will 
FIND IT.
lol
Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Visual illusions

Linda and all,
I found it. The Charles Bonnet syndrome I will copy and paste it below. It
is fascinating, but it appears that I must have missed the last part when I
scanned it. You will get the gist.
And now on to synesthesia.
P.S. Show this to your husbands!
Jackie

Charles Bonnet Syndrome
People with Charles Bonnet syndrome can vouch for the cliché that things
aren't always as they seem. This syndrome, named for the eighteenth-century
philosopher who first described it, is characterized by visual
hallucinations. People may see anything from abstract patterns to birds and
babies and white sandy beaches. These hallucinations tend to occur during
down time--say, while getting a haircut or waiting in line at the dollar
store.

The folks who perceive these visions know they're just mirages, of sorts.
That is, the images are illusions, not delusions. The difference is that a
person with delusions is convinced that what she sees is real. Patients with
Charles Bonnet syndrome may initially second-guess themselves but they
ultimately accept that their perceptions have no substance.
Cause
The cause of this disorder is thought to be a misfire in the brain similar
to the neurological mix-up that occurs in patients with phantom limb
syndrome. As vision wanes, the brain continues to interpret visual imagery
in the absence of corresponding visual input, just as it sometimes continues
to process pain signals from a limb that's no longer there.
Symptoms
Charles Bonnet syndrome has one principal symptom: the periodic occurrence
of hallucinatory visions. Sometimes the hallucinations are very animated and
detailed.
A person who has such visual illusions may wonder if he's becoming mentally
ill or developing senile dementia. He may hesitate to tell his doctors or
loved ones about the problem for fear they'll draw that very conclusion.
Risk factors
Roughly one third of patients with low vision develop Charles Bonnet
syndrome, including those with age-related macular degeneration, cataracts,
diabetic retinopathy, and other eye disorders. The hallucinations are more
likely to occur when the person is awake, alone, and in dim light, or when
he or she is physically inactive or lacks distractions, such as television.
Turning on an extra lamp or two, staying physically and mentally occupied,
spending time with family or friends, and participating in social activities
can reduce the frequency and vividness of the hallucinations. Each patient
must learn what works for him or her. A positive attitude is the key.
Diagnosis
Your eye care professional is the best healthcare professional to diagnose
this condition. In addition, your eye care provider will already be aware of
any underlying vision disorders you have that may be associated with the
syndrome. A thorough eye examination to rule out additional problems and a
few targeted questions about your symptoms are usually all that's needed to
diagnose the syndrome.
Sometimes consultation with a neurologist or other specialist is necessary
to rule out any serious disorders that may mimic Charles Bonnet syndrome,
such as stroke and Parkinson's disease. The diagnosis may be complicated by
the fact that many patients have multiple medical problems, such as diabetes
and heart disease, for which they take several medications.
Treatment
Fortunately, the saying "This, too, shall pass" is also true for those with
Charles Bonnet syndrome. After a year or perhaps 18 months, the brain seems
to adjust to the person's vision loss, and the hallucinations begin to
recede.
In the meantime, of course, the underlying visual impairment should be
treated or monitored. Idle time should be kept to a minimum. If the person
is found to be depressed, therapy or pharmacologic treatment may be in
order. Antiseizure medications have been shown to calm the hallucinations in
some patients, and antianxiety agents can be used in those who find the
visions upsetting. For most patients, though, just knowing that they aren't
becoming

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 6:55 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Visual illusions

Yes, this fits what I see...cartoon or movie scenes in movement and full
vivid and very moving color. Very high energy imagery! They are talking and
very animated, but I do not hear anthing. It is all visual illusions. I have

to say, I keep this to myself - as far as friends and family go, they know
nothing of it. Besides, most people expect an artist to be a bit strange
anyway.

I did have an experience one morning a few years before my sight loss
problems though. I still think there is a connection to what happened to me
that morning, and with my eventual sight loss.

I was going to be lecturing that morning on Classical Greek Sculpture and
culture to nearly 200 students. Just before I was to begin, I walked out to
the podium to be sure my lecture notes were there, and that the microphones,

recorder, and slide projecter were all set to go.  I looked down at my typed

notes and as I looked at the page, there was no text there at all. The page,

instead, was alive with brilliant neon colored and moving geometric shapes.
The words and text had turned into a virtual light show of moving shapes and

neon colors. I immediately went back to the media area just off the stage,
where two of my colleagues were making sure all the recording stuff was
ready for my lecture. I walked in and asked them to please pray for me.
They asked, what is wrong?

I told them "I cannot see. I cannot see anything on the papers of notes."

It was now time for me to walk onto the stage and begin the lecture. I
walked out and took my place behind the podium, switched on the mike at my
waist. I thought, "This is going to be the most horrifying day of my life
because I cannot see anything.  I will have to just begin the lecture from
my memory, and go as far as I can." But, I knew I would never be able to
deliver that lecture without notes - 55 minutes of very detailed
information, with dates, places. No way could I do this!

All I can remember of it was that I stepped out from behind the podium,
walked forward toward the students seated in the audience, and opened my
mouth to begin the lecture.

I was in a dream it seemed. But it was no dream. It was really happening.  I

continued to talk, and somehow, I don't even remember any more details, as I

walked back to the podium, I could again see text. The neon was gone. I have

no idea how long it was before I could see that text - I was in a state of
shock, I am sure.

I told several doctors about this experience, and nobody seemed to think it
was anything serious. I later read about this type of thing hapening when
people had migraine headaches. I have had migraine headaches for many years.

And, when I lost my sight, it was after a number of days of very severe
migraine headaches. I do not think there is a coincidence in this -

Have any of you here had any kind of visual experiences like this?

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:31 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice

Brad, Donna, Lynda, and others,
Yes, synesthesia is the one where often letters, or even musical notes are
seen in color. The other is a syndrome starting with B. It may be Barnet's
syndrome. It is when you actually see scenes in movement and full color. I
was seeing yellow butterflies for a time, and then northern lights of
chartreuse green. The retinologist told me about it, and I think I have it
in my computer. I till look. Yes, it is easy to think we are crazy at times.
But isn't it exciting in some ways to feel we have secret visions that few
can share?
More later.
Jacqui

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Brad Dunsé
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:17 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice

    * synaesthesia?

>-----Original Message-----
>... It is like my brain sending short animations to me this
>way - very very animated and colorful. I think there is a term for this -
>cannot think of it at the moment.
>
>It is like I live on two levels - two realities - most of the time. My
>husband has told me we do not even live on the same planet!
>
>Lynda
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 3:24 PM
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice
>
>
> > Jackie and Lynda,
> > I too relate to the visual learning thing. When I first received audio
> > books
> > (freshman year of college), I had a heck of a time staying awake. To
this
> > day, I have vivid visual images and still construct visual images of
> > things
> > I'm trying to learn. Often when I'm reading Braille, the dots jump into
my
> > visual center as bright colored lights. Sometimes, the images are so
> > bright,
> > that my eyes squeeze shut -- even when they're already shut. Weird, huh?
> > Donna
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of Jacqueline Williams
> > Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 1:53 PM
> > To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
> > Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice
> >
> > Dear Linda,
> > I am so glad that you answered me in such detail. Your life story both
> > before and after blindness is fascinating and inspiring. When someone
> > shares
> > the detail of the transition, I think we all learn something more about
> > ourselves.
> > The part of your story I relate to the most is the part of being a
visual
> > learner, and the difficulty of transitioning to having to live in the
> > auditory modality.
> > There are so many other similarities.
> > I know that all members on the list will be enheartened by your story,
and
> > how you came to grips with that steep learning curve.
> > When I get through this mountain of new e-mails, I will try to send you
a
> > few poems, the first I wrote using JAWS and the most difficult I have
ever
> > attemped using the computer. A day does not go by without learning some
> > little new detail that makes it a bit easier.
> > With respect and gratitude for sharing.
> > Jackie
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
> > Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 7:16 AM
> > To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice
> >
> > Good Morning Jackie,
> > thanks for your comments on my poem (in a separate email) and on my
> > website.
> >
> > I agree with the comments that I need to change the last thought in the
> > poem, as some others have suggested. I am THINKING about it.
> > You know how that is - things just stick in your mind until you know
what
> > to
> >
> > do next. I was in that state of mind all night long, as I was thinking
> > about
> >
> > making pottery today, and thinking about HOW I would do it. Going over
and
> > over the process in my subconscious mind - maddening! lol
> >
> > My website and blogs:
> > I had very extensive knowlege about how to do websites and blogs BEFORE
> > sight loss. I had two blogs and have had this website for many years. (I
> > am
> > a former professor of Fine Arts and Humanities, at Geneva College,
Beaver
> > Falls, PA)
> >
> > I had two other blogs before this one. I wrote about one of my passions,
> > knitting. I did it for relaxation and to share
> > information/patterns/finished
> >
> > projects on the blogs.
> > It was a nice getaway from my professional life -
> >
> > My website? I have been an actively exhibiting fine artist for well over
> > 35
> > years. The website was where I shared images of my paintings, wood cut
> > prints, upcoming show information, and my travel/study trips to Europe
> > every
> >
> > summer. The website was a recruiting tool for that program. I lived in
the
> > Alps in austria every summer until 2008 (I lost my sight in the fall of
> > 2007). I took college students to Austria for a month every summer.
While
> > there I worked in my art studio in a village outside of Salzburg. I
taught
> > classes every morning Monday - Thursday until noon. Our class worked in
> > the
> > studio, and each day we took trips all over the area and did writing and
> > art
> >
> > at a different location every day. On weekends, I took the students to a
> > different country - Italy for the Redintore Festival every year in July.
> > Czech Republic, where we visited small villages and of course, Prague.
> > Germany, many many places in Germany including Hamburg, Luneburg,
Munich,
> > and more.
> >
> > This is how I knew HOW to make a website - through marketing my own art
> > and
> > my Drawing and Writing in Salzburg courses.
> >
> > When I lost my sight - overnight - I was completely LOST. For five
months
> > I
> > really sat in a chair and listened to Public Radio as I did not know how
> > to
> > do anyting at all. My husband brought me books on CDs from the local
> > library - I was completely LOST and no one knew what to do with me.  It
> > took
> >
> > five months of very hard work to learn that there was such a thing as
> > rehab
> > for blind people - and finally, after an existance that was meaningless,
I
> > got to go to a rehab center in Pittsburgh.
> >
> > There, I learned that I could do things again. But the realization that
I
> > had in an instant gone from teaching and lecturing on a very high level,
> > and
> >
> > had plunged to a level that was less than kindergarden became very clear
> > to
> > me. You were so right about the LEARNING CURVE - it is the steepest
> > learning
> >
> > curve I have ever experienced, just to begin to live again and do the
most
> > basic things. I was at the center for 15 weeks, and did very well. I
still
> > had no computer skills, and that took another year or two for me to
begin
> > to
> >
> > work on the computer again...It was two years before I could start that
> > blog
> >
> > that you saw. And, I can now post things on my website, do photos, and
> > list
> > exhibitions as I need to have them there.
> >
> > Everything about me and my life was VISUAL. I am a visual learner, a
> > visual
> > thinker, and a visual person. I still am! Sight loss has greatly altered
> > how
> >
> > I see things, but it still has to be visual for me to "get it." My
weakest
> > area was always learning anything through listening. Even when I
attended
> > a
> > lecture, or read a book, I had a pencil in my hand and I was writing -
> > making it all VISUAL.  I still have to find ways to make what I hear
into
> > an
> >
> > image in my mind - so I can remember it or learn new things. That will
not
> > change - it is my core. For me, a poem is first a visual work of art. It
> > has
> >
> > form, shape, and organization. And, each poetry book is a work of art,
> > first
> >
> > of all. I collect books by Contemporary poets, especially American
poets.
> > My
> >
> > library walls are filled with books of contemporary poetry - and in my
> > mind
> > it is fine art. It is visual both in appearance and when we listen to
the
> > words. I am crazy about post modern poetry and literature - I used to
> > teach
> > it at the college.
> >
> > Well, I did not know I would write such a long post, but you asked, so I
> > answered. After all, I am used to doing lectures so I LILKE to  discuss
> > things of interest.  lol
> > Lynda
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
> > To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 1:15 AM
> > Subject: Re: [stylist] Art is God's Voice
> >
> >
> >> Linda,
> >> What an inspiring website. Who helped you with your website? It is hard
> >> to
> >> imagine accomplishing this with  no or low vision.   I would say that
you
> >> are a     speed-learner.
> >> Are you familiar with Reiki? Just thinking about how beautiful the
> >> symbols
> >> would be if done in beading. Though they are not made available to an
> >> untrained practitioner.
> >> Jackie
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> >> Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
> >> Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 9:24 AM
> >> To: Zgal at Zoominternet.net
> >> Subject: [stylist] Art is God's Voice
> >>
> >> Hi Friends,
> >> Just published a new blog article this morning.
> >> You might enjoy it.
> >>
> >> http://walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com/2012/02/art-is-gods-voice.html
> >>
> >> We are getting some nice snow here this morning. It is so refreshing.
Bob
> >> and I walked through the woods along the creek this morning - such a
> >> beautiful day!
> >>
> >> Lynda
> >>
> >>
> >> Lynda Lambert
> >> 104 River Road
> >> Ellwood City, PA 16117
> >>
> >> 724 758 4979
> >>
> >> My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
> >> My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Writers Division web site:
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> >>
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t
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> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
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Brad Dunsé

"The greater danger for most of us is not that
our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it." --Unknown

http://www.braddunsemusic.com

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