Opening the Mind's Eye: How Images and Language Teach Us How To See [Hardcover]

Ian Robertson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2003

Ian Robertson has always been fascinated by how the mind makes images, for that awesome power directly and deeply affects our lives. All of us "visualize" the world differently, and how we do so dictates the way we feel, remember, and think--and therefore our health, memory, and creativity. In this lively, accessible and fascinating book, Robertson explains that most of us employ language as a basis for visualization. In effect, we think in words more than in images. The result is an imbalance between the logical and the intuitive, between imagery-based thought and language-based thought. Opening the Mind's Eye is both an enlightening and stimulating explanation of how we "see," and a compelling argument for extending the mind's powers to improve the quality of our lives. Like Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, it combines insight and application.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following up on his debut, Mind Sculpture, Trinity College psychology professor Robertson argues that most of us have been taught to think about the world through the limiting confines of the "cool web of language," as poet Robert Graves called it. Touching on a variety of topics, including hypnosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, synesthesia, addiction and chronic worrying, Robertson encourages readers to develop their visual acuity, to "picture" concepts and ideas as images, rather than simply articulating them through words. To this end, Robertson gives readers a variety of simple, imagery-based exercises designed to stimulate creativity, improve memory and generally relax the mind. He even cites studies demonstrating that children experiencing chronic migraines can use their ability to envision "pleasant" images--such as a koala bear-- to ease their suffering. But, Robertson warns, "the blessing of powerful mental imagery can turn to a curse when it comes to reliving trauma," as is made evident in his discussion of Vietnam vets haunted by all-too-realistic images of death, or Three Mile Island residents whose recurring visions of nuclear disaster made them vulnerable, decades later, to chronic stress and physical debilitation. More mundanely, the perils of imagination can be seen in the intense fear many people feel when they merely picture themselves going to the dentist. Some of Robertson's enticing yet unsubstantiated claims (e.g., "Worry is primarily a language-based mental activity, where imagery is kept to a minimum") may frustrate readers otherwise eager to use his techniques.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A British psychologist, Robertson has a variety of goals in mind here--sharpening memory, increasing athletic performance, taming anxiety and phobias--as he describes cognitive experiments that have elucidated how the brain absorbs sound, sight, and touch. Many of the tests he describes have been performed on the usual pool of subjects and university students, and others on small children. The upshot is that skill in verbalization tends to weaken skill in visualization. Exhorting the reader to release the latter, Robertson summarizes reputable studies (giving citations) that indicate that improving one's visual imagery can ameliorate emotional problems, addictions, and illness. Suggested exercises lend Robertson's work a self-help flavor, but the author is modest, making no life-changing promises, and his research is grounded in science. Although that tendency might dampen sales of his book, his readers might actually benefit from his findings. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312306571
• ISBN-13: 978-0312306571
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,142,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is good, March 10, 2004

By 

Sanjay Shetty (Mumbai, INDIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opening the Mind's Eye: How Images and Language Teach Us How To See (Hardcover)

I've always been fascinated by the inner workings of the mind and how one can improve it. This book is a fascinating exploration on how the mind really thinks. It's illustrated in extremely simple language. Interestingly post reading the book I came across other people who use a similar concept. Moreover I have been reading books on memory etc. primarily by authors such as Harry Lorayne, and there too I find the emphasis on thinking in visuals. If you visualize it you remember it. The book does cover memory also to a certain extent but the other coverage is awesome. This book is a definite yes if you want to learn how your mind works and how you can help yourself think better. I wish I had come across this earlier in life. I'm definitely on the lookout for more of such work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opening, July 19, 2008

By 

S. J Parker (Edmond, Ok) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Opening the Mind's Eye: How Images and Language Teach Us How To See (Hardcover)

Opening the Mind's Eye reveals both how the mind's eye operates and how language can limit its visual range. Robertson suggest simple and immediate methods by which we can strengthen our ability to make images, improving memory, boosting problem-solving capabilities, combating stress, enriching artistic expression, and increasing athletic achievement. Image-based therapies have become increasingly vital elements in the treatment of illness and disease. This book shows why. How well we use our mind's image making capacities affects every aspect of our lives.

6 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Agnostic Looks at Spiritual Matters, September 17, 2003

By 

Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Opening the Mind's Eye: How Images and Language Teach Us How To See (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to learn more about the functions of the right hemisphere of the brain. It was disappointing to have a sermon from a self-proclaimed agnostic advocating that religion be subordinated to "science". Robertson acknowledges throughout the book that there are ways of knowing beyond logic (as processed by the left brain). The science part is informative and helpful. It's his added editorializing that weakens the book. He concludes it with a push for a "new religion" to emerge, some odd mixture of various existing religious. His argument indicates his religion is science, which contradicts what he argues elsewhere in the book, about different forms of knowing. He lumps all religions together, seeing them as essentially being all alike, with Buddhism being his slight favorite. I learned new information on the way the brain works, however I had to tolerate a lot of intolerance to my Christian faith along the way.