Phenomenological Descriptions

  Attention from the Inside and from the Outside I notice that there are at least two distinct ways of directing attention to the body: One seems to “ come from inside ,” and the other, “ from outside .” As if attention moved along different axes — one as if it traveled through the body from within, and the other as if it traveled through the body from without, yet both reaching the same point. "From inside" : attention is oriented through an activity in the throat region, moving from its interior and proceeding inward toward the part of the body on which it focuses. This subtle inner posture  seems to be more closely related to emotions (see emotion  and attention ). "From outside": the movement in the throat seems first to ascend toward the eyes — which tense slightly — and, in this way, attention projects outward, then turning back toward the part of the body to which it is directed. In this configuration, perception tends to concentrate more on the surface o...

Memory Memory is the ability to acquire, store, and retrieve information. It can be classified into: Implicit memory , which operates unconsciously and includes procedural skills such as riding a bicycle. Explicit memory , which involves the conscious recall of facts and knowledge ( semantic memory ) and personal experiences lived by the individual, including details about time, place, and emotional context, such as remembering a significant trip ( episodic memory ). Additionally, memory is categorized based on its duration:  Sensory memory , which briefly retains sensory stimuli; short-term memory , which holds a limited amount of information for a short period; and long-term memory , which stores information for extended periods.  Working memory is a specific type of short-term memory responsible not only for temporarily storing information but also for actively manipulating it to perform complex cognitive tasks, such as problem-solving and decision-making. Whenever a memor...

Visual, Kinesthetic, and Tactile Imaginations Visual imagination is the ability to create mental images or visual representations of objects, scenes, or events that are not present at the moment.  It is a cognitive process in which the mind recreates, modifies, or visualizes something based on memories, past experiences, or even fictional elements.  Unlike visual perception, which involves capturing images from the external world through the senses, visual imagination does not rely on the presence of real visual stimuli. Kinesthetic imagination is the ability to mentally create representations of movements without those movements actually occurring.  This form of imagination involves recreating motor experiences, such as the sensation of walking, running, picking up an object, or performing a specific movement.  Just as visual imagination works with images, kinesthetic imagination works with the sensation of movement, using memories or past experiences. Tactile ima...

Exploring the Experience of Inner Speech Verbal thoughts are those that occur in the form of words, as if we were mentally speaking.  They can manifest as complete sentences, sentence fragments, isolated words, or even internal dialogues, often being associated with self-reflection, planning, decision-making, and emotional regulation. In phenomenological experience, these thoughts can present different characteristics. In some cases, they are clear and articulated, while in others, they appear in a more diffuse manner.  They may arise spontaneously or be generated deliberately, also varying in terms of the perception of their spatial location: some people experience them as if they were "inside the head," while others perceive them in different parts of the body or without a defined location.  Additionally, they can have different tones and vocal qualities, sounding like the thinker’s own voice, the voice of someone else, or even without a specific auditory quality. Do yo...

Familiarity is the sensation or experience of recognizing something as already known or previously experienced, without necessarily being able to identify specific details or consciously recall the original moment or context.  This feeling can occur in various situations, such as when encountering a place, a person, or an object, and can be described as the impression that something is " familiar " or " common ," even if one does not know exactly why. Which is the correct logo? If you were unsure about which logo was the original and something made you choose one over the other, can you identify what influenced that decision?  Was there a ' somatic marker '—bodily signals that guide choices (Damásio, 1994)—that played a role in it? If so, what might it be? Try looking at both images again and observe what happens in yourself, noticing what makes you perceive one of them as more likely to be the correct one. Before moving on to my phenomenological description...

Optical Illusion What do you see in this image?  Can you see the two animals present in it?  How does your perception shift from one to the other?  What would you do if you wanted to make this perceptual switch voluntarily? Before moving on to my phenomenological description of this perceptual experience, try to discover for yourself how you make this alternation happen. 〰 Description When I focus directly on the drawing of the eye and my peripheral vision—which seems to be related to throat movement, as explored in the post on attention, in the section on exteroceptive attention ( see here )—shifts to the left, I perceive the duck.  If the movement in the throat region shifts to the right, I perceive the rabbit.  This alternation can also occur solely through the orientation of eye movements: when I shift my gaze from the drawing of the eye to the right side of the image, I perceive the rabbit; when I move my gaze to the left, I perceive the duck.  Simila...

Investigating the Attention Process What is Attention? Attention is a process that involves the selection of stimuli in the environment, parts of one's own body, or contents of experience, which are then highlighted and emphasized, influencing how we perceive and interact with the world. Attention can be sustained/concentrated or divided/alternated between multiple tasks, and it can also be voluntary (when I decide to direct it toward an object) – a top-down process – or involuntary (when an object attracts it) – a bottom-up process.  Phenomenologically, it intensifies the clarity of certain aspects of experience, making them more accessible to reflection. Research Method To investigate the experience of paying attention , I employed the methodology of microphenomenological self-interview ( see here ), aiming to understand the process involved in directing attention to different parts of my own body, seeking to identify the pre-reflective micro-gestures underlying this process. T...