Mental (after) images

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Whenever I spend an hour or more on visual/spatial activities, I will “see” similar images either in my surroundings or when falling asleep.

Before you think that is really crazy, let me explain. As an example, I have a jig saw puzzle generator on my computer. Since I enjoy doing jig saw puzzles, I might spend up to two hours doing them. Then at night when I’m falling asleep, I have visual images of fitting pieces together…even weirder, I may “see” puzzle shapes in linoleum patterns or plaster irregularities. Another example: if I bowl or play billiards, I have effects that are similar.

Does anyone else experience this, or am I just a bit odd? BYW, I’ve done this all my long life, and don’t seem to have a lot of other weirdnesses. I do know that I am pretty visually oriented…example - I solved geometry problems by closing my eyes and moving matchstick figures around, and when traveling, the route scrolls in my head visually.

So…How about you? Do you do anything similar, and do you have an explanation of what is going on?

Thanks!

2

No explanation, just an anecdote. If I play a lot of Tetris or World of Goo late at night, I tend to see those things as I fall asleep. Sometimes I can even manipulate the pieces that I’m seeing and end up “playing” pretty well as I fall asleep.

Can’t say I see that same imagery in the environment when I’m awake, though. I do tend to see faces in things like linoleum and wood a lot more often than most people, but there’s no relation to what I’m doing at the time. Pareidolia, I tell you.

3

I get it from weeding. If I weed, I have acid trip-like weed flashes all night long.

Not that sort of weed.

4

I’ve been playing a lot of Simon Tatham’s Net recently, and so yeah I’ve been running through patterns that do or don’t resolve themselves as I’m trying to fall asleep. :frowning: