These optional practices can be done any time of the day when you are feeling relaxed. They combine well with your dual n-back training, helping expand your divergent thinking capacity.
Semantic Streaming – Forward Flow
Objective: To enhance associative thinking and semantic exploration through spontaneous verbalisation of word associations.
Duration: 10 Minutes
Materials Needed: Timer, a quiet and comfortable space, journal (optional).
Recording (Optional): If possible, record the session. This allows you to reflect on your imagery journey later, observing patterns, unique associations, or potentially creative ideas that emerged, as well as assessing quantity and improvement in the process.
Frequency: Daily practice can enhance your associative thinking and semantic exploration capabilities over time.
Instructions
- Find a Comfortable Space: Sit or recline in a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Ensure you’re relaxed, with minimal distractions.
- Set a Timer: Set a timer for 10 minutes. This is your cue to start and will let you know when the exercise is complete.
- Start With a Seed Word: Begin with a single seed word. This could be any word you choose or generate randomly. Seed words should be neutral to avoid leading your associations in a specific emotional direction. Example seed words: “Wave”, “Light”, “Journey”.
- Begin Semantic Streaming: Close your eyes (optional, but may help with concentration) and say aloud the first word that comes to mind associated with the seed word. Then, without pause, continue to say aloud the first word that comes to mind associated with the previous word.
- Example chain: “Wave” might lead to “Ocean” → “Boat” → “Journey” → “Map” → “Discovery” → “Stars”…
- Cues for Diversification: Every 2 minutes (or at any interval that feels natural during the flow), intentionally steer your next word association into a different major semantic category than the one currently being explored. The following categories are a guide:
- Physical Objects (e.g., chair, apple)
- Actions (e.g., running, building)
- Emotions (e.g., happiness, anger)
- Nature (e.g., river, mountain)
- Concepts/Ideas (e.g., freedom, innovation)
- People/Characters (e.g., artist, hero)
- Rapid-Flow Verbalisation: Keep the flow of words continuous, focusing on the spontaneous emergence of associations. Aim for a rapid flow, not giving yourself too much time to think or judge the connections.
- Attention to Semantic Detail: As you explore various associations, pay attention to the nature of the connections between words. Are they based on meaning, sound, emotional content, or personal memories? This reflective observation can be done after the session.
- Wind Down: When the timer ends, take a few deep breaths, and open your eyes if they were closed.
- Reflect: Spend a few moments reflecting on the experience. What was it like to let your mind wander freely through words? Did any particular themes or unexpected connections emerge? If you recorded the session, you might listen back to reflect on the semantic paths you explored. Over time, are you finding your ‘forward flow’ ability is getting better?
- Journal (optional): Write down any insights, interesting chains of associations, or creative ideas that emerged during the exercise (optional). This can be a valuable resource for creative projects or further reflection.
Visual Streaming
Objective: To enhance creative visualisation and the spontaneous generation of mental images, fostering a rich visual imagination.
Duration: 10 Minutes
Materials Needed: Comfortable seating, a quiet and distraction-free environment, timer, journal or sketchpad (optional for post-exercise reflection or capturing imagery).
Recording (Optional): If possible, record the session. This allows you to reflect on your imagery journey later, observing patterns, unique associations, or potentially creative ideas that emerged, as well as assessing quantity and improvement in the process.
Instructions
Prepare Your Space: Choose a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be interrupted. Ensure you are seated or reclined comfortably.
- Set a Timer: Set your timer for 10-15 minutes to define the duration of your visual streaming session.
- Relax and Close Your Eyes: Take a few deep breaths to relax. Close your eyes to minimise external visual distractions and turn your focus inward.
- Visualise the Seed Image: Start with a simple ‘seed image’. This could be anything—a red apple, a moonlit sky, a quiet lake. Visualise this image as vividly as possible in your mind’s eye.
- Begin Visual Streaming: Allow your mind to spontaneously transition from the initial seed image to whatever image comes next. Let your visualisations flow freely, without judgment or effort to control the direction. For instance, the apple might transform into a forest, leading you to a cabin, then to a mountainscape, and so forth.
- Cue for Diversification (Every 2 Minutes): To ensure a rich variety of imagery, introduce new, unrelated images every few minutes or whenever the exercise seems to stall. Use categories such as nature, urban environments, abstract shapes, or personal memories to shift your focus. This will help you explore a broader range of visual spaces.
- Attention to Sensory Details: As you visualise, explore the sensory details of each scene or image—textures, colors, lights, shadows, and how it feels to be present in that moment. The more vivid the details, the more immersive the experience.
- Wind Down: When the timer goes off, allow your visual stream to come to a gentle stop. Take a moment to linger in your last visualisation, then slowly open your eyes and adjust back to your surroundings.
- Reflect: Reflect on the experience and the journey your visual imagination took you on. Consider how the exercise affected your mood, creativity, or outlook. As training progresses do you notice increased fluidity, vividness, or ease of transitioning between different visual themes.
- Journal: If you wish, jot down or sketch any particularly vivid images, transitions, or sequences in your journal or sketchpad.
