Performing horizontal eye movements can boost your creativity.

[Moonbeam]

Recently as I've been trying to influence subconscious processes to improve my dreaming, I decided to try to write suggestions and incubation ideas for dreams with my (non-dominant) left-hand, thinking somehow this may get the right hemisphere more involved.  (Strangely my hand-writing seems more legible as my right, which didn't used to be the case; I think my regular hand-writing has gotten so bad that having to think about it more with my left hand makes up for that.  It takes a lot longer however.)  This was not based on anything other than thinking about the split-brain experiments, and the fact that language and logic is more centered in the left brain--I was just trying to make sure the right brain was as involved as the left to improve my dreaming.

Anyway, this recently came out:  http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/11/performing-horizontal-eye-movement.html and I thought it might somehow be used for our benefit.  I don't know if improving creativity would help with getting lucid, but I think I'll try this during WILD attempts to see what happens.

After an initial attempt at the creativity task, half the participants spent thirty seconds shifting their eyes horizontally back and forth. This exercise is thought to help increase inter-hemispheric communication. The remaining participants acted as controls and just stared straight ahead for 30 seconds.

The key finding is that on their second creativity attempt, strong-handers who'd performed the horizontal eye movements subsequently showed a significant improvement in their creativity, in terms of being more original (i.e. suggesting ideas not proposed by others) and coming up with more categories of use. Staring straight ahead, by contrast, had no effect on creativity.

[pj]

I wonder if this would help during dry spells in music writing?

[Moonbeam]

Try it!

[mu]

Speaking of music, isn't it a little strange with guitars, how the string are fretted with the non-dominant hand?  (Disregarding picking.)  It seems incredibly awkward doing it with the dominant hand..  I don't know; just a matter of practice?

This sure reminds me of REM..  I don't know why, but it seems to me that this should help with dreaming too.  I told you I've tried throwing frisbee with my left hand for this very reason.  I'm going to try it.

[Moonbeam]

Somewhere I remember reading about how somebody moved their eyes around like they were already in REM while trying to WILD, and they thought that helped.  Maybe that could be why.

[The Cusp]

Recently as I've been trying to influence subconscious processes to improve my dreaming, I decided to try to write suggestions and incubation ideas for dreams with my (non-dominant) left-hand, thinking somehow this may get the right hemisphere more involved. 

If you want to get the right brain more active in your dreams, have you tried sleeping on you left side?  There is a big difference in my dreams depending what side I sleep on.

[pj]

Speaking of music, isn't it a little strange with guitars, how the string are fretted with the non-dominant hand?  (Disregarding picking.)  It seems incredibly awkward doing it with the dominant hand..  I don't know; just a matter of practice?

I've been playing guitar since first grade - about 40 years now.  Between that and touch-typing, I have developed pretty ambidextrously.  I am right-handed, but the only reason I don't write as well with my left is that I don't practice it.  When working checklists and such, I'll often go at it with a pen in each hand.  Machining is similar - I work equally comfortably doing fine control dialing with either hand.

If you want to get the right brain more active in your dreams, have you tried sleeping on you left side?  There is a big difference in my dreams depending what side I sleep on.

My best dreams seem to come when I'm on my left side!  Most of my lucids, too.

[Moonbeam]

If you want to get the right brain more active in your dreams, have you tried sleeping on you left side?  There is a big difference in my dreams depending what side I sleep on.

I thought for a while dreams were better when sleeping on my right side, but now I don't think it matters much which side it is.  

I've been playing guitar since first grade - about 40 years now.  Between that and touch-typing, I have developed pretty ambidextrously.  I am right-handed, but the only reason I don't write as well with my left is that I don't practice it.  When working checklists and such, I'll often go at it with a pen in each hand.  Machining is similar - I work equally comfortably doing fine control dialing with either hand.

I would say I'm strongly right-hand dominant, but I'm not sure, since the writing didn't seem as hard as I thought it used to be when using my left hand.  I was thinking at one time I wouldn't have even been able to do it whatsoever, but now it's just kind of slow and odd looking, but perfectly legible.  Maybe I got less single-sided over time; I guess that sounds like it would be a good thing from the article, except that the eye-movement doesn't help as much in that case.  I can't think of too many other things to test that out on; most things are set up to be used with the right hand, so you don't get a lot of practice.

(pj edited to fix the quote tags)

[Moonbeam]

Thanks, peej.  I usually check to make sure I did it OK.  

Here's another article about handedness and memory:


http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Left-handed-have-better-episodic-memory-0D-0A-706-1/

I guess if we knew if left-handers were better lucid dreamers, we would know if improving communication between the hemispheres helps (because left-handed people have more connections and are less lateralized to start with).  Maybe a poll is in order.  I wonder if we have a big enough sample, or if anyone knows if this has been done before somewhere?  

[Hazel]

Moonbeam, I read on another thread where you were writing part of a poem with your left hand and performing these horizontal eye movements. I thought that was a great idea (I had already read this thread) so I decided to try as well. I've also been teaching myself to become ambidextrous. I tried to do that last summer actually, but now I have more of an incentive to keep at it. (Right now I'm using my mouse left-handed.) How often do you perform the horizontal eye movements? Do you do it throughout the day, or only when trying to WILD?

I don't know if it would directly help with becoming lucid, but if it makes you have more creative dreams then it seems like you would have more of a chance of realizing that it was a dream.

But the question is, if you teach yourself to use your left hand just as well as your right, is it the same as being naturally left handed?

[Moonbeam]

Moonbeam, I read on another thread where you were writing part of a poem with your left hand and performing these horizontal eye movements. I thought that was a great idea (I had already read this thread) so I decided to try as well. I've also been teaching myself to become ambidextrous. I tried to do that last summer actually, but now I have more of an incentive to keep at it. (Right now I'm using my mouse left-handed.)

Oh cool. It gets easier, doesn't it?  I didn't think about the mouse, that's a good one.  I don't even know if I could do that!  That seems a lot harder than writing.  I'll try...

How often do you perform the horizontal eye movements? Do you do it throughout the day, or only when trying to WILD?

Well, when I remember, both during the day and WILDing.  I don't think it's helped me directly WILD yet.  I thought it might simulate REM, plus the creativity thing, but not yet.  And then I was watching a lucidology thing where it was giving tricks to keep your eyes perfectly still while trying to WILD, by moving them around a lot at first, then letting them relax.  So I don't know what your eyes are supposed to be doing during a WILD.

I don't know if it would directly help with becoming lucid, but if it makes you have more creative dreams then it seems like you would have more of a chance of realizing that it was a dream.

Yes I think so too; it can only help.

But the question is, if you teach yourself to use your left hand just as well as your right, is it the same as being naturally left handed?

Well, I don't know.  Like in your brain, you mean?  Are you causing your brain to be a little less lateralized and have the functions spread out more, and help the hemispheres to communicate?  I would think so, if you get better, something must be changing in the brain. But I don't know of it's just a motor skill that isn't really changing more than that, or if you can actually get some more right brain stuff going on.

Hazel I really have no idea what I'm talking about, lol.  But it can't hurt, right?  Let me know if you think it helps at all.

[Hazel]

Oh cool. It gets easier, doesn't it?  I didn't think about the mouse, that's a good one.  I don't even know if I could do that!  That seems a lot harder than writing.  I'll try...

You're right, it does seem to be easier. I've been writing non-important things with my left hand (grocery lists, etc.) along with writing part of a poem before I go to bed. It's not beautiful, but it's legible.

Using a mouse left-handed is not as difficult as you might think. You can go into the control panel and change the mouse to lefty mode, which is perfect. (It switches the functions of the left and right mouse buttons.)

Well, I don't know.  Like in your brain, you mean?  Are you causing your brain to be a little less lateralized and have the functions spread out more, and help the hemispheres to communicate?  I would think so, if you get better, something must be changing in the brain. But I don't know of it's just a motor skill that isn't really changing more than that, or if you can actually get some more right brain stuff going on.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. I wasn't sure if anything was changing in the brain, or if your hand was just learning to be more dextrous. I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we? 

[Moonbeam]

I didn't know you could switch the mouse like that; that's the part that seemed like it would be hard, using it backwards. 

[Alex Lou]

Using a mouse left-handed is not as difficult as you might think. You can go into the control panel and change the mouse to lefty mode, which is perfect. (It switches the functions of the left and right mouse buttons.)

Hmm, I like the idea of switching the mouse.  Trying it right now.  But I'm not sure what the point in switching the buttons would be.  There's nothing that makes the pointer finger inherently better at clicking things.  I have a friend who's sinister and a gamer.  And he thinks it's silly whenever anyone suggests a lefty controller.  It's just a matter of the way you learn with that hand.

[Moonbeam]

Oh good I doubt I could figure out how to switch it anyway.