Perception and Language

Perception is not just a passive process, it is a creative act that is shaping and creating our own reality! Let's dive into the neurological obstacles and possibilities of something we take for granted every day!

Guided Perception

You need another person to do this exercise. Ask a friend to join you on a mysterious exploration into the wondrous, psychedelic world of your own perception!

1. Find a place in nature for this exercise, it can also be a park or a garden.
2. Decide who of you is the guide and who is the follower in the first round.
3. Guide: Invite the follower onto a journey of your perception for 15-30 minutes. Describe everything you are noticing through your five senses, describe the qualities of what you are perceiving in utmost detail with your own words, and invite the follower to experience the same. Use colorful images to describe your sensations and name what is catching your attention next. Be very detailed with your comments and describe everything that you feel and perceive. Use all five senses and describe what you see, hear, feel, smell and taste. Let your genuine curiosity lead.
   Example: "I'm feeling the soft wet moss under my feet, I'm weighing my feet slowly back and forth, I can feel the cold water drops touching my skin, now I notice my attention being caught by that tree over there, I walk over to the tree, I have an impulse to touch the bark, the bark feels crumbly and rough, yet soft and flexible, it reminds of dry skin. I'm drawn to look closer into the cracks and notice some ants using the crack like a street..."
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   Follower: Surrender your perception to the guide! Pay attention to every detail they are describing and try to experience the same. Do whatever they do and listen closely to their words. Touch what they touch, listen to what they hear, look at what they are looking at.
   For example if they touch a tree and describe the texture of the bark, touch the tree too and listen closely to the quality of sensation they are describing and try feeling that too. Do not speak at all while you are the follower and try to only pay attention to what the guide is describing. Don't follow your own curiosity, just surrender to the guidance.
4. After the time is over, take three deep breaths together and take a minute of silence with closed eyes.
5. Now switch roles and repeat the exercise!
6. After both have guided and followed, take few minutes to share about the experience! How was guiding for you? How was following for you? What was hard, what was surprising, how was your perception impacted by both roles?
7. Thank each other for the curiosity! The longer you take for each round the more noticeable the impact on your quality of perception will be! Take minimum 15 minutes per round, 25 will be even better!

Enjoy!