Hi guys and welcome to blog post number four.
Firstly, let me apologise for the fact this post is a day later than normal, its been a very busy couple of days, mainly for good reasons which may be mentioned in a future post.
So, this post will be based on eye movements and how eye movement cues can be interpreted to help the therapist to understand how and what their client is thinking.
Its easier to explain this process with a picture than it is in words, but I will start off by explaining what different eye movements could mean and will also include an image underneath for clarity (just in case my attempt at describing them sucks so much you can't understand it!)
It should be kept in mind that this is a good theory and in a lot of cases can be used as a big aid in understanding a client’s thought process, however it is not a 100 percent fool proof and some individuals will show a different pattern of movement when accessing different parts of their brain, it is also true that in some cases the pattern shown here can be reversed for some individuals. Also keep in mind that these description our taken from our point of view, so when I say left it is the left from the therapists point of view but will actually be right from the clients point of view. ( hope that makes sense, if not the picture will make it clearer.)
anyway that's enough waffle, on with the main content...............
So, it is commonly believed that if a client looks up and to the left they are accessing the visual construct part of their brain, this is to say they are constructing a visual image or imagining something.
If a client looks up and to the right, they are accessing their visual memory and recalling an image from the past.
If a client looks directly to the left, they are accessing their auditory construct, this is to say they are imagining what someone or something may sound like.
If a client looks directly to the right, they are accessing their auditory memory and remembering a sound from the past.
If a client looks down and to the left, they are accessing there feeling this could mean that they are possibly recalling an emotion or imagining how something would feel.
If a client looks down and to the right, they are accessing their internal dialog and listening to what their inner voice is telling them.
If a client looks straight ahead they are more often than not processing what they are seeing in that moment (However remember they could also being looking at a nice painting behind you or wondering why you’re paying so much attention to how their eyes are moving).
Below you can see a diagram of this which should help explain it further.
Well guys I hope you enjoyed this brief description of eye movement and how this can aid in understanding of how and what a client is thinking and feeling. A big thank you too Chris Cummings for suggesting this as a topic to blog about. As always, any comments or suggestions just let me know and I will try and include them in future posts. Thanks for reading and until next time, go well.
Tom.