How to train your focus by looking within
Meditation can feel abstract—especially when it’s not clear what you’re supposed to focus on. Your breath? Your body? A mantra?
Attune introduces a new way to meditate called Closed-Eyes Visual Attention Meditation, or CEVAM. It’s simple, intuitive, and—most importantly—measurable.
If you’ve never heard of it before, don’t worry. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
What Is CEVAM?
CEVAM is a meditation method where you focus your attention on your internal visual field—the dark, quiet space behind your closed eyes.
You’re not trying to imagine anything. You’re not visualizing a scene or object. You’re simply observing the subtle colors, textures, and flickers that naturally appear in your closed-eye vision. This gentle focus activates your visual cortex, the part of the brain responsible for seeing. Even without external input, this region can become active when you pay attention to internal visual space.
Why Focus on the Visual Field?
Here’s the science: when your eyes are closed and your attention is drifting, your visual cortex produces higher levels of alpha brainwaves, a sign of disengagement.
But when you focus on your inner visual field, that same brain region becomes more active—and your alpha activity decreases. This makes it the perfect target for EEG-based feedback.
With Attune, your brain’s alpha levels are tracked in real time.
- When your attention slips, alpha rises—and Attune gives you a gentle auditory cue
- When you’re focused, alpha drops—and the feedback quiets down
This helps you learn, moment-by-moment, how to stabilize attention and recognize distraction.
What It Feels Like
CEVAM is a practice of attention, not imagination. The goal isn’t to look for something—it’s simply to stay focused on the visual field itself: the dark, quiet space behind your closed eyes.
You may notice subtle sensations or visual impressions—but these aren’t the point. The real task is to maintain your attention, gently and consistently, on this internal space.
Whatever helps you stay connected—whether it’s the sense of space, the feeling of focus, or simply returning again and again after a distraction—is exactly what you’re training.
The goal isn’t to control the visual field—it’s to stay connected to it, gently and consistently.
How to Get Started with CEVAM in Attune
1 – Put on your EEG headband and open the Attune app
2 – Choose the Focus Protocol
3 – Sit comfortably and close your eyes
4 – Direct your attention to the dark space behind your eyes
5 – Listen for feedback: when sound appears, it means your focus has slipped
6 – Gently return to the visual field whenever you notice distraction
Start with 10-minute sessions, and gradually work up from there. The more you practice, the more natural the focus becomes—and the better you’ll get at noticing the subtle shifts of your own mind.
The Takeaway
CEVAM offers a new kind of meditation—one that’s inward, focused, and deeply effective. It’s meditation you can measure, and attention you can train.
If you’ve struggled with other forms of meditation, or if you’re just curious about what’s really happening in your brain, give CEVAM a try.
