Mind/body in autopilot

[timewerx]

Sometimes I find it a little disturbing. My conscious mind wants to walk straight but it would weave around "obstacles" I'm not even aware of.

For example, walking in a dimly lit street at night, I was walking straight and intend to so but my body would suddenly turn to the left and right and I'm not in control! :o

Eventually, I am able to resume control, stop and look back and look carefully at the ground to see debris that is faintly visible due to the poor lighting and could have tripped me if I went straight!

It's not just obstacles we're talking about. I was walking in a crowded market, I was walking straight but browsing items to the right when suddenly, I stopped walking out of my control and there was no obstacle ahead. And then looking carefully, I realize there are two people in front of me that are about to exchange items! I did not see them and my mind is preoccupied with browsing merchandise.

It also happens in other activities, other than walking. The irony, is that if I try to take full, 100% conscious control all the time, that's when I start making mistakes.

I am indeed a clumsy person for all my life until this "autopilot" thing in my mind starts taking command in some situations and now I'm no longer clumsy if I allow it to do it's job! :o

It seems like a very good thing for me apparently....I'm just a little worried if it could be the result of an underlying trauma. But the irony is that it's actually really helpful for me as it virtually cured my clumsiness.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I used to experience things like that to an extent, usually there'd be a beating in my ear drum that sounded like a heart.

 

[devin553344]

Matthew 6:26 Says God's in control of us. You just became aware of it.

 

[devin553344]

I used to experience things like that to an extent, usually there'd be a beating in my ear drum that sounded like a heart.

I still hear my heart. It tells me I'm still alive.

 

[Occams Barber]

Sometimes I find it a little disturbing. My conscious mind wants to walk straight but it would weave around "obstacles" I'm not even aware of.

For example, walking in a dimly lit street at night, I was walking straight and intend to so but my body would suddenly turn to the left and right and I'm not in control!

Eventually, I am able to resume control, stop and look back and look carefully at the ground to see debris that is faintly visible due to the poor lighting and could have tripped me if I went straight!

It's not just obstacles we're talking about. I was walking in a crowded market, I was walking straight but browsing items to the right when suddenly, I stopped walking out of my control and there was no obstacle ahead. And then looking carefully, I realize there are two people in front of me that are about to exchange items! I did not see them and my mind is preoccupied with browsing merchandise.

It also happens in other activities, other than walking. The irony, is that if I try to take full, 100% conscious control all the time, that's when I start making mistakes.

I am indeed a clumsy person for all my life until this "autopilot" thing in my mind starts taking command in some situations and now I'm no longer clumsy if I allow it to do it's job!

It seems like a very good thing for me apparently....I'm just a little worried if it could be the result of an underlying trauma. But the irony is that it's actually really helpful for me as it virtually cured my clumsiness.

It may be that you are experiencing something completely normal and fairly common. It sounds like a variation on the driving on autopilot thing where we can reach the destination but have no clear recollection of the driving process.

This NewScientist article might help to explain it.
Your autopilot mode is real - now we know how the brain does it
OB

 

[timewerx]

I used to experience things like that to an extent, usually there'd be a beating in my ear drum that sounded like a heart.

Interesting. I don't usually hear anything out of the ordinary when it happens.

In extremely rare occassions I would hear a female voice, but it kinda sounds like a robot.

Its activity or level of intervention is increasing as time goes by. I've had it since reaching my teens. It seemed to have coincided with the same time I became a Christian.

In the last couple of years, it has significantly raised in activity. And exponentially gone more active in the last several weeks.

 

[timewerx]

It may be that you are experiencing something completely normal and fairly common. It sounds like a variation on the driving on autopilot thing where we can reach the destination but have no clear recollection of the driving process.

Except, I do recall everything. I even feel it.

It literally feels like walking to an invisible forcefield.

And it does more. It also affects my reflexes. Sometimes, I could literally catch things that fall behind me. It seems to work even against objects that are outside of my field of vision.

It seems tied to defense mechanisms. Might be trauma related but don't remember any severely traumatic event in my life.

 

[zippy2006]

Sometimes I find it a little disturbing. My conscious mind wants to walk straight but it would weave around "obstacles" I'm not even aware of.

For example, walking in a dimly lit street at night, I was walking straight and intend to so but my body would suddenly turn to the left and right and I'm not in control!

Eventually, I am able to resume control, stop and look back and look carefully at the ground to see debris that is faintly visible due to the poor lighting and could have tripped me if I went straight!

It's not just obstacles we're talking about. I was walking in a crowded market, I was walking straight but browsing items to the right when suddenly, I stopped walking out of my control and there was no obstacle ahead. And then looking carefully, I realize there are two people in front of me that are about to exchange items! I did not see them and my mind is preoccupied with browsing merchandise.

It also happens in other activities, other than walking. The irony, is that if I try to take full, 100% conscious control all the time, that's when I start making mistakes.

I am indeed a clumsy person for all my life until this "autopilot" thing in my mind starts taking command in some situations and now I'm no longer clumsy if I allow it to do it's job!

It seems like a very good thing for me apparently....I'm just a little worried if it could be the result of an underlying trauma. But the irony is that it's actually really helpful for me as it virtually cured my clumsiness.

You are tapping into your unconscious mind. Be careful with this, as it becomes particularly problematic if it begins to affect your thoughts. Don't surrender in this way for long periods at a time until you are able to control it better.

 

[timewerx]

You are tapping into your unconscious mind.

I don't think I do. I don't know how to do it in the first place.

 

[zippy2006]

I don't think I do. I don't know how to do it in the first place.

In order to limit the phenomenon you can just do activities that require more conscious effort and attention, such as playing a complicated card game. You can also override the unconscious behavior directly, but it takes some effort and it isn't always possible to subdue it completely.

 

[timewerx]

In order to limit the phenomenon you can just do activities that require more conscious effort and attention, such as playing a complicated card game. You can also override the unconscious behavior directly, but it takes some effort and it isn't always possible to subdue it completely.

I work almost 20 hrs a day. That's on the computer. That definitely counts as more conscious activity.

 

[zippy2006]

I work almost 20 hrs a day. That's on the computer. That definitely counts as more conscious activity.

Okay. If you are working 20 hour days on a computer it may be a consequence of tiredness and lack of sleep. Sleep is simply the best known way to integrate the conscious and unconscious mind. If you are running on less than 4 hours of sleep on a continual basis and the unconscious mind is manifesting itself in these ways then I would be especially careful. As interesting as these phenomena are, there are dangers too.