Anon La Ply
Diamond Member
*** D&M WARNING*** No responsibility will be taken for exploded brains (although dry cleaning bills may be considered)
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As we all know, at least at some level, our practice is basically the conscious mind training the unconscious mind and body to play. Hal Galper basically says as much here and elsewhere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_7DgCrziI8
Often we've talked about getting our heads out of the way when playing so we can express freely and flow with the music. That's what Zen practice is all about, along with other mental practices around.
Drumdevil9 recommended a Sam Harris video in the destiny/free will thread and while Googling some ideas SH talks about I came across this:
The notion of "being in the moment" when we play is about relaxing the conscious mind to allow the unconscious mind make its observations at 40 million bits per second, as opposed to the conscious mind's 40 bits per second.
I've only recently started exploring what goes on here. If you want to muck in with observations, bring it on!
--------------
As we all know, at least at some level, our practice is basically the conscious mind training the unconscious mind and body to play. Hal Galper basically says as much here and elsewhere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_7DgCrziI8
Often we've talked about getting our heads out of the way when playing so we can express freely and flow with the music. That's what Zen practice is all about, along with other mental practices around.
Drumdevil9 recommended a Sam Harris video in the destiny/free will thread and while Googling some ideas SH talks about I came across this:
Dr Lipton explains that there are two separate minds that create what he calls the body’s controlling voice. There is a conscious mind that can think freely and create new ideas ‘out of the box’. Then there is the subconscious mind, which is basically a super computer loaded with a database of programmed behaviors, most of which we acquired before we reached the age of six.
The subconscious mind cannot move outside its fixed programs – it automatically reacts to situations with its previously stored behavior responses. AND (here’s the rub), it works without the knowledge or control of the conscious mind. This is why we are generally unaware of our behavior, in fact most of the time we are not even aware that we are acting unconsciously.
Studies from as far back as the seventies show that our brains begin to prepare for action just over a third of a second before we consciously decide to act. In other words, even when we ‘think’ we are conscious, it is our unconscious mind which is actually making our decisions for us.
And it seems the unconscious mind is running us on its automatic pilot mode, 95% of the time!
Neuroscientists have shown that the conscious mind provides 5% or less of our cognitive (conscious) activity during the day – and 5% they say is for the more aware people, many people operate at just 1% consciousness. Dr Lipton also says that the unconscious mind operates at 40 million bits of data per second, whereas the conscious mind processes at only 40 bits per second. So the unconscious mind is MUCH more powerful than the conscious mind, and it is the unconscious mind which shapes how we live our life.
The scientists show that most of our decisions, actions, emotions and behavior depend on the 95% of brain activity that is beyond our conscious awareness, which means that 95 – 99% of our life comes from the programming in our subconscious mind.
http://www.lifetrainings.com/Your-unconscious-mind-is-running-you-life.html (I felt the article writer jumped to some unsubstantiated conclusions at times but it's a fascinating article).The subconscious mind cannot move outside its fixed programs – it automatically reacts to situations with its previously stored behavior responses. AND (here’s the rub), it works without the knowledge or control of the conscious mind. This is why we are generally unaware of our behavior, in fact most of the time we are not even aware that we are acting unconsciously.
Studies from as far back as the seventies show that our brains begin to prepare for action just over a third of a second before we consciously decide to act. In other words, even when we ‘think’ we are conscious, it is our unconscious mind which is actually making our decisions for us.
And it seems the unconscious mind is running us on its automatic pilot mode, 95% of the time!
Neuroscientists have shown that the conscious mind provides 5% or less of our cognitive (conscious) activity during the day – and 5% they say is for the more aware people, many people operate at just 1% consciousness. Dr Lipton also says that the unconscious mind operates at 40 million bits of data per second, whereas the conscious mind processes at only 40 bits per second. So the unconscious mind is MUCH more powerful than the conscious mind, and it is the unconscious mind which shapes how we live our life.
The scientists show that most of our decisions, actions, emotions and behavior depend on the 95% of brain activity that is beyond our conscious awareness, which means that 95 – 99% of our life comes from the programming in our subconscious mind.
The notion of "being in the moment" when we play is about relaxing the conscious mind to allow the unconscious mind make its observations at 40 million bits per second, as opposed to the conscious mind's 40 bits per second.
I've only recently started exploring what goes on here. If you want to muck in with observations, bring it on!