[Mind's Eye] Re: how does our sub-conscious works?

Very interesting, Tony. Thanks :)

On Jul 14, 11:38 pm, Tony Orlow <t...@lightlink.com> wrote:
> Hi Rigsy and All -
>
> I'm sorry, but I have studied the structure of mind for decades, and
> to really understand it is a bit technical. Let me start by saying
> this: the question is not about the subconscious so much as about
> consciousness. What is consciousness? It is akin to what is visible on
> your screen right now, as opposed to all the stuff stored on your hard
> disk, or all the background processes running on your computer of
> which you are unaware. Consciousness is simply the set of thoughts
> currently bubbled to the top of your mind. We can only pay attention
> to so much at any given time, so thoughts compete for our
> consciousness. For instance, the average person can retain seven
> "chunks" of verbal information at a time. If you add an eighth, the
> least powerful is replaced. This is why telephone numbers have a dash
> in them - it breaks them into two chunks, a hopefully familiar
> exchange number, and a four digit extension that hopefully will have
> some pattern that makes it into fewer than four extra chunks, and why
> 800 numbers so often try to turn their numbers into a word or two to
> make them more memorable. In general, for different types of thought,
> we have a limited number of pigeonholes to use at any given time.
>
> Thoughts are stimulated all the time, and when they come from outside
> they are conscious, or they aren't thoughts. Every time an idea enters
> consciousness, associated ideas in memory are stimulated. If their
> level of stimulation exceeds that of something already in
> consciousness, that conscious idea is replaced by the newly stimulated
> one. When there is a lot of input, the mind becomes more selective by
> upping it's threshold level so ideas have to compete more. When you go
> to sleep without a lot of stimulation, your threshold gradually
> decreases until thoughts that haven't been able to achieve
> consciousness finally do, and in turn stimulate other thoughts. This
> is the mechanism for dreams. We are essentially doing garbage
> collection, filing away the thoughts of the day and clearing our
> mental palette for another day's input. That is why people kept up for
> days may function fine doing tasks that require no memory, but will
> forget anything new almost immediately.
>
> This kind of association of thoughts is unconscious. It happens behind
> the scenes. What we are conscious of are only the thoughts that are
> most stimulated. As an example of association, say I say "red, fruit,
> tree". What do you think of? The three ideas are each related to many
> other ideas, but together they usually result in one: apple. So, if
> you talk about red things, and about fruit, and about trees, but not
> at the same time, the idea of "apple" will probably be stimulated, but
> not enough to compete for consciousness, at least until you are less
> stimulated and dreaming.
>
> These associations are the stuff of creativity and imagination, of
> innovations and internal discoveries, and often bizarre and seemingly
> nonsensical dreams where things seem to be connected in ways not
> common in reality.
>
> Okay I've blabbed enough now. Sweet dreams,
>
> Tony
>
> On Jul 14, 7:46 am, rigsy03 <rigs...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Yes- that is too technical for me. :-) I see the sc as the hidden
> > currents of a river- at least this morning that's my view. Where do
> > you think imagination and creativity spring from? Or unexplainable
> > moods? Or the irrational? Don't be too technical, please.
>
> > On Jul 14, 3:36 am, paradox <eadohe...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Interesting psychoanalytic approach; i'm sort of a little closer to
> > > the "technical" school; seems to me that dreams and phantasies are
> > > pretty much the same "stuff" as conscious thought, but without the
> > > coherence, constraints, and "echolocation" of input, cognition,  and
> > > the autobiographical self; in that sense, we think (neural mapping)
> > > pretty much 24/7, conscious, subconscious, or otherwise; it's just so
> > > much more elegant when we're conscious, or daydreaming, curiously :).
>
> > > Re the "great conductor"; in this great cauldron of distributed
> > > mapping, something has to "direct" and prioritise attention; that's
> > > the job of dispositional affect (value), or emotion, through amygdala,
> > > hippocampus, and associated wide area networks. Antonio Damasio has
> > > produced some very interesting, very readable and easily accessible
> > > works in this area.
>
> > > On Jul 13, 1:51 pm, rigsy03 <rigs...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > The "great conductor" to where? The sc may color our thoughts and
> > > > actions but I have a problem giving it a thought process similar to
> > > > the ego or super-ego. The fact that we cannot control our sc makes us
> > > > want to control it- it can be dangerous or embarassing or distracting,
> > > > for instance. I do think it adds a dramatic complexity to our thoughts
> > > > and actions- esp. those "Freudian slips"! :-) Another possibilty is
> > > > that the sc is a warehouse for our unresolved selves that pitch and
> > > > twist in our minds during dreams or daydreams and sometimes influence
> > > > solutions by interrupting logic, problem solving, comprehension or
> > > > relationships. It may also serve the purpose of keeping us honest-
> > > > somehow the mind has to find a balance- "acting as if" only goes so
> > > > far.
>
> > > > On Jul 13, 5:13 am, paradox <eadohe...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > > Hi Mando, dont forget that our thoughts are also "merely things", and
> > > > > our sub-conscious also "thinks"; "emotion" is the great conductor.
>
> > > > > On Jul 12, 2:18 pm, Mando <richsu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > > > how are we easily swayed from our thought by merely things? is that
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