The experience of automaticity, operating as a function of the unconscious mind is intrinsically connected to flow states, so it’s important to look at both automaticity and the unconscious mind in detail:
Automaticity and flow:
Automaticity, or the ability to perform a task with little conscious effort or attention, plays a crucial role in facilitating the experience of flow. Automaticity in sport, refers to the ability of athletes to execute skills, actions, movements, and decisions with significantly reduced conscious effort or attention. When a skill becomes automatic, athletes can perform it quickly, efficiently, and accurately, without needing to consciously think about each step of the process (for us, brake, turn, throttle). This automatic execution is the result of extensive practice and repetition, which ingrains the skill into the athlete's ‘procedural memory’. Procedural memory refers to the unconscious memory system responsible for learnt skills and tasks that are performed automatically. As racing drivers we experience automaticity as being on autopilot.
The unconscious mind and flow:
Repeated, deliberate practice over time, transfers the responsibility for delivering skill from the conscious mind to the unconscious mind and the more the skill is repeated the more of it is transferred to the unconscious mind and the more automatic driving becomes. The following points look at the faculties and characteristics of the unconscious mind, how the unconscious mind supports automaticity and ultimately attracts flow:
1. Processing speed and capacity - The unconscious mind processes information up to 25,000 times faster than the limited capacity of the conscious mind. While the conscious mind can only focus on a few pieces of information at a time, the unconscious mind is capable of processing a multitude of sensory inputs, memories, and learned associations simultaneously.
2. Efficiency - The unconscious mind can rapidly retrieve stored information, recognize patterns, and generate intuitive insights with minimal effort. In contrast, conscious thought (for us the ‘trying mind’) is slower and more deliberate, requiring considerable focused attention and cognitive effort. This is why over-driving requires so much mental and physical effort.
3. Parallel Processing - Unlike the serial processing of conscious thought, the unconscious mind engages in parallel processing, allowing it to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. This enables the unconscious mind to perform complex cognitive functions such as language comprehension, emotion regulation, and for us motor control with remarkable efficiency. This is very much like the difference between a classical computer and a quantum computer.
4. Pattern Recognition - With its immense processing speed, the unconscious mind excels at recognizing patterns and making connections that might not be immediately apparent to the slow acting conscious mind. In flow state drivers are able to draw on a vast reservoir of knowledge and past experiences which gives them heightened creativity and problem solving abilities.
5. Intuition - Flow often involves intuitive decision-making, where you rely on gut feelings or instincts rather than explicit reasoning. The unconscious mind plays a key role in generating these intuitive insights, drawing on stored information and past experiences to guide behaviors and actions in the present moment.
6. Emotional Regulation - The unconscious mind also plays a crucial role in regulating emotions during flow states. Uncomfortable emotions such as anxiety or self-doubt are often minimized, while comfortable emotions such as joy, excitement, and a sense of mastery are amplified. This emotional regulation contributes to the overall sense of well-being and satisfaction associated with flow.
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