States of mind - "the zone"

[Bernard]

Stacy used to tell me when I first met her that she would not have seizures when she was in focused concentration on a task, like being "in the zone" when riding a bike as fast as she could.

So I got to wondering what research might have been done on "the zone" and whether there is any application for same to epilepsy. I found some interesting information, but nothing related to epilepsy. Are you aware of any pertinent info?

Explanations of the zone or flow state can be gleaned from two psychological theories, flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1990) and reversal theory (Apter, 1982, 1989). In brief, flow theory denotes the zone as a rare and dynamic state characterised as the experience of self-rewarding and enjoyable involvement. Flow theory states that while the zone can be experienced at varying levels, a phenomenological structure of eight dimensions describes the experience for individuals across occupations, demographic groups and cultures. These dimensions are listed by Csikszentmihalyi (1990) as: (a) clear goals and feedback; (b) balance between challenges and skills; (c) action and awareness merged; (d) concentration on task; (e) sense of potential control; (f) loss of self-consciousness; (g) altered sense of time; and, (h) autotelic (self-rewarding) experience. These dimensions are deemed to constitute the conditions necessary for the occurrence and continuation of the zone.
Reversal theory posits an explanation of the zone in terms of metamotivational states (modes or mental states in which an individual's motives are structured, interpreted and organised within experience) and reversals (switches between modes). Specifically, individuals are thought to experience the zone as an optimal relaxing telic (from the Greek word "telos" meaning goal or end) or exciting paratelic ("para" being the Greek word for beside or alongside) metamotivational state. A range of personal and situational factors is conceptualised to influence telic or paratelic zone states.

The Zone: Evidence of a Universal Phenomenon for Athletes Across Sports

Hanin's theory is slightly different as it states that each athlete has an optimal zone of anxiety at which they perform at their peak. If an athlete's anxiety leaves this zone, performance levels will invariably decrease. Prof. Hanin, who leads the Finland Research Institute for Olympic Sports, has published a great deal of empirical evidence in support of his theory. My opinion is that Hanin's theory is useful in terms of establishing the right level of mental and bodily anxiety for peak performance to occur, while Czikszentmihalyi's theory is useful in identifying key psychological components of flow. Once a phenomenon can be identified, it is easier to manipulate. In psychology, we refer to such manipulations as interventions and here are ten examples of interventions that you should find useful. ...

Entering "The Zone": A Guide for Coaches

[lindy]

That makes sense to me. In order to reach "the zone", you have to be going with the flow and stressing out, fighting against it. I have never had a seizure on a horse no matter what was going on or how spooky the horse was. In order to perform at the peak, you have to be totally relaxed!

[Bernard]

Whoever figures out how to maintain "the zone" at will will be a millionaire.

[Bernard]

Somewhat related although it is hard to tell from the article if she was running ultramarathons prior to her lobotomy:

"Running 100-mile races, while physically demanding, is so relaxing mentally for me," she said, looking spry after an early morning 20-mile "training run" in the wooded hills of the Rampart Range outside her Sedalia ranchette. "All I have to think about is, 'Eat, drink and don't fall.'

"Plus, having gone through brain surgery, it kind of puts the pain on a trail in perspective."

Dr. Don Gerber, a clinical psychologist at Craig Hospital who has worked with Van Deren for years, said she is deflecting well-deserved credit.

"She has found a way to work with her disability and minimize any disruptive effect so she can hit her peak performance and get into the zone," Gerber said. "It is not without tremendous effort, though. Most people could not do what she does with that kind of injury. She is a great inspiring athlete. She is an inspiring person."

SPORTS: 100-mile trip to recovery from epilepsy

[Bernard]

Have scientists discovered "the zone" for problem solving / mental exercise?

If you've experienced the highs and lows of creative thinking, you know that sometimes the creative well is dry, while at other times creativity is free flowing. It is during the latter times that people often experience so-called "Aha!" moments -- those moments of clarity when the solution to a vexing problem falls into place with a sudden insight and you see connections that previously eluded you.

But why do "Aha!" moments sometimes come easily and sometimes not at all? A new study reveals that patterns of brain activity before people even see a problem predict whether they will solve it with or without such an insight, and these brain activity patterns are likely linked to distinct types of mental preparation.

John Kounios of Drexel University, Mark Jung-Beeman of Northwestern University, and their research team report their findings in a new paper to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Previous research by this team demonstrated that the brain functions differently when a person arrives at "Aha!" solutions, compared to methodical solutions. The current study reveals that the distinct patterns of brain activity leading to "Aha!" moments of insight begin much earlier than the time a problem is solved. The research suggests that people can mentally prepare to have an "Aha!" solution even before a problem is presented. Specifically, as people prepare for problems that they solve with insight, their pattern of brain activity suggests that they are focusing attention inwardly, are ready to switch to new trains of thought, and perhaps are actively silencing irrelevant thoughts. These findings are important because they show that people can mentally prepare to solve problems with different thinking styles and that these different forms of preparation can be identified with specific patterns of brain activity. This study may eventually lead to an understanding of how to put people in the optimal "frame of mind" to deal with particular types of problems.

This research team's previous study revealed that just prior to an "Aha!" solution, after a person has been working on solving a problem, the brain momentarily reduces visual inputs, with an effect similar to a person shutting his or her eyes or looking away to facilitate the emergence into consciousness of the solution. The new study extends these findings by suggesting that mental preparation involving inward focus of attention promotes insight even prior to the presentation of a problem. Therefore, it may be that how a person is thinking before problem solving begins is just as important as the kind of thinking involved in reaching the solution, and perhaps even determines whether the solution will be derived with a sudden insight.

Participants in the new study were presented with a series of word puzzles. Each problem consisted of three words (for example, tank, hill, secret), and participants had to think of a single word that could form a compound or common phrase with each of the three words.

People sometimes solve such problems with a sudden flash of insight -- the solution suddenly pops into their heads and seems obviously correct -- and other times solve such problems more methodically, perhaps "trying out" possible solutions until they hit on the correct one (in this case, top: tank top, hilltop, top secret).

In two parallel experiments, participants solved these problems while brain activity was monitored either with electroencephalograms (EEG), which provide precise timing information and approximate anatomical information, or with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which gives a more precise location of active brain areas, but with less precise timing. The researchers focused on neural activity that occurred during the period just before each problem was displayed.

The two brain imaging techniques yielded highly similar results and showed a different pattern of brain activity prior to problems that they subsequently solved with an "Aha!", compared to the pattern of brain activity prior to problems they solved more methodically.

According to David E. Meyer, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the research, "It's remarkable how similar the results were across the two experiments, using different methods, and these results nicely demonstrate that different types of mental preparation are conducive to different types of problem solving."

Mental preparation that led to insight solutions was generally characterized by increased brain activity in temporal lobe areas associated with conceptual processing, and with frontal lobe areas associated with cognitive control or "top-down" processing. Jung-Beeman noted that "Problem solvers could use cognitive control to switch their train of thought when stuck on a problem, or possibly to suppress irrelevant thoughts, such as those related to the previous problem." In contrast, preparation that led to more methodical solutions involved increased neural activity in the visual cortex at the back of the brain -- suggesting that preparation for deliberate problem solving simply involved external focus of attention on the video monitor on which the problem would be displayed.

More than a century ago, the great scientist Louis Pasteur said "Chance favors only the prepared mind." By this, he meant that sudden flashes of insight don't just happen, but are the product of preparation. According to Kounios, "We have begun to understand how the brain prepares for creative insight. This will hopefully lead to techniques for facilitating it."

'Aha!' Favors the Prepared Mind

[RobinN]

There is some really great information here Bernard.
I was interested in the suggestions for athletes. I feel many of those suggestions would work for people that have difficulty in stressful situations.

[alivenwell]

It always amazes me when I see this information. I'm hardly very athletic, but I do love to walk my dog. That really clears stress away and allows me to focus on issues at work.

I always wondered if other areas of the brain that were not damaged actually function like the temporal lobe as described here.