Soup
Well-Known Member
It's not quite the same as what happens when NTs daydream. When they daydream, they typically stop doing whatever it was they were engaged in at the time. Also, when they awaken from the daydream, they usually can say that they had been daydreaming & recall what they were thinking about during the daydream. The mind can get distracted when doing a repetitive or familiar task but the person will respond if someone addresses them. The Aspie zone out is more comparable to the meditative trance carefully practised by Buddhist monks & Hindu gurus.
It can also be similar to the side effects of some strong sleeping pills. A person takes the pill & hops into bed. A short while later, they wake up in their pjs at a bowling alley in Poughkeepise & they have no idea how they got there, why they're there or even where THERE actually IS!
These states involve a deeper level of unconsciousness but one that often leaves the body able to conduct complex tasks requiring both gross & fine motor skills, spatial awareness, coordination & memory ALL without the conscious mind's (the personality) awareness or contribution.
@Dovi: Despite being zoned out, I'd bet you drove quite well: stopping at red lights, turning when appropriate, stopping at stop signs etc. You weren't driving on the wrong side of the road with 2 wheels on the side walk, sending pedestrians leaping for cover. Regular NTs daydream & they do get distracted or lost in thought but the zone out is a much more extreme & often substantially different event. Fro ex. few NTs can daydream at will. Many Aspies can choose to zone out much like a monk can choose to enter into a meditative trance BUT they had to study & practise for years in order to cultivate this ability.
It can also be similar to the side effects of some strong sleeping pills. A person takes the pill & hops into bed. A short while later, they wake up in their pjs at a bowling alley in Poughkeepise & they have no idea how they got there, why they're there or even where THERE actually IS!
These states involve a deeper level of unconsciousness but one that often leaves the body able to conduct complex tasks requiring both gross & fine motor skills, spatial awareness, coordination & memory ALL without the conscious mind's (the personality) awareness or contribution.
@Dovi: Despite being zoned out, I'd bet you drove quite well: stopping at red lights, turning when appropriate, stopping at stop signs etc. You weren't driving on the wrong side of the road with 2 wheels on the side walk, sending pedestrians leaping for cover. Regular NTs daydream & they do get distracted or lost in thought but the zone out is a much more extreme & often substantially different event. Fro ex. few NTs can daydream at will. Many Aspies can choose to zone out much like a monk can choose to enter into a meditative trance BUT they had to study & practise for years in order to cultivate this ability.
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