Mind At Large and the reducing valve

[vmax4steve]

I'm in the process of once again reading Aldous Huxley's The Doors Of Perception in which the author accounts his experience under the influence of the pyschedelic drug Mescalin produced by the Peyotl cactus plant.

The following passage intrigued me and seems to be an explanation as to why some and not others have the means to exclude everything that is going on around them and focus only on what they are involved in.

quote

Reflecting on my experience, I find myself agreeing with the eminent cambridge philosopher Dr. C.D. Broad,
'that we should do well to consider much more seriously than we have hitherto been inclined to do the type of theory that Bergson put forward in connection with memory and sense perception.
The suggestion is that the function of the brain and the nervous system and the sense organs is in the main eliminative and not productive.

Each person is at each moment capable of remembering everything that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe.
The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevent knowledge, by shutting out most of what we would otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely to be practically useful'.

According to such a theory, each one of us is potentially Mind At Large. But in so far as we are animals, our business is at all costs to survive. To make biological survival possible, Mind At Large has to be funnelled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. What comes out at the other end is a measly trickle of the kind of consciousness which will help us to survive on the surface of this planet.

So my take on what this means is that some people have a reducing valve that leaks very little and some have one that leaks a lot while most have one that works within the required parameters at varying degrees that opens the individual to being able to shut out or absorb what the senses perceive; enabling very heavy periods of concentration or very heavy periods of artististry and invention and all points in between.

Some of us can concentrate while others have a head full of thoughts, some of us can focus on the object ball while others see the whole table, the room, the bar, all the other people all the time.

What can be done for those in love with snooker who need their reducing valve tightened :distracted:

[golferson123]

you missed out the bit about don't let the beams cross

[tedisbill]

..... Pardon?

[Terry Davidson]

..... Pardon?

Ghost Busters

[Terry Davidson]

Don't agree with the statement 'everything and everywhere in the universe' but perhaps that's a side effect of taking mescalin or other supposed 'mind expanding drugs' which would be illegal in snooker anyway. Giving credence to mental ponderings of a person high on mescalin might be counter-productive and the beams may well cross with explosive effect.

Concentration is the tool that's required to narrow the focus of the mind. Very simple.

Terry

[Ramon]

I'm in the process of once again reading Aldous Huxley's The Doors Of Perception in which the author accounts his experience under the influence of the pyschedelic drug Mescalin produced by the Peyotl cactus plant.

The following passage intrigued me and seems to be an explanation as to why some and not others have the means to exclude everything that is going on around them and focus only on what they are involved in.

quote

Reflecting on my experience, I find myself agreeing with the eminent cambridge philosopher Dr. C.D. Broad,
'that we should do well to consider much more seriously than we have hitherto been inclined to do the type of theory that Bergson put forward in connection with memory and sense perception.
The suggestion is that the function of the brain and the nervous system and the sense organs is in the main eliminative and not productive.

Each person is at each moment capable of remembering everything that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe.
The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevent knowledge, by shutting out most of what we would otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely to be practically useful'.

According to such a theory, each one of us is potentially Mind At Large. But in so far as we are animals, our business is at all costs to survive. To make biological survival possible, Mind At Large has to be funnelled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. What comes out at the other end is a measly trickle of the kind of consciousness which will help us to survive on the surface of this planet.

So my take on what this means is that some people have a reducing valve that leaks very little and some have one that leaks a lot while most have one that works within the required parameters at varying degrees that opens the individual to being able to shut out or absorb what the senses perceive; enabling very heavy periods of concentration or very heavy periods of artististry and invention and all points in between.

Some of us can concentrate while others have a head full of thoughts, some of us can focus on the object ball while others see the whole table, the room, the bar, all the other people all the time.
What can be done for those in love with snooker who need their reducing valve tightened :distracted:

Interesting subject, Vmax.
There are people who by nature are strong (mentally). that is their nature and character. And that depends on how they are raised (from the birth) and what they have made and seen in their lives ( usually you can see that on how they Act !!!! (be upset to fast ?? or not!! have a high resilience??? or not ?? and............). Anyway, If these people by the chans , be interested in snooker, then they can perform much better under pressure. There are some coaches who believe: that anyone can reach that border and be strong. (for example by eating less sugar!!!). I do'nt believe that !!!!. Therefore, the aspect drugs here,mentioned by Aldous Huxley's !!!! . of course the impact will be temporary and is not a permanent solution.
A lot of geniaals in history, have already tried this.
For example, Freud. He was up to the end of his life addicted to cocaine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vmax4steve]

Don't agree with the statement 'everything and everywhere in the universe' but perhaps that's a side effect of taking mescalin or other supposed 'mind expanding drugs' which would be illegal in snooker anyway. Giving credence to mental ponderings of a person high on mescalin might be counter-productive and the beams may well cross with explosive effect.

Concentration is the tool that's required to narrow the focus of the mind. Very simple.

Terry

Complete failure to recognise the synopsis Terry, not entirely unexpected. Huxley was one of the great intellects of the 20th century and The Doors Of Perception wasn't written when high on mescalin, but was written about the experience of being high on mescalin and theorizing about what exactly was happening in the brain during the laboratory controlled intoxication.

What Huxley discovered about himself under the influence of mescalin is that all departments of his mind, including his memory, both personal, collective and genetic, was opened so that his perception of everything around him was intensified.
This is what he and others believe happens under the influence of such drugs, certain sugars that contain the enzymes that control the brain and nervous systems reducing valve are cut off by the drugs alkaloids and the brain is free to roam where it will.

The question is that if this reducing valve theory is a correct one, then not all humans have their valve set at the same level, therefore making it a question of nature as to whether one has great concentration or not.
If it is a question of nature then nothing can be done about it.
I feel there are many, many snooker players who have the absolute will to succeed at the game but just cannot for the life of them find the concentration levels needed, who cannot shut out everything around them and focus on just that object ball.

It should be a simple thing should it not, to be able to look at the object ball and pick out the line of aim and keep your eyes on it on the stroke, but it isn't.

There are many on this forum who suffer from this malaise, I am one of them. No matter how hard I try, I cannot through force of will focus on that object ball at all times. Maybe it's a natural thing and there's nothing I can do about it, and let's be honest here, no amount of coaching about technique can make up for this deficit in ones mental make up.

[Terry Davidson]

Complete failure to recognise the synopsis Terry, not entirely unexpected. Huxley was one of the great intellects of the 20th century and The Doors Of Perception wasn't written when high on mescalin, but was written about the experience of being high on mescalin and theorizing about what exactly was happening in the brain during the laboratory controlled intoxication.

What Huxley discovered about himself under the influence of mescalin is that all departments of his mind, including his memory, both personal, collective and genetic, was opened so that his perception of everything around him was intensified.
This is what he and others believe happens under the influence of such drugs, certain sugars that contain the enzymes that control the brain and nervous systems reducing valve are cut off by the drugs alkaloids and the brain is free to roam where it will.

The question is that if this reducing valve theory is a correct one, then not all humans have their valve set at the same level, therefore making it a question of nature as to whether one has great concentration or not.
If it is a question of nature then nothing can be done about it.
I feel there are many, many snooker players who have the absolute will to succeed at the game but just cannot for the life of them find the concentration levels needed, who cannot shut out everything around them and focus on just that object ball.

It should be a simple thing should it not, to be able to look at the object ball and pick out the line of aim and keep your eyes on it on the stroke, but it isn't.

There are many on this forum who suffer from this malaise, I am one of them. No matter how hard I try, I cannot through force of will focus on that object ball at all times. Maybe it's a natural thing and there's nothing I can do about it, and let's be honest here, no amount of coaching about technique can make up for this deficit in ones mental make up.

Have to basically disagree because I believe you can improve concentration with practice and exercises. I just can't believe picking out the correct line of aim is all that difficult to do since even a beginner player can tell you where the cueball has to contact the object ball (opposite the pocket) in order to pot the ball.

The real difficulty is physically getting the cueball to that spot using a cue.

You just have to get those digs in don't you, with your 'not entirely unexpected'. I disagreed with the 'entire universe' statement as I don't think anyone is aware of what's going on in the next building, or indeed planet for that matter. Of course if you play under the influence of mind expanding drugs then obviously that's not a good thing, whether playing snooker or some other activity that requires fine motor control.

I believe a person can increase his concentration naturally and putting up something espoused by someone taking mind altering drugs is just not the best way to go.

Terry

[Wayne G]

I feel there are many, many snooker players who have the absolute will to succeed at the game but just cannot for the life of them find the concentration levels needed, who cannot shut out everything around them and focus on just that object ball.

It should be a simple thing should it not, to be able to look at the object ball and pick out the line of aim and keep your eyes on it on the stroke, but it isn't.

There are many on this forum who suffer from this malaise, I am one of them. No matter how hard I try, I cannot through force of will focus on that object ball at all times. Maybe it's a natural thing and there's nothing I can do about it, and let's be honest here, no amount of coaching about technique can make up for this deficit in ones mental make up.[/QUOTE]

This is my curse also. I lose focus and concentration very easily. I can't change or correct this so I just accept it and get on with it.

[golferson123]

wayne why do you think you have to focus on the object ball? the notion of concentration is so difficult to grasp the very fact of searching for it gets in the way.you need to let go.all the work must go in practice.when you drop in the zone it just happens the trick is to be happy with your technique.when I fell into stroke in practice I would stop playing because the only thing to follow was obvious.does concentration occur with conscious thought or subconscious thought? if it was the former we could summon it at will.

[Wayne G]

wayne why do you think you have to focus on the object ball? the notion of concentration is so difficult to grasp the very fact of searching for it gets in the way.you need to let go.all the work must go in practice.when you drop in the zone it just happens the trick is to be happy with your technique.when I fell into stroke in practice I would stop playing because the only thing to follow was obvious.does concentration occur with conscious thought or subconscious thought? if it was the former we could summon it at will.

The first part of my post is Vmax's quote. I'm talking about things in general more so. I agree with what you're saying.

[itsnoteasy]

wayne why do you think you have to focus on the object ball? the notion of concentration is so difficult to grasp the very fact of searching for it gets in the way.you need to let go.all the work must go in practice.when you drop in the zone it just happens the trick is to be happy with your technique.when I fell into stroke in practice I would stop playing because the only thing to follow was obvious.does concentration occur with conscious thought or subconscious thought? if it was the former we could summon it at will.

Another really interesting post, when playing well , I am just doing, when trying to find some form I'm thinking about what im doing, but as you say I can't summon that form up at will. The only thing I can do is to stick to my routine and relax and this kind of gives me the best conditions to stop thinking and get into that just doing zone, I suppose its the old trust your technique quote.
I kind of know what Vmax is saying, about being able to block things out, this for me is quite difficult, more than it is for others? I have no idea , but when I can play the shot in front of me with a clear mind, the game is far,far easier.

[tedisbill]

I love the idea that there are people on here that hit the ball like Ronnie O'Sullivan, but because they can't focus on the object ball, they're not very good. I'm sure that's what I'm reading...

[vmax4steve]

Each person is at each moment capable of remembering everything that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe.

You just have to get those digs in don't you, with your 'not entirely unexpected'. I disagreed with the 'entire universe' statement as I don't think anyone is aware of what's going on in the next building, or indeed planet for that matter.
Terry

from the Collins English Dictionary

perceive vb

1. to become aware of (something) through the senses; recognise or observe

2. (tr.; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend, grasp

more than one meaning for the word Terry, then not entirely unexpected that you wouldn't know that or even bother to look it up in an effort to understand.

And no one's mentioned playing under the influence of mind expanding drugs either; the experiment in question puts a question mark in my mind over whether one can improve one's concentration or whether it naturally differs for the individual and cannot be changed.

[DeanH]

not heard of this author, may source his work and have a look.
as has been said above, I also have trouble getting into the "zone" and it does not come on demand

I am a person who can block external factors (living with 4 children and a wife you do tend to be able to do this )) to concentrate on the subject at hand and can do so in the snooker club and also in busy pubs on pool league night and play well, but that "zone" where the game becomes "natural and simple" is elusive.
At the Welsh Open earlier this year I met a sport psychologist and asked him how can a person get into the zone quicker and maintain it, he asked various questions like "how do you feel when in the zone" , what do you do differently when in the zone compared to when not, he also said get a video of myself playing and the note what is different when the zone comes and goes. Obviously this was not a paid-for session, just a chance meeting
Since thinking about these questions (away from the table or at solo practise times), I have not managed to "conjure" the zone on demand any more than I did before, but since I tried to not think too much about anything/everything when at the table but let my technique come to fore, the zone does seem to make an appearance more often than before