Are we aware when we are unconscious but just forget when we become conscious?

Are we aware when we are unconscious but just forget when we become conscious? I started thinking a few days ago when I actually was conscious while falling asleep. I experienced being totally conscious to eventually getting into more of a trance state. Now this trance state I was let’s say semi conscious. I was aware but it felt different from a waking conscious, more like I was on auto pilot but was aware of it. Which gets me to my next question; isn’t it possible we are conscious (not self aware) while being unconscious, but we just forget it once we awake?

I never thought about it that way, but now that I do, it makes a lot of sense.

There is definitely awareness going on during sleep. I have woke up & caught myself going from one awareness to another, & can actually remember the "asleep" awareness. The funny thing about it is the "asleep" awareness is much clearer and....larger (for lack of a better word) than "awake" awareness.

Sometimes it feels like I'm two different people in one body.

reply to post by Maddogkull


I think you should read a bit about `adaptive unconscious`...... i believe that is the term used to describe the sense of auto-pilot you describe.

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edit to add:

The rare phenomenon of `Blind-sight` gives us an insight into some of the subconscious parallel processes which we engage in every day .

We also have a difficulty expressing such concepts. Our language , which we use to share concepts trips us up.

To discuss the subconscious we have difficulty describing a sense of ` loss of agency ` whilst still having to acknowledge that it is still us ourselves as the actor- performing the action / impulse .

Have a look at this ...... specify from 4:30 on.






[edit on 14-8-2010 by UmbraSumus]

Thank you Umbra I will look into that right away

For sake of discussion, what do you think of this matter?

Your eyes can focus on a speck in a window, or look past it.

While both perspectives exist simultaneously, you can only devote so much attention to each one.

Originally posted by Maddogkull


For sake of discussion, what do you think of this matter?

I absolutely love it . It is so god damn intriguing .


But it is also a little unnerving to acknowledge - I, that is to say, the conscious me likes to feel in control . But it would seem that a lot of the time we are just taking credit for drives impulses and influences which emerge from our subconscious minds . There are many interesting studies relating to decision making .....specify that we unconsciously make a decision before we consciously make a decision ,as indicated by brain scans etc.

Some links if you are interested.
Decision - Making May Be Surprisingly Unconscious Activity

Blind Man Sees With Subconscious Eye

I`ve just finished reading `Blink - The Power of Thinking Without Thinking ` BY Malcolm Gladwell .

It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions.

Well, "Blink" is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.

Gladwell.com

What an interesting topic. This is something that could be discussed ad infinitum and there would still be unknowns. But I have to ask: Just as individual brains and minds are different, wouldn't this "unconscious awareness" be individually varied as well?
Is this a question we can each only answer for ourselves--if even then?

[edit on 14/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

I think we are conscious during dream state but the reasoning part of our brain isn't activated, along with the motor function part of the cerebral cortex obviously.

So we tend to just go with the flow and not question whats happening. As the dream is taking place largely using the part of our brain that controls memory, due to the requirement of generating landscapes and other content.

Perhaps this reduces the brains ability to process and create new memories, so therefore we often don't remember it!. I believe this may be because the memory required for dreaming is the long term stored memory. So the section that uses short term or working memory, is generally not in use. Hence we tend not to store any new information, that would allow you to recollect the next day.

Having said this, you can train your mind to recollect more and more of your dreams. Something as simple as a dream journal will aid this. As you wake, right down the dream immediately before it is forgotten, the more often you do this the more you will begin to recollect after a nights sleep! This is probably due to the increasing use of the hippocampus.

But I am no expert, just my 2 cents!

thebrain.mcgill.ca...

A good article about memory usage in dreaming;

www.msnbc.msn.com...

[edit on 14-8-2010 by Big Raging Loner]

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
wouldn't this "unconscious awareness" be individually varied as well?
Is this a question we can each only answer for ourselves--if even then?

[edit on 14/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

Well I can answer for myself. I've been lectured, while in a sleep state and wasn't too happy about it later. I've also been helped and shown certain things. Even though my dreams at night are dark, there is still color. Wasn't it Steven Hawking that claimed he was assisted in the dream state? It seems when there is something I'm supposed to notice, I'm awakened, so I will remember the dream.

I got knocked out for about 15 minutes before, and I swear I experienced something. I remember someone asking what my name was, and I just kept speaking jibberish, until I finally opened my eyes and said my name. My friend said I swung at the guy, which was odd, because while knocked out, I recall swinging at something.

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
What an interesting topic. This is something that could be discussed ad infinitum and there would still be unknowns. But I have to ask: Just as individual brains and minds are different, wouldn't this "unconscious awareness" be individually varied as well?
Is this a question we can each only answer for ourselves--if even then?

[edit on 14/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

It is such a difficult subject to express , there is a sense of disembodiment when discussing our other self . But essentially i believe it is me .

Drawing our attention to something ... holding it in our consciousness is as much about blocking out out all the other information vying for our limited attention , as it is about focusing on a specific `something`.

If we are to make any sense of our world we must ignore the vast majority of our surroundings and work on the little bit of information which we retain in our short term memory.

As soon as an action becomes familiar and repeated often enough our brains like to shift that action into our adaptive unconscious. In the process freeing up valuable space, so we can attention to novel experiences which require our fullest attention.

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An example :

A feint in boxing or martial arts involves laying down a pattern of blows ,whereby your opponent subconsciously deciphers the patten (you are counting on this). Your opponent anticipates your pattern of strikes and their brain guides their defence using this `adaptive unconscious` .
You can use this against them .....
This is when you shift your pattern of attack ....in the full knowledge that they are moving in a set pattern . Down goes their hand anticipating a blow the same as the last time and you fire off three jabs instead of two, in the knowledge that they are about to drop their hand.


Did that make any sense ?
I`m tired ......

[edit on 14-8-2010 by UmbraSumus]