Self-forgetting as a therapeutic property of occupation

This work evolves from the Flow research, as a vital subject within occupational science and subsequently occupational therapy. An undisputed characteristic of flow is that people alter their conscious state away from the Self – they “forget themselves” during the period of flow.

This requires further investigation. Therefore this project focuses on the current theoretical understanding of the most often cited characteristic of Flow. It applies the neuroscience theory of flow developed by Professor Arne Dietrich (American University of Beirut) – The transient hypo-frontality theory of Flow – to better explain theoretically how flow states seem to connect to experiences of well-being.

Project aims

The aims of the project were

  • To describe the similarities between definitions of ‘flow’ and ‘occupation’.
  • To discover the real meaning of occupation as first used by the founders of “occupation therapy” in 1917.
  • To apply the hypo-frontality theory to the construct of occupation.
  • To develop hypotheses regarding the perception of flow as optimal human experience.

Project impact

Using the History of Ideas methodology, and discourse analysis, developments are beginning to form. Self-forgetting appears to involve transient reduction of pre-frontal brain activity as described by Dietrich, and even supported by much anecdotal evidence, such as in the literature and even articles in the popular press that report optimal experiences Reduced self-awareness, and the question of normal need for high self-awareness in our species, seems to involve recent discoveries within social neuroscience and the need for extreme self-consciousness to enable our capacity for very refined levels of social interaction and collaboration. This is very energy-intensive, and thus when it is reduced it can be experienced as relaxing. Reduced self-consciousness seems to be related too to spirituality, and to periods of reduced ego-centricity and focus on expansion of consciousness, and experiences of connection with the wider world, away from the Self.

These theories were presented to the occupational science conference “Appreciating the Everyday” in Cork in December 2013, and is currently being prepared for publication.

Research team

Professor Gaynor Sadlo

Postgraduate students

Output

Partners