question to (presumably?) neurotypicals, please Boost <3
OK, so I'm thinking about one of those "I never experienced the world any other way than I do, so I never really thought about my experience" things.
When neurotypical people say they ignore something (like a noise or whatever), what do you mean by that?
Let me specify.
I always thought it meant fully absorbing the sensation but deciding not to show any outward signs of acknowledgment, because that's what the word CAN mean e.g. in social contexts.
But now I wonder. Do some of you mean you can actually stop perceiving a stimulus?
Like, if someone is talking. Can you stop hearing and understanding the words as they are being spoken? Can you actually not listen?
Because it has never occurred to me before, but I'm starting to think maybe people can do that?
...is that why people would always tell me to ignore things that upset me? Were they actually giving what would've been actionable advice for someone like them?
I can't imagine consciously "tuning out" anything. Is that an actual thing and not a metaphor?
Like, when I'm at a social gathering or something and there are two conversations within earshot, it's not my choice which I listen to. My brain switches more or less at random between listening to either. It's a big part of the reason I don't like bigger social gatherings. I can't participate in a conversation because it is impossible to follow all of it.
Do some people NOT experience that?
question to (presumably?) neurotypicals, please Boost <3
@oddtail I've experienced multiple levels of filtering, apparently one that was my default and one I somehow learned.
Default: Basically everything I perceive reaches my consciousness. I cannot filter out noise even if I am overwhelmed.
Learned: The vast majority of stimuli (visual, audio, proprioception) does not reach my conscious awareness. There is an unconscious filter that decides what is worth noticing.
question to (presumably?) neurotypicals, please Boost <3
@oddtail Unfortunately, I have no idea how to teach this. Apparently I learned it somehow as a child because I remember once being overwhelmed by noise and unable to do anything about it. I suspect it's a form of dissociation and that neurotypicals dissociate way more than they admit.
For me, it was tied to plurality (one specific headmate held the unfiltered mode), but I've since learned to decouple the mode switch from headmates.
question to (presumably?) neurotypicals, please Boost <3
@oddtail At this point the "filtered" mode is the default for me, and unfiltered takes conscious effort. Also, my filters will automatically switch on if I am overwhelmed.
My conscious input on what should be filtered out is limited. However, in some cases depending on what I'd like to "ignore", focusing my attention elsewhere might cause my unconscious filter to drop the unwanted stimulus.