Personally I am fascinated by ideas about flow—that state of mind in which you lose self-awareness and become completely immersed in something. This seems like it is easier for children than for adults. It’s kind of the opposite of being distracted. And it’s definitely the opposite of burnout. Flow can help explain the calming, therapeutic effects of certain repetitive experiences. Even knitting can produce flow…
When I am with a patient in the consultation room, sometimes we both become aware that flow is happening. Researchers and clinicians have started writing about the experience of ‘flow’ in psychotherapy. It includes a feeling of intense connectedness, engagement, and sometimes joy—even if the emotions that are emerging in the moment are not all positive. When I experience this with a patient, I often find that both of us seem to be able to read the other person’s thoughts much more easily than usual. Freud’s disciple Sandor Ferenczi believed that he had telepathic experiences in the consultation room. I don’t personally believe in telepathy. None the less, the ‘peak’ experiences of flow lead to a heightened empathy that help connect the therapist and patient.
http://positivepsychology.org.uk/living-in-flow/
