I can't seem to zone out at will.

[NormannTheDoorman]

Zoning out at will sounds redundant.


Several times I have just stared at a spot without ever thinking of the spot or observing with my eyes and ears. I felt like a purely thinking entity.

Not sure if you guys ever experienced it. I'm sure you have but I wouldn't know.

 

[Pyropyro]

It usually kicks in when you do something monotonous.

 

[The Void]

All the time bro.
I am always zoned out.
Even while walking and doing stuff, i am not there, subconscious mind handles everything.
Now a days, i just zone out in the void, not even thinking, but just lost, out of here, out of everywhere.

 

[Lot]

This happens when I'm driving, and doing dishes, and walking, and listening to some people talk. Pretty much all the time I can zone out.

Just find something to occupy your body with and you'll probably start zoning out. Or smoke a bunch of pot. Your choice

 

[Helvete]

What Lot said. Pot circumstance dependant though maybe

Being able to do it at will is not at all redundant either. Just think about how it really does beat most everyday situations, way more interesting.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

The trick for me is to focus on a spot visually,
then gradually allowing myself to think about nothing,
just experiencing an emerging emptiness slowly but surely establishing in my head.
Although i first focus on a point, the visual information also starts to blur out and not much is left, except colour and shade, but very vaguely.
Same happens on the auditory channel.
Once i am there,
ideas start to come forward.
And i can play association games for hours.

What also helps every time is staring into a fire, or a body of water.
I think that's where i originally trained myself to do it at will.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrying

I distinguish this mode from boredom, or alienation, which many people performing repetetive, robotic tasks may experience.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Once you are in the boring process, you only need to maintain a bit of attention to keep going, while you can think and zone out to what interests you.

For me it is not will or conscious effort to do this, but it usually starts with "oh maybe this" or "after this I should focus on ...", only when I am not in danger/stress, I don't need to be too relaxed, but not under strong negative influence.

Many times I have broken a glass or forgot what I was doing, because I was thinking about something different, the same way I usually didn't remember my way back from school when I used to automatically travel the distance, once almost hit by a car, which didn't really make me focus on the now.

Now it is more when I feel the compulsion to be more aware and controlled then I find interesting details in what I see to analyse it, so more often moving from the now to thinking about the now.

Generally, keeping track of what is next, what is more and what is important contributes to it.