Rhythms of a Roving Mind
Beats of the Bouncing Brain Summarized


(Ex.SSB1)

The Modulated Mind
Without attention difficulties (AD)
The Right Stuff at the Right Time
A "modulated" mind without attention difficulties can power attention up and down at will to suit the task at hand, then detach and switch when it is time. Thought patterns move with an even cyclic rhythm most of the time in the modulated mind, while those with an attention difficulty experience more irregularity and/or more intensity, as shown below.

 

The Bouncing Brain
With attention difficulties (AD) that include kinetic-sensory and/or cerebral hyperactivity

AD Type 1: Roving

The Beat of a Bumble Bee
Buzzing Fast, Hard to Catch
The underfocused Type 1 has a great deal of "bounce" in the attentional signal but has trouble boosting the focusing power to keep the signal strong and thinking clear. There may be a sense of mental "static" or "buzz," as symbolized by the lack of clear attentional space above the line.

Type 1: Roving Subtypes
(hypofocus)
  • 1.1 underaroused
    Rambling Ranger
  • 1.2 overaroused
    Gambler-Rebel
  • 1.3 hyperaroused
    Daredevil-Outlaw
AD Type 2: Restless
The Beat of a Butterfly
Fluttering Off & On, Weak & Strong
This "mixed focus" type is able to focus quite intensely and sustain it if aroused, but can't power up enough to do so consistently. The Type 2 struggles both to hold focus as long as needed and shut it off when its time, working in fits and starts, peaks and valleys, alternating between over and underthinking.
Restless Subtypes
(mixed [dipolar] focus)
  • 2.1 underaroused
    Distractible Dreamer
  • 2.2 overaroused
    Compulsive Creator
  • 2.3 hyperaroused
    Inconsistent Perfectionist

AD Type 3: Relentless
The Beat of a Hummingbird
Rush & Roar of Racing Wings
The third style of inattention is the opposite of the first. Instead of working to turn focus on, the "hyperfocused" Type 3 works to tune it down, not just once in awhile, but almost all of the time. Overflowing with racing thoughts and volatile feelings, people with this type of difficulty report that the feeling of static or "buzz" can appear here again to disrupt clear thinking.
Relentless Subtypes
(hyperfocus)
  • 2.1 underaroused
    Boundary Bender
  • 2.2 overaroused
    Revolutionary-Martyr
  • 2.3 hyperaroused
    Kamikaze
Excerpted from Surviving Sane with a Bouncing Brain: Dancing in Time to the Beat of Your Mind,
by Carla (Nelson) Berg, copyright below
Related links:
  • Hyperactive Hearts & Minds: Towards a Unified Model of Attention Deficiencies

    t Title)
 Related exhibits:

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