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Old 01-11-2002, 11:37 PM   #6
MaggieL
in the Hour of Scampering
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia)
Posts: 4,060
Quote:
Originally posted by jaguar
doesn't that defeate the purpose? Need to block as much external stimuli as possible and concentrate no yourself, just let thought flow without interuption.
It's not so much *stimulus* that's to be blocked as *arousal*. Some regular or highly-structured stimuli actually have a calming, relaxing, quieting or regularizing effect, the opposite of arousal...such as a mother's heartbeat and breathing, or white noise. Music has been used for centuries to help induce altered stated of conciousness, including meditative states. A regular stimulus can serve to mask random distractions in the external environment.
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