Mind Body Disconnect: Has it happened to you?

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BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
This term probably means a range of different things to different people.

I was in the bush recently when I heard a rushing sound which I took to be a large animal running through the undergrowth. Where I am there are several large animal species and I guessed a wild pig was coming toward me.

But I could not tell where the sound was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere. I did not move.

As it got louder, my legs seemed to move on their own volition suddenly. It certainly wasn't "me" that told them to move and they were back pedalling like a cartoon character.

As I moved backward, the sound was even louder and something ripped the GPS drop pouch off my webbing and threw me backwards to the ground as a grey blur went by me landing with a loud thud.

I then realised that rather large tree branch had fallen from above dragging a mass of climbers and lianas with it.

It was a lucky escape as the branch was more than enough to fracture a skull or neck and I was unscathed. Not even a slight scratch

But what amazed me was that the decision to get out of there was not made (as far as I can tell) by my conscious mind.

It was as if the little men operating the legs decided "the stupid fool is doing nothing - full reverse now!"

Does anyone have a similar experience/story?

Add: I've since learnt that if you don't know where a sound is coming from it probably is right above you!
 
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Ahjno

Vice-Adminral
Admin
Aug 9, 2004
6,861
51
Rotterdam (NL)
www.bushcraftuk.com
It happened ...

First time was when I was about 14, on holiday with my parents in the UK. dad got a sunstroke during a day in London, which appeared on the way back: sick, headache, etc. I was able to pull over on the side of the road. I was sitting on the backseat. While he pulled over, I unfastened my seatbelt. As soon as we stood still I opened the door, went around the back of the car, opened his door, unfastened his seatbelt and 'pulled' him out - only second before he vomitted - nearly missing my feet :yikes:

Later I 'came back', and was thinking "What :tapedshut happened, and why am I out of the car? :confused:"
 
Back when I worked with residents with challenging behaviour it happened to me on a semi regular basis.

Most of them would display behaviours without any indication it was about to occur.
So I'd end up restraining them almost on instinct as the blow may come without any warning signs.
Worst was when things were thrown at you from behind and for some reason I'd duck without knowing why until various things woukd strike the wall opposite me at head level.
Nastiest was either a fire extinguisher-would of done me real damage if it had hit me.
Most unpleasant was faeces wouldn't of hurt but would definitely of spolit my after work plans.....
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Working in that type of environment will hone your 'body language' skills even if subconsciously, you'll pick up on people more than a lay person.
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,451
475
46
Nr Chester
Often find my self catching things falling from shelves or tables without thinking. If my waking mind had any input I would have missed them completely.
If you think about the ammount of information the human body takes in every nano second it should be good at these things, after all its this flight/fight response that got us this far as a species.
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Its like shooting a fast moving target, its all happening to fast to think consciously about taking aim, your brain just kicks in for that split second; like marshal arts...bang you score ippon but can't actually remember ordering your body to do that move; it just did it.
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
Often find my self catching things falling from shelves or tables without thinking. If my waking mind had any input I would have missed them completely.
If you think about the ammount of information the human body takes in every nano second it should be good at these things, after all its this flight/fight response that got us this far as a species.

A party trick at christmas was for someone to hold a fiver [or a bit of paper] a few inchs above someone else's hand let go of the fiver and the other person tries to catch in between thumb and fore finger. You can't really do it by watching to see it drop then trying to catch as the reaction times are too slow [especially after a couple of glasses of wine and a full christmas dinner in you], you have to more pre-guess when the other folk is going to let go.

Not really out of body - but trying to pick up on signals which consiously you may not be seeing.
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
There was some boxer (can't remember who) that retired after winning a fight with an amazing KO. A journalist asked "why retire?". The boxer replied that he'd seen the opening, punched and made the KO. "That's great, why retire?" asks journo? Boxer replies that previously he'd have punched then seen the opening.

There are parts of our brain that operate on an unconscious level. Ask any musician- when they start learning an instrument, everything is conscious. After a while they read a note from the music and play it without conscious thought.
 

jackcbr

Native
Sep 25, 2008
1,561
0
50
Gatwick, UK
www.pickleimages.co.uk
As a biker I often find myself manoeuvring around or braking for hazards that I'd really not perceived till I was clear of them.

They do say a gut feeling is your body making the correct assumption before the brain can fully process why.
 
Nov 29, 2004
7,808
22
Scotland
That is quite an entertaining wee tale there Bod.

I cannot claim to have had my life saved by some kind of subconscious action, however I have occasionally found myself to be in the odd position of being quite surprised at being me! To suddenly find myself looking out from behind my eyes and thinking "..oh, well here I am..". Difficult to explain really, but an odd sensation and one I generally experience when on longer walks and away from human contact.

:)
 
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ashby001

Forager
May 24, 2013
103
0
Faversham
Bod you hit the reason on the head when said the decision was not made consciously,
Your unconscious mind will have worked out what was happening before your conscious mind so enabled your body to move to get out of harms way.

Same with people talking about the boxers and martial artists. If you watch them before a fight they tend to try and clear their mind so their body/mind will react way before they've even thought about doing anything (hence why kata and meditation is so import to anyone wanting to become a martial artist)

Jackcbr as a rider to I find myself moving the bike without thinking about it and going past potholes and thinking phew that was close
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
The brain responds to stimuli that are well below the conscious threshold. I know that for sounds the brain responds to sounds that are one hundredth of the volume of a sound just below the audibility threshold (i.e. take a sound that is just too quiet to hear. Then make it 100 times quieter. That sound will still produce a response in the brain, even though you can't hear it with you conscious mind).

I remember working in a really noisy factory environment, and turning around suddenly knowing that behind me was a particular work colleague from another department who I didn't see very often.

He had been calling me, and as we were friends from outside work I had recognised his voice, even though consciously I didn't hear him.
 

xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
years ago walking through wolverhampton town centre at 5.30 in the morning on my own, a bloke came out from behind a van and walk towards me for a few steps. I took an avasive step side ways, and then he lunged at me. In a fraction of a second, I frozbie flopped over a railing and and my vision tunnelled in on a banana machete in a greengrocers hand on the far side of the outdoor market. I legged it. Funny how a brainworks when it really needs it.

I have done some hairy jobs, i have so far dodged or blocked every punch and missile to the face, again brain moving at some stupidly fast speed. So far so good, but there is always tomorrow.
 
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