What y'all think? :confused:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus)

Hyperfocus describes an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a narrow subject, or beyond objective reality and onto subjective mental planes, daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind.

From a neurodiversity perspective, hyperfocus is a mental ability that is a natural expression of personality. However, hyperfocus can also be regarded as a psychiatric diagnosis, as a distraction from reality and a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD), or autism. Counter to this view, the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD (for example) do not include anything resembling hyperfocus and instead emphasise opposite behaviors such as "often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks".

Some people say that hyperfocus is an important element of meditation, but Osho emphasized that meditation is not concentration. In common parlance, hyperfocus is sometimes referred to as "zoning out." In sports, it is sometimes referred to as "being in the zone."

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4123.html

Both research and clinical experience tells us that ADHD Children can exhibit a type of "hyperfocus" - intense concentration and single-minded focus when the activity is very interesting. This situation is most often found when ADHD Children play computer games. ADHD Children may have an amazing ability to hyperfocus on a computer game, one of the few things that moves fast enough to maintain their attention, unlike homework or routine chores.

The hyperfocus found in ADHD Children is not a normal type of concentration or focus. Remembering the neurochemical aspects of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), hyperfocus requires the child to use the maximum attention and sustained concentration available. For parents and teachers, imagine trying to thread a needle, in low light, while sitting in a row boat in the ocean - the waves tossing and rolling all the time. The amount of concentration required to thread that needle makes us anxious, tense, and irritable - as if somebody were asking us questions while we were trying to thread that needle. This is way ADHD Johnny is so fidgety while trying to listen to your conversation or correction.

In ADHD Children, hyperfocus allows them to participate in computer games or watch high-action movies - but at a cost. The amount of energy being used makes them very irritable. If a parent interrupts the computer game or movie with a question, a call for lunch, or a request - the ADHD Children is likely to explode in a burst of verbal or physical aggression. His or her concentration has been broken and that neurochemical activity spills out into the room, or is directed at the interrupting source.

http://school.familyeducation.com/learning-disabilities/treatments/37763.html

Can a gifted child who spends hours focused on a task still have ADHD?
Some parents and professionals assume that a child who can concentrate for a long time cannot have ADHD. This is incorrect. It's understandable that an observer might dismiss the possibility of ADHD, because from all appearances the child is so absorbed in a task that everything around her fades into oblivion.

While this state of rapt attention may be the sign of a creative mind, it may also be "hyperfocus," which is a similar condition that individuals with ADHD frequently experience. You can't tell children with and without ADHD from how they engage in high-interest activities -- such as videos, computer games, or reading for pleasure. The key is effort. How your child performs during projects that require effort -- but aren't necessarily high-interest -- can mark the difference.

So a child with ADHD can concentrate for long periods of time?
ADHD is not characterized by a child's inability to pay attention, but rather is marked by his inability to control his attention. A child with ADHD has great difficulty paying attention to tasks that are not immediately rewarding, that require effort.

While "hyperfocus" can be a positive sign of commitment to a task and a sign of motivation, it becomes a problem when a gifted child is asked to shift from one task to another. In other words, while this intense concentration can be positive for the child's thinking, it can also cause problems in her behavior.

Seems to be a subject coming up a lot here of late. What does hyperfocus mean to you?

Crazy :cool:

Thanks for that, Crazy.

You are very welcome :).

Great info crazy feet!

Me :D


What y'all think? :confused:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus)

Hyperfocus describes an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a narrow subject, or beyond objective reality and onto subjective mental planes, daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind.

From a neurodiversity perspective, hyperfocus is a mental ability that is a natural expression of personality. However, hyperfocus can also be regarded as a psychiatric diagnosis, as a distraction from reality and a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD), or autism. Counter to this view, the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD (for example) do not include anything resembling hyperfocus and instead emphasise opposite behaviors such as "often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks".

Some people say that hyperfocus is an important element of meditation, but Osho emphasized that meditation is not concentration. In common parlance, hyperfocus is sometimes referred to as "zoning out." In sports, it is sometimes referred to as "being in the zone."

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4123.html

Both research and clinical experience tells us that ADHD Children can exhibit a type of "hyperfocus" - intense concentration and single-minded focus when the activity is very interesting. This situation is most often found when ADHD Children play computer games. ADHD Children may have an amazing ability to hyperfocus on a computer game, one of the few things that moves fast enough to maintain their attention, unlike homework or routine chores.

The hyperfocus found in ADHD Children is not a normal type of concentration or focus. Remembering the neurochemical aspects of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), hyperfocus requires the child to use the maximum attention and sustained concentration available. For parents and teachers, imagine trying to thread a needle, in low light, while sitting in a row boat in the ocean - the waves tossing and rolling all the time. The amount of concentration required to thread that needle makes us anxious, tense, and irritable - as if somebody were asking us questions while we were trying to thread that needle. This is way ADHD Johnny is so fidgety while trying to listen to your conversation or correction.

In ADHD Children, hyperfocus allows them to participate in computer games or watch high-action movies - but at a cost. The amount of energy being used makes them very irritable. If a parent interrupts the computer game or movie with a question, a call for lunch, or a request - the ADHD Children is likely to explode in a burst of verbal or physical aggression. His or her concentration has been broken and that neurochemical activity spills out into the room, or is directed at the interrupting source.

http://school.familyeducation.com/learning-disabilities/treatments/37763.html

Can a gifted child who spends hours focused on a task still have ADHD?
Some parents and professionals assume that a child who can concentrate for a long time cannot have ADHD. This is incorrect. It's understandable that an observer might dismiss the possibility of ADHD, because from all appearances the child is so absorbed in a task that everything around her fades into oblivion.

While this state of rapt attention may be the sign of a creative mind, it may also be "hyperfocus," which is a similar condition that individuals with ADHD frequently experience. You can't tell children with and without ADHD from how they engage in high-interest activities -- such as videos, computer games, or reading for pleasure. The key is effort. How your child performs during projects that require effort -- but aren't necessarily high-interest -- can mark the difference.

So a child with ADHD can concentrate for long periods of time?
ADHD is not characterized by a child's inability to pay attention, but rather is marked by his inability to control his attention. A child with ADHD has great difficulty paying attention to tasks that are not immediately rewarding, that require effort.

While "hyperfocus" can be a positive sign of commitment to a task and a sign of motivation, it becomes a problem when a gifted child is asked to shift from one task to another. In other words, while this intense concentration can be positive for the child's thinking, it can also cause problems in her behavior.

Seems to be a subject coming up a lot here of late. What does hyperfocus mean to you?

Crazy :cool:

Very good info,thanks crazy!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you :).

Crazy :cool:

Helps to have this info for the "Data Driven" educational system. Sorry HF-it means quatitative and very rarely, qualitative.

I made this thread sticky. I hope nobody objects.
Hyperfocus is part of what we are, so I think it is important to understand it.


Me :D

This reminds me... I was in a cafe having coffee and I totally zoned out. A very perceptive fellow I knew caught me doing it and he commented "I wish I could do that"... I was a little embarassed having gotten caught red-handed zoning like that.

It is the one characteristic of ADHD that I deeply appreciate.


Me :D

How do you make a thread sticky? With my grace and precision, that means spilling something on it. :D When I sew, sewing through tape makes thread sticky and sticky thread is bad. Do they make Post-It threads-OMG that is kinda funny-and I didn't see it coming. With ADD, you entertain yourself.

I was in major hyperfocus today-trying to figure myself out. Truly, and guess what? I still haven't. Kinda unnerves my family.

Becky

I usually make threads sticky by applying a liberal coating of Duco (tm) rubber cement. :eek:

I was really hyperfocused this morning and I completed modifications to two computer programs in 30 minutes, and in the process I created something kind of new. :faint: :eek: :)

I have learned that while I can't control when and where I hyperfocus, I CAN use it to my advantage. :)

Me :D



How do you make a thread sticky? With my grace and precision, that means spilling something on it. :D When I sew, sewing through tape makes thread sticky and sticky thread is bad. Do they make Post-It threads-OMG that is kinda funny-and I didn't see it coming. With ADD, you entertain yourself.

I was in major hyperfocus today-trying to figure myself out. Truly, and guess what? I still haven't. Kinda unnerves my family.

Becky

'Sticky' away, Speed ! (0:

Stickies are good, on here !

Seems to be a subject coming up a lot here of late. What does hyperfocus mean to you? Crazy :cool:

Hyperfocus has been a part of my life...I really don't even notice I'm doing it, unless I do have to 'tear myself away'...and focus on something other than what I'm doing.

A form of obsession...I suppose. One that I can't seem to stop 'thinking/researching'...like the subject of it is always on my 'backburner'...waiting...

It has it's positive and negative effects on me..
Positive is that I go beyond what's necessary to accomplish what I'm doing..
Negative is that anything else, during that time, becomes 'secondary' (even when it's just as much of a priority).

The difficulty I have is acknowledging that some things I hyperfocus on, are not vital, and I really shouldn't be that focused on them.


But then again...if I could do that..I wouldn't have this issue, LOL !

Hyperfocus has been a part of my life...I really don't even notice I'm doing it, unless I do have to 'tear myself away'...and focus on something other than what I'm doing.

A form of obsession...I suppose. One that I can't seem to stop 'thinking/researching'...like the subject of it is always on my 'backburner'...waiting...

It has it's positive and negative effects on me..
Positive is that I go beyond what's necessary to accomplish what I'm doing..
Negative is that anything else, during that time, becomes 'secondary' (even when it's just as much of a priority).

The difficulty I have is acknowledging that some things I hyperfocus on, are not vital, and I really shouldn't be that focused on them.


But then again...if I could do that..I wouldn't have this issue, LOL !Speedo I am tickled pink that you stickied this :D (as long as you did not "stinky" it, I am thrilled ;) and you know what I mean!).

Hyperfocus works the same for me Nova. My last great hyperfocus was hard-core couponing, and I saved $6000 in less than a year. Then it got boring...and became work...and I was swimming in coupon inserts! My family had been begging me to stop because I would get irritated if interrupted while clipping or filing, and freak out if I left the house without my coupon binders--I had 4 of them!

My stockpile was immaculately organised. All my time was spent clipping, filing, chasing, trading and matching sales to little scraps of paper!

Crazy :cool:

and every coupla months I'd go through those coupons and get rid of the expired ones. most of the time I left them in my purse, totally forgotten.

Yep, my hyper focus as well, N. I'd read a book straight until it was done. In class, on the bus, on the toilet...
and marathon puzzles. I'm lucky that I found work that took advantage of it.
Prioritizing IS a real problem, my problem. I don't wanna and you can't make me.

This reminds me... I was in a cafe having coffee and I totally zoned out. A very perceptive fellow I knew caught me doing it and he commented "I wish I could do that"... I was a little embarassed having gotten caught red-handed zoning like that.

It is the one characteristic of ADHD that I deeply appreciate.


Me :DHeh, that's how I got the Kid to realise her meds worked! I was unmedicated and she was medicated ;) and we sat at the clinic office. The walls there are very soothing and extremely zone-friendly. I said "OK, let's try something. Zone with me!".

I went off to Outer Space and she kept poking me "Momma? MOMMA! I can't zone! :mad: And I sure hope I do not look as dumb as you do when I zone, sheesh Momma...".

Crazy :cool:

Nova - me too! Exactly. :)

Hyperfocus has been a part of my life...I really don't even notice I'm doing it, unless I do have to 'tear myself away'...and focus on something other than what I'm doing.

A form of obsession...I suppose. One that I can't seem to stop 'thinking/researching'...like the subject of it is always on my 'backburner'...waiting...

It has it's positive and negative effects on me..
Positive is that I go beyond what's necessary to accomplish what I'm doing..
Negative is that anything else, during that time, becomes 'secondary' (even when it's just as much of a priority).

The difficulty I have is acknowledging that some things I hyperfocus on, are not vital, and I really shouldn't be that focused on them.


But then again...if I could do that..I wouldn't have this issue, LOL !

I hyper focus a lot. I have to admit that my husband loves it when I hyperfocus on cleaning....he comes in the door and I am cleaning the door with bleach because there is nothing else to clean......I know it is neurotic, but, I do tend to hyperfocus on cleaning, or being on this forum a lot too...or reading,etc.

My biggest greivence with hyperfocus is that I end up blocking out those who are close to me. I forget about things that should be addressed. Nothing matters other then what's at hand. What's at hand many times can be something that is totally insignificant the next time I think of it.:eyebrow:

We are cursed with a bliss! ;)

The bliss is a great ride!

I have a hugh Turmo in the sho that has fire damage on one of the high corners and it has been in my shop for 4 years now. I looked at it today and thought it's time for a hyper secsion on this turmo to restore it. It will be a project that will take me about 60 hours and one I am looking forward to after I finish the evaluation and documentation of.

Thanks for the info CF

And thanks for reading, everybody :).

Wow! What a concept!! That explains most of my life!! I get very bent out of shape when my wife pulls me away from my guitars, or my computer, or if I'm in the middle of a project, and she wants to cuddle or something.

Come to think of it, I think she likes to hyperfocus on me!:)

Really useful info!!:D
Thanx!

Hi! I really have a problem with hyper-focus because I can be at a picnic or something where there are lots of people and I can be SO FOCUSED in talking to someone about something I'm really interested in(like a camera) and when the speaker or announcements start I do not even hear it. I do this when pictures are being passed around and the speach starts and I'm so zoned out with looking at the pictures that I will just start talking to someone and the speaker has already started. I don't know why I do this and it's really embarrasing and I am seen as being rude.

The amount of energy being used makes them very irritable. If a parent interrupts the computer game or movie with a question, a call for lunch, or a request - the ADHD Children is likely to explode in a burst of verbal or physical aggression. His or her concentration has been broken and that neurochemical activity spills out into the room, or is directed at the interrupting sourceI knew hyper-focusing was an issue with me, but I did not know that the anxiety that comes with it or the verbal lashing out were directly related. I tend to yell a lot at people when they interrupt me when I'm on the computer...

So glad to see my little sticky thread is still alive and kicking :).

Hyperfocusing is my favorite thing about being ADD. I never feel as fully engaged mentally as I do when I'm hyperfocused on something. Unfortunately I don't have much control over what I hyperfocus on, but I like to take medicine holidays for a few days every few months so I can zone out to my heart's content, and I find it to be kind of therapeutic!

Oh, and I do Hate to be interrupted!! Don't like to come down from my cloud!

MusikGeliebter, I totally agree, I even hyperfocus on TV (of course this is usually not what I am trully hyperfocussing on) and hate it when my wife wants me to do something else. When I am in an extreme hyperfocus, my mind is so alive, it is like a drug that I am almost depressed when my thoughts are a little less focused. I don't know if anyone else experiences the similar ups and downs, but being in a hyperfocus state make me feel so alive, my mind is literally on fire, processing, thinking, running models from my code, everything is so clear. But, thinking about other things becomes difficult. When it ends and my mind is darting around, not focused, I almost feel depressed.

I can relate to hyperfocusing. I get wrapped up in things to the exclusion of 'what's important.' Eg I got wrapped up in numerology when 06.06.06 was coming up. Especially when I found out that Bill Gates was a '6' using the ASC11 code. I just had to know what numbers my family and friends (and the dog and budgie) were. My sister thought I was psychotic. By the way what 'Is Important?'

AS far as hyperfocus goes? "Important" lies in the mind of the ADDer! :D

Hyperfocus is one of the ADD facets I truly love, as well. I would become enveloped in hyperfocus when I was trying cases in my previous life as a lawyer - it was abslutely awesome. I did felony criminal defense work, and the more serious and disturbing or notorious the case, the more intense my hyperfocus. I would most often be cross examining a witness or delivering a final argument, when it was almost like Clarence Darrow came to sit on my shoulder, and whisper in my ear. My vision would tunnel to only the witness or the jury, all sound save that of my own voice or that of the witness would fade, my whole being would calm, and I became, if I may say so myself, fantastic. I could remember tiny details from multiple sources, and tie them all together in a way that made my argument or questioning seem simple to the judge or jury. Even my rhetorical style became more elegant and precise. In one big case, I hammered a witness so hard he answered my last question by simply sighing "I don't know what to say." I closed the questioning by responding, "I knew that all along. Your honor, I have no more use for this witness." I gave on closing argument in a murder case that had four or five of the jurors crying. Other lawyers used to come watch my arguments as a form of entertainment. Fun stuff, heady times.

The dangerous part, however, was that I began to "count on" hyperfocus; the lightning strike, so to speak, became my preparation, and that's a bad way to practice law successfully. When the hyperfocus wasn't there, the danger that my disorganization would jeapordize the case was palpable ... But baby, when I was "on," I was really, really good!

Good story timmyo

I have had similar experiences with hyper focus


But like you I can't control it. :faint:

Oh well :D

so, is there life after being a defence lawyer? why did you stop?

What happens to your hyperfocus powers when you are on meds? I am debating trying meds; I would like to get rid of the unfocused - brain going 1000mph to nowhere side of ADD; but I do love my hyperfocus moments. Like many of you, that is when I feel truly alive. However, with three small children vying for attention, I seem to be constantly irritable and crabby due to hyperfocus being interrupted.

Today I've had a huge problem with hyperfocusing. I'm supposed to be doing homework that's weeks late but I've been playing computer games for thirteen hours STRAIGHT. As the day went by I got more and more depressed because of this... auuughhh!

I didn't just stop ... I was asked to stop. I was terrific in the courtroom, gawd awful out of the courtroom ... couldn't quite wrap my head around some pretty important things - stuff like keeping the office checkbook straight, paying taxes timely and correctly, filing things on time, even if I thought they were unimportant ... since you're a member here, you get the drift!

There IS life after lawyering, although its difficult. There's alot of money in lawyering, and I miss that part. There's alot of excitement in lawyering, too, and I miss being in the newspapers and on tv, whether that labels me an egotist or not!

Conversely, it's nice to work at night in peace, without the phone ringing at 3 am (most crooks work nights) and without the jail calls ("please help; if I don't get out tonight, I'll lose my job and my wife!").

At times, I'll drive to an old courthouse with some terrific architecture, and just putter around. I'll read in the law library, slip into the courtroom and pace, sit at counsel table, ect. It's kind of sad, but also kind of cool - I'll even put on one of the old trial suits - braces and cufflinks, and wear a cool topcoat and hat. C'est la vie.

I found a job in which hyperfocus is actually very helpful. I'm a computer programmer and when I really get into a programming problem the hyper gets switched on and I can go on for hours, even days if necessary. But woe upon her/him who disturbs me and drags me out of it - especially if it is because I need to be dragged kicking and screaming into a meeting.

I dont become agressive. I'm never aggressive, but I *am* quite grumpy and not all colleagues value that lol

Today is full of discovery for me. I think i may have experience hyperfocus.

A sociological topic came into my head and i got a pen, paper and scribbled furiously for 30mins. When I stopped, i typed it up, four pages worth. I sent it to my teacher and she was very shocked of the high level of the essay and asked me how long it took me to do that! In addition, i said... err 30mins.

One time we had an ICT memory test and i had to go home, learn as much of the facts and come in the next day and complete the test. Like usual i got home and forgot to take it out of my bad, got to college and it was one hour before the exam and lesson. I went to the college library to wait for lesson to start, took out my ICT paper and read it. Came out the ICT exam with 100% score.

In addition, i once stayed in my room, never spoke a word or moved and read a 600a page book in one day-Harry potter.

In addition, i think i get like this a lot; i am usually very angry and snappy when i am pulled away from doing something. For example when i am on the pc and i am being called i get so stressed and fell ready to explode, sometimes i have.

What happens to your hyperfocus powers when you are on meds? I am debating trying meds; I would like to get rid of the unfocused - brain going 1000mph to nowhere side of ADD; but I do love my hyperfocus moments. Like many of you, that is when I feel truly alive. However, with three small children vying for attention, I seem to be constantly irritable and crabby due to hyperfocus being interrupted.
Has anyone any answers to this. I'm newly medicated myself, coming out of a long period of probable depression where I had no focus.

Does it still happen with the meds? Or does normal functioning have that high a price?

Just reading your posts about hyperfocusing gets my blood boiling. I relate to you Timmi. I am in sales/business and I have had many moments just the same although reading about a career in law has me questioning my decision to stay away from it. Do any of you have any advice in getting yourself in the hype zone with your focus of choice?

Does it still happen with the meds? Or does normal functioning have that high a price?Yes, it can, but you will be less inclined to be crankly when disturbed. You might also miss the total exclusionary experience of unmedicated hyperfocus, more easily coming out of it when you hear/sense/etc a distraction.

Anyway, hyperfocus is not exclusively an AD/HD thing, folks in the autistic spectrum can do it, too.


Do any of you have any advice in getting yourself in the hype zone with your focus of choice?
True, neurodiversity-induced hyperfocus is not something one can induce, sorry to disappoint you. Hyperfocus is not a skill.

Medication reduced the intensity of my hyperfocus. I"m a lot less likely to stay up all night researching some obscure thing like handedness in insects (yes insects can be left handed, most are right handed) when I should be doing something else. I still sidetrip and hyperfocus on things, but not so intensely as in the past.


ME :D

I think hyperfocusing has always been a huge issue for me. It has helped me in the past, e.g. when listening to others. ADDers are not supposed to be good listeners, but I would always hyperfocus on the other person and be the best listener around (but only in one-on-one conversations, if there are more people, I get withdrawn from the conversation and my mind drifts). Also, it could make up for my procrastination in school, I think it's basically what got me through school.
Recently, it has gotten me in some serious trouble though. About two years ago during finals week I started researching my genealogy. I was on the computer probably 48 hours straight, unable to stop, sleep, or do anything else. It was horrible. So for the last two years I have hyperfocused on my genealogy or somebody elses, if one gets boring I start another. If it is not genealogy, I hyperfocus on something else. I stopped going to classes regularly (I'm in graduate school), stopped doing assignments, stopped attending to my apartment, etc. Hyperfocusing has been more detrimental to me than my other ADD characteristics. :( Probably having a laptop and constant internet access and living by myself (with nobody to get me out of my zones) doesn't help ;)
Why do we hyperfocus? Is our mind bored by the other things around us? Are we looking for the stimulation? Is it the hunter in us that caught on to his prey? :faint: Do other people have it as bad? It seems like I can't do anything unless I hyperfocus on it (so often I don't do a lot).

Well, the hyperfocus phenomenon does fit in very neatly with the Hunter Brain Theory, yes. Since you seem to be familiar with that I won't expound upon it :) and we can just say "Maybe that's it.".

AD/HD is a disorder of attention inconsistencey. Too little or too much, we just do not tend to live in the middle area, where NTs seem to fall.

Hyperfocus can cause problems just like inattention can. I can cite examples from my own life: hyperfocus so long on internet that I actually trigger arthritis flareups, hyperfocus and lose sleep long enough to trigger a bipolar cycle :(. I get a lot of info into my brain, or I get a lot of artwork accomplished but I pay a price for that.

All in all, I prefer to hyperfocus as little as possible, since I always seem to wind up in one type of pain or another thanks to it. Some people like to try to live "in the zone" but since its not something we control? I do not see that as a viable option at all.

That's something I appreciate about my being medicated. Like Speedo said, if I am triggered to hyperfocus, its not typically hours upon hours anymore. I am also fully aware on the subconcious level what exactly hyperfocus is and so is my family, so while I may bark when disturbed, I am easily able to go "Whoops! Hyperfocus, that's hard for me to stop...but thanks for geting me out of that state." :)

I cannot switch on hyperfocus but I know how to bring it about, if I procrastinate long enough about doing an essay or some such I will eventually panic and this can bring about the hyperofucs allowing me to complete the assignment in no time. I do get fully burnt out afterwards though...

As it relates to medication, when I was on dex (at one point was 110mg/day) I would end up completely abosrbed into everything and anything. I tried to write an exam and failed it becuase I was soooo slow and could not track time...My. Dr. calls that hyperfocus or sticky thoughts...different from how we define hyperfocus...more like zombie-ism, I also would easily fall into an ADD rage and was ****ed off all the time on those high doses.

There are also times when I just completely space out for a few minutes and have no idea what occured around me, it's alomost like tuning a radio station...sometimes it's clear, other times there is static..

I didn't even know this thing had a name until I read about it here - I just thought it was my own personal version of crazy. Hyperfocus in all of it's forms is the story of my life - from early childhood. The funny thing is, it was just fun back then - I loved to be "away" in my mind. It didn't cause a lot of problems, other than being labeled a "space-cadet". I did well in school. If I was interested in something, I was therefore good at it. Didn't fit in or make friends easily, though.

Even as a single adult, hyperfocus didn't cause many problems. I could get away with playing video games for 8 hours straight after work, with just a quick break in the middle to make some popcorn for dinner! Mind you, at this point I'd given up on personal relationships of any kind.

But today, as a married, 40-something mother with a home business - the hyperfocus causes serious problems. There's just so much more to manage - so many things that have to be done that can't be completed in a day or a week, and have to properly prioritized. So many things that can't be put off - like a husband and son wanting dinner, and popcorn just won't do! :)
My biggest greivence with hyperfocus is that I end up blocking out those who are close to me. I forget about things that should be addressed. Nothing matters other then what's at hand.That says it perfectly. When I am hyperfocused and working, I am in overdrive, on a roll, I just need to finish one...more...thing... And then it's 8:00 and I haven't made dinner yet. My son's not that hungry though, because I've been brushing him off with cheese sticks and fruit snacks all evening. I KNOW it's wrong, I know it's poor management, but I cannot seem to change it!!! I just do the same things over and over. I've always thought it must be obsession, but I don't fit anything I've read about OCD. Needless to say, I feel like a really crappy wife and mom. As if my self-esteem isn't bad enough, I can't help but feel that I'm just not trying hard enough.

So that's the way it's been for years ...but to end on a positive note, I must say that I am thrilled to have found this forum and people who are so much like me (I honestly didn't know there were any). I am trying the ADDplanner (mentioned in the Software thread) and using a countdown of pop-up notes to help me transition off of tasks that I am hyperfocusing on - and on to things that need to be done by a certain time. And OMG it really works! I feel like there is some kind of control - some kind of order - and my son is thriving on it as well.

I can't speack for a young person playing video games though I can talk about what happens to me. When I hyper focias on somethings.
It's not the hyper focias thats hard its the sudden unexpected transishen into
other things thats hard. I can understand why kids have a hard time with this
thay lack the self controle to change, With out it becoming a majer issue. :cool:

I feel I do this most by painting. I completely drown out all noise and listen to music while painting. I have lost track of time and wondered where everyone went.

Me too. I get sucked into painting or drawing while listening to music and never notice anything in the outside world, especially time. Hyperfocus=trance

Me too. I get sucked into painting or drawing while listening to music and never notice anything in the outside world, especially time. Hyperfocus=trance
I love trance music. I listen to Massive Attack, Tricky, and the dust brothers when I paint.

Trance is an excellent way to put it, Blink. :)

Bob is always asking me why Im dont paint more, etc...because then I have to stop painting at some point and I usually dont want to...I have been known to be completely BORED on the internet and still lose track of time... I mean what the heck? I dont read before bed because I will be up all night finishing the book.

I have gotten into the habit of getting up a bit earlier than everyone else and setting my alarm for half hour before they get up for work (Bob and my daughter Sammie) Then I hop to breakfast for them. I used to use the alarm thingy for my youngest for when she was being disciplined, there was no argument about how much longer...now I use it to discipline me...what goes around comes around I suppose.

Oh, the alarm thingy is so I can just space out into what ever I am doing til time to do something important for someone else (Im not known for clear communication, am I?)

"When I am hyperfocused and working, I am in overdrive, on a roll, I just need to finish one...more...thing... And then it's 8:00 and I haven't made dinner yet. My son's not that hungry though, because I've been brushing him off with cheese sticks and fruit snacks all evening. I KNOW it's wrong, I know it's poor management, but I cannot seem to change it!!! I just do the same things over and over. I've always thought it must be obsession, but I don't fit anything I've read about OCD. Needless to say, I feel like a really crappy wife and mom. As if my self-esteem isn't bad enough, I can't help but feel that I'm just not trying hard enough."

Well said!

I just spend several evenings on the computer AGAIN hyperfocusing on something... I talked to my boyfriend afterwards, he was kind of upset, he said when I do this he kind of gets the same upset feeling in his stomach that he did when he was a kid and his alcoholic father had an episode. :eek: I mean, I can easily think that it is somehow like an addiction. But it's scary. He says, he sees my life slip away because I focus so much on one thing and do not take care of the things and the people that are really important to me.

It also reminds me of the couple that was on the news just recently who literally neglected their children because they were playing computer games. This really scares me. I don't think I could ever do this, but yet here I am "wasting" hours on stuff that really means nothing. :(

I once talked to a Doctor (the one who diagnosed me) who said that he really hates the name ADD/ADHD. He claimed that the word "deficit" implies that we are lacking something when he feels that it really isn't the case. It really helps to have had a Dr. who considered himself ADD. We talked a while about it during the diagnosis (which I think he had made in the first 15 mins). We kind of came to the conclusion that it isn't really our lack of ability to concentrate or our lack of being able to give our attention to some topic. But it is more of us not being able to give our attention to the things that society thinks we should be concentrating on. In this aspect, Hyperfocus is both our blessing and our curse.

When I was running a kitchen, I had the ability to completely zero in on a problem until it was solved (as long as it was a problem that I found interesting and not a normal, mundane boring one). I loved using different combinations with the food. If I felt we needed a new pasta dish, I wouldn't sleep at night cause I was too busy turning the problem over and over in my head. It was a blessing in that I could come up with some interesting and unique solutions to some problems that were challenging and new for me. It was a curse because there were times that I ignored some of the everyday challenges. I can't begin to think of all the times that I completely ignored a conversation cause I was preoccupied with something or how many times I almost got into a car accident driving home from work.

I am of the opinion that I would not call Hyperfocus an aspect of my ADHD, I would say that Hyperfocus IS the ADD. I like the name "Hyperfocus" instead of "ADD", it sounds so much more posetive than a "deficit" and it (for me anyhow) comes closer to the truth... my mind isn't going blank and I don't have a problem concentrating on the stuff I find interesting. I am just concentrating on something that I find more interesting.

Am I the only one that when I hyperfocus my medicne seems to wear off in less time then it should, and when I come out of the hyperfocus I feel drained like I've been working on something for days without sleeping?

Hey im new to these threads but ironically I was hyperfocusing reading up on ADHD for pointers and i remembered i actually had a user name on these forums lol.
I love to hyperfocus, i think that its one of the coolest tricks anyone can do. It can be a little extreme though because if i get really interested in something i will research it for like 4 hours straight with like 5 browsers open because i cant stand waiting for the pages to load and i have cable broadband lol. I find that its not just like being able retain information better but I find I can process like multiple aspects of the thing im studying at the same time. Like researching the best video card along with checking pricing for motherboard cpu combo's, and be completely absorbed for hours doing it.

SF

I cannot switch on hyperfocus but I know how to bring it about, if I procrastinate long enough about doing an essay or some such I will eventually panic and this can bring about the hyperofucs allowing me to complete the assignment in no time. I do get fully burnt out afterwards though...I can totally relate to this, I was actually thinking that I can bring about hyperfocus but my method of doing this is basically just make myself believe that if I don't sit down and do it right there (like essay or something) all hell is gonna break loose and im severely going to regret it and really that I NEED to do it. However I realize thats just the same feeling as when I procrastinate :).

The ironic thing is that procrastination is really a bad habit. But when it comes to the end of the line and that panic comes around, I hyperfocus my butt off on the project regardless of it's fun factor and it actually turns out pretty good in like a really short time.
Which doesn't really help break the habit...

Scott

This reminds me... I was in a cafe having coffee and I totally zoned out. A very perceptive fellow I knew caught me doing it and he commented "I wish I could do that"... I was a little embarassed having gotten caught red-handed zoning like that.

It is the one characteristic of ADHD that I deeply appreciate.


Me :D
Amen Brotha' ;)

Unfortunately, I seem to hyperfocus on something extremely well while I am procrastinating. I'll hyperfocus on what ever will capture my interest at the moment. Tonight it has been this website and the various links I've clicked through on it. This is all too common for me when I go online. It's like a hyperfocus on just bringing in loads of information. I wish I could hyperfocus on a book! It's always frustrating that I like to read, but I can't ever concentrate long enough to finish a darn book!

I should have been studying for the GRE tonight. I should have been in bed hours ago. Part of the problem tonight may be that I took a second dose of Adderal way too late. My doctor prescribes 2 doses a day, but he is aware that I usually only take one unless I really need it. I considered studying a case of really needing it. It's working a little bit, I can tell but not enough to keep me from hyperfocusing. I took it at 7:00 PM tonight, and I'm not on a slow release, so I thought for sure it would wear off by around midnight, but here I am...

Going to get some water to study more for now.

Math, blech!

Just realized that I forgot to post a question that I wanted to ask in my last reply. It was actually the reason I replied. (Looks like the Adderal may have worn off after-all. Maybe it's just the anxiousness keeping me up now. I think I'm finally starting to get tired. Yeah!)

Anyhow, the question...

Have any of you figured out how to stop the hyperfocus when it starts? While I have found the hyperfocus helpful on a couple of occassions (researching a project, catching up on work I've put off), most of the time it causes more problems than it helps. For example, when I was in school, I would start researching for a paper, but I wouldn't be able to stop (usually resulting in too much info). In one case, I picked my topic and started research a week before it was assigned and still managed to turn the paper in about a week late!

Most of the time it affects me when there is something I'm putting off and I'm procrastinating. I have absolutely no self control, and I can't seem to stop myself. This is to the point where I have skipped meals. (So yes, that time that I researched printers, I may have absolutely bought the best one, but I didn't need to take hours on end and skip dinner to do it.)

Do you have a technique you use to stop hyperfocusing on the wrong thing when there is something else you should be focusing on? I've tried the timers, but I seem to tell myself five more minutes, or I don't catch myself when I start, so I don't set the timer. Maybe there is a way to ease into it or to shift into something else briefly first to allow my brain to "change gears?" I could still use the timer though as the trigger, and then maybe eventually (through repetition) I wouldn't need something else to switch to before I go to the proper task.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I really am tired now and must go to bed. I had trouble getting the last part of that post out, but I know I needed to do that before going to sleep, or I won't ever write it, and then I'll forget to visit the forumns for a month.

Goodness... rambling... must. sleep.

I used to hyperfocus on videogames when I was younger. I used to play hours on end. One reason I avoid video games as an adult.
I have a new hyperfocus addiction: chatting. I love to have multiple windows open and chatting with people in cyberspace. Whenever the chat slows down, I text someone new...just to keep it busy. I can focus like that for hours. I lose myself and love that feeling of just losing myself.

I had a few questions:
* How is hyper focus different from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

* I am a big fan of the the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi) and his books. He coined a concept called flow which is fascinating. Infact, hyper-focussing and flow sound like they are really similar. I think everybody can experience flow when they find the right activity. It's just that ADDers hit flow quicker and easier (on things that they are interested in) because of their ability to hyperfocus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

Of the 9 symptoms of experiencing flow, all seem to apply to hyper-focus except #7


Csikszentmihalyi identifies the following as accompanying an experience of flow:




Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities).
Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-consciousness), the merging of action and awareness.
Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975. p.72).

Well, apparantly I wasn't the only person who saw a connection between flow and hyperfocussing. A quick search in google produced a whole bunch of hits.

Here is one person's opinion:
http://www.addexecutive.com/2007/12/05/csikszentmihalyis-flow-and-the-addexecs-hyperfocus/

My take on this is that while Flow and Hyperfocus (as commonly understood right now) share characteristics, but aren’t the same thing. While we adults with attention deficit disorder may experience both flow and hyperfocus from time to time, we may find it useful to pay attention to the subtleties of each experience so that we know which one we’re grooving in, and how we got there. With this knowledge, we might have a chance at choosing whether and when to attempt a repeat engagement.
Another:
http://www.dirhody.com/discanner/giftedad.html

Gifted children with AD/HD also find completing tasks less rewarding than do other gifted children, that is, for many, the intrinsic reward of completion is not as satisfying to them. On the other hand, when working on a self-chosen activity, gifted children, with and without AD/HD, are able to immerse themselves in the task and work for long hours without much external reinforcement. This ability to hyperfocus, the falling into "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996), is what makes creative work so satisfying to so many gifted children, whatever their other problems.

Hmmm I seem to be on to something.

I do that. For random reasons I'll just get completely obsessed with a task and will spend hours and hours on it - whether it gets done or not isn't really a factor, it's pretty much until I get bored with it. Sometimes the obsession lasts for days. :p My non-ADD husband laughs at me and says I'm crazy because I can't focus on dinner long enough to remember to close the microwave but will spend all day organizing the storage closet! :D

I too am a big fan, but I think that #7 does apply:

It's control over ourselves that is lacking in hyperfocus, rather than control over the situation or activity.

I am a big fan of the the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi) and his books. He coined a concept called flow which is fascinating. Infact, hyper-focussing and flow sound like they are really similar. I think everybody can experience flow when they find the right activity. It's just that ADDers hit flow quicker and easier (on things that they are interested in) because of their ability to hyperfocus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

Of the 9 symptoms of experiencing flow, all seem to apply to hyper-focus except #7


Csikszentmihalyi identifies the following as accompanying an experience of flow:



Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">
Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities).
Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-consciousness), the merging of action and awareness.
Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975. p.72).</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Am I the only one that when I hyperfocus my medicne seems to wear off in less time then it should, and when I come out of the hyperfocus I feel drained like I've been working on something for days without sleeping?


I'm exactly like that.

hmmm... It's 4:00 am and on a whim I've just spent six and a half hours reading a huge amount of stuff on the net trying to find out why my brain works this way, not to mention this thread from start to finish, which (in a beautifully ironic way) summarises and paraphrases some of the stuff I've just been hyperfocused on.

Hyperfocused, I like that and I think it's a better fit for myself than ADD or high functioning Autism. The DSM-IV questions for diagnosing Adult ADHD/ADD in particular(except for the few about being distracted easily) relate to things which could easily be being experienced because of hyperfocus, rather than being co-symptoms of a seperate disorder. I just wish I could find more research in that direction.


The problem with discerning pure hyperfocus from hyperfocus associated with other disorders is that, similar to Adult ADD sufferers, hyperfocused people don't facilitate medical research very well. People this talented and incompatible with society will either find a way to live with it, underacheiving spectacularly (that's a big reason 10% of my country's prison population is estimated to be hyperfocused), have the financial and social resources (or even luck) at hand to thrive in their eccentricity, or piggyback their way to help by allowing themselves to be misdiagnosed as suffering (or as a consequence of hyperfocus developing) any one of a number of genuine disorders which also exhibit hyperfocus as an indicator.

I can't seem to find any research purely into Hyperfocus, or dealing with hyperfocus as a discrete anomaly. The one thing hyperfocussed people are unlikely to do,since it is so much more difficult than the three options above for such people, is to tenaciously instigate such investigation, either by themselves or by chasing a real explanation from health professionals. This is the more worthy goal, having the medical establishment reassess it's thinking on the nature of thought processes, and the current categorisation of these into 'healthy' and 'unhealthy'. Not to mention the integration into 'normal' society of these abnormal thinkers, who have such a different experience of time and purpose that they have been so often marginalised despite posessing valuable talents.

Well, I may not have found any concrete answers as to what hyperfocus is, or how to live with it, but it has been a great relief to hear that I am not alone. Suffice to say that it literally brings tears to my eyes. Cheers and best of luck to you all.

Oh, and as for bringing on the hyperfocus? I just choose to make that one thing (or area) the most important thing. Like in meditation, I remove everything else from my world, I ignore it and don't give it another thought, leaving room only for what it is I'm going to focus on. time doesn't exist, everything is on autopilot, making coffee, going to the loo, other people. That's how I enter the hyperfocussed state on purpose, But it can also happen accidentally. I have no idea how to stop, either I get to the end of the task at hand , I run out of energy, or someone makes me come back.

I "deep subroutine" (hyperfocus) all the time. When I was younger I could work productively on a project for nearly 14 hours straight - with minor annoyances like going to bathroom, eating, and having to answer people. It is an enjoyable state of mind. I can also go "walk-about" and lose all sense of time while walking or hiking.
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I just lack the "typical and expected" amount of control (will power) to direct my focus by means of rational thought. Where my focus winds up is not much different than trying to hold one's breath for hours only to find that one is breathing for some unaccountable reason. I also "drift off" a lot. I have almost no control over my "attention span" - short or long term. I find that I can use adrenaline causing behavior (in self) to provide a temporary "override". Note: this is not socially acceptable.
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I have read about a psychological thing called a "fugue state" that describes my hyperfocus experience quite accurately.
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I have been formally diagnosed as having ADHD and take 108mg of Concerta (which makes my wife feel better:-). I do not believe that I have a "disorder", but rather that I have inherited a brain organization that did not make the agrarian adaptation (possessed by over 95% of the population).

well im in the gifted range of IQ 140 and i rarely have hyperfocusing , unless im reading a very interesting topic , reading the laster harry potter novel , playin games or watchin a movie ! :)
still im 0 ability to contol attention in class , conferences and other "boring " events :)