Reply To: Confused about differences between tracks
Barbara HussGreetings lou49, here is the understanding I have come to through my use of the clicktracks: As I listen to the clicktrack, and try to follow along in the prescribed manner, my state is changed. Trying to follow the clicks and tones, while simultaneously remembering the event and accompanying emotions, creates a state of divided attention in me. It is this state that keeps the “critical factor” (Tim's term, I use another term) from “butting in” so to speak, and resulting in the mechanical reactivity that I experience in my usual states. So your use of the word “distracted” is precisely correct. I want that part of my mind to be distracted, occupied, kept busy, so it doesn't come nosing around what's going on in the subconscious. I'm always glad when I can't quite follow along, or miss some taps, or tap with the wrong hand. It means the crafty critical factor hasn't mastered it yet, and so needs to tend to it's own business. That's why there are more than just one clicktrack. If I get “too good” at tapping with one of the tracks, it's time to switch to another.
I usually find there is a see-saw type of movement of attention during the clicktracks. One moment I'm more attentive to trying to follow the clicks, another moment I'm more focused on the memory, event or emotion. I just keep coming back to trying to hold them both in attention.
I really try to emphasize feeling the emotion, as opposed to a memory with no emotion, if I can, when I'm clicking . My understanding is that the subconscious will apply what Tim is saying in the script to the emotion. The emotion is the referent to which the subconscious applies Tim's script. If I'm having trouble feeling the emotion, sometimes I sense my body instead. While I can hear Tim's voice in the background while I'm clicking, I never actively listen to the script.
You can try an experiment with divided attention for yourself. Next time you are, say, talking with someone, try at the same time to also sense your right hand. If you give this a try, you will have a new appreciation for how elegant and effective Tim's creation really is. Keep at it, it's worth the effort.