I used the think of “pain and unconsciousness” as severe pain and complete unconsciousness. I never considered gradients thereof.
Now that I repair students and come across their moments of reduced analytical power, these gradients have become very clear to me. They coincide with illness, injury, drugs and weariness !! (tiredness)
The student at my desk tells me he has a vague recollection of “having done that” (part of math), but he “doesn’t remember”. This leaves him with the idea that he is not too bright. The truth is that he experienced moments of reduced analytical power while being taught. His level of Mind Alert was such that he could not place the data where he could recall it later. (in other words it didn’t get filed in the analytical mind)
There are gradients of weariness, illness, injury and drugs, causing degrees of Mind Alert (see Chart of Human Eval).
What if Johnny is
a little sick (just an ear ache, that’s all)
a little drugged (Zyrtec or Acne pills)
a little tired (wouldn’t go to bed, and I couldn’t drag him out of bed this morning)
often scared of the bullies (you know how kids are)
regularly eats junk food (if I don’t watch him closely)
had growing pains all summer long? (getting tall like his dad!)
Would that be the summer he lost it in math? The time he couldn’t remember what was being taught and he decided to “hate” the subject?
Even if the student in front of me can’t verbalize what happened that summer, he can point at one of the pictures below, which show how ANALYTICALLY THERE he was at the time he was taught. I can then explain to him the gaps in his education. As he was only 20% analytically there, 80% of the data was misfiled under “I don’t know”. He was largely not there to get it. (nothing to do with how smart he is).
Now in Miss Snotgrass’ class he never learned anything (too late in the day; kid too tired)
The boy got an education that beefed up his bank and left him spinning, for every gap in his education makes the next step an out-gradient.
It is my job to find and fill these gaps and get him winning again. This is done by going over every scrap of his education (as he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know) and watching his indicators.
Soon he’ll find the truth: that he is smart and can do anything! What a relief!
Love, Joke
(See:
Educational Dianetics R&D Vol 4, August 1950 – for data on reduced analytical power by reason of weariness.
Chart of Human Eval column AN, Level of Mind Alert)