Intention in Prayer is Possible When You Step Outside Yourself

We use the word "intention" in prayer when describing identification with the words of the prayer and our state of being before Hashem. When we manage to focus on the words without thinking about other things, this state is known as 'flow'- a unique mental state of high attention during the execution of a challenging task, where self-awareness is low. Many people describe such states during tasks at work or playing video games, and at a higher level, among athletes and artists. In a state of flow, we fully concentrate on the task, without awareness of self, leading to a state of happiness. In states of flow, our performance levels rise remarkably. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American researcher who first described the flow theory in the 1980s, explained that this state has several traits, including a sense of lost time and a feeling that the action is performed automatically, almost by itself.

Csikszentmihalyi argues that an average person processes 110 units of information (bits in computer terminology) each second and each action and stimulus requires a number of bits for processing. For example, speaking consumes approximately 60 bits per second which allows us to talk to someone and think about other things at the same time. However, when we are deeply focused on a task that captivates us, we don't have enough attention remaining for other things - not the weather, our bodily sensations, or concerns about paying the electricity bill.

We can imagine how prayer feels in such a state, where everything flows easily, the words find their way on their own to Hashem, the surrounding environment doesn't disturb or distract us- if we manage to consciously enter this flow, we can pray at a completely different level. Indeed, many researchers are trying to understand what happens in the brain during a flow state, but an accurate measurement is no simple task. One researcher tried to measure the brain waves of experienced chess players during a game but to his surprise, he found that among the most skilled players, there was low activity in the prefrontal cortex, typically associated with complex cognitive functions like working memory and verbal ability- seemingly necessary qualities for a person engaged in intense cerebral activity. These centers are where our self-awareness and critical thoughts are housed; but as it turns out, they get in the way.

Researcher Gabriele Wulf, along with her colleagues, examined the body movements of athletes and she found that if she asked participants in the study to focus on an external point far from their body, their abilities improved rapidly. The study's results aligned with the perception that a flow state occurs precisely when one manages to detach from conscious thought. "When focusing on an external point, a more automatic type of control is achieved," she says. "You don't think about what you are doing; you just focus on the outcome".

If we try to adapt these findings to our mental state in prayer, the conclusion would be not to exert more effort in prayer and also not to try to have intense intent – maybe this is what the Sages meant by "Iyun Tefillah" (contemplation of prayer), which can result in disappointment. Rather, by entering a state where there is no effort, where the focus is external and not on ourselves and our thoughts, we will succeed in praying with greater intention. In the next column, we will provide tips to help enter a flow state.