The “Stream” of Consciousness

Conscious thought is sometimes described as a stream of mental activity (stream of consciousness), an endless organizing of snatches of inner experience, daydreams, plans, and self-talk. In this chapter a number of these distinctive cognitive phenomena are examined, including mind-wandering as opposed to flow, daydreaming, and introspection. In clinical contexts the two related phenomena of ruminating and worrying are important because they can become distressing to clients. Two deliberate strategies to counteract these tendencies that have been taught to clients and their benefits confirmed are meditation and mindfulness training. The use of these strategies in cognitive-behavior therapy is briefly described.