Nice and easy, we’ll start with an explanation of Psychological Time, which is when we sense a “time and place” that’s independent of our physical location in the Universe.
In broad terms, Psychological Time refers to any mental pressure or activity brewing in my mind, whether it stems from past memories or from how those memories get refined to form visions of the future. Essentially, it’s my conscious thought stream generating the feeling that I’m in another time—or zipping along a timeline of events via the mind’s personal time machine.
Thus, broadly speaking, Psychological Time = Any Surface Thinking.
I can also refine my ideas to create an illusion of the “present,” even though I might have mentally stepped backward or forward in time. Confused yet? Let me clarify: sometimes, hypnotic or blissful feelings trick me into believing I’m in the ‘now.’ When in reality, I’ve inflated an artificial space stitched together from the wonders of my memory. If the setting is just right, I can tap into lingering “past positive meaning,” which makes it feel like yesterday or tomorrow has no hold on me—though it’s actually an illusion.
So, in my mind:
Yesterday + Tomorrow + Any idea of the Present/Now (that’s really a tricky distortion of reality) = Psychological Time. Or again, broadly: Psychological Time = All Thoughts Playing Out—the entire spectrum of my psychological activity.
When Psychological Time is mentioned in a more general sense on this site (a.k.a. Default Time), it usually points to a negative perception. This is when a build-up of mental pressure makes every tick of the clock feel extra loud and relentless, like we’re caught in a never-ending waiting game. However, technically and broadly speaking, Psychological Time includes all of my thoughts—positive or negative—because any emotional charge can trigger it.
Okay, let’s pause here and relax before giving our MIND TIME MUSCLE another workout. We’ll need that energy for the rest of this section!