Anyone with nonlinear thinking and pattern recognition thinking?

[u/proud_divergent]

I’m not sure where to post this but this might be the closest to where I might find others with similar way of thinking. I have gestalt thinking, nonlinear and an intuitive pattern recognition way of thinking. I see things at system level or conceptual level and I intuitively interconnect things that are NOT related. I struggle explaining how I can see things that look so obviously similar to me in the way they function at a fundamental level, NOT at a detail level. This is genuinely how my brain is wired. Anyone out there who has a similar way of seeing the world? I would love to get your thoughts on this please because the struggle is real.

[u/Fun_Abroad_8414]

Yes. I see the world as patterns and my brain shuffles through them like transparencies over documents to “line them up,” so to speak. I also zoom in and out from detail to main concept, and then generalize the concepts in ever widening concentric rings. I do recognize how this sounds, but I’m not certain how else to describe it. Sometimes I feel a little like a slot machine - I get three things that connect but only I see what they have in common, so there is only payout for me.

[u/proud_divergent → u/Fun_Abroad_8414]

I understood exactly what you mean without having to say anything else. It’s the exact experience I have. I zoom in and out, reconstruct concepts and like rewrite the whole previous understanding of the world. It could be anything. I merge things together in my head or dissect different topics and then rebuild them into a new understanding. I think that’s what you were describing too? And I understood what you meant, because I too feel like I’m the only one who is enjoying this beauty of a masterpiece and then to everyone else it sounds like I’m stupid or it sounds to them like I didn’t understand any of the concepts whilst it’s quite the contrary to me.

[u/Fun_Abroad_8414 → u/proud_divergent]

Yes! That is it. It’s fast, comprehensive, precise, and synergistic - which is the incredibly creative component and the part most valuable to me. There’s something about not just finding a new pattern but in recognizing when multiple old patterns say or show something completely unanticipated and unprecedented. You describe it very well - the dissection, the rebuilding, and the beauty of it all.

[u/proud_divergent → u/Fun_Abroad_8414]

You have no idea what it feels like to me right now to have found someone who sees things the same way I do. It’s beautifully overwhelming. Thank you so much!

[u/Suesquish → u/proud_divergent]

It's possible the two of you might be 2e. This sounds more a 2e thing than just autistic or AuDHD.

[u/YouAffectionate5930 → u/Suesquish]

Can confirm from personal experience and diagnosis that this description of thought process aligns with 2e, and to add that I find your way of describing it very affirming/resonating.

[u/Canuck_Voyageur → u/Suesquish]

2e???

Edit: never mind. found it. Twice exceptional

[u/Fun_Abroad_8414 → u/proud_divergent]

Seriously, thank you, too. This never happens to me. I’m actually amazed!

Edit for clarity: I mean, I have never found anyone whose thinking was similar and said so. That’s what I mean by amazed, and that’s why I’m so grateful.

[u/proud_divergent → u/Fun_Abroad_8414]

Yes that’s exactly what I meant too haha no worries

[u/tallkitty → u/proud_divergent]

I definitely understand the rewriting concepts thing. I actually came to reddit now to post about a situation that I'm seeing in a new way (like almost opposite, from hugely beneficial to fake and exploitative) after a brief experience brought me new info. I try to lead people through what I see as clear logic, and no one can even consider a little bit that I'm not just crazy and thinking negatively about things. One example would be that I perceive romantic relationships as selfish by default and parasitic even when it's good and healthy by other standards. I see the biological processes as driving everything and us as slaves to it most of the time. It seems understandable that most people wouldn't reject love because it's not actually a kind of magic or fateful appointment, because it still feels great. But it's weird to me that no one can even acknowledge that my idea makes sense. Like babies are in that mix of processes, we know mating makes babies and we are compelled to do it and ultimately why, but everything before and after is just people making choices, the same one in fact, over and over in a lifetime. Is this the kind of thinking you're describing?

[u/proud_divergent → u/tallkitty]

Yes, I think I understood what you meant. You’re stripping things down to their fundamental level (the essence and what they really are at their core).

However, in my case, what would excite me the most about this process is to push further. So this observation for me would likely be the starting point, not the end result. What my brain would do with this information is zoom in and out on things, but not in one field (and this is a crucial one for me). I would take such observation and “investigate” because I want to seek meaning and why this happens. So I look across different fields/disciplines and I merge them together to create a new understanding of why things are the way they are. So my brain does this: go vertically in details, go up to synthesize concepts at a higher level then go laterally to something else in the details and then up again lateral, vertical, lateral, lateral, vertical, vertical, etc until I reach a higher up level of what I would like to call “meta-understanding”. That’s the best way I could describe it and introduce a new word for it. Hope this makes sense? It’s really the best way I can describe it. I was actually thinking to start a YouTube channel on this because I think it’s not talked about enough, just to help others find themselves. But I don’t know yet if it’s worth it, social media makes it easier for people to “attack” what they don’t know rather than pause and think “oh I’ve never thought about it this way before”. It’s that simple.

PS: you are spot on with your observation LOL I had the same one. But just know that people don’t get frustrated at your idea because it’s “wrong”. Most of the time they get angry and annoyed because it’s hard for them to imagine reconsidering the true meaning of their existence. Your view is logical and to me I’m like “yeah makes sense” and I would move on. Others would go into an existential crisis lol. The point I’m trying to make, don’t let that discourage you, and stay curious! You’re not alone.

[u/oneoftwoautistic → u/proud_divergent]

Lol. I love this! I read the comment before this, and my brain starts going, then read your comment and read what my brain had just done. Thank you for posting and distilling the process into elegant effective communication.

[u/CuteFluffyGuy]

Yes, I see things as processes and systems. I use analogies between various disciplines to try to explain how related things are from a process perspective, but usually just confuse people. It’s great for planning and making projects, though!

[u/Fit-Power-2084]

Yes I do! Im a process engineer now, funnily enough.

[u/Geminii27]

Sure. Pattern-thinking/matching is fairly common. It's part of why I rarely had problems learning new computer systems/interfaces in various jobs - no matter how different they looked on the surface, they were always manipulating data using much the same algorithms and programmer-mindsets underneath, so I could often tap into that without any kind of training.

I spent a lot of my life answering "How did you learn/know that?" with "It just seemed obvious," or "Oh, I used something similar a while back." The fact that most people would not in any way have thought those things were similar was moot.

[u/proud_divergent → u/Geminii27]

Thank you, that sounds close to what I described but not quite.In my case, it’s a combination of nonlinear + pattern recognition + gestalt thinking. It actually could be the same, but it gets manifested differently in different people - I have no idea, not a specialist so I can only talk for myself. I don’t know how to explain what I’m trying to say. From what you’ve mentioned, you’re likely describing what looks to me like one discipline. I do it on a more “macro” level of knowledge. Imagine all the fields in the world, transform them to find meaning and understanding of existence. I go into a lot of details in so many fields and I make the universe my playground. Sticking to one seems to me very “shallow”, my brain just wants to expand naturally.

For example, you talk about code and algorithms. My brain would go “ohh let’s take the essence of that and apply it to cosmology and see what it gives us in astrophysics”. And then “let’s go to psychology and see the interconnectedness with the brain”. So my brain already transformed this into something new. Then it goes “oh that’s interesting, let’s go see if that applies to archeological findings, could it explain this?” And then I might go to understanding the earth’s electromagnetic fields to understand its effects on human evolution and then go back to try to explain it in physics and quantum theories to relate it back to understanding humans or relate it back to computer science.

[u/Geminii27 → u/proud_divergent]

Exactly. Cross-discipline framework application testing.

It doesn't always give something interesting, or even applicable, due to frameworks often having underlying assumptions/axioms which don't align, but sometimes it can provide some interesting vectors for exploration. Occasionally it even results in useful breakthroughs.

[u/proud_divergent → u/Geminii27]

Nice!! Yes, it’s super cool - and it’s less common than we may think.

[u/SnooMaps460 → u/proud_divergent]

I know what you’re talking about, I think, but my favorite way of starting is with etymology and history. Then I place the concept on a timeline in my mind and I can “see” where it is in reference to everything else I’ve placed on it before: events, eras, people etc. I definitely can “zoom in and zoom out” of my timeline.

It has forward and backward dimensionality. It’s interesting how you describe being able to move up and down as well. Do you visualize this in your mind? What does it look like, is it colorful? What do the points look like, are they symbols?

I’ll see similarities through patterns too, it makes me feel a little crazy sometimes, it’s like a religious experience almost. It’s like the universe is speaking.

I was raised Wiccan so I don’t really over intellectualize that, I just experience it as magic, honestly. Although, it’s in my nature to over intellectualize most things, generally.

That’s probably what caused me to get interested in Jungian psychology. The way he can describe symbols and archetypes just mesmerizes me.

[u/akexodia]

This is very interesting. Is there any examples from scenarios in your daily life you could share? I am genuinely very curious about how this plays out. Reading your post and all the comments so far, I feel I understand what you mean and to some extent I feel I do the same, but I am not sure I interpret yours or others' explanation accurately as it was supposed to be meant.

[u/proud_divergent → u/akexodia]

Sure, but please note that I do not speak for everyone, I’m simply describing MY experience.

Imagine all the disciplines in the world, and draw them on a board as circles. Now imagine all those circles intersect in one point. That’s my brain 🤣

Now imagine each of these big circles (being different fields/disciplines) have circles in them: these are concepts. And inside of those there are tiny circles and these are details.

Now it’s about to get complex. So far we’ve been drawing in flat on a whiteboard, right? But it’s not just one whiteboard. It’s a lot of whiteboards!

Imagine the surfaces of a cube and all the space in between is full of circles. That’s what we know today. This is current knowledge.

Now my brain is a crazy point bouncing everywhere in this cube and creating new cubes in other dimensions.

Does this explain it better? 😅 that’s the best analogy I have reached so far to explain my brain so thank you for challenging me to explain! This was fun! 🥰

[u/SmithFishPond35]

The hardest part for me is when asked to explain or justify my intuitive observation. “I don’t know, my brain did some shit and this idea popped out. Seems obvious to me”

[u/proud_divergent → u/SmithFishPond35]

Yess! Exactly! 😊 I find that fascinating and I’ve been mapping how my brain works!

[u/aspiesniper]

Mostly yes. I think 3d. But I like to arrange the pattern in order. No detail is ever discounted, just placed in the correct place even if irrelevant.

[u/Canuck_Voyageur]

I can see group dynamics when I can't see individual interacations.

In college when I was taking calculus, I suddenly saw functions everywhere. I'd think aobut a given hallway and the number of people in it as a function of time, with peaks at class bells, and trickles at other times.

[u/Tenebrous_Savant]

It is uncommon for us to exist, but not abnormal.

[u/eccentricrealist]

I just explain it as, instead of having a linear thought process, my head is a nebula from which I grasp at tangents

[u/Entr0pic08]

There's a word for this: dialectics.

[u/Whole-Celery3117]

Omg people who think like me!! 😅

Even walking down the street it's kind of like numbers but with patterns.. I just see them everywhere - like likes of where people are headewhend where they've come from, places where the patterns get messy and mixed up, and then on top of that patterns of how things relate as well. It's not always clear and not always easy to explain.. sometimes the pattern even takes awhile to piece together but there is always a pattern and a system.

Makes people at work hate me. They never understand what I want to change or why and they can never see the positives. (Time/money) Efficiencies! Quality improvements! Logical improvements!

Team mates/manager: BuT WHy? 🤡

[u/SaintValkyrie]

Yes. It's so frustrating being unable to articulate it. I can see it all on a larger picture and how things interconnect.

I often gaslight myself due to trauma of whenever I tried to tlak about it growing up, i was called stupid or arrogant or made fun of. Granted these are people who take you saying anything positive about yourself or any amount of information as a direct threat if they don't know it first.