DriGuy

There's something like a similarity to what you and I do, but still differences. I turn off my "thinker" so that I can observe myself more objectively. A mind full of thoughts has a tendency to be distracting when searching for subtleties in self that can lead to valuable insights. I don't think of this as getting into the 'now', but it is a way to observe parts of the 'now' that I'm not clearly aware of in myself and would like to understand better.

I've solved a lot of problems this way, but what I've become aware of in more recent years is that I can also turn off my thinker when there is a problem I would be better off ignoring like a worry or a resentment. To me, it's like turning off the now. But you may see that as turning on the now. It could just be a matter of different perspectives.