1. the performance of actions or movements without conscious thought or intention
Usage: common in psychology and neurology
2. a state in which a person acts without awareness or control, often due to a medical condition such as epilepsy
Usage: medical/clinical term
3. in art and literature, the technique of creating without conscious planning or control, allowing the unconscious mind to direct the work
Usage: art and literary criticism

Examples

• Typing your password is an example of automatism—you do it without thinking.
• The patient experienced automatism during the seizure, performing repetitive movements without awareness.
• Surrealist artists used automatism to bypass rational thought and access their unconscious creativity.
• Driving home on a familiar route often becomes automatism; you arrive without remembering the journey.
• The writer practiced automatism, writing continuously without stopping to edit or plan.
• Automatism in daily routines frees up mental energy for more complex tasks.