Geesh, good question, Wcknight,
You may have seen books on prayer that just describe a “groaning” in prayer, referring to the intensity of emotion that has strength in the body. It can also be filled with joy and delight, or other sentiments that truly touch the heart of man, as it were.
Other times, we are able to pray only with the intellect [the mind, which includes the understanding and imagination] and there is a void, which some call “aridity” because the emotions and/or feelings are very dry and lifeless. Not to say they are of less worth, for if we persist in prayer despite not having consolation, it is still pleasing to God.
Generally a person who is new to prayer * will find honey, for God inclines them to the practice of prayer and allows them to find sweetness of heart. Later on as one advances, the Lord withdraws the consolation; it then becomes a matter of pure willing in the mind, to adore, thank, petition, and just “be” with God.
It may happen that some persons just “get their prayer in” by absently reciting formulae, and in this sense, I mentioned above using both the mind AND the heart. Real prayer attempts to involve the heart as one speaks to God.*