I have noticed something like this in my time programming. When I started out, I had to look at every different type of command differently, and eventually I just was able to understand the entire system intuitively, now it seems like the most logical thing in the world, I have no memory of anything in between, it just sort of happened. Humans are designed to find patterns in the noise, so much so that we do it even when they aren't there (hence misconceptions and bad habits). This is how we learn things like how to speak, and other intuitive things like how to ride a bike, so it makes sense that it is a learning method that could be applied to other parts of life.