|
|
|
Title: Understanding the Mental Process of Thoughts and Emotions Author: Tim Birmingham
Chapter 1 Defining the Brain A portion of the vertebrate central nervous system that constitutes the organ of thought and neural coordination, includes all the higher nervous centers receiving stimuli from the sense organs and interpreting and correlating them to formulate the motor impulses, is made up of neurons and supporting and nutritive structures, is enclosed within the skull, and is continuous with the spinal cord through the foramen magnum b : a nervous center in invertebrates comparable in position and function to the vertebrate brain. Defining the Mind The element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons b : the conscious mental events and capabilities in an organism c : the organized conscious and unconscious adaptive mental activity of an organism. Defining the Central Nervous System The part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system.
The difference between the brain and
mind. The brain is the portion of the vertebrate central nervous
system that constitutes the organ of thought and neural
coordination, includes all the higher nervous centers receiving
stimuli from the sense organs and interpreting and correlating them
to formulate the motor impulses, is made up of neurons and
supporting and nutritive structures, is enclosed within the skull,
and is continuous with the spinal cord through the foramen magnum
The mind is the element or complex of
elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and
especially reasons
To further explore thought and action as it as it relates to real world preparedness the mind/brain will be divided into three main parts. The Instinct Mind aka Reptilian Brain, The Emotional Mind aka Limbic Brain, and The Analytical Mind aka Neocortex Brain. This 3 minds/brains are also known as the Triune Brain.
Reptilian Brain/The Instinctive Mind
The Word Instinct is defined as 1
: a natural or inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity <had
an instinct for the right word> The Reptilian Brain or Instinctive Mind is located in Brain Stem Area, atop of the spine Function: Survival (Fight/Flight, monitoring motor functions, mating) The instinctive (reptilian) mind is our survival mind or instinctive mechanism is the source of our most primitive responses. When a threat is perceived, real or not, the primitive fight or flight response is the result. It activates a flood of chemical response (adrenaline being the most recognizable) and prepare us for a physical response to threat or danger. This is the most ancient part or our brain with the most basic life sustaining functions; such as autonomic brain, lung and heart functions. The instinctive mind acts instinctually and ritualistically, lacking emotion.
The Reptilian Brain or Instinctive Mind as one of its functions is on the constant look out for danger. It is constantly scanning, through the senses, for incoming stimuli from the environment, for signals that could indicate danger. This is the same system of operation as in most if not all animals. Once the instinctive mind picks up on danger signals, the body is put on alert and biochemical changes happens at a fast rate. Danger is accessed and the body is put on notice to fight or flight (aggress or retreat.) Much of the chemical and physical change is a direct result of adrenaline, this is when things seem to slow down as timing is altered. Limbic Brain/Emotional Mind Within the limbic brain emotion is markedly aroused or agitated in feeling or sensibilities. It is involved with needs like attachment, and security. It creates the chemical messages that connect information into memory. It acts as a filter of external events through internal states. It stores highly changed emotional memories and send the biochemical charge in accordance to it experience and conditioning. Function: Storage of experience and highly emotional charges of experiences. Positive and negative charges. The emotional mind sets the tempo for action. Example: The tempo could be that the fear and loss and all the chemicals associated with past loss are activated, leaving one with little or no chance of winning. Likewise it can set the stage for power, passion and winning, activating the chemical response needed to succeed depending on experience and conditioning. The emotional association of incoming events is like a directing and filtering process. If one has been burned, he does not want to get burned again, so the emotional mind would direct him to get away. The limbic mind translates incoming information into an emotional response. It is the center of emotional activity and sensory-based emotional information, including senses of taste and smell, pleasure and pain. It affects motivation and drive. It is believed by most researches the sense of smell, the olfactory system, is the only sense that goes directly to the limbic brain as others are directed to a relay station, thalamus, before being sent elsewhere. The thalamus is considered a portion of the limbic system. The emotional translational is powerful and immediate as it is directs the mind and body in accordance to experience and conditioning.
The thalamus is considered a portion of the limbic system. The emotional translational is powerful and immediate as it is directs the mind and body in accordance to experience and conditioning.
Neocortex Brain/Analytical
Mind The Neocortex Brain/Analytical mind is in control of logic, creativity, knowledge and language and the interpreter of sensory information. It is divided into two part the left and right brain. These two hemispheres make up the highest evolution of the human brain.
The right brain is most active when we daydream, listening to music, and drawing. Often times the left brain cannot describe the experiences of the right brain. Roger W. Sperry, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981, put it this way. "The great pleasure and feeling in my right brain is more than my left brain can find the words to tell you."
One needs to
utilize and work with both brains to have unity within thought and
action. While the left brain analyzes the right brain synthesis
bring about a balance in learning. Traditional education of the
past was primarily left brain friendly, whereas innovative
instructors of the future pay attention to the whole including the
right brain. By stimulation and exercising the right and left brain one
is able to achieve an optimum state of learning. Facts about the Brain The brain is the supervisory center of the nervous system. By means of electrochemical impulses the brain directly controls conscious or voluntary behavior, such as walking, talking, and thinking. The brain also monitors involuntary behaviors such as adjusting heart rage, blood, pressure, directly influences the internal organs as needed to sustain survival or the organism It is the command and control center of the human being. There are many things that influence mental function. Genetics, disease, experiences and stress. It is imperative that one develop an understanding and working relationship brain and mental function that one might begin to correct those things that affect one negatively and start on a road of improvement One's brain and mental function is no different than a muscle, the more you understand it and the more you can use it, the stronger it becomes. Every time you learn something new or learn how to handle different aspects of life and emotion ones brain makes a new connection. Learning and mental conditioning enhances blood flow and activity in the brain. If you go for long periods without learning something new you start to lose some of the connections in the brain and you begin to struggle more with aspects of life. Unconsciousness will occur after 8-10 seconds after loss of blood supply to the brain. Consumes about 20-30% of the body's energy (this means it uses about 20-30% of the calories you eat). If you want to lose weight you have to think harder. The brain is more complicated than any computer we can imagine. The world's most sophisticated computer is currently only as complicated as a rat's brain. It is estimated that there are over 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections in brain; more connections than there are stars in universe Put it simply the mind is the programming or software and the brain is the hardware. The mind is the nonphysical aspect of thought and action and the brain is the control center. The mind grows by input and the brain grows by nutrients. The key to reality preparedness is to develop a working unity in the mind and brain and to remove any glitches that should exist in the action process.
Go to
Chapters Page
|
