Brain Research
The previous pages of this section focus on transpersonal psychology and adult
development theory. It is important to set the science of understanding the mind and
how it develops within the context of the brain, which, it seems, is relevant to the
workings of the mind. Although most people would agree that the mind is not solely
contained in the brain, the brain does seem to be a key organ when it comes to
understanding the mind’s way of perceiving the world. Recent studies show the heart is
also a key organ when considering how the mind works, more so than has been
previously thought, but that will be addressed later in this section in the pages dealing
with heart coherence. This discussion will focus on how the brain handles emotions and
perception.
The Anatomy of the Brain
Before we can dive into understanding how the brain handles perception and emotion,
we need a basic road map to the brain, its parts and some understanding of their
function. The human brain has evolved over millennia and using an evolutionary lens,
we can get an overview of where we have come from and where we are now.
A vertical cross section of the brain reveals three distinct structures with their own
shape, size and chemistry. This is often referred to as the Triune brain. The earliest or
oldest part is the reptilian brain, the next to arrive was the limbic system, also called the
mammalian brain or the mid-brain and the newest part is the neo-cortex.
The reptilian brain is where muscle memory
is stored. Skills we learn and memorize get
hard-wired here, allowing us to act without
the need for much thought. This is also
where we find ingrained behaviors,
conditioned responses, habits and
unconscious reflexes – anything that needs
to happen fast without much thought.
The mammalian brain is largely responsible
for our emotions. This is why mammals care
for their young (who incidentally can’t fend
for themselves for some time) while newly
born reptiles, that hatch fully self sufficient,
run off to avoid being eaten by mom. The mid-brain is a chemical factory, regulating a
huge number of internal processes such as digestion, blood pressure, hormones, etc. It’s
easy to see how emotional states can impact blood pressure and digestion, and how
hormones can influence emotions, as they are both regulated from the same part of the
brain. This brain oversees what are known as the sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is well known for its control of the
“F” responses of flight, flight, freeze and fornicating (orgasm). The parasympathetic
nervous system has its own “F’s” overseeing feeding, fixing (growth and repair) and
fornicating (the desire to have sex). One system uses, moves and releases energy while
the other builds, conserves and stores it. (Dispenza, The Evolving Brain, 113)
The neo-cortex is the newest part of the brain. It is where all of our rational or higher
functions occur. This part of the brain is active when we are planning, reasoning, creating,
speaking, remembering and more. Its parts include the frontal lobe, the parietal lobes, the
temporal lobe and the occipital lobe. The cerebral cortex is a very thin layer, rich in
neurons and nerve cells and is where most of the action occurs. Another important
structure is the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain. The
frontal lobe (located just behind the lower forehead) is the resting place for conscious
awareness, and is often the place where yogic meditations suggest you focus, and where
certain eastern traditions locate the third eye.
Now that we have had a quick review of the parts of the brain, let’s talk about emotions
and perception.
The Emotional Brain
The emotional brain or midbrain has many parts or structures within it: the thalamus,
the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the pineal gland, the hippocampus, the amygdala
and the basil ganglia. Of these, the only one we will discuss further here is the amygdala.
We will focus primarily on the amygdala for two reasons: 1) it is the part of the brain
that responds when we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation, and 2) it stores the
highly charged and primitive emotions of fear, aggression, joy and sadness.
When we perceive ourselves to be in a life-threatening situation, the amygdala will
respond and send out signals to our bodies even before we are conscious of the
situation. This precognitive response is very helpful. However, the amygdala is also
where highly charged emotional memories related to fear, anger, sadness and joy are
stored. These stored memories can be easily triggered by situations that mimic the
original situation that created the memory. Because the amygdala is designed to act first
and think later, we can see how this can get us into trouble. New research has shown
that emotions displayed on human faces do not register in the neo-cortex, but in the
amygdala, which may also explain why we may find ourselves reacting emotionally to
others before our rational brain has a chance to consciously think about it and choose
the best way to respond. (Dispenza, The Evolving Brain, 122)
Once triggered, chemicals are released and peptides are created which rush through our
bodies. There is a lot more to the story, as the initial basic emotion gets built on very
quickly by the pituitary gland and the hippocampus, which add additional chemicals and
peptides, creating a mixture of basic and complex emotions in lightning speed. If we
have been feeling these emotions as patterns for years, and producing the correlating
chemicals and peptides, our bodies are prepared at the cellular level to feel these
feelings over and over again. In addition, if we create a “story” around these emotions,
we develop new neural pathways in the neo-cortex which are then reinforced and made
stronger with each successive thought.
For some people, if the body’s cells are constantly flooded with the same chemicals
from the same emotions, the cells begin to adapt in a way that allows for more of that
chemical to be received. They become predisposed to receiving that set of chemicals
and even begin to crave it. Frighteningly, when the cells reproduce, the new cells act the
same way. For others, the cells can become
overwhelmed and they can shut down over
“If we have grown
time, losing their ability to receive the
accustomed to feeling
peptides. The cells actually communicate with
the brain asking for an influx of the chemical
unworthy, we want to
cocktail. This forces us to ratchet up the level
continue feeling that way
of input just to get the level of return we were
because we are in the
used to getting. We can become more
explosive, more worrisome, more outlandish in
neurochemical habit of
an effort to make up for our cells’ shutdown
being unworthy.”
because we are striving to keep the chemical
Joe Dispenza
balance the body is used to. Our body is now in
charge.
How We Can Evolve the Brain
Fortunately, this cycle can work in reverse, as we consciously choose to place ourselves
in situations that trigger positive emotional outcomes or experiences of peace, safety,
love and joy. We can retrain our bodies, our cells, to crave more useful and productive
emotions. We will, of course, have to deal with “withdrawal,” but our neo-cortex and
the exercising of human will (intention plus commitment) is our ally in this. And, as we
will see next, we can use our conscious thought to reformat our neural net and avoid
reinforcing that which we no longer desire.
When we resolve to change the patterns of behavior with others and within ourselves,
we need to be prepared for a sense of loss. If we don’t get the same rush of chemicals
or fire our thoughts down the same neural pathways, the body experiences it as a loss.
The body can then cause urges and impulsive thoughts within the brain in an attempt to
get its “daily dose.” Then, an inner dialog can ensue (“the committee” gets activated)
and rather than getting the chemical fix from how we interact with others, we can
attempt to get it by interacting in those old ways with ourselves. This is why Phase Two
of The Q Process™ deals with the ways we treat ourselves.
This is also the time when many people give up on the process and their efforts to
change. First, because they miss their old rush too much, and second, because “the
committee” is successful in convincing them that they’ll never change, they aren’t good
enough, etc. We can even be tricked by thoughts
like, “This just doesn’t feel right,” ”I have to listen
“I’d rather be
to my gut,” and/or “I need to honor my feelings
uncomfortable in a
and inner guidance.” The problem is that this
“guidance” can mimic true guidance, but really
healthy place than
come from the body’s desire to stop the
comfortable in an
discomfort of the chemical withdrawal and head
unhealthy place.”
back to familiar territory. The pull to break free
from this addictive cycle of chemicals and
Rima Bonario
peptides must be strong enough to support us
through withdrawal. The spiritual calling to be who we have come here to be, to live
from our Essence, the truth of our being, also feels good, once we get used to it anyway.
We must make this our highest priority!
The ability to exercise the will in this way is a skill that can be practiced. It is essential to
success. This is why spiritual practice is something we must do even when we don’t feel
like it. We can begin with small things, like filling out a worksheet every day for 21 days
and watch as we observe our success. That success then feeds on itself and encourages
more exercise of will. This is not will in the old Victorian notion of using the will to
suppress desire. This is the notion of will as an ally in our spiritual journey. In his book,
The Act of Will, Dr. Roberto Assagioli describes four types of will: the strong will, the
skillful will, the good will and the transpersonal will. It’s a fascinating discussion of how
important the will is in human development. Suffice it to say, having some capacity to
develop and exercise the will to change, to not only be willing, but to engage in the act
of willing, is critical to gaining freedom from old patterns of thought and behavior.
Using the will, we can think new thoughts, stand strong and not succumb to the body’s
urgings. We can act in new and different ways to create new experiences and we can
build new neural connections. Every time an old thought becomes conscious again, it is
changed. The change occurs because it has to be reconsolidated and new proteins
made, reconfiguring neural connections before it is returned to the neural net. Thoughts
which we rethink are either consciously redesigned and changed or kept the same and
reinforced. As Dr. Caroline Leaf states in her book, Who Switched Off My Brain, “Each
time a thought is dominating your conscious mind, you can do something with it.”
This is also true of memories or, at least, the meaning we have made out of our
memories. As Dr. Leaf puts it, “When a memory becomes unstable, it can be modified,
toned down, or re-transcribed by interfering with protein synthesis and important
molecular process in thought consolidation.”
This is happening all the time. Because we cannot think a thought or recall a memory
and return it to our non-conscious mind without affecting it, it is important to make
conscious choices when we observe ourselves in familiar and possibly toxic thought
patterns. We can also purposefully choose to revisit memories to loosen and retranscribe them. This is the main focus of Phase Three of The Q Process™.
But as we have seen, thinking the thought in the neo-cortex isn’t the only place that
needs our attention. We have to affect change in the limbic system that generates the
chemicals and peptides. Again, Dr. Leaf states, “You can be presented with all the
reason and logic, scientific evidence and just plain common sense in the world, but you
won’t believe something is true until your limbic system allows you to feel it’s true.”
To properly rewire the structure of the brain, we must imagine anew. And, to impact
the chemical processes in the brain, we must feel anew. This can be supported most
effectively by acting anew. By choosing to speak and act differently, we create a
feedback loop that supports the loosening of old habits and the creation of new ones.
The Q Process™ addresses this in Section Five of the worksheets that invites individuals
to take authentic action to bring into form the new perspective and new choices that
have emerged from the “reimagining” and “re-feeling” work that takes place in earlier
steps.
Going Deeper: Impacting our DNA
Dr. Bruce Lipton’s work has taken the body-mind connection to a whole new level.
Lipton has been able to show how the energetic environment we create through our
thoughts can impact the cells of our body. Not only is the physical response of chemicals
and peptides at work, the actual energy of our thoughts is at work. Lipton says,
“Thought ‘energy’ can activate or inhibit the cell’s function-producing proteins via the
mechanics of constructive and destructive interference.” In other words, our thoughts
offer positive or negative interference for our cells.
He goes on to describe how he concluded that the cell membrane functions exactly like
a computer chip does. They even share the same functional definition: a microchip/cell
membrane is a liquid crystal semiconductor with gates and channels. Once Lipton hit
upon this notion, he realized that it made cells programmable, with the cellular memory
being the nucleus, and the DNA being the programs. DNA does not program the cell,
what hits and crosses the membrane (or is inputted into the cell) is what programs the
cell. This is what activates genes. We can have a gene, but without the right stimuli from
the environment, it may never be activated. Good genes and not so good genes are only
as good, or not so good, as what we feed them chemically and energetically. This has far
reaching ramifications, including how the emotional and physical “environment” of an
expectant mother impacts a developing fetus. Not to mention what happens after the
baby is born, where infants must have nurturing environments in order to activate the
genes that develop healthy brains.
When we use our free will to think and make decisions, we influence which genes are
initiated (expressed) in our nerve cells. Our perceptions of life shape our biology and not
the other way around. Dr. Leaf states succinctly, “Once conscious, thoughts are
modifiable right down to the level of genetic expression in your DNA.” The Q Process™
trains you to consciously choose to remove your habitual thoughts or bad “data,”
producing changes in gene expression that alter the strength of our memories, and the
meaning we make out of them, and allow us to make structural changes that alter the
anatomy of the thought.
Brain Research Bibliography & Recommended Reading
Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind, Joe Dispenza D.C.
The Act of Will, Robert Assagioli, M.D.
The Biology of Belief, Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter &
Miracles, Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.
Who Switched Off My Brain: Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions, Dr. Caroline Leaf