Our right hemisphere (which controls the left half of our body) functions like a parallel processor. Independent streams of information simultaneously burst into our brain via each of our sensory systems. Moment by moment , right mind creates a master collage of what this moment in time looks like, sounds like, tastes like, smells like and feels lie, but rather are rich with sensations, thoughts, emotions and often ,physiological responses. Information processed in this way allows us to take an immediate inventory about the space around us and our relationship to that space.
Thanks to the skills of our right mind, we are capable of remembering isolated moments with uncanny clarity and accuracy. Most of us can remember where we were & how we felt when we first saw the collapse of the World Trade Center. Do you remember the moment you spoke the words "I do, or saw your newborn smile? Our right hemisphere is designed to remember things as they relate to one another. Borders between specific entities are softened, and complex mental collages can be recalled in their entirety as combinations of images, kinesthetics & physiology.
To the right mind, no time exists other than the present moment & each moment is vibrant with sensation. Life or death occurs in the present moment. The experience of joy happens in the present moment. Our perception and experience of connection with something that is greater than ourselves occurs in the present moment. To our right mind, the moment of NOW is timeless and abundant.
In the absence of all the rules and regulations that have already been defined as the correct way of doing something, our right mind is free to think intuitively outside the box, and it creatively explores the possibilities that each moment brings. By it's design, our right mind is spontaneous, carefree and imaginative. It allows our artistic juices to flow free without inhibition or judgement.
The present moment is a time when everything and everyone are connected together as ONE. As a result, our right mind perceives each of us as equal members of the human family. It identifies our similarities and recognizes our relationship with this marvelous planet, which sustains our life. It perceives the big picture, how everything is related & how we all join together to make up the whole. Our ability to be empathetic, to walk in the shoes of another and feel feelings, is a product of our right frontal cortex.
In contrast, our left hemisphere is completely different in the way it processes information. It takes each of those rich and complex moments created by the right hemisphere and strings them together in timely succession. It then sequentially compares the details making up this moment with the details making up the last moment. By organizing details in a linear and methodical configuration, our left brain manifests the concept of time whereby our moments are divided into the past, present, and future. Within the structure of this predictable temporal cadence, we can appreciate that this must occur before that can happen. I look at my shoes and socks ant it is my left hemisphere that comprehends that I must put on my socks before my shoes. It can look at all details of a puzzle and use the clues of color , shape and size to recognize patterns for arrangement. It builds an understanding of everything using deductive reasoning such that if A is greater than B, and B is greater than C, then A must be greater than C.
Just opposite to how our right hemisphere thinks in pictures and perceives the big picture of the present moment our left mind thrives on details, details and more details about those details. Our left hemisphere language centers use words to describe, define, categorize, and communicate about everything. They break the big picture perception fo the present moment into manageable and comparable bits of data that they can talk about. Our left hemisphere looks at a flower and names the different parts making up the whole- the petal, stem, leaves & pollen. It dissects the image of a rainbow into the language of red, orange, yellow, blue indigo & violet. It thrives on weaving acts & details into a story. It excels in academics, and by doing so, it manifests a sense of authority over the details it masters.
Via our left hemisphere language centers, our mind speaks to us constantly, " brain chatter". It is that voice reminding you to pick up bananas on your way home & that calculating intelligence that knows when you have to do your laundry. There is vast individual variation in the speed at which our minds function. For some, our dialogue of brain chatter runs so fast that we can barely keep up with what we are thinking. Others think in language so slowly that it takes a long time for us to comprehend. Still others of us have a problem retaining our focus and concentration long enough to act on our thoughts. These variations in normal processing stem back to our brain cells & how each brain is intrinsically wired.
One of the jobs of our left hemisphere language centers is to define our SELF by saying "I Am." Through the use of brain chatter, your brain repeats over & over again the details of your life so you can remember them. It is the home of your ego center,which provides you with an internal awareness of what your name is, what your credentials are, and where you live. Without these cells performing their job, you would forget who you are and lose track of your life & your identity. Along with thinking n language, our LH thinks in patterned responses to incoming stimulation. It establishes neurological circuits that run relatively automatically to sensory information. As a result, our LH creates " loops of thought patterns" that it uses to rapidly interpret large volumes of incoming stimulation with minimal attention & calculation. Because our left brain is filled with these ingrained programs of pattern recognition, it is superb at predicting what we will think, how we will act, or what we will feel in the future- based upon our past experience.
Among other things, our LH categorizes information onto hierarchies including things that attract us ( our likes) or repel us( our dislikes). It places the judgement of good on those things we like and bad on those things we dislike. through the action of critical judgement and analysis, our left brain constantly compares us with everyone else. It keeps us abreast of where we stand on the financial scale, academic scale, honesty scale, generosity-of-spirit scale, and every other scale you can imagine. Our ego mind revels in our individuality, honors our uniqueness, and strives for independence.
Our RH complements the action of our LH language centers by interpreting non-verbal communication. It evaluates the more subtle cues of language including tone of voice, facial expression & body language. Our RH looks at the big picture of communication & assesses the congruity of the overall expression. Any inconsistencies between how someone holds their body, verses their facial expression, verses tone of voice, verses the message they are communicating , might indicate either a neurological abnormality in how someone expresses himself or it may prove to be a tell-tale sign that the person is lying. Without the RH's ability to evaluate communication in the context of the bigger picture, the LH tends to interpret everything literally.
No comments:
Post a Comment