Young Johnny is walking home from school when a car drives by and one of the teenage occupants of the car throws a water balloon that hits Johnny on his left leg. Instantly, two separate impressions are simultaneously imprinted into Johnny's memory, one in the left hemisphere of his brain which is responsible for logical linear thinking, and another in his right hemisphere which is more interested in the processing of spatial relationship.
These two related yet separate perceptions of the same event are emotionally coded according to the specific qualities and interests of each hemisphere of the brain. In the left hemisphere of Johnny's brain the information may be coded as a simple case of three teenagers who were bored and wanted to have some fun. With this understanding, Johnny is most likely going to continue on his way home, change into some dry clothing, get a snack, maybe do his homework, and go to a friend's house to play. Having this perception of the event, it is unlikely that Johnny will be affected in a way that is more than an inconvenience.
In Johnny's right hemisphere, however, the same event could have a more far-reaching effect on him. His right hemisphere is more concerned with how he is personally involved in the situation and how it may affect his safety. His right hemisphere might perceive this event more like the following. Three big teenagers out to cause trouble drove by, selected him to terrorize, and threw something at him from a car. Next they drove off laughing at his misfortune, probably circling the block to get yet another shot at him. With this perception, Johnny races home, runs upstairs, and finds refuge in his room as the effects of the stress response fade and his body starts to return to normal. Not only has he lost his appetite for an after school snack, but also he is in no mood to do his homework. Even the possibility of going to his friend's house to play is out of the question, because the teenagers might spot him, and this time he might not escape so luckily.
How Johnny actually responds to a situation similar to this one will generally be somewhere between the examples I have given, since the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate information back and forth through a network of fibers in the brain called the corpus callosum. Information stored in Johnny's brain from previous experiences will also have an important influence on his response to this event.
Since the most primary and vital functions of the brain involve survival and personal safety issues, the brain automatically responds to and evaluates events that might threaten a person's immediate safety. In most people, the right hemisphere of the brain stores emotionally charged memories, while at the same time, the left hemisphere records a relatively unemotional sequence of events. There are two separate and unique pictorial representations for each event in our lives for which an external visual stimulus has been imprinted.
Think of how often we have heard the phrase "I see it in my mind's eye." Imagine how many possibilities will be opened up by understanding your "other mind's eye." When we recall an event with the right hemisphere's "mind's eye" our response will be very different than if we recall it with the left hemisphere's "mind's eye." Each hemisphere of the brain records and recalls useful information. If we consistently utilize the perceptions from only one side of our brain, our choices are limited, often leaving personal issues unresolved. "I have half a mind to…" is another phrase we often hear people use. If this is descriptive of what is actually happening in our thinking process, we may literally be using only half of our potential.
Learning how to have conscious control of which hemispheric image to utilize broadens the range of choices and responses available to us. Additional benefits result from being able to integrate information from both hemispheres when dealing with an issue.
This book is based on an edited transcript of a two-day seminar given in 1997. Some examples have been added in the process of editing. In this book you will learn how your brain codes information for emotional responses, and how to consciously access information stored in both hemispheres. You will also learn simple step-by-step techniques to help you use your entire brain to get what you want in life. The participants (whose names were changed to respect their privacy) offered valuable insights, and asked some very interesting questions. I believe their questions will help to answer questions you may have as you read this book.
If you need more information, contact:
Success Design International
11850 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(877) SDI-MIND (734-6463)
(949) 713-4936 In Southern California
mail@nlpla.com
