Mind itself is magic

I'm reading a book called Mindsight by Dr Siegel which is about the power of the brain to grow underdeveloped bits, to integrate the parts that aren't well integrated, to repair damage. I'm only partway through, but it's done through meditation, journaling, linguistic exercises and such. The beginning of the book is a description of brain science, and then he goes chapter by chapter with a case study and how this person was helped.

The second case study is about a 90 something old man who'd always been fairly disconnected from his feelings (and other people), but had recently become even more so. The doctor practiced right brain exercises with him so he could get in better touch with his body and emotions and how to express them. The next time the doctor heard from the wife, a year later, he was a changed man.

Apparently the reason why the right brain picks up on body sensation better (which is where emotion begins) is that it's the bit that receives the body's cues. It's the bit that develops first as well, so we start as right brained bebbies.

He gives a nice brief summary of the differences:

This must be why when Dr Bolte-Taylor had a stroke that affected her left side, her right side took over and made everything feel whole--she had trouble distinguishing between her hand and her desk, cause the right brain is more holistic, more physical. And as the right side doesn't use language but uses physical cues, like a baby, she could still feel when a visiting doctor was treating her disrespectfully, as opposed to when someone came in who was respectful or caring. She was hyper-aware of nonverbal language. And though her left brain didn't recognize her mother when she arrived, her right brain did a happy dance when this being came in, climbed into the hospital bed with her, and held her.

Anyway, I really liked this bit next:

It seems like the right side is what allows us to accept contradictions and not try to solve them all--to allow for mystery. For example, when someone says to me "there are no coincidences" the left brain science oriented side of my brain is skeptical; but the right side of my brain says "It's okay to not understand everything... we can accept an impersonal universe AND a magical one."
    

Song of the Day: God is Alive, Magic is Afoot 

sung by Buffy Ste Marie (written by Leonard Cohen)

I tell you: Positive Thinking is a Survival Skill!

Can't believe yesterday I forgot to put in this half-empty cartoon that my brother sent me once when I was feeling discouraged about something BIG. It was exactly what I needed.

"It doesn't matter if the glass is half full or half empty, 

I am gonna drink it through this crazy straw!"

(Especially on point because my mother was the type of mother who always found things like crazy straws and spider rings before any other parent on the block. Never one to pass up a novelty thrill, that's my mother. She had pink flamingos loooong before they were trendy.)

Also my brother was the one who first told me about this book years ago. But I'm sleepy so I won't be quoting, just retelling from memory...

The story of the scientist who lost half her brain exemplifies both of the Optimism Arguments I made Monday and Tuesday. For those who've never heard of her, Jill Bolte-Taylor had a stroke on the left side of her brain, which allowed her to really understand just what the right brain does in terms of being creative and uninhibited, and experiencing her Self as being at one with the matter around her. Not in a woo-ee way, but seriously, concretely. She had trouble distinguishing her hand from the desk, and it was really Nice. And when people came to visit her, though she couldn't understand their words at first, she sensed energy from them, and if they were draining her energy (if they were rude, impatient) she'd shut them out.

1st: The Hopeful Unrealistic Goal

Jill was told all sorts of dire things by the doctors about not recovering full use of her left brain functions (speech, memory, logical thinking etc). She says she needed people who believed she would completely recover from her stroke, in order to recover. She needed people to believe that she would recover full use of her left brain, even if it wasn't "realistic" to believe this. Believing in an island under the milk was key to her recovery, and having those around her believe too.

2nd: Positive Thoughts About Her Successes

She and her mother (her caregiver) both believed that it was absolutely crucial to celebrate every success she had, even though they pretty much consisted of reading one word and then sleeping the rest of the day. No negative thoughts or ideas were allowed. She took the well wishing cards people sent and hung them all over her house, even though she couldn't read them.

And she did recover use of the left side of her brain. Against the early predictions of her doctors. And she also got the insight of her right brain out of it--a more balanced and peaceful life. And the ability to help other stroke sufferers.

So put that in your Pollyanna pipe and smoke it. ;-)