Constructing a Resilient or Vulnerable Psyche: Insights and Challenges
Two-Part Series: Examining the Partnership Between Physical Brain and Virtual Mind
In the second installment of this series, we delve into the intricate connection between the physical brain and the mind, often referred to as the virtual brain. This relationship has distinct adaptations and interacting roles in our understanding, communication, and engagement with the world.
To understand this connection, it's crucial to identify the keystones – the essential components that hold the system together and exert a disproportionate influence on our lives. In this context, a keystone represents the central principle that links our brain and mind processes, facilitating smooth communication and interaction.
While it may seem puzzling, comprehending any system, including our brain and mind, requires an appreciation for its functions and processes. A process refers to an interaction between entities, such as a battery powering a mobile device. On the other hand, a function describes how the process is utilized, like using battery power to make a phone call, play music, or open an application.
Identifying keystones allows us to perceive their support and influence on the system's processes and functions. For example, a cell phone's operating system harnesses a battery's electrical process to enable various functions, such as launching apps. In a similar vein, computer operating systems connect hardware with software, and drivers facilitate transportation in a car.
Our brain and mind collaboration operates under similar principles, albeit with unique processes and functions shaped by keystones during development, use, or choice. To visualize this analogy, consider the brain as a car, and the mind as the driver. While both systems intertwine in circular, interactive connections, each has separate, impactful processes and functions.
Recognizing key developmental brainstones, such as full myelination of the brain at around 2-years-old, offers insights into the evolution of these processes. Myelination, the fatty coating on brain neurons, expedites electrical impulses, enhancing cognitive abilities and emotional expression. This brainstone marks a significant transition in how individuals perceive and interact with the world, often referred to as the "Transitional Twos."
On the other hand, a key mindstone lies in the understanding and definition of emotions and thoughts. Distinct neurological processes govern emotion and thought centers in the brain, but an individual can decide whether to view them as separate or intertwined entities. This belief significantly affects one's mental health, as it shapes the interaction between thoughts and emotions, foster either a strong mind or a struggling one.
Understanding the differences between emotions and thoughts is essential for establishing a strong mind. This mindstone empowers individuals to validate and respect their emotions while perceiving the distinct functions of thoughts and emotions. Emotions do not provide guidance or direction but lend power to drive actions chosen by the mind.
Rewarding phrases like "I'm emotional, and that's okay. How do I want to manage it?" help embrace the potential of emotions while acknowledging their inherent difference from thoughts, fostering a strong, resilient, and mentally healthy mindset.
Dane Jorento, a licensed clinical social worker, offers seminars, workshops, and keynote speeches on mental health, emotional well-being, trauma, and more, utilizing BCA Holistic Therapy, EMDR, and DBT approaches.
In conclusion, understanding the keystone connections between the brain and mind facilitates improved comprehension, communication, and interaction with the world. By managing our mental and emotional states and embracing the differences between emotions and thoughts, we can lead more meaningful, positive, and fulfilling lives.
- The collaboration between our brain and mind, often called the virtual brain, significantly influences our health-and-wellness, particularly mental health.
- Understanding the essential components, or keystones, bridges the connection between brain and mind processes, leading to smoother communication and interaction.
- Therapies-and-treatments like BCA Holistic Therapy, EMDR, and DBT can help foster personal-growth and emotional well-being, as demonstrated by Dane Jorento, a licensed clinical social worker.
- Mindfulness practices can help individuals recognize the distinction between emotions and thoughts, promoting a strong mental health and mental resilience.
- The developmental keystone, full myelination of the brain, not only enhances cognitive abilities and emotional expression but also marks the "Transitional Twos," a significant turning point in an individual's perception and interaction with the world.
