This might be my most confusing yet exciting blog post to date. It has taken me over a week to put these ideas together, edit, rewrite, and submit, and even now I am not so sure it is ready, but it is meant to provoke thought and discussion, so here goes nothing:
One of the most significant differences between humans and animals is our ability to create literal delusions in our minds about the environment in which we live. Most of the time these delusions are accurate which is why a cat will jump around after a laser, but using the same inputs (the laser light on the wall) humans create a narrative as to why it is there, what is causing it, etc. We call this imagination. I understand that you will argue, “Mike, I am not imagining the laser on the wall, it is really there” I would challenge that and hopefully can show you more of how your brain works as to how we get there.
The truth is that even though we are seeing the same thing as the cat, we are able to make a series of deductions that allow us to create a bigger story as to how and why it is there. Ironically, this is still just a delusion we’ve created, albeit a more accurate one. Humans have the unique ability to be both the creator of the movie in our minds as well as the viewer. Understanding how this works to our advantage and disadvantage is very powerful, and we can use it to make our lives much better.
Information comes to us through our 5 senses, and our brains create the story based on these inputs combined with our past experiences and beliefs to make a series of assumptions that control our thoughts and actions. But, make no mistake all these inputs on their own are all bits of meaningless information. Our eyes, while they might be the most valuable of all senses, are only responsible for 10% of the information the brain uses to see! The other 90% is done in other parts of the brain. That is crazy! Think about how many other calculations, historical references, and successes and failures have to be processed to create that entire image in your mind. Most of our “reality” is our own creation. We see what we imagine to see. Not what is actually there. As most of us know the colors we see aren’t actual colors but the way our eyes interpret the reflection of light.
On top of not truly seeing reality, we actually see (imagine) things that aren’t there at all!
We connect the dots of the missing parts of information to make conclusions in the interest of saving time and energy for our brains. Our brains consume, on average 20% of the calories in our bodies. If we didnt take these shortcuts (or assumptions) and had to deal with the full breadth of reality we would be much less efficient and weakened.
Let me show you:
Read what you see:
ca y u rea t is
Most likely you can. Now, what about this one?
w at ar ou rea in
Most likely, you read “What are you reading?” Your brain filled in the blanks again, but this time context added another layer. The context of reading this blog, compounded with the previous question, makes this easier. However, it could have just been read as “What are you dreaming?” Which is right? Which is wrong? Neither…it is merely your assumptions at work.
Now that we can understand that what we see is often not what is actually in front of us but our brain’s interpretation of the inputs from our senses, and also can see that we fill in the blanks on a lot of the information that is left out all with our best interests in mind we can agree that being delusional in this sense is a giant advantage, but also being conscious of this takes this advantage to a whole other level, and that is ultimately what we want.
All of our perceptions, assumptions, and ultimately behaviors are a direct result of what was notable and valuable to us in the past.
For example, knowing that we fill in the blanks on basic sensory inputs, imagine how much more we fill in the blanks in our experiences or beliefs. Being aware of this can be a superpower or a disability.
Stephen Kosslyn is a former Harvard professor who works on the Minerva Project and he has shown that in fMRIs, our brains are activated almost the same when they imagine something as they do when they actually execute or experience that same thing. This is why visualization in sports is practiced and proved effective. It is a way for athletes to mentally perform athletic tasks with no actual movement, and it is almost as effective!
Note: I am not saying it is AS effective, but close enough without any of the risk of injury is full of possibility for athletes, and us!
This same understanding can help us overcome fears, social anxieties, negative emotions, stage fright, and so on all without having to actually be put in those uncomfortable positions. Once my clients know that the brain can be manipulated in this way, we overcome a lot of hurdles at no immediate risk to themselves! Powerful, right?
Our mental history(or database of assumptions) comprises real-life knowledge and experience as well as imagined or dreamed experiences. At any point and time, we are only responding and reacting according to our assumptions about already uncertain information. What is even scarier is that sometimes our assumptions are not only out of reach but entirely blind to us.
The good news is your brain right now is in a constant state of evolution. Every minute it makes new connections and assumptions that allow us to make more accurate and faster decisions. So while our brains are constantly working to put the best assumptions and information patterns together (through repetitive trial and error), we are not limited to only lived experience…we can add experience (good or bad) to our mental database.
Imagine all these neural links, assumptions, beliefs, experiences, and delusions as tiny nodes all over your brain. Knowing they are there and connected allows us to really think about thinking. Humans are the only animals capable of this level of thought. The benefit of understanding this and knowing how our brain is actually working is that we can begin to question these assumptions, Especially the ones we would have no other reason to suspect. The thought exercise counts towards opening up new pathways, and every small new assumption or changed old assumption propagates throughout our entire brain like billiard balls smacking around a table. This is how breakthrough ideas are made.
Just like your blood rate doesn’t skip up from 80 -140 big “a-ha” moments dont skip beats either. They hit every node on the way jarring more exciting assumptions and potentially new breakthrough ideas. This is a creativity hack.
Our assumptions are created to avoid uncertainty, and more importantly, we are blind to most of it. This is how our biases are formed. Some are good, and some are bad, so how do we become aware of all that is going on to become more powerful?
We can monitor our emotions.
Negative emotions are our signal. They arrive when our assumptions and expectations don’t meet our current reality which triggers negative emotions. So here is the hack for when that happens to us:
STOP.
That’s it. When you feel a negative emotion, know that it is caused by perceptions and assumptions that aren’t matching up in your brain which causes uncertainty, which causes a negative emotional response. It is at this point we can stop and consider where the disconnect is.
Now listen, I understand that sometimes there is no disconnect. You are experiencing a negative emotion that is based on an accurate assumption of reality. Most of the time, however, it is not. This is why meditation is such an excellent stress manager. It forces us to do what I just told you… Stop. Breathe.
I first wrote about activating events here:
So how do we use this knowledge to our advantage?
Look to form new assumptions with education, experience, and imagination, and try to reform and update old assumptions with CBT and mental reframing (this is what most of my clients are working on at the moment)
- Always keep “Why?” in the forefront of your mind. Always think about why you chose to move in a certain direction. Why something makes you uneasy? Why something makes you happy. Why something hurts. Why something feels good, So on and so forth. This is the trigger to creating new connections and assumptions in your brain. While you might not have immediate answers to these Why questions, the contemplation alone is reforming your brain and adding new pathways.
- Enlist the help of a CBT therapist to reframe the past. While you have heard that you can’t change the past, you CAN reframe it. Remember everything is just information inputs and reality is subjective. Our brains created our current reality and our brains can change it. There are techniques and tools that I can train you on to get you into the practice of reforming old habits, beliefs, and assumptions into new, positive, and productive ones. You would be shocked at the simplicity of it and it is based on real science.
- Since we know that imagined experiences register almost as much as lived experiences then we can add to our database of experiences and assumptions by reading about others’ experiences and assumptions. The power in this is that it is cheap and while we know reading makes us more articulate and intelligent, it is really the added assumptions and neural links that give our brains the best chance at compiling the best assumptions that lead to the best decisions and behaviors in the future. Reading anything from fantasy to travel expands your mind and increases your experiences, which ultimately gives your brain more options to choose from when making assumptions
‘“People who are consistently “lucky” in life share patterns of believing things will work out well in the end; being open to experience; not ruminating on disappointing outcomes; taking a relaxed approach to life; and looking at mistakes as learning opportunities.”
“The same self-reinforcing perceptual and behavioral momentum also applies to negativity.”
Beau Lotto
All of these techniques and hacks can be taught to help you create the best possible self and I would love to show you how. Click on any of the links below to get in touch with me, and we can get you started today!
