Six cows are grazing in the pasture. One decides to go back to the barn. How many are left?
Most people answer “five”, but the real answer is “six”. One decided to go back to the barn, but didn’t actually do anything. Most people get this one wrong because we are so strongly identified with our analytical mind. We think that if we imagine, think, plan or understand something, we’ll surely do that something. But mostly, we don’t.
Think about those New Year’s Resolutions to get fit, go to the gym. start a diet, wake up early, or whatever other reasonable, meritorious goal we might have set. How long did it last? Gyms and weight loss meetings are mobbed in January. By the end of February, the mobs are gone and only the regulars are still around. The rest of us are at home on the couch watching TV, eating Doritos and feeling guilty. We thought the whole thing out, saw the sense in making the changes, and believed those thoughts were enough to motivate us. Turns out we were wrong.
Humans identify strongly with conscious thoughts. In fact we think of our conscious thoughts as “me”. We believe that he conscious mind is in charge, and determines what we do. But in fact, it’s not true. The conscious mind actually controls only between 2 and 4 percent of our minute-to-minute functions. It is a very important 2 to 4 percent, to be sure. The conscious mind is the center for imagination, plans, initiatives, and dreams. It takes control of new ventures and gives the orders. But it is the non-conscious brain which will either facilitate or stifle the plan.
Innovations in brain science have allowed us a much greater understanding of the function of various parts of the brain. What we have learned is astonishing, and counterintuitive, considering our identification with the conscious mind.
- We’ve learned that the conscious brain consists of only 17% of total brain mass and controls only 2-4% of perception and behavior.
- The non-conscious brain occupies 83% of brain mass and controls 96 to 98% of perception and behavior.
- While the conscious brain’s memory span is very short, generally limited to about twenty seconds, the non-conscious brain recalls every experience forever.
- The conscious brain perceives past and future, but to the non-conscious brain everything is happening now.
- The conscious brain is volitional – it is controlled by conscious will and sets goals and judges results. The non-conscious brain is servile – it executes goals.
- The non-conscious mind is the repository for our beliefs and habits. Those unconscious beliefs and habits are the reason conscious change is so difficult.
In his book The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt compares the non-conscious brain to an elephant, with the conscious brain as its rider. All is well for the rider so long as the elephant likes the path the rider has chosen. But head the elephant down a path it doesn’t want to explore, and all bets are off. The elephant will balk, and the rider, trying to direct the enormous and powerful elephant, has no real ability to make a recalcitrant elephant go anywhere. And if the rider doesn’t really believe that this is the right path, the elephant will recognize the rider’s misgivings and refuse to turn in that direction. The first step in moving the elephant is for the rider to carefully choose the path. Then the elephant can be slowly and systematically trained to walk the path.
So it is with our conscious mind when it sets out to change a belief or habit. Most people view their goals as wishes or hopes. “I wish I could take off 20 pounds”, or “I wish I could get in shape” is often followed by the often unconscious belief, “but I bet I won’t”. When you don’t believe that you can achieve a goal, you probably won’t, because that negative belief resides in the part of the brain that is really running the show: the non-conscious brain.
When you come right down to it, the non-conscious brain loves the status quo and hates change. But changes can occur if we have a clear and focused vision of the new goal, and if we slowly and systematically impress that goal on the non-conscious brain.
The conscious mind is fully engaged in the creation of the new goal. We need to imagine the result of reaching the new goal, using all of our senses. What does you look like when you have removed those 20 pounds? How do you feel about your new, slimmer body? How do your body feel as you slip on the smaller clothes that fit perfectly? How do the healthier food you now enjoy taste and smell? Write it out, in as much detail as possible, engaging all of the senses, and create an audio tape of yourself reading it if possible. Read or listen to it often until you have memorized the key aspects.
Next, create a vision board. Get a piece of cardboard or a bulletin board and find pictures in magazines of food, clothing, etc that you enjoy at your new smaller size. Also include activities in which you participate, and people with whom you now socialize. Place the finished montage in a place where you will see it frequently during your day.
Now begin to reprogram your brain. Set aside three times during the day to reinforce your new goal: before arising in the morning, sometime in early afternoon, and just before going to sleep. At each of those times, either recall in full detail your vision of the new you, or listen to the audiotape of yourself reading it. Always do this when you are relaxed. Keep at it daily until it works.
How long will it take? No one can answer that question. It may work immediately, if your brain offers minimal resistance. It may take weeks, months or even years, depending on how well you have designed your vision, your brain’s level of resistance and your level of commitment to this vision. And meanwhile, keep plugging away at the conscious level as well. You can’t expect to get fit if you never get off your sofa. You can’t drop 20 pounds without changing your eating. Pay attention. When your conscious and non-conscious mind are on the same track, you are unstoppable!
Filed under: Brain science, emotional intelligence | Leave a Comment »