Carry On

It felt like I had made a discovery last week. I thought, surely Makara must be our brain. A chimera. Part reptile, part mammal and part imaginary creature.

It seemed to fit into the Triune Brain Model. Triune= Three In One Model suggests the brain evolved in three layers

1) The Lizard Brain that handles basic survival functions and acts as a safety guard who controls our flight or fight response

2) A Paleo-mammalian brain, developed next, that oversees our emotions and feelings and,

3) A Neo-mammalian brain, the newest layer that controls abstract reasoning, complex language and voluntary motor control.

It turns out that this model was debunked. Some theorists say that we didn't evolve from reptiles. Some say that it is not right to say that there are levels. Nor is there a clear-cut demarcation between processes. Emotions and higher cognition often work together, as do feelings and security responses.

What Makes Us Human?

In the Triune Model, the Neo-cortex that handles higher reasoning, logic, language etc is said to be 'the human' part of the brain. The part of us that sets us aside from the world of reptiles and mammals.

And then things began to get really confusing in 2022, when we saw AI displaying the very same attributes that we thought made us special.

Alternate Model

In Psychotherapy, The Triune Model is now largely replaced by The Adaptive Model. Where the brain is seen as a network of different operating centers.

1) An integration center that is constantly taking bio-feedback and environmental stimuli into account.

2) The Pre-frontal Cortex that makes new neural pathways ever time you try something new. This part of the brain also solves problems, and interestingly it predicts what problems are possible in the future, based on past experiences.

3) The Hippocampus that draws a map of the world for you. Imagine you go from place A to place B. A map is drawn in your brain. The next time you go on the same route, the line is drawn over. Until it becomes so thick, you don't need to think about the route any longer.

4) The Amygdala is the part that takes care of survival. Here it is not viewed as a fear center. Instead as a place where emotional value is attached to every experience. This center conveys to the brain the parts of your map that are important or dangerous.

The Amygdala is the part that was referred to as the Lizard Brain in the previous model.

The change here is that the Lizard is no longer seen as a primitive response mechanism that should be suppressed. The Adaptive Model takes away the hierarchy in the different processes, and makes us see how each process is equally important.

Model Yodel

Psychology is also weaving stories. Because no one really knows how the brain works. Strange, and true.

We try in different ways to create meaning to help us navigate this crazy thing called life.

Do brain models help us? In the Adaptive Model we can, for one, understand the importance of repetition. The more we do something, the easier it gets. The lines in the neural map get thicker. Practice helps. That's a great take-away.

Beyond that, I don't see the need to know the different parts, and their functions. The functions seem to overlap quite a bit. And I can't see the value in labeling each of my actions as the outcome of one specific part of my brain.

I am interested in making positive changes for myself and my customers, and I like a model that's not complicated. One that works. And ancient wisdom is a treasure trove for us to dig in.

Kiss The Frog

The art of hypnosis is as old as the world. I've been studying this fascinating science since 2017. If you look at it closely, hypnosis doesn't have a very clear cut definition. It is a state of mind that is both experienced, as well as one, that lies below the dominion of conscious experience.

Though the definition is open ended, I like the model hypnosis suggests. It is simple. And in its simplicity, rings true.

This model doesn't even look at the brain.

Rather, its interest is the mind.

The mind is not as easy to define as the brain. For it is not physical. And it has no boundaries.

Everything Is Mental

Your Reality is decided by Your Mind.

Even your brain can be overwritten by your mind.

In the hypnosis model, we have a conscious mind. We have an unconscious mind. The conscious mind, the things you are aware of, is the very tip of the ice-berg. The other side is the vast sub-liminal, sub-terrain of unconscious, darkness.

And between the two, stands The Critical Faculty. This faculty of ours is like a firewall. Like a bouncer at a bar. The Gatekeeper. Any messages that come to you, are first checked by the Critical Faculty. It stops messages from being automatically accepted into the sub-conscious mind. It gives the conscious mind an opportunity to evaluate and, possibly reject the message.

This is Makara. The Questioning Sphinx. The Hungry Gargoyle. The Critical Guard.

Inside Out Outside In

Have you ever wanted to change, but somehow you feel stuck? Old patterns not budging? And then to rub salt in the wound, it seems like you are embarking with full steam on a self-sabotage trip?

And no matter how many good suggestions you give yourself, no matter how many self-help books you read and motivational videos you see....nothing seems to really work?

Perhaps there are ideas in your sub-conscious that are standing in the way.

One way to plant the right seeds into your sub-conscious is to by-pass the Gatekeeper.

The way that gives better results is to face your Gatekeeper. Have a conference.

With this intense dance of energy in Capricorn at this time, the Gatekeeper is eager to listen to you. Speak to that which is within you.

It sounds a bit crazy but it is worth doing.

Either you set the protocol with the Gatekeeper, or the world does it for you.

Lift

The week ahead is still strong with the energy of Saturn, and 5 planets in Makara/Capricorn.

On Sunday, February 1st, is the festival of Thaipusam. A festival to celebrate Lord Muruga. Thaipusam is celebrated with fervor in the Tamil community worldwide. The significance of this festival is in the ritual of Kavadi, "The Burden". People carry a symbolic burden and walk towards the temple. It's an act of penance, seeking blessings and offering thanks.

There is a very severe side to the festival with people doing hardcore rituals like intense fasting, piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers and walking on hot fire coals. The entire festival is surrounded by a fiery trance like atmosphere.

The extreme rituals are very difficult to witness as an observer. At the same time there is something very touching about it. Most people undertaking the Kavadi, are doing it to lift the burden of their loved ones. They believe that there is a karmic debt to be paid, and they step up to shoulder the weight, carry the pain for another.

It is an experience to witness. And I'm sure it bestows a certain power on the devotee.

For you and me, I suggest, interpreting the Kavadi in a different way. People we love are carrying burdens of their own. How can we help lift these burdens , and make things easier for them?

Saturn season continues....Next week let's look deeper into what messages we can send via our Gatekeeper....Until then ...Take care!