Brain
Brain
Left Brain
Specializes in processing positive emotions – Happiness
Right Brain
specializes in processing negative emotions-Sadness
The Limbic system :
The Limbic system along with Thalamus and Cerebral Cortex becomes the integration system for our ANS (Automatic Nervous System) & the Endocrine system (controls Hormone secretions).
The Limbic system is the central processing center for all our Emotions. It is our Pleasure/Pain or like/dislike and also stores all our behavior patterns (our Habits) and is therefore responsible for physical expression of our behavior (like rage, fear, sex & other emotions). The Limbic system comprises of Amygdala (fear center), Hippocampus (Long term memory processing), Hypothalamus (front part of Hypothalamus maintains PNS- the Relaxation response and the Back portion of Hypothalamus maintains SNS- the withdrawal or excitatory response). Brain imaging studies (MRI) show that the Front part of the Brain- known as Frontal Cortex is where Brain’s all Intellectual Functioning Processes happens, that gives each individual his/her Behavior, Personality and All Muscular Movements.
How do we access Brain and change its STATE?
There is an Inverse Relationship between Emotion and Attention. When Attention is LOW, behavior is from Limbic system and Emotion is HIGH. Learning to Change Brain states requires Regular Practice which builds new Neural Networks and reduces incidence of Habitual Response. How we can change our brain state from an undesirable state to a desirable state?
• In-Attention to Attention & Focus
• Temptation A to Re-focus & shift to another temptation B
• Disinterest to Interest
• Baseline response to above the line positive response
Every individual is constantly seeking Happiness :
The Vehicles for Brain Change to create Happiness is Via Inputs such as:
1. Chemicals : using drugs to affect brain – Like Retalin for ADHD, Prozac for depression, etc.
2. Physical: directly applying electro-magnetic energy to brain-like electric shocks, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
3. Information:
a) COGNITION – is faculty dependent, requires motivation and is through a process of THOUGHTS. For example Counseling.
b) SENSORY PERCEPTION– it is experiential and easiest to create–it can be PASSIVE – like Listening, Watching/Seeing, Smell, Touch, and Taste.
c) MOTOR ROUTE – through Movement- this is experiential and easiest to create – it is achieved only through Physical-ACTION. Requires body movement where attention and focus could be on an ACTIVITY (like playing golf, baseball) or focus is on SELF (like yoga, aerobics, swimming etc.)
NOTE: Meditation is a Subtle Movement Activity- it’s an activity focusing on SELF (Motor Route) but it also requires Cognitive Ability. So it can be looked upon as one more ways of accessing the Brain and it can fall between Cognition and Motor Route in terms of hierarchy.
Why 3S Training works?
3S’s effectiveness is in harnessing the Body-Breath-Brain-Mind ecology.
Can you observe ‘Actions in the Brain’? Most of the time we are not aware when abstract defilements arise in our mind, like abstract fear,anger, sadness, worry or passion.
But, whenever any defilement arises in the mind,simultaneously two things start happening at the physical level.
1. Breath looses its normal rhythm and it is easy to observe.
2. At subtler level, a chain of bio-chemical reaction is initiated in the brain and body, releasing the ‘molecules of emotions’. Only, If one is very observant and aware, he/she will experience some sensations, somewhere in the body.
3S Physical-Mental phenomenon is like a coin with 2 sides. On one side are the thoughts and emotions arising in the mind and on the other side is 3S intentional movements (body) affecting the respiration, which affects the thoughts and emotions arising in the Mind.
Instead of getting caught-up in negative emotions, 3S now offers a pathway to positive emotions. It shifts brain functioning from Limbic System (automatic responses) to the Frontal Cortex (conscious brain).
3S not only teaches you :
- How am I not to react blindly in the face of things that I do not like?
- How not to create tension?
- How to remain peaceful and harmonious?
- How to discover sustainable happiness?
But above all 3S is a Pathway to Positive Emotions