THOUGHTS AND COMMENTARY
Commentaries and essays on a variety of topics including parenting, the capacity for love, emotions, mindfulness and social issues.
A Book Excerpt From
The Road to Neuroplasticity and Change to Heal Trauma, Improve Cognitive Capacity and Maximize Performance
ABOUT THE BOOK
Introduction to the Brain and the Power of the Mind
See Also:
Intro to the Brain and the Power of the Mind
Intro to the Brain and the Power of the Mind
- Structure and Composition of Your Brain
- Strange & Interesting Facts on the Brain
- Hormones and Neurotransmitters
- The Role of Dopamine
- The Power of Thought - Neuroplasticity
- The Brain and Emotion
- Neuroscience Glossary
The brain is the central organ of the human nervous system, and together with the spinal cord it makes up the central nervous system. It controls most of the activities of the body, processing, integrating, and coordinating the information it receives from the senses and making decisions as to the instructions sent to the rest of the body. The brain is contained in, and protected by, the skull bones of the head. The human brain had a vast memory storage. It makes us curious and very creative. These are the characteristics that give us an advantage - curiosity, creativity and memory. And that brain does something very special. It invents an idea called 'the future. The spinal cord and nerves compose the nervous system and it sends messages back and forth between the brain and body.
The nervous system is made up of billions of neurons (microscopic cells). Each neuron has tiny branches that connect to other neurons. You were born with all the neurons but many of them were not connected to each other. As you learn the messages travel from one neuron to another and the brain starts to create connections (or pathways) between the neurons.
Parts of the Brain
The brain is composed of the cerebrum (frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe) cerebellum and the brain stem.
The Cerebrum
The cerebrum, also known as the cerebral cortex, composes 80 percent of your brain and is located at the front and center. It’s composed of four major lobes and divided into two halves, the right and left hemisphere. The right hemisphere controls motor functions on the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right side. Not all functions of the hemispheres are shared. In general, the left hemisphere controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing. The right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills. The left hemisphere is dominant in most people.
The cerebrum performs many functions.
The cerebral hemispheres divides the brain into lobes. Each hemisphere has 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. Each lobe may be divided into areas that serve very specific functions. There are relationships between the lobes of the brain and between the right and left hemispheres. The cerebrum is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal.
The Limbic System
The limbic system (deep inside the cerebrum ) is a system of interconnected structures composed of the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. It is the central hub of the brain that receives outside information and forwards it to other areas of the brain. It also helps manage motor and cognitive functions.
The Cerebellum
The cerebellum is under the cerebrum at the back of your head. It consists of 11 percent of your brain and contains neurons (interconnected brain cells that pass along nerve signals). The cerebellum functions include learning, coordinating movement and balance, and fine tuning of thoughts, emotions, touch, and other senses.
The Brain Stem
The brain stem sits beneath the cerebrum and in front of the cerebellum. It connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord, which runs down your neck and back. All information to and from our body passes through the brain stem on the way to or from our brain. The brain stem plays a vital role in basic attention, arousal, and consciousness. It controls all the body’s automatic functions and connects to 11 other cranial nerves in the head.
The functions of the brain stem are essential to maintaining life. It controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, and body temperature. The Medulla is the part responsible for regulating involuntary life sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate. As part of the brain stem, it also helps transfer neural messages to and from the brain and spinal cord. It is located at the junction of the spinal cord and brain.
The Pituitary Gland is an important link between the nervous system and the endocrine system. It releases hormones responsible for growth, metabolism, sexual development and the reproduction system. It is connected to the hypothalamus and is about the size of a pea. It is located in the center of the skull (behind the bridge of the nose).
Other Key Parts
The Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is the extension of the brain through the vertebral column. It receives sensory information from all parts of the body. It uses this information to respond to pain, for example, and relays the sensory information to the brain and cerebral cortex. The spinal cord generates nerve impulses in nerves that control muscles and the viscera, both through reflex voluntary commands from the cerebrum.
The Basal Ganglia
The cerebral nuclei (basal ganglia) help coordinate muscle movements and reward useful behaviors.
The Midbrain
The midbrain is composed of two pairs of small hills called colliculi which are a collection of neurons that play a critical role in visual and auditory reflexes and in relaying this information to the thalamus. The midbrain also has clusters of neurons that are thought to be important for reward mechanisms and mood.
The Hindbrain
The hindbrain includes the pons and the medulla oblongata, which control respiration, heart rhythms, and blood glucose levels. The primary role of the pons is to serve as a bridge between various parts of the nervous system, including the cerebellum and cerebrum. Many important nerves that originate in the pons. The pons is also associated with the control of sleep cycles, and controls respiration and reflexes. It is located above the medulla, below the midbrain, and just in front of the cerebellum.
THE POWER OF THE MIND
The mind is the origin of thought, perception, emotion, determination, memory and imagination in the brain. It is the thought processes of reason. The mind is the awareness of consciousness, the ability to control what we do, and know what we are doing and why. It is the ability to ask why and the ability to understand.
Your own mind is a sacred enclosure in which nothing harmful can enter without your permission.
The mind is a set of cognitive functions that include consciousness, imagination, recognition, perception, thinking, judgement, language and memory. It is usually defined as a person’s thoughts and consciousness. It is responsible for processing feelings and emotions that result in attitudes and actions.
Some psychologists argue that only the "higher" intellectual functions constitute mind, particularly reason and memory. They further state tha the emotions (love, hate, fear and joy ) are more primitive or subjective and should be seen separately from the mind. Others argue that rational and emotional states cannot be so separated and are of the same nature and origin so they should be considered as part of the mind.
Thought is a higher cognitive function or mental process that allows us to make sense of things in the world. We understand and interpret the world based on our needs, values, attachments, goals, commitments, plans, and desires. We form concepts, beliefs and opinions and engage in problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. We use thought to make and use tools, to understand cause and effect, to recognize patterns of significance; to comprehend experience or activity; and to respond to the world in a meaningful way.
Changing Your Mind Changes Your Life
The nervous system is made up of billions of neurons (microscopic cells). Each neuron has tiny branches that connect to other neurons. You were born with all the neurons but many of them were not connected to each other. As you learn the messages travel from one neuron to another and the brain starts to create connections (or pathways) between the neurons.
Parts of the Brain
The brain is composed of the cerebrum (frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe) cerebellum and the brain stem.
The Cerebrum
The cerebrum, also known as the cerebral cortex, composes 80 percent of your brain and is located at the front and center. It’s composed of four major lobes and divided into two halves, the right and left hemisphere. The right hemisphere controls motor functions on the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right side. Not all functions of the hemispheres are shared. In general, the left hemisphere controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing. The right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills. The left hemisphere is dominant in most people.
The cerebrum performs many functions.
- Interprets sensations like vision, hearing, touch, and smell
- Controls feelings and emotions
- Performs thought, problem solving, and adaptation of behavior
- Learns and remembers
- Understands and processes information
- Uses language to communicate
- Perceives space around us
- Controls body movement
The cerebral hemispheres divides the brain into lobes. Each hemisphere has 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. Each lobe may be divided into areas that serve very specific functions. There are relationships between the lobes of the brain and between the right and left hemispheres. The cerebrum is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal.
- The frontal lobes (located up front) are the “executive” part of the brain. Higher order thinking here performs reasoning, planning, organizing, and changing our behavior to align with the environment or a situation. They also control movement, speaking and, to some extent, emotion. The Frontal lobe controls:
- Personality, behavior, emotions
- Judgment, planning, problem solving
- Speech: speaking and writing
- Body movement
- Intelligence, concentration, self awareness
- The parietal lobes (right behind the frontal lobes) are primarily responsible for recognizing and interpreting sensory information like taste, temperature, smell, and touch. They help us understand spatial relationships like shape, size, and the orientation of objects. This part is also important for academic skills like reading and math. The Parietal lobe controls
- Interpretation of language, words
- Sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip)
- Interpretation of signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory
- Spatial and visual perception
- The temporal lobes (right above the ears) help us process sound. They are also important for learning, memory and understanding language. The Temporal lobe controls
- Understanding of language
- Memory
- Hearing
- Sequencing and organization
- The occipital lobes (back of the brain) help process what you see. The Occipital lobe controls
- Interpretation of vision (color, light, movement)
The Limbic System
The limbic system (deep inside the cerebrum ) is a system of interconnected structures composed of the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. It is the central hub of the brain that receives outside information and forwards it to other areas of the brain. It also helps manage motor and cognitive functions.
- The hypothalamus (below the thalamus) helps regulate sleep, hunger, and body temperature by sending instructions to produce hormones like adrenaline.
- The hippocampus is critical to learning and memory. It turns memories from short-term into long-term.
- The amygdala manages emotions.
The Cerebellum
The cerebellum is under the cerebrum at the back of your head. It consists of 11 percent of your brain and contains neurons (interconnected brain cells that pass along nerve signals). The cerebellum functions include learning, coordinating movement and balance, and fine tuning of thoughts, emotions, touch, and other senses.
The Brain Stem
The brain stem sits beneath the cerebrum and in front of the cerebellum. It connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord, which runs down your neck and back. All information to and from our body passes through the brain stem on the way to or from our brain. The brain stem plays a vital role in basic attention, arousal, and consciousness. It controls all the body’s automatic functions and connects to 11 other cranial nerves in the head.
The functions of the brain stem are essential to maintaining life. It controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, and body temperature. The Medulla is the part responsible for regulating involuntary life sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate. As part of the brain stem, it also helps transfer neural messages to and from the brain and spinal cord. It is located at the junction of the spinal cord and brain.
The Pituitary Gland is an important link between the nervous system and the endocrine system. It releases hormones responsible for growth, metabolism, sexual development and the reproduction system. It is connected to the hypothalamus and is about the size of a pea. It is located in the center of the skull (behind the bridge of the nose).
Other Key Parts
The Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is the extension of the brain through the vertebral column. It receives sensory information from all parts of the body. It uses this information to respond to pain, for example, and relays the sensory information to the brain and cerebral cortex. The spinal cord generates nerve impulses in nerves that control muscles and the viscera, both through reflex voluntary commands from the cerebrum.
The Basal Ganglia
The cerebral nuclei (basal ganglia) help coordinate muscle movements and reward useful behaviors.
The Midbrain
The midbrain is composed of two pairs of small hills called colliculi which are a collection of neurons that play a critical role in visual and auditory reflexes and in relaying this information to the thalamus. The midbrain also has clusters of neurons that are thought to be important for reward mechanisms and mood.
The Hindbrain
The hindbrain includes the pons and the medulla oblongata, which control respiration, heart rhythms, and blood glucose levels. The primary role of the pons is to serve as a bridge between various parts of the nervous system, including the cerebellum and cerebrum. Many important nerves that originate in the pons. The pons is also associated with the control of sleep cycles, and controls respiration and reflexes. It is located above the medulla, below the midbrain, and just in front of the cerebellum.
THE POWER OF THE MIND
The mind is the origin of thought, perception, emotion, determination, memory and imagination in the brain. It is the thought processes of reason. The mind is the awareness of consciousness, the ability to control what we do, and know what we are doing and why. It is the ability to ask why and the ability to understand.
Your own mind is a sacred enclosure in which nothing harmful can enter without your permission.
The mind is a set of cognitive functions that include consciousness, imagination, recognition, perception, thinking, judgement, language and memory. It is usually defined as a person’s thoughts and consciousness. It is responsible for processing feelings and emotions that result in attitudes and actions.
Some psychologists argue that only the "higher" intellectual functions constitute mind, particularly reason and memory. They further state tha the emotions (love, hate, fear and joy ) are more primitive or subjective and should be seen separately from the mind. Others argue that rational and emotional states cannot be so separated and are of the same nature and origin so they should be considered as part of the mind.
Thought is a higher cognitive function or mental process that allows us to make sense of things in the world. We understand and interpret the world based on our needs, values, attachments, goals, commitments, plans, and desires. We form concepts, beliefs and opinions and engage in problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. We use thought to make and use tools, to understand cause and effect, to recognize patterns of significance; to comprehend experience or activity; and to respond to the world in a meaningful way.
- Memory is the ability to preserve, retain, and subsequently recall, knowledge, information or experience.
- Imagination is the activity of generating or evoking situations, images, and ideas in the mind. It is a subjective activity, rather than a direct or passive experience.
- Consciousness consist of qualities such as subjectivity, sentience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between self and environment.
- Mental contents are items that are "in" the mind, and capable of being formed and manipulated by cognitive processes. Examples include thoughts, concepts, memories, emotions, percepts and intentions.
Changing Your Mind Changes Your Life
- Visualization creates results
- Smiling improves mood
- Thought management lowers stress
- Sunlight, massage and exercise increase seratonin
- Thinking positive can help you make real changes in behavior
- Positivity and meditation prolongs lifE
STARLIGHT POETRY BY KAI
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View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
About | Reprints & Copyrights | Home
© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
VIEW FULL SITE DIRECTORY