If you think about it, the brain sits in the skull, encased by bone, cut off from the world. It uses specialized organs to gather information about the world, namely the eyes, ears, nose and tongue. It also uses the body as a sensor.
Our bodies are sending information to our brains 24/7. Much of that information is proprioceptive in nature, but we also can’t forget about our thoughts and emotions. It’s actually when we notice or pay attention to our thoughts and emotions that our brains get that information in a whole new way.
How our brains pay attention is really one of the working principles of NeuroStructural care. If we were to go back in time a bit, we’d see the point in time where scientists were able to identify a difference between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. And that those two sides seemed to have different functions.
It is somewhat common knowledge now that the left side of the brain is like a good accountant and the right side of the brain is the emotional, artsy one.
However, the latest brain research shows this to be false. The left side of the brain for example, can get emotional, especially angry. The basic difference between the two hemispheres seems to be found in how they help us to pay attention.
The left side of the brain helps us to zero in, and is mostly concerned about identifying through differentiation. It lends itself to black and white thinking, absolutes (rather than nuance) and pure reason.
The right side of the brain helps us to pay attention to the bigger picture, to see the connections between things I.e. relationships. Using the right brain, we see nuance, and it lends itself to intuition.
Ideally, we should be able to use both sides of the brain to make sense of our experiences, with both sides informing and being able to find a holistic solution. Using both reason and intuition is more helpful than reason or intuition alone.
I’ve come to realize that when we talk about connecting to oneself and others more, I’m saying that we need to have a more “whole brain” experience. If you’re not “connected” it means that you’re using the left side of your brain more than your right or vice versa. In fact I would say that many people are using the left side of their brains way more than is healthy for them. I can say that that was the case for me. I used to be a talking head:). Still am if I’m not connecting:).
When we’re able to use both sides of our brains, we experience the “more” of life; we have access to more energy and potential. And how we relate to people improves.
I’d like to invite you to a class that I’ll be giving monthly (starting June 3). I’m calling it The Happy Spine Health Academy. I’m planning to teach about a number of things including:
- how and why NeuroStructural care works
- techniques to create more balance between the two sides of the brain
- ways to improve your health and healing
- and much more…I’ll be sharing more information about it soon and if you have questions, feel free to email me or ask me when you’re in for a visit. If you’re interested, you can sign up by emailing me at dr.tonysandorfi@gmail.com or there will be a sign up sheet in the clinic where you can register.