Brain Train 1

Training that pesky but adorable little brain.

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Transcript

Taking Charge of Your Brain Part 1

shaykh ibrahim ansari

As with any pet or young child, brain training requires the same high quality of care, commitment and patience.

After you have carefully unboxed your brain, please wash it first to remove any of the preservatives and packaging. Now let us take a closer look at some of the components.

What’s Inside:

Three main valves:

Cerebrum. Your cerebrum interprets your five senses. ...

• Cerebellum. Your cerebellum maintains your balance, posture, coordination and fine motor skills. ...
• Brainstem. Your brainstem regulates many automatic body functions.

Hippocampus

Most available evidence suggests that the functions of memory are carried out by the hippocampus and other related structures in the temporal lobe. (The hippocampus and the amygdala, nearby, also form part of the limbic system).

The limbic system is the part of the brain that controls emotions. It's a network of structures located deep within the brain. The limbic system includes the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and thalamus.  

 You don’t need to know all of the parts, just how to make them work for you.

The brain always wants your attention, and will always strive to be the first thing you feed and walk in the morning. However, you are the Master and must show both discipline and encouragement in equal value. Have a treat ready when it obeys. When it doesn’t respond to your wishes, then we must begin the training from the ground up.

We will be working on the principle that success breeds success. In this case, discipline does not mean appearing angry, upset or yelling at it. This will take time and patience. A little laughter, a pat on the head, and some understanding will go a long way in getting the brain to trust you.

What we want to do is to teach the brain to restrain its persistent activity until you are ready to engage with it. We need it to be quiet long enough for us to listen and check in with our heart.

Every brain’s treat will consist of some dopamine flavored kibble. However, you are responsible for figuring out what treats work with your brain. For some, it is a chocolate chip cookie, another likes a nap, one likes walking, and another favors a cartoon or movie. This might require some time to experiment finding a short list of goodies.

Now, what is happening is a most remarkable transformation. We are going to rewire a portion of your pet. The brain first needs to unlearn and disconnect from its initial programming. This consists of habits and adaptations learned from one’s family, culture, religion, language and school.

This first phase, the Unlearning, suggests that you learn to pay attention when the brain jumps up on you unexpectedly. You should witness this old normal behavior without judgement until you have an idea of when and why it is happening. Then, when you can begin to see it starting- curtail it. But in the beginning that will be astonishingly much later, sometimes a couple days, and you finally remember that you allowed the brain into your study and it chewed up the pillows again.

This is its instinctive and natural but feral default. To teach it to STAY, you must have a strategy that will work until this way finally becomes a habit. You will be able to say STAY and it will stay. 

After the Unlearning comes the Rewiring.

Do not confuse the brain with more than one command at a time.  Work on one trick only, and it will improve, and the process will become clearer and more efficient. Each trick it learns gives you more energy and success for the next one.

Often wearing something on one’s body like a scarf, a rubber band or a ring can be a physical reminder that you are brain training. It thinks it is very smart, but all brains are a bit self-centered and will try to trick you to get your attention. A watch on the other arm will alert you that you must stay on top of the training, and not let the brain get its way unless you say so.

Do not be discouraged when it reverts back to the default whining, “What about me?” It will always want to say this, and you must be understanding and gentle. Pet it, say soothing words like, “Don’t worry. Your time will come. Good brain.” But no treat until it follows your commands.