Welcome back, everyone, this week, I thought I would discuss the human brain. Suppose you are anything like me; you will find the human brain to be a fantastic thing. It is like having this wonderful computer that is consistently absorbing and growing.

Our brains do unique and profound things, and honestly, there is nothing like the human brain on this planet. Yet, it is truly what makes humans the dominant species on this planet.

I thought this week I would break down the brain and show you how the brain works and how it makes each of us who we are. So If you are interested in learning more, please stick around to the end.

Let’s start with the brain’s basic function, and then I will break it down into sections to give a deeper look at how it helps us become who we are.

The right and left brain

 According to scientists, from the beginning of studies on the brain, we only have two sections to our brains. Over the years, this belief has proved untrue, and scientists now know that there are four significant sections of the brain. However, the right and left brain functions remain relevant. So allow me to break down each of their basic functions.

Right Brain Tasks

• Art Awareness
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Insight
• Holistic thoughts
• Music Awareness
• 3-D forms
• Left-hand control

Left Brain Tasks

• Analytics thoughts
• Logic
• Language
• Reasoning
• Science and mathematics
• Writing
• Number skills
• Right-hand skills

People used to believe that we functioned on one side of our brain or the others. But, scientists have now proven that we function with a mixture of both sides of our brain, and as we evolve, we use a more significant percentage of our brains as a whole. First, however, it should be noted that both the right and left sections of our brain work significantly with each other and uniquely from each other.

Outside the right and left brain, the brain can also be split into four significant sections with particular tasks, and each of these tasks helps us do everything we do as individuals. These four sections are.

• The Reptilian Brain
• The Paleolimbic Brain
• The Neolimbic Brain
• The Prefrontal Brain

Allow me to show you each of their functions and how they work with each other as a whole.

The Reptilian Brain

This is the first section I will discuss as it is the most basic section of our brain and is responsible for our survival instincts. Based on the situation, it is the section of our brain that tells us whether we are meant to fight, run/flee or freeze.

It is also where the stress we feel from any situation is created, as this portion of the brain will perceive danger in cases considered life or death.

Another important fact about this part of the brain is that it is only concerned with your own survival, not other people’s survival.

This section of the brain works hand in hand with the next section of the brain that I will be discussing.

The Paleolimbic Brain

This section of the brain is where group survival becomes more important. It is also where our unconscious beliefs and core behavioral teaching live.

This is the section of the brain that is responsible for your confidence levels and your ability to trust yourself and others. Our experience determines whether we are balanced in our self-confidence or if we are out of balance.

If we are out of balance, you could lean one of 4 ways.

• Dominance – which is considered to be too much confidence and can lead to relationship problems, among other things.
• Submissive – is when you have too little confidence and tend to give up what is important to you for others because pleasing them is more important.
• Marginality –  which is considered to lean too far to the left with your confidence, and you tend to be more distrustful of others; you might even be paranoid or have a lack of interest in people or daily life.
• Axiality is considered too far to the right of balanced confidence, which is when you take everything you hear as a fact, or you believe every person you talk to.

When you have healthy and balanced self-confidence, you will be trusting but discerning, confident, and humble. You will also be far more resilient in life events as you will overcome any setback or obstacle with relative ease, and it all takes place thanks to this portion of your brain.

The Neolimbic Brain

This is the part of the brain that stores all our memories, from our first steps to our last breath. It stores every good and bad memory along with every memory in between. It is also the part of the brain most people seem to get stuck in. When people say, “ you are stuck in your past,” this is the part of the brain functioning most dominant.

When you are triggered by something in the present and find yourself reliving something from the past, again, this is the part of the brain that functions most dominantly. ( this would be relevant to people who deal with PTSD or Complex PTSD ) 

Another function of this part of the brain is establishing our motives which can be broken down in 3 different ways.

• Intrinsic or fixed motives – are established by your genetics and environments.
• Extrinsic motives – these are your likes and dislike and will help to reveal your actual personality type over time.
• Obsessive motives – these are those desires that get out of hand. With these motives, you will see addiction or magical thinking ( that thinking that drives you to chase dreams or goals you will never achieve.) 

In other words, this is a part of your brain you will need to keep in check actively, or it will take control, and you will simply get lost with little hope of finding your way out.

The Prefrontal Brain

If you have a healthy and balanced brain, this will be the most dominant part of your brain. This part of the brain is considered what makes us human. This is the part of the brain that stores all our daily intake and data output. The part of the brain that creates our uniqueness, where we will develop spiritual beliefs and enlightenment. This is also the part of the brain that keeps our emotions in check and allows us to form hypotheses and conclusions.

This is also the most significant part of your brain and has the power to override other parts of the brain as it grows and develops. When people talk about rewiring your brain, this is the part of the brain they are referring to.

Final Thought

Now that you have a better understanding of the brain and how each section works hand in hand with each of the other sections, you should become far more capable of opening yourself up to the possibility of more profound insight into yourself and others.

When understanding ourselves, our emotions, reactions, and others’ behaviors or motives, I would say it is very important to know how the brain works. Understanding the brain and then linking that understanding to the person’s experiences, whether this is you or others, will allow you to see a clearer picture. In that understanding, you will find clarity in the questions you seek to answer.

As always, I hope you found this topic useful or helpful. If you would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to do so below. Until next week, Namaste.