The human nervous system is composed of 2 types of cells: glial cells and neurons. The neurons make us think and act. Various studies suggest that the brain contains ≈100 billion glial cells and neurons, which form ≈150 trillion connections. Glial cells provide the neurons with nourishment, physical support, and protection. They also dispose of waste materials generated…
All of our memories (of events, words, images, emotions) correspond to activities of specific circuits of neurons. Learning depends on the plasticity of these circuits. Plasticity refers to the neurons’ stunning powers to make lasting changes in the efficiency of their synaptic wiring patterns, even in adult brains. What we experience as ‘information’ is the…
When we learn something, neural circuits are altered in our brain. These circuits are composed of a number of neurons (nerve cells) that communicate with one another through special junctions called synapses. To memorize a new word, we repeat it to ourselves several times, and this selects and strengthens the synapse connections among these various…
Is treating a chronic condition with drugs or surgery not like trying to achieve silence by telling the other to shut up? With AIDS, what kind of environmental cues would create a somatic response that shuts down your entire immune system? With Cancer, what kind of environmental cues would create a somatic response that results…
When an entity’s neural circuit is ignited by a signal from the environment, it transmits what it is being through neural activity. If it represents a resistance to being struck on the leg, it transmits sensations recalled from that experience. Forget medical terms. Ask yourself how it actually feels. You may say something like: Feels…
Over 80% of our neural connections are made after birth. 3/4 of brain development happens during the 3 years after birth. Human beings create ignited neural circuits all the time. We may refer to them as ‘neural entities‘ because they often operate independently, displaying their own social, emotional, and physical characteristics. The process of creating…
(BB)’s Main Objective: To re-acquire the Art of natural breathing in order to remove stress, anxiety, and information overload. Rapid and/or shallow breathing reduces mental alertness, because it reduces the amount of energy and fresh oxygen fed to the blood. Insufficient chest movement causes (a) the rib cage and surrounding muscles to get stiffer and weaker,…
BELLY BREATHING May I suggest you start with ‘breathing through the belly’? Let’s practice this a few times: Stand up and shake arms and hands a few times. Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Slowly inhale through your nose or your pursed lips. Push your stomach and then your chest out. Hold the…
INTRODUCTION TO EFFECTIVE LIFE IMPROVEMENT PART I WELLNESS WHEEL How about taking a quick look at yourself? Save a copy of the Wheel’s PDF file on your desktop, or print out a copy. When done: Rate where you are in life right now from 1-10 in each of the 8 sectors of the wheel by…
An artificial neural network is software designed to mimic how our brain works. After proper ‘training’, it can learn how to recognize certain objects or patterns in a huge dataset. Our neuronal pathway network is made visible via brain scans and looks similar to the fractal (self-similar) networks of: star studded skies branch stuffed trees…
When the brains recognize the image of an aggressor, they simultaneously trigger the bodily state of fear as a response to that image. For future action planning, the brains must create a representation of the threat. This representation must contain info about the externally perceived image plus the internal emotional response to that image. By…
The Somatic Marker mechanism works when perceptions interact with emotions. Unlike animals, humans are aware of the presence of their bodies and their “selves”. Damasio concluded that inwardly-directed attention comes from an awareness of both the external environment and the internal milieu. It enables us to use our emotional response to mark and evaluate information coming…
