We all want to be individuals, to stand out, to be unique. We ARE unique; however, relationships are at the heart of our development. Our interpersonal interactions shape our brains, our perspectives, and the way we think. Both the adaptive and maladaptive behaviors of children and adults are formed through our interactions with others.
The Western philosophy touts individualism, autonomy, and independence. We are taught from a young age to be fiercely independent. To be responsible and accountable for our own needs is one thing, and it’s important to take personal responsibility. But, many theories of neuroscience state that healthy, well-balanced individuals rely on others to change and develop their strengths and capacities to excel.
The latest advances in neuroscience (and there are so many, so fast…no accident that it mirrors our advancements in technology!) show us clearly that our relationships create the neural circuitry in our brains, and that our neural circuitry then creates how we see the world…and how we create our lives.
You’ve heard “It takes a village”. We learn much by interacting with others. It is important for healthy relationships to have a sense of attachment. For example, this is most easily seen in survivors of repeated abuse, trauma or in the foster care environment. Many children in the foster care system have Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), which hinders them from attaching and trusting others. This is a struggle for them that can follow them into adulthood. We see it in epidemic proportions in western culture and it is linked to the prevalence of addiction. If we don’t feel loved, safe, and connected, we will self medicate.
Countless interactions with others shape our right brain in ways that affect our subsequent responses to others, our sense of safety and danger, and our ability to regulate our emotions. Damage to right brain circuitry compromises one’s ability to read such things as facial expressions, hand gestures, or tone of voice. Optimally, right and left brain circuitry develop in a recursive, reciprocal manner and the individual is able to rely on the capacities of each to appraise others in his or her environment.
Our individual brains and the integration of the parts of the brain in relationship mirrors what I call the “Collective Brain”…each of our individual selves connect in relationship (as well as electrically) and make the whole; as I teach in the PEMS Courses, there is a theory in quantum mechanics that the entire universe is one large brain, and that our individual brains are a microcosm of that larger brain.
I have personally experienced over the years that there is indeed a collective intelligence that we can access when we are in a whole brain state. My practice over the years has been to teach you how to access the larger intelligence through the creative, sacred and transformative arts, bringing you into coherence with that larger Collective Brain. I find that the Collective Brain is very wise…it has all the answers!
There is value in shared wisdom. When we explore the data that has been accrued over the lifetimes of all the individual brains, we recognize that we are part of an endless chain of intelligent information. Present in our genetic code and DNA, as well as in even older and larger codes of information that can’t be quantified with our current measurement tools, we can access this information if we use our whole brains.
And bringing it back down to earth, our connections to each other shape us in our ability to access our whole brain. If we are impaired in our right brains and become left brain dominant, as the culture teaches us, we lose that sense of connection to one another…and we lose the access to the Collective Brain. As Dr. Dan Siegel states, “in Interpersonal Neurobiology we say that integration is the basis of health. Integration is defined quite simply as “the linkage of differentiated parts.” With integration emerges coherence and harmony; when integration is impaired, chaos or rigidity ensues.” Neuroscience provides powerful proof that it does “take a village”.
“Spiritual Energy” by Alex Grey
Take the PEMS (Personal Energy Mechanics System) eCourse and learn about how to manage your energy, your connection with others, and your remarkable brain!
PEMS 1 “The Divine Human” Home Study eCOURSE
8 Lessons, taught in installments; includes 8 recordings, Handbook PDF sent by email. $197
PEMS 2 “Access Your Helpers” Home Study eCourse
6 Lessons, taught in installments; includes 6 recordings, Handbook PDF sent by email. $147
PEMS 3 “Setting Intentions that Manifest” Home Study eCourse
4 Lessons, taught in installments; includes 4 recordings, Handbook PDF sent by email. $97
PEMS 4 “Managing Change, Energetic Well-Being in a New Era” Home Study eCourse
6 Lessons, taught in installments; includes 6 recordings, Handbook PDF sent by email. $147
PEMS 5 “The Partnership of the Feminine and Masculine” Home Study eCourse
8 Lessons, taught in installments; includes 8 recordings, Handbook PDF sent by email. $197
