You definitely can rewire your brain and reprogram your thinking. It is your brain that causes you to think and feel and take action (or not take action) based on the beliefs and habits in your brain. It makes sure that you are 100% of what is inside your brain and that this matches what is outside you, ie. your results in the world. Here is a summary of some of the recent brain science that is being used and spoken about in personal development seminars. If you haven’t read last month's MMN An International Rebirth Part 1 then you might like to do that before you read this MMN.

Brain Plasticity

Brain Plasticity is a new word.  Science has now proven that we do create new brain cells.  Neuroplasticity is the ability to rewire and create new neural circuits at any age - for example a stroke survivor whose right side of the brain has been damaged, now using the left side of the brain to control the left side of the body (formerly managed by the right side of the brain).  "Our ability to be neuroplastic is equivalent to our ability to change our mind, to change ourselves, and to change our perception of the world around us, that is, our reality" (from "Evolve Your Brain" page 10).  This is promoted by Assaraf as the discovery of the decade.

Conscious, Subconscious, Unconscious and Super-Conscious

People talk about these words without defining their meaning and therefore, without a definition of their meaning, you get estimations of the conscious mind as being 2% or sometimes 12% of the mind.  I like to take out all our automatic bodily functions - such as the heart beating - and put them in the unconscious mind.  The subconscious mind then becomes primarily the mind that we have developed since just before birth dealing with all our memory, habits, personality and self-image.  Sometimes with genetic coding, we could be influenced by a gene encoded say with worthlessness.  This would come from the unconscious to the subconscious and then to the conscious mind where feelings, behaviours and actions would manifest.  Real and lasting change takes place on the inside first, that is, in the subconscious mind.

 

I have seen the word Super-Conscious used for subconscious.  I much prefer Dr Michael Newton’s definition of Super-Conscious in his books Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls which is that part that can remember one’s time as a Soul between lives. (If you intend to read them then read Journey of Souls first.)

Explicit and Implicit Beliefs and Habits

Both Dispenza and Lipton talk about having two types of Memory.  Assaraf talks of having two types of Beliefs and Habits. The words are Explicit and Implicit.  Simply put (my language) explicit memory is knowledge-based and resides in the neo-cortex.  You have a knowledge of things and can recall them as in learning a language when you are actually translating the words one or two at a time.  Implicit memory is more procedural as in deep-rooted habits and beliefs.  When you are on automatic, say with a language you've learned, you don't think about translating, you just use it and probably dream in it as well.  What has actually happened here is that the language established new connections in your neo-cortex (conscious mind) and then moved into the cerebellum - the seat of the subconscious, where all habits and beliefs reside.  I personally do not use the new words Implicit and Explicit which I find akin to jargon which is used in Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  I believe it simply is not necessary.

The Process to Rewire your Brain

Assaraf in describing the process for internal change says "Once a new idea, belief or habit is impressed and emotionalised into the subconscious mind, then perceptions, thoughts and behaviours automatically change and cause you to produce the desired result."  Furthermore, Assaraf says that using the new science you first create a powerful vision for your goal, secondly you choose powerful beliefs and habits to support your new vision and thirdly begin a daily program to change your goal, self image and confidence levels.  He suggests that you do this for 90 days when you will start to feel the effects of the new habits with new behaviour.

I agree and my words are not very different.  The process I teach is to firstly be able to relax and release stress very quickly, which opens the Reticular Activating Filter (RAS) so that you are now dealing with your subconscious mind and then ...

1.  Say your goal (which you have written in Positive, Personal and Present Tense language)

2.  Visualise the end result of your goal (you actually visualise that you already have the reasons that you want the goal - your WIIFMs.)

3.  Emotionalise the goal with your Anchor, because emotion is the language of the subconscious mind.

Psycho-Cybernetics

One of Maltz's key concepts was to use the Theater of the Mind, or a “synthetic experience”. His book Psycho-Cybernetics written in 1960 was highly innovative at the time and became one of the most influential texts on the subject of self-image, psychology and goal visualisation. Maltz saw human behaviour as a negative feedback (cybernetic) system. This is the type of system used in a guided missile. When the missile is fired, it will correct its course to reach its goal. People also correct their behaviour to reach their goals, including behaving according to their self image. Psycho-cybernetics today is the ability to guide yourself or steer your subconscious mind to a productive goal.

So the use of the word psycho-cybernetics is creeping in - it just sounds good!

The Joys of the “Synthetic Experience” 

Notice Maltz used the words "synthetic experience".  It was Maltz who first showed that the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between imagination and reality.  Hence his "synthetic experience" is a "pretend experience".

Emotion

It was Rappaport in 1940 who showed that emotion is not only involved with memory but is the very basis on which memory takes place.  It wasn't until 1972 that his work was more accepted and expanded whereby it was linked with real memory that takes place in the subconscious mind - the language of the subconscious mind.  Teachers were talking about emotionalising goals to help them set faster into the subconscious mind.  In 1989 I extended the NLP practice of having anchors to having an Emotional Anchor to use with goals (that is visualising the end result of a "synthetic experience") and the subconscious mind.

We Don't See with our Eyes!

John Assaraf makes a great point when he emphasises some recent proven science - "We don't see with our eyes."  In other words, if things are not in our awareness we don't notice them.  For example, do you know anybody who is negative but they themselves don't know they're negative?  Most of my seminar audience knows somebody!  and I go on to say: "What can they do about it?"  "Nothing" is the answer, because they are not aware that they are negative! 

A segment in the "Human Brain" series shows a gymnast who can not do a particularly complicated movement on the bars.  The gymnast used focused concentration, relaxation and visualisation to imagine the movement.  She did this hundreds of times so that she created a neural pathway which eventually went into the cerebellum (the seat of the subconscious mind).  Now her body knows the movement.  When she went to the bars again she actually succeeded in doing the movement.  Now all the gymnast needs to do is to keep doing the movement and pick up ways she can improve or perfect the movement.  This example shows how the subconscious mind "sees" the movement first - not our eyes!

The Pre-Frontal Cortex

Many years ago the treatment of many mentally ill people was the extreme measure of performing a lobotomy.  Unfortunately these people mostly ended up as "zombies".  New science has shown that the pre-frontal cortex is that part of our brain that "does the work".  It is the thinking brain and takes up to 40% of the energy in our brain.

An example is mental arithmetic.  If you multiply 4 x 6 and then add it to 5 x 7, the results need to be held in the short term memory in the pre-frontal cortex, that is the answer being the number 24, whilst the brain computes 5 x 7 before it can be added to 24.  This is done in the pre-frontal cortex.  I guess it's good to know the words, however it really doesn't matter.  Both Assaraf and Lipton use these words.

You and you alone can change your fears, your behaviour, your health, your relationships, your physique, your finances, by working on the inside first.  Remember, it does not happen overnight.  I believe that with a combination of both goals (5 minutes a day) and meditation (say 20 minutes a day) you can "move mountains" and achieve in 30 days.

So, I reiterate – if it was easy to find the time to achieve then everybody would do it. It is the best habit you can ever develop and you would kiss goodbye to uncontrollable stress and say hello to good health.

Remember, you can not achieve by doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result! Make sure your New Year's Resolutions are set as goals and you use all the tools to really achieve them.

 

All the best

 

Sandy MacGregor

I love the statement "Your gift from God was your potential – Your gift to God is to use it."  

Success Stories

Wanted to email you right back and thank you for this (a recent) MMN.
Before I opened this email this morning I read a little message (which is for me) but seemed so aligned with this (a recent) MMN.
My message - "When I become conscious of something I become responsible".
You know, during the years I worked with the medical profession, I personally heard criticism of Dr Teo, to which I made no personal response as I did not regard myself as qualified to do so.  But throughout my own ongoing journey I have given the words I heard a lot of thought - and I'm on his side!  Hope and hopelessness - I'm choosing hope - and I am grateful for the courage of Dr Teo and others who I regard as pioneers in the meeting of science with spirituality. Thank you. EH NSW

I wanted to email you and thank you for such an amazing weekend. It has made a really big difference to my life. I have been getting up early and sitting for half an hour meditating. I've still got a lot of practice to do, but it has been really good. DL NSW

First, and belatedly I want to thank you for your wonderful seminar.  I have been meditating for many years (on and off) and I have to tell you that your presentation was the best that I have experienced.  Your knowledge and presentation across all areas was brilliant.
My beautiful daughter I feel needs to find her PP before she suffers with anxiety as I did, which 'hit me out of the blue' when I was about 47.  Luckily through meditation and prayer I overcame same.  I'm keen for my daughter to discover and use her own "Peaceful Place". RS NSW