HOW THE BRAIN WORKS
To understand the practical applications of NeurOptimal® it may be useful to first understand certain complexities of the brain and a little about how it functions.
The brain is the most complex dynamical structure known within the universe. It is able to process massive amounts of information, develop responses and apply these responses for increased efficiency and mastery. Fortunately, consciousness is self-regulated, such that processes not requiring our immediate attention take place outside of our awareness, within the subconscious. This leaves our conscious mind unencumbered to deal with important immediate stimuli that require awareness and focused attention.
In learning behavior, a network of supporting neural interconnectivity is established. With repetition, the neural connections are strengthened and more easily activated. Eventually the behavior can become a primary and unconscious response. The brain’s on-going ability to create new pathways and interconnections is essential for learning and adaptability. These features of the dynamical brain have profound implications for day-to-day living.
For Example: If we repeat behavior often enough, it develops a self-organizing dynamic that then drives the behavior. Self-sustaining problematic behaviors are largely unconscious and may be as simple as obsolete coping strategies or as extreme as serious psychological and emotional challenges. Once established they influence the way we perceive the world, our relationship with it and our sense of self.
Behavioral dynamics are like a car rolling down a hill. If you jump in front just as it starts to move, it is a lot easier to stop than if it has developed momentum. When behavior has an unconscious component, we are unaware of the activation and the build-up of the dynamical intensity.
By the time it reaches awareness the behavior is usually difficult to control because it is supported by powerful unconscious forces and has gained considerable “momentum”. When conscious or unconscious processing efficiency becomes compromised through the stress of modern living, information overload, trauma, or other influences, loss of performance and suffering arises. The body systems it regulates are affected, processing and integration of life experience becomes inefficient, and the additional burden placed on the conscious mind results in loss of awareness and performance in the world. Consequently, problematic behaviors, loss of wellness, and dependencies arise.
Any of the body’s emotional or cognitive processes influenced by the Central Nervous System (CNS) can be affected. The brain’s entire conscious and unconscious ability for optimal complex processing is determined by how efficiently it functions as a self- organizing dynamical and transformational system.
