Issue #417 – Monday, April 1, 2024
Would you call yourself an optimist or a pessimist?
Well no matter which category you put yourself into…
…it turns out that our brains inherently lean more towards pessimism.
Why is that? And can you do anything about it?
Well, it all has to do with how memory works, and it turns out there is something you can do about it.
To explain, I’m sharing an essay with you today from late Centerpointe Founder Bill Harris. Bill dives into why the brain tends to use negative experiences as our biggest guideposts as we navigate through life.
He also shares some powerful tips to help you gain more control over your brain health and function.
I know you’re going to love it!
Cheers,
Centerpointe CEO
P.S.
Is your “Brain Age” older than your body?
We’ve created a powerful Holosync suite designed to slow and even reverse rapid brain aging to give you a young, energetic, beautiful brain again.
Scroll down to our “Check it Out” section below to learn more.
Your Brain is a Pessimist
(But You Don’t Have to Be)
by Bill Harris
Founder, Centerpointe Research Institute
This phenomenon started in your youth, while the two hemispheres of your brain were developing.
Your right hemisphere is more involved with emotions, sensory experiences and pattern recognition…
...while the left hemisphere deals with language, logic, and problem solving.
Your right hemisphere developed first, which is more negative than the left (when it comes to emotions).
As a result, negative experiences early in life often have a long-lasting effect on self-perception, personality, and…
…your experience of the world.
How Memory Works
To make matters worse, your memory is also wired for negativity. To put it simply, you have two types of memory:
Implicit: Experiential memories that can’t be consciously recalled or easily explained. How to ride a bike, how to balance, how to steer.
Explicit: Memories that can be intentionally and consciously recalled. I rode my bike. I fell over the handlebars. I skinned my knee.
Implicit memory is nonverbal. Consider walking: it’s a complex action you know how to do, but you couldn’t put it into words. Your implicit memory system is based in the amygdala and exists primarily to remember–and help you avoid…
...life-threatening dangers.
Because these memories are tied to survival, your amygdala holds on to them tightly.
Explicit memory, on the other hand, is verbal: You remember your mother’s name, or the multiplication table, or a famous quote.
The explicit memory system lives in the hippocampus. It doesn’t hold on to memories as tightly, allowing you to learn new, important information and forget what isn’t useful.
Your explicit memory is “plastic”...it changes (which is very good news). Your implicit memory, for the most part, doesn’t.
Like the left hemisphere, your explicit memory takes longer to develop. As a result, young people store intense, negative memories in the amygdala, forever.
These negative memories color later experiences, causing you to perceive danger where there is none. This can have a huge negative effect on your function, your relationships…
...and just about everything else in your life.
(Sorry if this is getting you down–I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel.)
How to Conquer Negativity
There are many effective methods for conquering negativity. These are recommended by Dr. Joseph Annibali, chief psychiatrist of the Amen Clinics, in his groundbreaking book:
Reclaim Your Brain: How to Calm Your Thoughts, Heal Your Mind, and Bring Your Life Back Under Control.
Distract yourself. Invest yourself in a productive or enjoyable activity. When you become absorbed in an activity, your limbic system has a chance to calm.
Laugh. Find the humor in your negativity. Often, negative thoughts are irrational. Laugh at them (and yourself) for believing–but do so gently.
Take the ‘glass half full’ approach. All negatives–without exception–have a positive, or the seed of something positive. Challenge yourself to find that positive, whatever it may be.
Be grateful. Write three things you are grateful for. According to Annibali, studies have shown that writing things which you are grateful for changes the brain.
You may have tried some of these before, possibly without success. If these methods haven’t worked for you, the most likely explanation is…
…your brain isn’t working correctly.
If you’ve been reading Mind Power, you know there’s a war going on between two major parts of your brain.
The War Inside Your Brain
What parts of the brain am I referring to?
First, there’s your limbic system: the source of the fight or flight stress response and the “I’m going to do this/buy this/eat this/say this now, and the heck with the consequences” response.
Then, there’s your prefrontal cortex: the source of executive function, creativity, learning from mistakes, planning, rational thinking, and more.
If either of these is overactive or underactive, you could be experiencing many challenges or problems, or sabotaging yourself from developing the personal qualities...
...you need in order to be happy and successful.
Unfortunately, these two parts of the brain ARE either overactive or underactive for about 98% of people!
The emotional turmoil you feel (negativity) is caused by an overactive limbic system. When your limbic system is overactive and in control of your brain, the problems of life are much more difficult.
The Solution to this Problem
The first, most powerful steps toward conquering negativity is calming the limbic system and enhancing the prefrontal cortex.
Here are some effective methods:
Supplements
- 5-HTP: Increases serotonin levels (low serotonin is associated with obsessive-compulsive behavior, depression, and anxiety)
- L-theanine: Calming supplement; Increases alpha waves in the brain
- Glycine: Calms brain activity in several areas of the limbic system
- St. John’s Wort: Increases serotonin in the brain
- GABA: Calms activity in the limbic system
Other Helpful Methods
- Breathing: Slow breathing calms the limbic system
- Exercise: Research shows that short 1-4 minute bursts followed by a rest period, repeated several times, are more effective than longer periods of less intense exercise
- Nutrition: Diets high in protein, low in carbs, and high in “good fat” (coconut oil, avocados, butter, omega 3s, extra virgin olive oil) help keep the limbic system calm
- Sleep: 7-8 hours of sleep a night helps keep the limbic system calm
- Meditation: Countless studies show that meditation calms the limbic system AND enhances the prefrontal cortex
The Problem with Meditation
The problem with meditation is that few people actually are willing to do it! Meditation is hard to learn, and it takes a long time to see significant results.
Thankfully, it’s now possible to create the same brain changes as traditional methods, in a fraction of the time, using a technological approach.
Centerpointe’s Holosync technology does exactly that.
Using combinations of pure sine wave audio tones delivered to the brain through stereo headphones, Holosync creates the brainwave patterns…
…of an experienced 30-year meditator.
Holosync is THE easiest way to meditate (all you do is listen, no effort, no learning curve).
Give it a try and see how you can, as Dr. Annibali says, calm your thoughts, heal your mind, and bring your life back under control.
Did you know that most people have a “Brain Age” that’s OLDER than their body?
But now we’ve made it easy to turn back the clock with a powerful Holosync collection:Enter your text here...
Beautiful Brain
By harnessing the power of brain balance, clarity, and resilience, Beautiful Brain will help you:
-Cultivate feelings of peace and centeredness
-Make your brain younger & healthier
-Strengthen your mental resilience
-Reverse rapid brain aging
-Balance neurochemicals
-Reduce memory lapse
-Blow away brain fog
And much more!
You see, “anti-aging” isn’t just for your skin.
Now you can create the kind of healing and rejuvenation your brain needs to reclaim its vitality, its wit, its energy, its inspiration and its power.
And the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results.
Wise Words
I am on day 4. I feel lighter and not easily bothered by the situations that might cause stress. Also, in my regular meditation I went deeper than normal. Thank you. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
~June L
5-Day Challenge Participant
The MyHolosync App makes listening to Holosync much faster and easier than ever before.
Not only is MyHolosync loaded with a ton of free Holosync meditations, but the new Quick Track Holosync Solution Program (only available in the app) also includes Holosync meditations that are as short as 5 minutes.
Not only is MyHolosync loaded with a ton of free Holosync meditations, but the new Quick Track Holosync Solution Program (only available in the app) also includes Holosync meditations that are as short as 5 minutes.
That’s right - just 5 minutes is all you need to improve your brain with Holosync!
(We’ve never before packed such a powerful meditation into such a tiny package!)
But that’s not all. We’ve also included videos, Mind Power essays, audiobooks and more - all FREE for you to enjoy.
NOTE: This app is in Early Access and
requires special download instructions.
We Want to Hear From You!
What bad habit would you like to ditch this year?
Post your story on our Facebook Page.
Not on Facebook? Tell me about the impact that meditation with Holosync has had on your daily life. Stress? Sleep? Weight Loss? Focus? Spiritual Connection? Other? Email your story here.