Vedantam The Hidden Brain
Fine A Mind of Its Own
Wright, Timothy A.Strangers to Ourselves
Wright, Timothy A. Redirect
Herbert, Wray On Second Thought
I feel as though I am getting some insight into what the subconscious is, what it contains and what it does. Although the first couple of attempts to get into the Herbert book were not promising, now that I have read more, I see the value of what this author discusses. He refers to heuristics, rules or patterns we use to make decisions, usually faster or easier than some kind of deep analysis. One of the first he discusses is gravity and physical motion, as with a ball being thrown. The point is that we all work with gravity all our lives and have a good understanding of it. So, with more abstract things such as the "momentum" of a sports contest or a student completing an assignment, we easily apply words and concepts from gravity to non-physical things. Sometimes that goes without a hitch but sometimes, we could do better.
Of the authors listed above, Fine and Wright are scientists while Vedantam and Herbert are science writers. All have valuable ideas and approaches to the mystery of our minds. Wright's "Strangers" helped me understand the history of the subconscious. Freud is credited with concentrating on impulses and desires that his patients seem to feel without realizing those undercurrents were having an effect on their thinking and lives. However, modern scientists are aware of much more extensive areas of the subconscious than repressed desires. Understanding and noting the effects of Herbert's heuristics helps when trying to figure why a feeling or opinion comes out the way it does. Wright's book, "Redirect", helps with detailed discussion of dealing with fears or anxieties that anchor in the unconscious and come to the surface of our minds recurrently in a deeply upsetting way. James Pennebaker of the U of Texas has developed and tested an effective and inexpensive way of dissolving the grip of such fears. "Redirect" describes the process in detail. It consists of waiting until 3 or 4 weeks after some shocking stress to see if the experience really has a grip on our subconscious. Once it is known to be a serious bother, we sit alone for 10 or 15 minutes daily for three or four successive days and write about the event. Our feelings, memories, etc. are the subject of the writing.
Writing makes use of the subconscious and moves its contents into our conscious mind, where issues can be dealt with and dismissed.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
