The Fascinating Human Brain- Part 1

After a week of recovery from one of the most intensely busy seasons of my life, I'm starting to write again. In fact, I feel like there is so much that I've been wanting to process as I crystallize the things that I've been learning this year. I'm hoping to put together some nuggets that help me sync this learning for good! What is true about people? about problems? about change? and about the counselor?


I'm going to start with the function of the BRAIN in human change. Why? I was reminded during my Psych Disorders class this semester that I decided to be a neurologist when I was in the 3^rd grade. WHY? Because I had a childhood seizure disorder, so I decided to learn about the brain for our 3^rd grade science project. I found it fascinating then, and even more so now! To understand about how God designed the brain to function, and how the physical parts of us factor into understanding human problems, is critically important if a counselor is going to help people.

Your LEFT brain handles language and inductive reasoning, while the RIGHT brain handles our sense of self in physical and interpersonal space (including emotions, self-awareness, and creativity.)

But what happens when you experience PAIN when you are young? (As we all do?) Physical or emotional pain? Many people adapt (neurologically speaking) in one of two directions. Excuse this highly simplified explanation!

1. Your brain shuts down the function of your emotional capacities (the right side) in an effort to help you FEEL LESS. You become highly rational and logical but lose much creative ability. You are living largely out of the LEFT, logical side of your brain.

Have you ever met someone like this? (Or maybe you ARE someone like this?) They are very rational but cannot seem to feel much? Maybe they had a difficult experiences in childhood, but they say it was no big deal? Their brain has adaptively shut down much of the creative, emotional, self-aware functions of their brain.

2. Your brain becomes FLOODED with emotions. (Your right side is hyperactive.) Your fight-flight center is stuck “ON” and you are highly responsive to any perceived fear, danger, and concerns over health and safely

Have you met someone like this? (Or maybe you ARE someone like this?) They are fearful and anxious, and logical reasoning doesn’t seem to calm them? Maybe they had difficult experiences in childhood, and they did not have a safe place to make sense of their fears, and their brain assumed ongoing, hypervigilent, personal responsibility to keep them safe.

This is why INTEGRATION of the two sides of your brain is critical. God designed us to be both logical, reasoning, thinking people and emotionally responsive, self-aware, creative, people.

The good news is that the brain is highly ADAPTIVE and able to CHANGE! More on that to come.