Neuroscience explains why we can achieve more after ‘sleeping on it‘

A common experience of mine as a business consultant was that when I faced a problem where I could see no solutions, I always seemed to have a creative, workable solution after ‘sleeping on it.’  With the latest research in the discipline of neuroscience, there is not only a reason why this happens, but we can learn to consciously engage with the process that happens when we sleep on a problem to find creative solutions, make better decisions, and expand our capacity to achieve our desired goals and outcomes.

According to research in the field of neuroscience, we now know that we have three brains, and that sleep and dreaming are deeply integrative processes that allow those three brains to communicate with one another.

The three brains are:

1. Head (cephalic) brain:  the prime functions of the head brain involve the mental cognitive functions of logical thinking and include the processes of reasoning, perception and how we make meaning.
2. Heart (cardiac) brain:  the complex and elaborate neural circuitry of the heart brain allows it to function independently of the head brain and it can learn, remember, feel and sense.
3. Gut (enteric) brain: the complex and intelligent brain in the gut contains over 500 million neurons and has the equivalent size of a cat’s brain.  It exhibits plasticity and can learn, form memories, take on new behaviours and grow new neurons.

What constitutes a brain?  See below.

Each brain has a fundamentally different form of intelligence – they utilise different languages, have different goals and operate under different criteria.  So, essentially the head, heart, and gut brains have different priorities – they have different ways of processing the world, communicating, operating and addressing their own concerns and domains of expertise.

In a very general sense their prime functions and concerns can be identified as follows:

If someone is dealing with real life issues, ultimately they’ll be dealing with issues of alignment or integration of identity, safety, boundaries, meaning, courage, action, connection and values.

Herein lies the challenge for us – a mismatch between these three brains undermines resolve, causes confusion and ultimately leads to incongruent behaviours and outcomes.  We literally are sabotaging our own success.

Since the heart and gut brains communicate via a felt sense, and kinesthetic experiences, the first step is to learn their language.  Our programs with the horses naturally guide you into this new language and awareness.

Using a specific coaching model for aligning and harnessing the wisdom of the three brains you can learn and develop greater alignment of your head, heart and gut intelligences that leads ultimately to greater success in all aspects of your life.

The head brain processing relies on knowledge, past experiences, and accumulated beliefs.  However, we can’t rely on what worked/didn’t work in the past, or outdated beliefs, or even the most current and widely accepted knowledge to lead our lives and achieve our goals.  We are living in unprecedented times with rapid, revolutionary changes that require us to become adaptive – where we think holistically and inclusively, and respond effectively to our external and internal environment.  A shift is taking place worldwide – the power of the few is returning to power of the many.  This requires greater awareness, accountability, responsibility and wisdom that can be attained when we utilise all our brain intelligences.

FYI – here is what constitutes a brain

• Large numbers of neurons and ganglia, including sensory neurons and motor neurons
• Neural cells with inter-neurons; neurons interconnecting with other neurons
• Support cells and components such as glial cells, astrocytes, proteins, etc.
• Functional attributes:  perceiving/assimilating information, processing information, memory storage, and access
• Able to mediate complex reflexes via an intrinsic nervous system (i.e. doesn’t need the head brain to direct it, it functions even in the complete absence of the head brain)
• A chemical warehouse of neurotransmitters (those found in the head brain are also found in the gut and heart brains)

You can find out more at: www.mbraining.com