The world of deep and esoteric scientific studies often disappoints in what they produce, given that it costs millions to support sometimes meaningless research. But we have a winner. Not very new, but very useful. The age of the computer has us all remarking how on earth do tiny children understand keyboards, remote controls etc so quickly, and so much better than their elders?
The answer is in the way they learn. Little children have not yet learned to reason their way through a problem. They simply go at it like a bull at a gate and are prepared to fail enough times to get it right, almost by accident. This the true trial and error method of learning. (Apologies to my many teacher followers, who know this already, but read on…)
The research using rats-in-mazes shows that rats go quickly at the problem (food in a distant hidden corner) and simply try everything, including failed methods, then go forward when they get something right, with that learning imprinted on their brains. It has been shown that this is the easiest and quickest way to learn! Who could have guessed?
It certainly was not the way I was taught to do reading or maths but it IS the way to reach beyond logic into the computer age and, guess what?, the Brain Age! When things are not amenable to logic, we should try just doing it.
Like many, I enjoy a go at Solitaire on my computer or at crosswords (now that I no longer have children to feed and house) and I have tried this crazy method of doing things without trying too hard. It works. You do have to let go and try what first comes to mind, and try again what comes to mind, but by and large the final result comes sooner than you think.
But getting logic out of the way, does not mean getting the brain out of the way. The brain can be used in a non-logical way, by simply trusting the brain to do as you want it to do, providing you are giving it clear instructions every time eg imagine the desired outcome completed.
In medicine this use of the brain works particularly well in areas where ordinary medical logic hardly works at all. Like females losing weight, for instance. If you stop thinking it through too much, you can simply imagine the result often enough to create that reality. I have said before that you can insist to yourself that you are losing weight, or being a non-smoker, even when it is not true, and you will be surprised. As long as you don’t actively sabotage yourself, the brain will win and you will start losing weight etc. As an aid to dieting, it’s invaluable.
The way to do this is to ‘unzip’ your present body, together with its big bottom or big boobs (or big Everything) and step forward out of it, in your mind, and spend some time imagining using that slimmer body to dance, bend, run, skip or do whatever you miss most! Or you can state repeatedly that you don’t smoke and see yourself bypassing the place where you buy ‘them’ (unmentionables!).
The same applies to chocolate eating. There are women who cannot stop until the whole packet of chocolate biscuits is consumed, or the family sized bar is gone. But if you say to yourself, even as you eat the chunks, “I don’t eat chocolate”, the brain will win, and sooner than you think. As you say it, imagine what it would feel like to be a non chocoholic but eating this piece of chocolate….? Eat it, but tell yourself you don’t eat chocolate. I was amazed at how well it works as long as you say it every time. The Brain Wins!
Self hypnosis is not trial and error, but it is a way to side-step the logic the we have all revered for so long. The brain has been under-used; we have been told that we use only 10% of our full capacity. So in various ways we can use different parts of our brainpower.
We can even find ways to do the impossible! I look forward to hearing your stories!
Blessings,
Maura