The Brain's Internal GPS System
By Nicolle Aleman
In 2004, a brilliant documentary was released into theaters called What the Bleep Do We Know? Unsurprisingly, it was a hit in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live. The film dives deep into the realms of Quantum Physics, spirituality, metaphysics, neurology, and evolutionary thought and compresses some incredibly complex ideas into simple layman’s terms (hint…animation is a big help with this process!) The movie was a big, mind-opening step on a personal growth journey I’ve been on for the last decade.
A moment in the film that really stuck out for me was the scene in which addiction to neural peptides was discussed. Neural peptides are small-chain amino acid sequences that occur in the hypothalamus section of our brains. The hypothalamus is where these chemicals are assembled and matched up to certain emotional experiences. Simply put, our brains grow a “map” for our emotions to take and as a result, we become predisposed to react or feel certain ways as we go through life.
Some of you may know people who are tremendously talented at getting in their own way. Most of the words that come out of their mouths might be self-defeating, for instance. When they talk about money, they may speak only about not having it or owing it to debtors. Some may be rage-addicts. And for the love of the Goddess, don’t get them started on relationships! To hear them tell it, their lives are nothing short of personal minefields that they are doomed to navigate until they shuffle off this mortal coil. They aren’t living – life happens TO them.
Lest it be said that I’m pointing fingers, I should release a disclaimer: I used to BE that person. I thrived on disappointment! I unconsciously sought out opportunities to be personally affronted and righteously exclaimed how offended I was to anyone who would listen. It seemed sometimes that I was just moving from psychodrama to psychodrama…and in the calm times between I was either recovering from the last psychodrama or gearing up for the next. I suppose it wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone to know that the external circumstances of my life reflected my tumultuous inner world. My living situation, personal relationships, and job all seemed to spontaneously combust at the same time. I had a lot to be angry about and I wasn’t shy about “externally processing” my discontent.
Hindsight being 20/20 and all, it’s easy to look back and see what was really happening on a soul level:
The Universe, knowing that I was unconsciously seeking out reasons to be offended, happily placed me in situations where I could be just that. For example, my partner at the time was in the middle of a huge custody battle with his ex. Every week, this woman had done something new for us to talk excitedly and angrily about at great length. I was in rage heaven! Without realizing it, I became the sole architect of a series of events in which I could play victim, defender, and litigator.
It should come as no surprise that this miserable, exhausting way of life wasn’t exactly sustainable. I eventually moved upstate to start my new life and told my family and friends that I was planning on doing some internal remodeling. After a few months of quiet reflection, I got very clear about what was acceptable for me to be around and how I wanted to conduct myself in my daily affairs…in short, my brain and I signed a Declaration of Peace. Soon enough, my external surroundings began to reflect this new way of being. Sure, there are breaches in policy…and we deal with them when they happen. Overall, though, the landscape of my brain has changed dramatically. There are a lot more discussions on what improvements need to be made.
While watching What the Bleep Do We Know, it occurred to me that my brain had become a virtual playground for anger to run around in, unchecked. Because I was so addicted to the chemical response in my brain that occurred when I was enraged about something, I hadn’t realized that I was unconsciously orchestrating the events of my life to match up to what was going on internally. Like a GPS guide, my life navigated along the map created in my brain: “In .02 miles, turn left into Emotional Wreck Aley, then take ramp right onto the Fight With Your Mother Interstate. When possible, make a U-Turn back into Emotional Wreck Alley.”
The remodel hasn’t been easy, of course, and it’s an ongoing process. Simply thinking a new thought isn’t going to instantly fix years of conditioning, but do it often enough and that neural “road” in your brain will physically uproot and grow in a different direction. How cool would it be if the major highways and main drags of my neural network were already set and structured and pointing to the same place – love? What if everything I did was unconsciously grounded in the highest state of being any of us could possibly exist in? The thoughts that pour into my mind would be streamlined into my brain with ease and perfect simplicity.
What you say to yourself has a big part to play in how your neural roadmap is designed. How do you talk to yourself? Are you harsh? Loving? Compassionate? What happens when you look in the mirror - do you immediately start judging or do you admire?
Dr. Wayne Dyer says that right before sleep, almost everyone makes the same mistake: we review our day and replay all the things that went wrong during it. Then we go to sleep and let our subconscious (which can’t distinguish between reality and illusion) literally marinate in those negative thoughts for eight hours! I can see how this practice has created congestion in my neural roadmap, so I’m trying to replace the blooper reel with more affirmations, and commendations.
The plan is for me to become completely addicted to the biochemical response in my brain of being in a state of happiness and self-love. I want the billboards of my mind to shout phrases like “You are so HEALTHY!” and “All of your needs are met!” to the thousands of thoughts that stream past them every passing second. I want the street signs of my mind to look like they were designed at Café Gratitude. Turn right at “You are Divine Love”, left at “You are Amazing” and finally…take a long, nice rest at “You are Enlightened!”
I wish the thoughts of all who are reading this article a smooth and easy commute.
