Blog Dis
The Intuitive Mind
2024-06-13
In a prior post, I had referred to a long lost but beloved subscription to a magazine I adored receiving in the mail, Scientific American Mind, and it is this warm and fuzzy feeling for this wonderfully informative rag (no longer in print😰) that brings me to this morning's subject matter: the intuitive mind.
Psychologists and scientists agree there are in fact two minds in each of us. The first is referred to as Track 1: The Implicit Mind, meaning the intuitive sense that reacts to external events on a gut level, and is not subject to introspection or interpretation. We act because we feel. It is the right thing for us to do. Very often, the Track 1 mind is greatly influenced by past association with events and people. For example, if you were bullied by a very tall man with dark hair and a long beard, perhaps some time in your future another man with the same features might cause you to withdraw and put up your guard. This is your Track 1 mind, or intuitive mind, kicking into action; it remembers and influences your behaviour to protect yourself.
Whereas, Track 2: The Explicit Mind, is purely reasoning and logic, applying foresight before acting, what many would call "sleeping on it" before making a decision. According to this article from Scientific American Mind that I had buried in a box and re-discovered, we are all guided by both minds, sometimes competing with one another. After re-reading the article, it got me to thinking about the creative mind of an artist, be it a musician, painter or writer, a comedian or actor, and whether or not we are guided by our implicit or explicit mind or both. For me, and when it comes to inspiration and I mean when in the throws of pulling an idea out of my proverbial ass, my Track 1 mind plays the pivotal role in guiding me. And whether I choose to or not, after the original point of creation has been passed, then my Track 2 mind takes over to scrutinize my new creation, applying logic to explain the end result.
I don't make these things up. I am but one helpless female trying to get ahead in the machinations of life. Perhaps if we understand our brains more clearly we will be better equipped to recognize consistent patterns, thereby giving us an edge when our Track 1 or Track 2 minds function at their best. Based on my personal experiments, Sweet Chili Heat Doritos stimulate nerve centers in my brain. And don't get me started on the benefits of chocolate and how it raises the brain's serotonin levels. My creative self comes alive and my fingers fly on the keyboard. Trouble is my logical Track 2 mind reminds me that sweets and junk food are a no-no.
I frequently refer to another great read by an American physicist and writer, Charles Panati, who wrote Sexy Origins and Intimate Things and in it he refers to one of the physiological difference in brains between men and women; what is called in Latin the corpus callosum, a fibrous membrane that connects the two hemispheres, and how in women this membrane is an intricate network of fibers, which, according to Mr. Panati, explains why us women will readily draw on our intuition more frequently, than do men, given that for men this connection is no bringer than a strand of dental floss. Mr. Panati contends that this is the reason why men are more inclined toward left brain thinking, i.e. analytical, better at computations, etc. You can decide for yourself if you agree with this scientific differentiation. I only know from personal experience that my understanding of intuition means I am perceiving that which isn't being readily presented to me vs my gut-instinct, which sounds off when it detects danger, like that drop in your stomach. I've learned over the years to listen to my gut instinct vs allowing my emotions to run away with me, to think like some foolish girl, "Oh my! I get butterflies when I'm in his presence!" Nope. Those ain't butterflies. That is my gut instinct warning me that he's no good for me.
Meanwhile, the battle between both minds rages on...
Psychologists and scientists agree there are in fact two minds in each of us. The first is referred to as Track 1: The Implicit Mind, meaning the intuitive sense that reacts to external events on a gut level, and is not subject to introspection or interpretation. We act because we feel. It is the right thing for us to do. Very often, the Track 1 mind is greatly influenced by past association with events and people. For example, if you were bullied by a very tall man with dark hair and a long beard, perhaps some time in your future another man with the same features might cause you to withdraw and put up your guard. This is your Track 1 mind, or intuitive mind, kicking into action; it remembers and influences your behaviour to protect yourself.
Whereas, Track 2: The Explicit Mind, is purely reasoning and logic, applying foresight before acting, what many would call "sleeping on it" before making a decision. According to this article from Scientific American Mind that I had buried in a box and re-discovered, we are all guided by both minds, sometimes competing with one another. After re-reading the article, it got me to thinking about the creative mind of an artist, be it a musician, painter or writer, a comedian or actor, and whether or not we are guided by our implicit or explicit mind or both. For me, and when it comes to inspiration and I mean when in the throws of pulling an idea out of my proverbial ass, my Track 1 mind plays the pivotal role in guiding me. And whether I choose to or not, after the original point of creation has been passed, then my Track 2 mind takes over to scrutinize my new creation, applying logic to explain the end result.
I don't make these things up. I am but one helpless female trying to get ahead in the machinations of life. Perhaps if we understand our brains more clearly we will be better equipped to recognize consistent patterns, thereby giving us an edge when our Track 1 or Track 2 minds function at their best. Based on my personal experiments, Sweet Chili Heat Doritos stimulate nerve centers in my brain. And don't get me started on the benefits of chocolate and how it raises the brain's serotonin levels. My creative self comes alive and my fingers fly on the keyboard. Trouble is my logical Track 2 mind reminds me that sweets and junk food are a no-no.
I frequently refer to another great read by an American physicist and writer, Charles Panati, who wrote Sexy Origins and Intimate Things and in it he refers to one of the physiological difference in brains between men and women; what is called in Latin the corpus callosum, a fibrous membrane that connects the two hemispheres, and how in women this membrane is an intricate network of fibers, which, according to Mr. Panati, explains why us women will readily draw on our intuition more frequently, than do men, given that for men this connection is no bringer than a strand of dental floss. Mr. Panati contends that this is the reason why men are more inclined toward left brain thinking, i.e. analytical, better at computations, etc. You can decide for yourself if you agree with this scientific differentiation. I only know from personal experience that my understanding of intuition means I am perceiving that which isn't being readily presented to me vs my gut-instinct, which sounds off when it detects danger, like that drop in your stomach. I've learned over the years to listen to my gut instinct vs allowing my emotions to run away with me, to think like some foolish girl, "Oh my! I get butterflies when I'm in his presence!" Nope. Those ain't butterflies. That is my gut instinct warning me that he's no good for me.
Meanwhile, the battle between both minds rages on...
