RAS – A Piece of the Puzzle
The video below is a useful way to think about just how the brain processes all the information that comes its way.
With the brain located inside our skull it relies on our nerves to send it important information. This includes information about the world around us and the working of our body. All of this information is sent along nerves / spinal cord to the brain but not all of it is important.
This information goes through a filtering process so only vital information gets to the brain. But what determines ‘vital’?
Any perceived dangers will take priority. We are alert to ‘threats’. If we incorrectly think a safe thing is dangerous this will alter how our brain works and how the body responds.
What would it be like to train your brain about what is important and what is not. What to pay attention to and what to ignore.
While this video perhaps focuses on one important element – focus – our Reticular Activating System is influenced by many things including past experience, trauma, beliefs, emotions, words we and other use, memories, conversations and who we hang around.
This Reticular Activating System is integral to our awareness of the world, our sense of self and how we respond to things AND it can easily be trained.
Think about how this might be useful is understanding elements of anxiety conditions, depression, self-esteem as well as pain and fatigue conditions.
There is neuroscience behind the saying
“WHERE ATTENTION GOES ENEGY FLOWS”