Perspective
How Do You Think?
The way one comprehends the world and life in general is largely affected by the way one conceives and comprehends individual thoughts and feelings.
When one is confronted with a concept, how is it understood? Inside the gray cells of the brain resides a dictionary of sorts which relates concepts (e.g. a sequence of letters forming a word, a sound, an image, a sensation, an emotion, etc.) to some kind of mental concrete definition. The form of that definition is a key to self understanding.
Exempli Gratia
When one ponders the word ‘love’, how is it represented in the mind? Is it a tactile sensation (perhaps as a hug or the touch of a hand)? Is it remembered (as a family gathering)? Is it a sound (i.e. of the word)? Is it an emotion (a sensation of warmth or peace within)? Is it an image (e.g. a valentine heart)? Is it something else altogether or a combination of the above?
Abstraction
In general, my mind tends to relate everything to either a still image or a sequence of images (i.e. a picture or movie). They tend to be somewhat abstract and impersonal. With life experience, secondary images and emotions are linked with the original image(s). For example, the term ‘schedule’ is conceived by my mind as a picture of a daily calendar. It isn’t my daily calendar. It is just an example of a generic daily calendar. This image is quickly followed by feelings of panic; an image of a person in shadow trapped behind bars (e.g. in a jail cell); feelings of claustrophobia, stress, anxiety; and ultimately by an overload of the synaptic pathways resulting in a non-epileptic [stress-induced] seizure.
Personalization
I have a similar problem with the term, ‘goal’. The primary image is a soccer goal. The secondary image is one of a body stuck with hooks being pulled from opposite directions and a sensation of being torn apart. The emotional flood is very similar to that for ‘schedule’.
In order to be a functional member of society, I’ve spent a fair amount of time meditating on how to re-visualize this word so that the secondary connections are broken. Now I see a block in front of me (representing a single [short-term] goal). As I step on the block, another one appears. The view rotates in the y-plane to show the blocks forming a stairway. The view then returns to first-person perspective as I ascend the stair ultimately reaching a glowing beacon at the summit (representing the long-term goal and, ultimately, achievement).
The key to this second image is the personal perspective: I’m the one in the image. It doesn’t hurt that I’m achieving the long-term goal either.
Layering
Another successful tactic which works well with personalization is adding additional layers of definition. If I use a memory rather than a static image, emotion, tactile sensation, even auditory senses can create a more holistic experience. This helps decrease the likelihood and ultimate strength of negative secondary chains.
Other Strategies?
But enough about me, how about you? How do you think? How do you program your synaptic connections for success?
The way one comprehends the world and life in general is largely affected by the way one conceives and comprehends individual thoughts and feelings.
When one is confronted with a concept, how is it understood? Inside the gray cells of the brain resides a dictionary of sorts which relates concepts (e.g. a sequence of letters forming a word, a sound, an image, a sensation, an emotion, etc.) to some kind of mental concrete definition. The form of that definition is a key to self understanding.
Exempli Gratia
When one ponders the word ‘love’, how is it represented in the mind? Is it a tactile sensation (perhaps as a hug or the touch of a hand)? Is it remembered (as a family gathering)? Is it a sound (i.e. of the word)? Is it an emotion (a sensation of warmth or peace within)? Is it an image (e.g. a valentine heart)? Is it something else altogether or a combination of the above?
Abstraction
In general, my mind tends to relate everything to either a still image or a sequence of images (i.e. a picture or movie). They tend to be somewhat abstract and impersonal. With life experience, secondary images and emotions are linked with the original image(s). For example, the term ‘schedule’ is conceived by my mind as a picture of a daily calendar. It isn’t my daily calendar. It is just an example of a generic daily calendar. This image is quickly followed by feelings of panic; an image of a person in shadow trapped behind bars (e.g. in a jail cell); feelings of claustrophobia, stress, anxiety; and ultimately by an overload of the synaptic pathways resulting in a non-epileptic [stress-induced] seizure.
Personalization
I have a similar problem with the term, ‘goal’. The primary image is a soccer goal. The secondary image is one of a body stuck with hooks being pulled from opposite directions and a sensation of being torn apart. The emotional flood is very similar to that for ‘schedule’.
In order to be a functional member of society, I’ve spent a fair amount of time meditating on how to re-visualize this word so that the secondary connections are broken. Now I see a block in front of me (representing a single [short-term] goal). As I step on the block, another one appears. The view rotates in the y-plane to show the blocks forming a stairway. The view then returns to first-person perspective as I ascend the stair ultimately reaching a glowing beacon at the summit (representing the long-term goal and, ultimately, achievement).
The key to this second image is the personal perspective: I’m the one in the image. It doesn’t hurt that I’m achieving the long-term goal either.
Layering
Another successful tactic which works well with personalization is adding additional layers of definition. If I use a memory rather than a static image, emotion, tactile sensation, even auditory senses can create a more holistic experience. This helps decrease the likelihood and ultimate strength of negative secondary chains.
Other Strategies?
But enough about me, how about you? How do you think? How do you program your synaptic connections for success?