Body/Mind/Spirit: A Holistic Model

A model of the mind, such as the Hebbian model proposed in an earlier post and in The Psychology of Positive Thinking- that is concerned mainly with the two cerebral hemispheres- does not tell the whole story. Yes, the cerebral hemispheres do have about a hundred Billion neuron cells, which can produce an infinite number of neuron configurations, or circuits. Further, these neuron circuits may further combine and become thoughts, or programs, and account for an even higher order of infinity, and even for how we think. When we consider the entire body however, we are now talking about a hundred Billion Billion (a hundred Trillion) cells, all interconnected with each other in an even higher order of infinity ways. Yes, they are connected physically, in the traditional (Western) scientific sense. And they are all connected energetically, in a more basic (Eastern) sense. All matter is composed of energy: matter is only a manifestation of the energy that constitutes it. Welcome to the world of quantum energy physics! The old physical Newtonian laws (that we were all taught in school) break down as we approach the infinitely small, (subatomic) or infinitely large (the infinity of connections among a hundred trillion cells.) We are part of this quantum world where our concepts of time and space no longer apply. Our notion of physical reality is now being challenged by the idea that no physical thing is real, until it is observed or measured. Perhaps this is related to how we form our own personal “Bubble of Reality” we each find ourselves in. Another feature of this world is Entanglement: when some particles (very small) divide, they remain related to each other, or entangled, even when separated across very large distances- they act as if there is no space or time separating them. As we move from body to mind to spirit, we may be entering this same quantum world, where far more than we ever imagined becomes possible. With these thoughts in mind we will look further into energy psychology.

The Psychology of Subconscious Thinking.

The following entry contains an important new self-help technique from the field of energy medicine. To be in the upcoming book The Psychology of Subconscious Thinking. Einstein said that in order to solve a problem that we are faced with, we need to find a “new level of consciousness” from which to approach it. And that makes sense, especially if the problem is within you. If your consciousness contained the solution, and you were aware of it, you would have already solved your problem! You need to think outside the box - the conscious “map of reality” mind box. This box is your conscious awareness, and you need to expand your consciousness. This part of your mind is based on all of your past experiences, it is part of your past and you need to reach outside this box to go forward into your future. Open up your consciousness and expect a miracle! These past programs have us boxed in, in a number of ways: Pain/fear programs. Perhaps the most toxic of all programs are the traumatic episodes from our past that persist and interfere with our present. These programs often operate outside our awareness and outside our control. However, some methods for detoxifying traumas and their phobic responses have recently been developed. Two very simple techniques are from the fields of EFT and NLP. Tapping. This technique, also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), consists of tapping on the body’s energy meridians used in acupuncture and acupressure, the ancient Asian energy medicine therapy points. This 5,000 year old healing science has been largely ignored by mainstream Western medicine, at least until lately, as research and practice has shown it to be an effective alternative method for treating many and varied physical and psychological ailments. The WebMD website has an explanation of these energy healing methods at: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/acupressure-points-and-massage-treatment The energy healing EFT tapping technique was developed by Gary Craig, in 1993; this was an adaptation and simplification of a similar energy healing technique being used by psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan at that time, plus some of Gary’s insights as a NLP Master Practitioner. Gary was able to streamline and simplify Roger Callahan’s methodology to the point where anyone, even a child, can quickly learn the technique and use it effectively. And this is all without medical treatment or drugs, and at no cost to the user. (This may be part of the reason that the medical establishment has largely ignored this promising new field of energy healing.) The procedure is deceptively simple; it consists of a two-part phrase that is spoken aloud and (at the same time) gently tapping with the fingers on some easily accessible “meridian” spots of the upper torso. The first part of the spoken phrase focuses on and “exposes” the problematic condition (perhaps a headache) or negative memory (perhaps a fear of heights from a childhood fall). The second part of the phrase is a spoken assurance of self-acceptance (“I deeply and completely accept myself”). This phrase is repeated each time while tapping on nine meridians as detailed in the website below. Gary Craig offers this website for those who want to learn EFT to heal themselves and/or others, or to teach it. This free website, http://www.garythink.com/ offers full information, free EFT tutorials, videos and much more. Gary is a man on a mission to reach out and help others with EFT. He is now working with his daughter, Tina, researching and developing new ways of promoting healing. No doubt we’ll be hearing more from them. So how does this tapping procedure work? Most theoretical explanations revolve around balancing the body’s energy system known as “qi” (chi). This qi flows throughout the body through a network of channels that may be accessed at various “meridians”. While the most obvious component of qi energy would seem to be transmitted by the nervous system, other components are thought to be the skin, connective tissues, the bloodstream, etc. And these are all part of the body/mind/spirit package that is us. Sometimes “blockages” can occur in this energy flow, presumably from some past physical or emotional occurrence. As these meridians are stimulated by tapping on them while focusing on the cause of the unbalance, (the first part of the spoken phrase) and pairing it with the second, self-acceptance part, the qi is redistributed and balanced. In terms of the Hebbian/NLP model of the mind presented in The Psychology of Positive Thinking, we know that negative programs may well interfere in our daily life, consciously and subconsciously. These are the “dead-end” programs that can land us in an emotional soup. They may also be seen as causing the emotional “qi” blockages that occur, and result in the unbalanced energy system. The effect of tapping on the meridians while focusing on the negative program triggers the balancing effect of the redistribution of qi. The negative program is no longer the only player; the entire somatic nervous/energy system gets involved. And pairing the exposed negative program with the second self-acceptance program makes the negative program become a trigger for self-acceptance! This gives the previously negative program new choices to connect to emotionally free alternative programs. And the beat goes on, with emotional freedom. The previously dead-end program now has viable alternative programs to connect to, instead of the emotional soup. You (your conscious or subconscious) now have a more resourceful choice,(and according to NLP's main principle)you always and automatically select the most resourceful alternative!

A Model of the Mind

This model is the product of a lifetime of interest and study of how the brain and the mind work. In college and grad school I studied Psychology. During that time Dr. Harry Bahrick, professor of Experimental Psychology at Ohio Wesleyan University, was pioneering research in information theory. Man is an information processing machine. When we are thinking, we are processing information. This may seem like a simple statement, but really, it is astounding. How is it that we think??? And how does this happen in our small brain, about the size of a grapefruit?!!

Visual of grapefruit

By a happy timely coincidence I came across a theory by Donald Hebb, a Canadian neuroscientist, that accounts for how the brain does this information processing. He proposed that our experiences are recorded in our brain in the form of neuron cell assemblies (which are networks of neurons.) This happens as a result of information being transmitted (from the senses) to the neurons in our brain. Basically his theory was that when one neuron transmits an impulse to another neuron a linkage is strengthened at their connection. So that the next time the first neuron is active it will more likely transmit its impulse to the next neuron. Interestingly, a similar process occurs in the programming of computers.

Visual cell assembly

This becomes very important when we consider what happens in our brain when we think the same thoughts over and over again. Those linkages become wired in. We will come back to this topic later. When these “linkages” occur we are forming pathways in our computer/brain. These pathways are our programs. The “data bank” in our computer/brain consists of the way these neurons have become linked to each other.

Visual of cell assembly progam

When we see a “tree” for instance, the visual input from the tree activates those nerves that were previously established as “tree” from our previous experiences of “tree”. The electrical/chemical activity that occurs as the neurons activate each other is our thoughts. Hebb proposed the idea of a “reverberating circuit”: as these neurons activate and re-activate each other we can hold a thought for more than just a moment. These reverberating circuits are the key to how we can focus on an idea, and how a stream of these ideas become our stream of consciousness. This is how our knowledge, memory and experiences are stored. This is how we think!

Visual cell assembly reverberating circuit

This was the beginning of the computer age, and the combination of information theory with Hebb’s theory made for a neat psychology major thesis about the mind: it works like a computer! Subsequent discoveries have further confirmed Hebb’s early ideas, and I integrated them into my research. Neurons do indeed change at their interconnections when they transmit impulses. Programming does take place in our brains.

Yet it seems like we have a whole universe of these thoughts and ideas. If these are programs, how can we carry them all in our brain? How can there be enough room for all these programs?

Actually, we really have two brains, interconnected, and the size of our brain is deceiving. Current estimates are that each hemisphere of our brain contains fifty to a hundred billion neurons. Some years ago, while writing The Psychology of Positive Thinking, I wrote:


• Estimates of the number of neurons in the brain are in the range of twelve to fifteen billion and more.** If we were to represent each neuron in the brain by a light bulb (which may be either “off” or “on”) taking up one cubic foot of space, it would take a room a mile long, a mile wide, and five hundred feet high to contain it! If we then added hook-ups between these lights as they occur between the neurons, the various light patterns that could be displayed (possible combinations of “turned on” lights, or cell assemblies) would be equal to the number 7, followed by 14 million zeros!!!

• Seven, followed by 14 million zeros… that is a very impressive number! I asked my daughter how big she thought that number was. She was in second grade at the time, and starting to learn some math concepts. She thought a minute, perplexed, and then seemed to brighten as she answered my question with another question: “Oh, Daddy! Is that how much infinity is?” Maybe so.
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**that observation was made years ago. It was actually quite an underestimation. Today scientists believe that there are over a hundred billion neurons present in the brain, and each one of those neurons has between five and a hundred thousand interconnections with other neurons.


This is a truly fantastic number. We can call this number infinity! And we all have this potential Mind Power! With this Higher Power in our computer- we can account for the universe of experiences that we have in our lifetime. This is the data bank that has formed, and continues to form as you experience life. This data bank has made you become the person who you are today. All our experiences from our entire lives, everything we believe to be true about the universe and our place in it are stored there.
Visual- mind instruction manual picture of “How to” manual

What a fantastic machine! If only we could control our infinitely powerful brain! But our brain didn’t come with an “Owner’s Manual,” and sometimes we struggle and feel very limited, instead of limitless. So our mind is this super computer, with software and hardware, even an operating system. Our physical brain- the hundred billion-plus neurons with all their interconnections- is the hardware. The software consists of the innumerable ways that these neurons become interconnected over time. These range from simple neuron-to-neuron connections to programs which are highly complex.