thoughts - Budokon MD

THE 1ST PILLAR OF BUDOKON:
THOUGHTS
THINKING IS SUFFERING
It has been said that the average person has over 60,000
thoughts per day, which equals 2,500 thoughts per hour or 41
thoughts per minute. Many of these thoughts occur subconsciously. They spring into action as a response to stimuli in
our environment and can be very useful in our everyday lives.
Automatic thoughts can help us avoid injury by signaling us
not to touch a hot stove. They can provide relief by sending a
signal from our brain to our hand telling us to scratch an itch.
But what about those thoughts that leave us feeling angry,
frustrated, sad, depressed, or even physically ill?
“The mind is its own place, and in itself
can make a heaven of hell, a hell of
heaven.”
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-John Milton
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Paradise Lost
The dilemma is that most of us live under the control of our limiting thoughts. Researchers estimate that about
80% of the 60,000 thoughts we have per day are negative. That’s 48,000 thoughts! Imagine the limiting effect
that 48,000 negative thoughts a day has on your life. These disempowering thoughts are bad for both our emotional and physical health. They cause stress, anxiety and depression, raise blood pressure and lower immunity. Our limiting thoughts determine our patterns, attitudes and behaviors and ultimately shape the world for
ourselves and others.
How are we going to be abundant if we keep thinking, “Money is hard to get.” How are our relationships
going to flourish, if we keep thinking “No one understands me.” How are we going to find lasting happiness
within ourselves if we keep thinking, “I’m just not good enough.”
Our goal in Budokon is to get our brains to work for us not against us. In order to break free from limiting
thoughts and beliefs that cause dis-ease and suffering, we must first understand where thought comes from by
taking a deeper look at how our brain develops and functions.
THE BRAIN
Our brain is a truly incredible organ, capable of doing things light-years beyond even
the most advanced computers. The adult human brain weighs approximately 3 pounds
(1.4 kilograms) and only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes 20% of the
oxygen that enters our bloodstream. Made up of more than 100 billion nerve cells (or
neurons) with branches that connect at more than 100 trillion points (synapses), an adult
human brain is capable of processing up to 30 billion bits of information per second and is
truly an evolutionary wonder. It keeps us alive by regulating our automatic functions
such as body temperature, heart rate, and respiration. It coordinates our movement,
houses our memories, guides our emotions, and is the site of language, thought, creativity
and consciousness.
Your brain generates
as much energy as a
10-watt light bulb
even when you’re
sleeping.
THE 3 LAYERS OF THE BRAIN
The brain is divided into three basic layers:
1. The Reptilian Brain (also known as the R-Complex)
2. The Mammalian Brain or Limbic System
3. The Human Brain or Neocortex (also called the
cerebral cortex)
These three parts of the brain do not operate independently of one another. They have established numerous
interconnections through which they influence one
another. The brain’s nerve cells are known as neurons, which make up the organ’s so-called “gray matter.”
The neurons transmit and gather electrochemical signals that are communicated via a network of millions of
nerve fibers called dendrites and axons. These are the brain’s “white matter.”
THE REPTILIAN BRAIN
The reptilian brain first appeared in fish, nearly 500 million years ago. It continued to develop in amphibians
and reached its most advanced stage in reptiles, roughly 250 million years ago. The Reptilian brain is mainly
defined by the brain stem and lower parts of the brain. It controls all the automatic functions related to
keeping us physically alive such as body temperature, heart rate, and respiration. It also operates all of our
involuntary reflexes.
Functions:!
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Structures:
• Temperature!
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Stem, which includes:
• Heart Rate !
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- Pons
• Respiration
- Medulla
• Involuntary Reflexes
- Midbrain
- Reticular Formation
• Cerebellum
Brain Stem
THE MAMMALIAN BRAIN (OR LIMBIC SYSTEM)
The mammalian brain or limbic system first appeared in small mammals, about 150 million years ago. It is
made up of the Fornix, the Septum, the Hippocampus (responsible for pairing incoming info, level of arousal
and emotional input with similar circumstances in memory. It is involved in emotions, spatial orientation, and
memory), the Mammilary, and most importantly the Amygdala. The Amygdala is the Grand Central Station
for emotions and instinctive behaviors. Its job is to regulate emotion and guide emotion-related behaviors. In
essence the Limbic system helps us survive as part of the food chain. Its unique role is also to add in the emotional content of our everyday experience. This part of the brain is for learning to survive by using emotions
and memory. It is automatic, self-preserving, and reactive.
Functions:!
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• Controls Emotions!!
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• Emotional Responses!
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• Hormonal Secretions!
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• Mood!
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• Memory! !
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• Conditioning!
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• Perceptions!!
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• Pain & Pleasure Sensations
Structures:
• Amygdala
• Cingulate Gyrus
• Fornix
• ! Hippocampus
• Hypothalamus
• Mammillary Body
• Olfactory Cortex
• Septum
• Thalamus
The Limbic System (also considered the “Child Brain”) is fully developed by the time we are 3-5 years old.
Primarily concerned with survival, the Limbic System is emotionally reactive and incapable of making
thoughtful decisions.
THE HUMAN BRAIN (OR NEOCORTEX)
The Neocortex or “Human Brain” began its expansion in primates 2 or 3 million years ago, as the genus Homo
emerged. It takes up roughly 2/3 of our brain and is where our highest order thinking takes place. It includes
the Cerebral Cortex and prefrontal lobes, which are responsible for the development of human language, abstract thought, imagination, and consciousness. The frontal lobes take up most of the area behind our forehead and eyebrows and is considered the adult brain, where planning and decision-making happens. The prefrontal lobes control and guide our social orientation. Their functions include short-term memory, focused
attention, concentration, and motivation.
Functions:!
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• Language Abilities!!
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• Vision!
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• Hearing
• Perceptual Learning
• Abstract Thought
• Imagination
• Planning and Decision-making
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Structures:
• Cerebral Cortex
• ! Prefrontal Lobes
RIGHT & LEFT HEMISPHERE
The Neocortex is separated into the Right & Left Hemisphere.
The Left Hemisphere controls the right side of the body and the
Right Hemisphere controls the left side of the body.
Left Hemisphere Dominant Functions:
• Language
• Math
• Logic
Right Hemisphere Dominant Functions:
• Spatial Abilities
• Face recognition
• Visual memory
• Music
Left Hemisphere Characteristics:
Rational
• Responds to verbal instructions
• Problem solves by logically and sequentially
looking at the parts of things
• Looks at differences
• Is planned and structured
• Prefers established, certain information
• Prefers talking and writing
• Prefers multiple choice tests
• Controls feelings
• Prefers ranked authority structures
Right Hemisphere Characteristics:
Intuitive
• Responds to demonstrated instructions
• Problem solves with hunches, looking for
patterns and configurations
• Looks at similarities
• Is fluid and spontaneous
• Prefers elusive, uncertain information
• Prefers drawing and manipulating objects
• Prefers open ended questions
• Free with feelings
• Prefers collegial authority structures
THE PRE-FRONTAL PARADOX
Unfortunately, the frontal lobe, responsible for our highest cognitive functions is the last part of the human
brain to evolve, the slowest to mature, and the first to deteriorate in old age. The pre-frontal lobes don’t start
dramatic wiring until we’re 5-7 years old, and they don’t fully mature until we are 20-30 years old. This means
that the primitive emotional brain (limbic system) holds control over the more sophisticated adult brain for
many years.
Children have less control over their emotions,
because the axons that send information from
the cortex to the limbic system are not yet
fully developed. In addition, the neurons of the
prefrontal cortex that provide much of our
rational control over our emotions do not
mature until early adulthood. In contrast, the
amygdala is mature at birth and thus exerts a
heavy influence on children.
Have you been in an argument with someone (a co-worker,
spouse, etc) and suddenly found yourself acting like a five
year-old? Slamming the door, name-calling, putting your
fingers in your ears, or even throwing something? The
reason we’ve all acted like this is because the part of our
brain that controls our emotions is literally stunted at five
years old. Our adult brain is being hijacked by our child
brain, which controls our thoughts and actions with its
childlike perception and strategies at a moment’s notice.
According to psychologist Dr. Mark Waller, the Limbic
System hijacks an entire hemisphere of our brain and this hijacking can happen five to seven times a second!
Scientifically speaking, our brains have evolved in such a way that they have far more connections running
from our emotional systems to our cortex (the locus of conscious control) than the other way around.
Breaking free from this hijacking requires us to create new neural connections and patterns through mental
conditioning. The ultimate goal is to get out of limbic and into our neocortex.
MENTAL CONDITIONING
The brain, like any other muscle in our body needs to
be regularly conditioned for optimal performance. The
good news is that the brain stays plastic and malleable
throughout our lifetime and reorganizes every 2-4
years so we always have the opportunity to re-pattern
it and undo early damage. According to Dr. Thomas
Perls, professor of medicine and geriatrics at Boston
University Medical School, “cognitive exercises may
translate into the production of new connections
between brain cells.” Critical thinking can literally
help re-organize the brain.
Defining Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking is the intellectually disciplined
process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.
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-National Council for Excellence in !!
Critical Thinking Instruction
FIRST-ORDER & SECOND-ORDER CHANGE
Changing our patterns through critical thinking requires us to “think outside of the box.” Psychologists refer
to these patterns of thinking as First-order and Second-order change. First-order change involves solving the
problem from within the system of the problem. Second-order change involves getting outside of the problem
system in order to find the solution.
Dieting is the perfect example of how first-order change can fail. When we start a diet, we feel deprived and
begin binge eating as soon as the diet “ends.” Dieting actually burns up muscle tissue and lowers metabolic
rate so people typically end up gaining more weight each time their diet fails. Yo-yo dieting becomes a vicious
cycle where the attempted solution (dieting itself) becomes the problem. The cycle of eating, gaining weight,
feeling lousy, going on a diet, and going back to eating is a solution that sets up its own problem system.
A second-order solution could be shifting the focus off trying to lose weight. Instead of focusing on losing 10
pounds, focus on gaining 10 pounds, with the catch being that you have to gain this weight by only eating
foods that are healthy (fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc). People who are healthy and fit have a healthy
relationship with food. Rather than viewing food as a problem, they view it as cleansing, nourishing, and
energizing.
Think Outside The Box
The Problem:
Connect all the dots using four straight
lines without lifting the pen from the paper.
The Solution:
Most people think the lines must fall inside the box,
but that makes solving the problem impossible. To
find the solution, you must “think outside of the box.”
HEALTHY MIND
Second-order critical thinking can help keep our brains fit and functioning well into old age. As mentioned
earlier, an adult brain contains about 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons, with branches that connect at more
than 100 trillion points. Scientists call this dense, branching network a "neuron forest."
Signals that form memories and thoughts move through the neuron forest as a tiny electrical charge. Nerve
cells connect to one another at synapses. When a charge reaches a synapse, it may trigger release of tiny bursts
of chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters travel across the synapse, carrying signals to
other cells. Scientists have identified dozens of neurotransmitters.
Neurons are the chief type of cell destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease disrupts both the
way electrical charges travel within cells and the activity
of neurotransmitters. It leads to nerve cell death and
tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain
shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions.
“If I had to live my life again I would have
made a rule to read some poetry and listen to
some music at least once a week; for perhaps
the parts of my brain now atrophied could
thus have been kept active through use.”
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-Charles Darwin
PREVENTION IS THE CURE
While a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer’s may not soon be on hand, research shows that people who keep
both their bodies and minds active by combining physical activity with regular mental activity such as reading,
playing board games, or doing logic puzzles such as crosswords, have a far less chance of developing dementia
and Alzheimer’s and can actually delay the onset of these diseases.
Delaying onset in patients by just a year would reduce the number of Alzheimer’s cases in the United States by
12 million as of 2050. That would save $1.2 trillion in healthcare and productivity costs, according to a study
funded by Accelerate Cure/Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease, a coalition of national organizations representing patients, providers and caregivers.
THE ART OF INTELLIGENT MOVEMENT
In the Budokon system, we teach people to bridge the mind-body gap through intelligent thinking and intelligent movement. Research has shown that physical exercise strengthens the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and
corpus callosum - all key areas of the brain (Jensen, 1998). Physical activity helps to increase the brain’s efficiency, alertness, creativity and memory as well as strengthen it against cognitive decline. Research shows that
aerobic exercise just twice a week can decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s by over half.
The physical techniques you will find in section six of this manual were designed to maximize both our brain
and body’s efficiency and effectiveness by focusing on strength, agility, flexibility, balance, and contralateral
movement. Studies have shown that contralateral and cross-lateral arm and leg movement (opposite sides of
the body moving simultaneously or movements that cross over from one side of the body to the other) can increase our brain’s learning abilities. Since the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the
left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, the two sides of the brain are forced to communicate
when legs and arms cross over (Schiller, 1999). Contralateral and cross-lateral movements strengthen the
brain by encouraging the right and left hemispheres to work together.
Through consistent practice of the physical and mental techniques taught in the Budokon System you will develop a deeper understanding of body mechanics and awareness along with critical thinking and problem solving skills. By learning to master these techniques we can learn to master our body and mind. Our dojo is our
sanctuary. If we can teach ourselves to problem solve in this safe, non-judgmental environment, then we can
prepare ourselves to better deal with the problems, conflict and stress that we encounter in our daily lives.