Inspiration of “The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World” Video
By Amy Choi, 19 December 2017, Hong Kong
The founder of Educational Kinesiology (Dennison Brain Gym®) Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D. chose the video as part of the teaching materials for the Brain Gym® 101 course held in Beijing in early December 2017. The video highlights the right brain wisdom, wisdom of intuition, and the importance of whole-brain operation.
The left brain hemisphere is able to give precise and very dedicated attention to details. Unlike animals, human’s frontal lobes can inhibit functions of the rest of the brain, enabling us to step back from the immediacy of experience. This gives us space and time to read the mind and intention of others, and to empathize. We can build up relationship or hit back.
In the video, historian Iain McGilchrist, from a western society developmental perspective, shows that the modern western society places emphasis on the left hemisphere, and has developed a world similar to the left hemisphere. He gives three main reasons for this evolution:
left hemisphere talk is very convincing because it eliminates those parts that do not fit into its system, and so has created a model that fits its internal logic entirely;
the left hemisphere is able to express itself and thus control the media; but the right hemisphere does not have its own voice, and cannot construct the same arguments as the left hemisphere;
the “hall of mirrors” effect: the more people are trapped in the hall of mirrors of the left hemisphere, the more they will ridicule things that might lead us out of it. We would only repeat continuously what we already know.
Einstein said,”The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant but has forgotten the gift.”
How can the wisdom of human intuition and wisdom of the right hemisphere be further explored, expanded and appreciated? Living in the Asian (or Oriental) society, which hemisphere have we been emphasizing in developing our society?
As Brain Gym® instructors and consultants in the education field, how can we draw out and support the human’s ability to be whole-brain, nurturing conscious and creative and human beings?
I think we should start with our noticing ability, regaining the ability to be aware of our body, emotion and thinking. Educational Kinesiology balancing techniques provide a set of effective ways and means to achieve this.
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Brain Gym® is a registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation/Breakthroughs International. The Foundation’s website: www.braingym.org.
