Note: Full notes provided below to aid in absorption & processing of this rather neuroscience & Rabbit-Hole heavy analogy. ðĪ Disclaimer: These are my vlog notes, which are not up to my usual-highly pedantic & thorough-writing standard. ðĪðĪ
Part 1: Set Up ð & Limibic Lizard-Horsey Hybrid ðĶ
Part 2: My Pretty PFC Pony ð
- Then there’s the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC), our only hope of balancing the limbic system with open mindedness, consideration of the bigger picture and rational analysis. Unfortunately, this horse's growth takes much longer than the limbic horse, putting us on the back foot until our late 20s to early 30s. ðĪĶð
It also requires far more energy &
willful care,
meaning we’ll default to our limbic-leading horse until we Train our underdeveloped PFC pony enough to even the score a bit. In a word, this is deliberate self developement. ➖➕ðð It has quirks of its own however, my pretty little PFC pony is prone to hyper-analysis, compulsively needing to seek meaning out of every tiny aspect of life, every look, every move, every word… obsessed with understanding every minute detail and solving every mystery…. As a horse, this looks like running in f#%@-ing circles. It’s not only pointless, it’s exhausting! ðĐðĨī
- And as I already stipulated with GAD, whether this is ‘Tism based OCD neurology or ‘Just Me’… well that’s the f#%@-ing circle I’ve been treading for about 9 years. ðĪŠ
- I highly suspect there's a genetic component, however, since time spent with my American Dad recently, indicated his brains work very much like my own. ð§Ž
- To be completely honest, I can't hazard a guess about other peoples' PFCs... how they intake, process and manipulate incoming information and stimuli.... I suppose this is where things like the Myers Briggs personalities and HBDI thinking preferences comes into play; we're all the same and yet slightly different. I've worked with 'big picture / yellow brains' and I find them equal parts chaos and genius. ðĪ·ðĪ
Part 3: Discerning Driver ð & Alloy AlternativeðŠŦ
- Onto the Driver, because we're more than just our two brains, analogically those two Asshole equines! I hope everybody realises this at some stage in their life... these horses don't get to decide our direction! Left to their own devices they'll likely get magnificently lost and take us somewhere we never intended to go! ðĩðððð
- So it won't surprise anyone that I feel it's the drivers obligation to BE AWARE, of both horse's tendencies (i.e. self knowledge), pace, and general direction. Without Observing our horses with attention, compassion, acceptance and a bit of humour, well... what hope does any of us have?! ð
ð
- To make Wellness based decisions, to ensure we’re not wasting our energy, repeating thoughts/emotions/behaviours that aren’t serving us and our lives in a beneficial way, means we’ll need to SLOW DOWN around life’s twists and turns, stay aligned to our core values and moral compass, and headed in a direction that inspires sensations of Empowerment & Pride. ðĶðŪ
- Please, I'm begging you, if/when we find ourselves flogging or brutalising our 'horses' with judgments and unhealthy discipline... STOP, REFLECT, CHOOSE KINDNESS & UNDERSTANDING. Like any animal (humans especially!), they'll respond far more favourably to positive reinforcement rather than negative punishment. ðð
- A second, more modern, analogy was inspired by my PHEV hybrid car. ð
- When I need a sudden burst of power (Limbic System) the petrol engine flicks on, but when I drive consciously and considerately (PFC), my electric motor is usually all I need.
- It’s worth understanding these motors operate differently, experience different forms of stress, and need different types of fuel. ðŦ
- They also have different capacities, meaning we can live under Limbic threat for much longer than our PFC can tolerate complex loads on our attention. Regardless, they both need attentive care, fuel and rest unless we want to end up stranded in the proverbial wop wops. ðĒðą
- Another important consideration is the overall impact on the environment.... For me, I'd much rather spend the time, attention and energy to primarily use my electric engine since it has less harmful environmental impacts long-term. ð
- To be clear, in this analogy, the 'environment' is my mental, emotional and physical wellbeing! And son-of-a-bitch, one day the fuel for that petrol engine is going to dry up... so we must take sustainability into account at some point. ðĨðŽ
- Again, for transparency, this relates to those of us who actively engage our PFC, build neuronal plasticity, and keep our stress/threat levels low. These people tend to live longer and with a better quality of life than the 'petrol heads.' And take it from someone who unexpectedly suffered a TBI, it drastically improves healing time and coping with such injuries! ðð§
- Conclusion: Slow & Steady > Crash & Burn, but to do this we must get to know, Understand and accept our coupled intelligence centres... ensure they're working with each other and not against each other. Simple words that require a lifelong Adventure. ðĨģðð
NOTE: There are two other VII Chariot inspired works currently in creation!
- Tizzy & Dizzy, The Divergent Tethered Twins [Links to Come]
- Horsey Heart & Mulish Mind [Links to Come]
