Brain Myth #1: You only use 10 percent of your brain.
Fact: Over a 24 hour period, you use your entire brain. Some parts are resting, while others are active, but if neurons are not activated, they die off. Usually this happens in childhood. Did you know we are born with 200 billion neurons, but adults only have half? Where did the other half go? They were “pared off” in childhood: the useless beliefs and perceptions stored in certain neurons are replaced by neural networks that have value and meaning in our lives.
Brain Myth #2: There are right-brain and left-brain personalities and traits.
Fact: Both hemispheres are intricately interconnected, and information is constantly shared with every activity we perform. As adults we need both sides, and there are certain brain-entrainment strategies that appear to enhance hemispheric dialogue.
In reality, each person has unique areas of the brain that can play a dominant role. Thus, one person will have a talent for music, another for math. Some people have brains that allow them to excel in sports, while others will be gifted in language. And for each area that we are strong in, there will be an area in which we are weak. But if one area is damaged, our brains can compensate in amazing ways. For example: a blind person can use the tongue to actually “see” an object with the aid of a computer-driven device. Under special circumstances, stimulation to the tongue will activate the visual cortex of the brain.
Can we use this information to stimulate the whole brain? Yes! That is why we embed a dozen different strategies in our programs so that your brain can “choose” which ones work best for creating greater neural coherence between both hemispheres and specific regions of the cortex.
Brain Myth #3: The brain slows down with age.
Fact: Actually, neuroplasticity increases. Too much information comes in, creating confusion and anxiety. Our NeuroTraining exercises lower stress, which is one of the key culprits associated with neurogenerative disease.
Brain Myth #4: Video Brain Games improve cognition.
Fact: Yes, but not enough to make any practical improvement. They only work for elderly individuals experiencing specific forms of cognitive decline. Memory improves, but not in ways that improve day-to-day life. Praxis Now does not make use of these technologies.
What works best for slowing down the aging processes of the brain? Exercise, a healthy diet, and intense intellectual and social stimulation. Have as many friends as possible. Build strong family ties. Engage in meaningful work and philanthropy. And remain steadfastly optimistic, no matter what.
Brain Myth #5: EEG Readings Predict Improvements in Health
Fact: Maybe yes, maybe no. Different behaviors, and different ways of thinking will generate different brainwave frequencies (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) in different parts of the brain. In the 1980s and 90s, considerable attention was given to EEG readings that record faint electrical activity along the outermost surface of the brain. Biofeedback and neurofeedback devices showed that we can consciously alter the brainwave frequencies in some parts of the brain, and when a person learns how to do this, certain improvements in behavior, cognition, and emotional regulation could be made. The research remained controversial because there was no agreement about which frequency would bring about the desired changes.
New brain-probing technology has demolished the early models by showing how different parts of the brain simultaneously generate different frequencies. Furthermore, these frequencies change from moment to moment, even when the same task is being performed. The result? Today we know less about what brainwave frequencies mean, nor can we say that one frequency creates a specific state of alertness, relaxation, or mental improvement.
Here’s what’s important: we now know that you can train yourself – through concentration and relaxation – to alter the brainwave frequencies in different regions. Like physical exercise, this form of mental “innercise” teaches you how to have more conscious control over nonconscious neural processes. The secret lies in the correct development of concentration, not in generating or maintaining a specific brainwave frequency. Praxis Now makes use of this new finding by teaching you how to pay attention to each unique neural states generated by the audio entrainment frequencies we use.
תודה רבה על שטרחתם לקחת כמה דקות ולקרוא את הפוסט הזה.
בבלוג הזה נביא ב- 2012 את כל החידושים האחרונים שיעזרו לכם לנצל את החוזקות שלכם
ואת יכולות המוח שלכם עם מודעות איתנה להגיע הכי גבוה והכי רחוק שחלמתם להגיע.
שתהיה שנת 2012 משגשגת ופורייה.
שרון לב-ארי.
