Joe Dispenza- Our Three Brains From Thinking to Doing To Being- TEDx

Summary

This script delves into the human brain's three functional levels: the neocortex for thinking, the limbic system for emotions, and the cerebellum for subconscious actions. It explains how learning and experiences reshape neural connections, leading to personal growth. The narrative illustrates how applying knowledge, like compassion, can alter behavior and neural pathways, ultimately changing one's identity and genetic expression. It emphasizes the importance of repetition in solidifying new behaviors and reaching a state of being, where transformation becomes a natural, subconscious skill.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The human brain is composed of three distinct 'brains': the neocortex (thinking brain), the limbic system (emotional brain), and the cerebellum (reptilian brain).
• 💡 The neocortex is the most evolved part, responsible for conscious awareness and the process of gathering and processing information.
• 🔄 Learning involves creating new synaptic connections in the neocortex, which physically changes the brain's structure.
• 🔗 The principle 'neurons that fire together, wire together' explains how new information is biologically integrated into our neural networks.
• 💬 Remembering is the process of maintaining and sustaining synaptic connections, strengthening the bonds between neurons.
• 🌐 Experiences shape the brain's circuitry by organizing neurons into patterns and releasing chemicals that correspond to emotions or feelings.
• 📚 Personal growth can be achieved by applying intellectual knowledge to real-life situations, which in turn modifies behavior and creates new experiences.
• 🤔 Metacognition is the ability to observe and reflect on one's own thinking, allowing for the modification of behaviors and mindset.
• 🔄 The process of changing one's mind involves silencing old neural pathways and creating new ones that align with desired behaviors and attitudes.
• 🧠 The cerebellum, as the subconscious mind, stores habits and automatic behaviors that become second nature through repetition and practice.
• 🌱 Embodiment of knowledge, such as compassion, involves not just intellectual understanding but also emotional and physical experiences that can change genetic expression.

Q & A

What are the three 'brains' mentioned in the script, and what is the function of each?

The three 'brains' are the neocortex, the limbic brain, and the cerebellum. The neocortex is the newest and most evolved part, responsible for conscious awareness and information processing. The limbic brain, also known as the emotional or mammalian brain, regulates internal chemical order and emotions. The cerebellum, the oldest part, is the seat of the subconscious mind and is responsible for coordination and balance.

How does the neocortex contribute to learning and memory?

The neocortex contributes to learning by creating new synaptic connections every time new information is learned. This process of forging new connections is what defines learning. Memory, on the other hand, is the maintenance and sustaining of these connections. The neocortex physically changes as new information is learned, essentially upscaling its 'hardware'.

What is the significance of the phrase 'nerve cells that fire together, wire together' in neuroscience?

The phrase 'nerve cells that fire together, wire together' signifies the principle in neuroscience that when neurons consistently fire in response to the same stimuli, they form stronger connections, effectively 'wiring' the information into the brain's structure. This is the biological basis for learning and memory.

What are neural networks, and how do they relate to our thoughts and behaviors?

Neural networks are groups of neurons that have fired and wired together to form a community of neurosynaptic connections. They can be related to ideas, concepts, memories, skills, or behaviors. These networks have an electrochemical component and are the basis for our thoughts and actions, as they dictate the patterns in which our brain operates.

How does the script explain the process of changing one's mind through learning and experience?

The script explains that changing one's mind involves learning new information and applying it, which leads to the modification of behavior and the creation of new experiences. This process involves the brain firing in different sequences, patterns, and combinations, leading to the formation of new neural networks that embody the new level of understanding.

What role does the limbic brain play in emotional memory and experiences?

The limbic brain, also known as the emotional brain, is responsible for creating and storing emotional memories. It produces a chemical response when neurons organize into patterns during an experience, releasing a feeling or emotion. This chemical response helps to remember significant emotional events more vividly than routine ones.

How does stress affect the body and the brain?

Stress occurs when the body is knocked out of homeostasis or balance. It triggers the fight or flight response, causing physical changes such as dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased heart rate, and changes in respiratory rate. Stress can be triggered by actual experiences or even thoughts alone, and if not managed, can lead to disease.

What is metacognition, and how does it relate to modifying behavior?

Metacognition is the ability to think about one's own thinking, to pay attention to and observe one's own cognitive processes. It allows individuals to recognize and understand their reactions and feelings, enabling them to modify their behaviors to better navigate life's challenges.

How does the frontal lobe contribute to the process of changing one's self-concept?

The frontal lobe is the seat of awareness and the home of the self-concept. It acts like a volume control, silencing circuits connected to the old self while promoting new patterns of thought and behavior. This process involves 'unhooking' from old behaviors and 'reconnecting' to new ones, effectively changing the mind.

What is the significance of the cerebellum in the process of embodying knowledge and forming habits?

The cerebellum is the seat of the subconscious mind and is crucial in the process of embodying knowledge. When behaviors are practiced repeatedly, they become automatic and second nature, effectively changing the genetic expression and creating a state of innate behavior. This is how habits are formed and maintained.

How does the script define 'mind' in the context of neuroscience?

In the context of neuroscience, the script defines 'mind' as the brain in action, the brain at work, or what the brain does. It emphasizes that the mind is not a separate entity but rather the result of the brain's activity, which can be changed by altering the brain's patterns of operation.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 The Three Brains and Neurological Learning

This paragraph introduces the concept of the 'three brains' theory, which includes the neocortex, the limbic system, and the cerebellum. The neocortex is described as the most evolved, responsible for conscious awareness and learning through the formation of new synaptic connections. The limbic system, or 'chemical brain,' is associated with emotions and internal chemical regulation. The cerebellum, the oldest part, is linked to the subconscious mind. The paragraph emphasizes the brain's capacity for change and adaptation through learning and the creation of neural networks, illustrating the mind as the brain in action.

05:02

💖 Emotional Memory and the Impact of Experiences

The second paragraph delves into the role of the limbic brain in emotional memory, explaining how significant experiences can create lasting memories by altering internal chemical states. It contrasts memorable events with routine activities that do not engage the brain as deeply. The narrative uses the example of 9/11 to illustrate how intense experiences can be vividly recalled. The paragraph also discusses the stress response, showing how thoughts alone can trigger physical reactions, potentially leading to disease if not managed properly.

10:04

🤔 Metacognition and the Power of Intention

This paragraph explores the concept of metacognition, the ability to think about one's own thinking, and its role in modifying behavior. It discusses how the frontal lobe, as the seat of awareness, can adjust the volume of neural circuits associated with past identities, effectively silencing old patterns of thought. The speaker encourages the application of learned knowledge to new situations, illustrating how intention and planning can rewire the brain to align with desired behaviors, leading to a change in the mind's state.

15:04

🌟 Embodiment of Knowledge and the Transformation of Self

The final paragraph focuses on the embodiment of knowledge through repeated experiences, such as practicing compassion until it becomes an automatic response. It discusses how the mind and body must work together to truly understand and apply knowledge, leading to a change in genetic expression and a new level of being. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of repetition in solidifying new behaviors and states of mind, ultimately activating the subconscious mind and leading to a transformative state of being.

Keywords

💡Neocortex

The neocortex is the outer layer of the brain, often described as walnut-shaped in the script. It is the newest and most evolved part of the brain in terms of human evolution, playing a critical role in higher-order thinking, decision-making, and conscious awareness. In the video, it is referred to as the 'thinking brain' and is the part of the brain that we use to process new information and learn, leading to the creation of new synaptic connections.

💡Limbic Brain

The limbic brain, also known as the 'chemical brain' or 'emotional brain,' is positioned beneath the neocortex and is compared to the size of a lemon in the script. It is responsible for regulating our internal chemical order and is integral to our emotional responses. The script emphasizes its role in creating and recalling emotional memories, such as the memory of one's first kiss or the birth of a child.

💡Cerebellum

The cerebellum, referred to as the 'reptilian brain' in the script, is located at the back of the brainstem and is the oldest part of the brain in evolutionary terms. It is associated with the subconscious mind and is responsible for coordinating movement and maintaining balance. It is also involved in the formation of habits and skill learning, as discussed in the context of the video.

💡Neurons

Neurons are the nerve cells that make up the brain, and the script mentions that there are about a hundred billion of them. These cells have the unique ability to store and communicate information, forming the basis of our cognitive functions. The script uses the analogy of stacking sheets of paper to illustrate the immense number of neurons and their interconnectedness.

💡Synaptic Connections

Synaptic connections refer to the points of communication between neurons. The script explains that learning is the process of forging new synaptic connections in the neocortex, and these connections physically change the brain. The principle 'neurons that fire together, wire together' is used to describe how learning is ingrained in our neural circuitry.

💡Neural Networks

Neural networks are groups of neurons that have fired and wired together to form a community of neurosynaptic connections, as described in the script. These networks can be associated with ideas, concepts, memories, skills, or behaviors. They are the electrochemical basis for our thoughts and actions, and the script illustrates this with the example of a thought being visualized as an electrical impulse.

💡Metacognition

Metacognition, as mentioned in the script, is the process of thinking about one's own thinking. It involves observing and paying attention to one's reactions and feelings, which allows for the modification of behaviors. The script uses the example of a person reflecting on their feelings towards their mother-in-law and deciding to act with compassion instead.

💡Stress Response

The stress response is the body's reaction to a perceived threat, which can be triggered by thoughts or actual experiences, as explained in the script. It involves the activation of the fight or flight system, leading to physiological changes such as increased heart rate and pupil dilation. The script discusses how chronic activation of this response can lead to disease.

💡Compassion

Compassion is a feeling of empathy and concern for others, which the script discusses as a learned behavior and a state of mind that can be cultivated. The speaker uses the example of changing one's feelings towards their mother-in-law as a way to illustrate the process of embodying compassion and how it can lead to a change in one's genetic expression.

💡Epigenetics

Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence. The script touches on this concept by explaining how experiences, such as practicing compassion, can lead to new peptides signaling the body and changing gene expression, thus influencing who we are at a biological level.

💡State of Being

A 'state of being' is a term used in the script to describe a stable and enduring condition of mind and body that reflects a person's identity and habits. It is achieved through the consistent practice of desired behaviors and thoughts, such as compassion, until they become second nature. The script emphasizes that when one reaches this state, they embody the change they wish to see in the world.

Highlights

The brain is composed of three parts: the neocortex (thinking brain), the limbic brain (emotional brain), and the cerebellum (reptilian brain). Each has its own anatomy, physiology, and sense of time and space.

The neocortex, the newest and most evolved part of the brain, is responsible for conscious awareness and is where learning occurs by forming new synaptic connections.

The limbic brain, also known as the emotional brain, regulates internal chemical order and is responsible for creating emotions from experiences.

The cerebellum, the oldest part of the brain in evolutionary terms, is the seat of the subconscious mind and controls automatic behaviors and skills.

Learning is defined as the process of making new synaptic connections in the neocortex, which physically changes the brain's structure.

Remembering involves maintaining and sustaining these synaptic connections, similar to how relationships strengthen with communication.

Neurons that fire together, wire together, forming neural networks that represent ideas, memories, or skills, which are the physical basis of learning and memory.

Mind is defined as the brain in action; it's what the brain does when it processes information and fires neurons in specific patterns.

Metacognition, the ability to think about one's own thoughts, allows individuals to observe and modify their behavior, leading to personal transformation.

The process of changing one's mind involves breaking down old neural circuits connected to the old self and creating new ones that reflect a new level of mind.

Repeated experiences of practicing new behaviors lead to the development of neural circuits in the cerebellum, making the new behavior automatic and part of the subconscious mind.

When mind and body work together in coherence, a person can achieve a state of being where their behavior aligns effortlessly with their intentions.

True transformation occurs when knowledge is applied consistently, leading to the embodiment of new habits and behaviors that are deeply ingrained in the subconscious mind.

Sustaining a new state of being where no external factors can disrupt one's coherence is the key to personal transformation and positively influencing others.

The ultimate goal of self-transformation is to reach a state of being where one’s thoughts, actions, and emotions are consistently aligned, enabling them to inspire and lead others by example.

Transcripts

good afternoon

now we have three brains that allow us

to go

from thinking to doing to being

each brain is its own individual

biocomputer with its own anatomy and own

circuitry

its own physiology and chemistry they

even have their own history

as well as their own sense of time and

space

now the first brain the neocortex

it's the newest brain in evolution it's

that walnut

shaped structure that sits on the

outside with all of its folds and

valleys and yellow there

it's the newest the most evolved and

highly specialized in human beings

right under the neocortex is called the

limbic brain

the chemical brain the emotional brain

or the mammalian brain

it's about the size of a lemon and it's

responsible

for regulating internal chemical order

right in the back of the brain stem

there

in red is called the cerebellum the

reptilian brain

it's the oldest brain in evolution it's

the seat of the subconscious mind

now your brain is made up of about a

hundred billion neurons

if you took a hundred billion sheets of

paper and stacked them on top of each

other

it would be five thousand miles high

that's the distance

from los angeles to london now nerve

cells

possess the unique ability to store and

communicate

information between each other so your

neocortex

your thinking brain is the seat of your

conscious awareness

you're listening to me right now with

your neocortex

and what the neocortex loves to do is to

gather information

and every time you learn something new

you make a new synaptic connection

in your thinking brain that's what

learning is learning

is forging new connections and every

time you learn something new

your brain physically changes

so you read a book on how to ride a

bicycle you read a book on how to build

a dog house

you read a book on how to dance the

salsa how to cook french cuisine

how to become successful how to be a

better parent and your brain literally

up scares it

upscales its hardware to reflect a new

level of mind

the principle in neuroscience says this

nerve cells that fire together

wire together and as you begin to learn

new information

you biologically wire that information

into your cerebral architecture

so if learning is making new synaptic

connections

then remembering is maintaining and

sustaining those connections

and just like any relationship the more

you communicate

the more bonded you become and neurons

are exactly the same way now once these

neurons begin to

fire and wire together they actually

form

networks what neuroscientists called

neural networks

now neural networks are just gangs of

neurons

that have fired and wired together to

form a community of neurosynaptic

connections

it could be related to an idea a concept

a memory

experience a skill or behavior an action

but these networks actually have an

electrochemical component

and if you want to see mind in action

watch this that's a thought right there

again so you generate more electrical

impulses in your brain in one day

than all the cell phones on the planet

put together

now the neuroscientific definition of

mind is

mind is the brain in action mind is the

brain at work

mind is what the brain does and because

we have a hundred billion neurons

seamlessly pieced together

we can make the brain fire in different

sequences

different patterns and different

combinations

and whenever we make the brain work

differently we're changing our mind

so once you've understood something

intellectually

theoretically once you've understood

something philosophically

if you take what you intellectually work

learned in your thinking brain

and you apply it you personalize it

you demonstrate it it means you're going

to have to modify your behavior in some

way

and if you change your actions and you

do something differently

you're going to have a new experience

now when you're in the midst of an

experience

everything you're seeing and smelling

and tasting and feeling and hearing

all of your five senses are gathering

this vital information from the

environment

and as you begin to process all this

information and it's rushing back to

your brain

jungles of neurons begin to organize

themselves into patterns

the moment those neurons string into

place

the brain releases a chemical and that

chemical is called a

feeling or an emotion so experience then

enriches the circuitry in your brain

neurologically

but then it produces a chemical that's

released in the second brain

called the limbic brain or the emotional

brain so you can remember your first

kiss you can remember graduating from

college

you can remember the birth of your first

child you can remember finishing a

marathon

you can remember catching a fish off the

coast of mexico

and then taking it home and cooking it

and drinking some really good wine that

tastes good and

feeling the ocean breeze on your face

and seeing the sunset

and we could say that you were altered

from that experience

the problem is you can't remember what

you had for dinner the night before

that's because routine lulls the brain

to sleep

so a great example of this then is most

americans can remember

exactly where they were on 9 11. you can

tell me

who you are with what time of day it was

and what you were doing

we could say then when you were in the

midst of that moment or that experience

everything you were seeing and hearing

changed your internal chemical state

and the moment you felt altered in some

way internally

your brain perked up and you paid

attention to whoever

or whatever caused it and that event in

and of itself

is called a memory now

let's say you read the book called

from forgiveness to compassion

to unconditional love and

this book had inspired you so much so

that you decided to read it twice

and as you began to review this

information in your mind

and contemplate on it and self-reflect

you begin to cause those neurons to form

into networks

to reflect a new level of mind you find

yourself in the shower thinking about it

you're driving to work and you're

contemplating these concepts

you begin to talk to your friends about

what you learn and

you're beginning to develop long-term

relationships and those neurons

and all of a sudden you're moving around

your office and you're saying

you know you need to be more

compassionate you know

wow and someone else you say you need to

forgive

everybody is impressed with your

knowledge they're knocking on your

office door

and they're asking you to administer to

them and you're resolving everybody's

problems

things are going really well

all of a sudden you're driving home from

work you get a call on your cell phone

and it's your spouse and your spouse

tells you

that they forgot to mention in the

morning that it's your mother-in-law's

birthday

and you pull over on the side of the

road and you think

i hate my mother-in-law she hurt my

feelings 10

years ago she tells the same stories

over and over again and you begin to

remember that you have some pretty

stressful moments

that branded you emotionally from your

past with your mother-in-law

now stress is when your body's knocked

out of homeostasis

stress is when your body's knocked out

of balance

now when you see a lion you begin to

turn on a primitive nervous system

but it doesn't even have to be your lion

a lion you could see your mother-in-law

and it produces the same exact effect

now let's go one step further it doesn't

even have to be the physical appearance

of your mother-in-law

you can begin to think about

certain things and auto suggest and you

can turn on the stress response

just by thought alone now your body

is your unconscious mind it does not

know the difference

between the actual experience in reality

that produces the emotion

and the emotion that you fabricate by

thought alone to the body

it believes it's in that experience so

the moment the limbic brain begins to

make blend of neuropeptides

it begins to signal the hormonal centers

and you get a rush of energy

to prepare you for this event real or

imagined

a moment that happens you become altered

in some way

fight or flight nervous system causes

your pupils to dilate

your mouth gets a little dry all of a

sudden your heart rate begins to change

your respiratory rate changes and blood

is being sent to your extremities

and now you're prepared to either do

battle with your mother-in-law

or never go to the dinner to stay and

run stay and fight

or to run now what was once highly

adaptive

all of a sudden is now maladaptive

because when we turn on the stress

response and we can't turn it off

now we're headed for disease so then

you're sitting on the side of the road

and then you think i read the book on

compassion

damn the moment you begin to think about

what you have to do something very

natural happens

you begin to think about what you're

thinking about

you begin to pay attention to how you're

reacting

you begin to notice how you're feeling

and that concept in neuroscience

is called metacognition we can observe

who we're being and because we can

observe who we're being

it means we could modify our behaviors

to do a better job in life

so now the frontal lobe is the seat of

your awareness it's the home of the you

and the me

and as you begin to think about who you

no longer want to be

the frontal lobe acts like a volume

control

and it begins to lower the volume in the

circuits in your brain

that are connected to the old self and

as it begins to

silence those circuits that are

connected to the old level of mind

that level of mind no longer fires and

you're observing it instead of

participating in it

and as you begin to silence those

circuits

nerve cells that no longer fire together

no longer wire together

and you begin to biologically break down

the circuits in your brain

that are connected to the old self and

to the old mind

now as you're sitting on the side of the

road you think

what piece of knowledge could i apply in

this situation from what i learned in

the book

and as you begin to plan your actions

and you begin to think about a new way

of being

and you begin to put yourself into the

equation

your brain naturally begins to fire

in new sequences and new patterns and

new combinations

and whenever you make your brain work

differently you're

changing your mind because mind is the

brain in action

and as the brain begins to fire in new

ways and you produce a new level of mind

nerve cells that fire together

wire together and you begin to install

the neurological hardware

ahead of the actual experience and now

you have circuits in place to use

when you get into that dinner so now

as you ask yourself what is compassion

and you begin to remember

all these different things that you

learned in the book the frontal lobe

like a great symphony leader begins to

synchronize these circuits

and when it begins to produce a certain

level of coherence

a certain level of mind your brain

naturally creates a hologram

or an image and that image then becomes

the internal representation

of what you are going to use when you

walk into that dinner

we would call that intention now there's

a very

very unique shuffle that kind of goes on

microscopically between different

circuits in your brain you're trying to

fire this new

thought called compassion but remember

you fired and wired all these other

circuits based on the last 10 years

so as you're beginning to fire this new

thought all these other thoughts are

saying you hate your mother-in-law you

don't want to go to that dinner why

don't you start tomorrow this isn't a

good time to do this

but if you persist with a certain amount

of amplitude

and you put your attention behind that

thought sooner or later

that thought will be the strongest and

loudest voice in your head

now the moment that becomes the loudest

voice in your head

the brain has to seal that circuit more

permanently

so when the action potential is firing

down the neuron from the presynaptic

cleft to the postsynaptic clef

there's a glue that seals the circuit

called neural growth factor

and it travels in the opposite direction

but there's only a certain amount of

that neural growth factor to go around

so it starts to steal the glue from the

neighboring circuits

and when that happens there goes your

memory of your mother-in-law

hurting your feelings ten years ago

there goes the thought that you hate her

there goes the impatience there goes the

intolerance and the only

signal that's traveling to that neuron

is called compassion

now every place where one neuron

connects with another neuron is a memory

when this happens you begin to

biologically and neurologically

prune away the old memory of the old

self

and this is the science of changing your

mind

if you want to see what it looks like in

real time let's try that again

you want to see what it looks like in

real time unhooking from the old self

reconnecting to the new self this can

happen

in moments now

get back on the road you make your

u-turn you're heading to the dinner

you're reminding yourself who you no

longer want to be silencing those

circuits in the brain

you begin to think about who you do want

to be based on the knowledge you've

learned and you're priming your brain

ahead of the actual experience

you walk into the dinner and you get

your behaviors to match your intentions

you get your actions equal to your

thoughts you get your mind and body

working together

and you do exactly what the book says

the moment that happens

all of a sudden you feel compassion

now the moment your heart begins to open

and you feel compassion

you are teaching your body emotionally

to understand what your mind

intellectually understood

you see knowledge is for the mind but

experiences for the body

and when we begin to experience

compassion now we are embodying

knowledge

the word is becoming flesh and the

limbic brain makes a new batch of

peptides

that signals the body and you begin to

literally change your genetic expression

because there's new information

coming to the gene and epigenetically we

signal genes

from the environment and you're changing

the fabric of you

because you're instructing your body

chemically to understand what your mind

is intellectually and philosophically

understood but it's not enough to do it

once

you can't forgive your mother-in-law one

time and expect to be on the stained

glass windows in church

you got to be able to repeat the

experience you got to be able to do it

over

and over again you have to do it so many

times that you no longer have to think

about it

and when you do it over and over again

you neuro

chemically condition the body to

memorize compassion

as well as the conscious mind and when

that happens when the mind and body are

working together

or the body knows as well as the mind

you activate that third brain

called the cerebellum the seat of your

subconscious mind

you've practiced it so many times that

you know how

but you don't know how you know how it's

automatic it's second nature

it's easy it's a habit it's a skill it's

an automatic behavior

and when you get to this level of

memorizing an internal chemical order

a level of innate now it's so innate in

you

that it's who you are when you get to

that point

where no person no thing no experience

can remove you from it because you have

sustained this level of coherence

now you're in a state of being

and so the way we transform the world

is we transform ourselves and when we're

in that state of being

we give people permission to do the same

thanks for listening