Reality?
For many years I have known that it behooves me to frequently do what I call reality checks with those I trust to have more expertise than I and/or or committed to sharing their view of reality even if it greatly differs from mine. Most of know, at some level, that we do not see, touch, hear or smell a fixed reality. Our various senses stimulate certain parts of our brain. Those sensations then have to be interpreted. The interpretations are made largely made on the basis of past experience and/or what I hope to experience. One of the examples I often used with individuals, couples and families in my office is the fact that I have one object in my office which is many different objects. If I see a client whose first fell in love in a room which had a similar object, they may see that object and tell me it is reminder all that is good in life; that their spouse represents all that is good. Another person may experience that same object and tearfully ask me to move that darn object from the room because it looks exactly like the object which their abusive partner banged their head on multiple times. Another person may have a very benign reaction to that same object. All of us might or might not agree to call it something approximating a table but it is clearly a different table for each of us.
This morning one of the Ted talks to which I listened was entitled “Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality” by Anil Seth. I had never heard of Anil Seth but because of the magic of the internet I did not have to go to the library to attempt to discover who he is. I found out that he is a British professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. I also found out he has degrees (BA/MA Cambridge 1994) in Natural Sciences, Knowledge-Based Systems (M.Sc., Sussex, 1996) and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (D.Phil./Ph.D. Sussex 2000) and he was a Postdoctoral and Associate Fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California (2001-2006). I mention all of these credentials because I have already stored certain positive opinions about these degrees and educational institutions. The photographs of Dr. Seth which I saw were of a smiling, open/inviting face provided additional cues for who I experienced him to be and whether to give serious attention to what he is positing. My reality of who he is and what he is saying was predetermined by these and other factors. Previously stored excitement about the field of neuroscience was another factor in determining my experience of my reality as concerns Dr. Seth.
For me, Dr. Seth’s talk reinforced my belief that the line between what we refer to as symptoms of mental illness and mental health is a very one. What appears as reality, for example, is dependent on a great many factors including past experiences. This past experience also includes for many of us past traumas. The person who has experienced combat related trauma will have different association with certain sounds, smells and other stimuli than the person who has not experienced combat related trauma. The person who grew up with an active addict may have an acute anxiety reaction to what appears to someone else as “normal reality”.
While our processing and interpretations brain functions are happening, different chemicals and many other factors are also affecting the retrieval system in our brain.
It is not surprising to me that we all experience reality differently at any given moment. It is surprising to me that we can ever have what we term a logical discussion. For example, I and, I suspect, most of those listening to Dr. Seth’s Ted talk, one of his other lectures or reading one of his papers are able to approximate the same reality he attempts to communicate. Many of us, baring acute mental illness, have logged similar experiences and information about both the subject matter and his credentials. Yet, it would not take much change in our brains or experiences to “hear” what he is saying as an attempt to convince one that he or she cannot trust any reality or that, in fact, Dr. Seth and other have indeed been attempting to control one’s mind.
Mental Illness is often or perhaps always a very slight shift in how one interrupts what Dr Seth is terming hallucinations and how our brain interprets incoming stimuli. Knowing or accepting this can allow us to approach our study of mental illness more effectively or make us very distrustful of any fixed reality. Knowing or accepting this might also save us arguments with our spouse or colleagues about who is right about what one sees, hears or smells. I suspect; however, we will continue to fall into the trap as acting as if our interpretations of what Dr. Seth calls our hallucinatory experiences are the correct ones.
Written January 14, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.o
For many years I have known that it behooves me to frequently do what I call reality checks with those I trust to have more expertise than I and/or or committed to sharing their view of reality even if it greatly differs from mine. Most of know, at some level, that we do not see, touch, hear or smell a fixed reality. Our various senses stimulate certain parts of our brain. Those sensations then have to be interpreted. The interpretations are made largely made on the basis of past experience and/or what I hope to experience. One of the examples I often used with individuals, couples and families in my office is the fact that I have one object in my office which is many different objects. If I see a client whose first fell in love in a room which had a similar object, they may see that object and tell me it is reminder all that is good in life; that their spouse represents all that is good. Another person may experience that same object and tearfully ask me to move that darn object from the room because it looks exactly like the object which their abusive partner banged their head on multiple times. Another person may have a very benign reaction to that same object. All of us might or might not agree to call it something approximating a table but it is clearly a different table for each of us.
This morning one of the Ted talks to which I listened was entitled “Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality” by Anil Seth. I had never heard of Anil Seth but because of the magic of the internet I did not have to go to the library to attempt to discover who he is. I found out that he is a British professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. I also found out he has degrees (BA/MA Cambridge 1994) in Natural Sciences, Knowledge-Based Systems (M.Sc., Sussex, 1996) and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (D.Phil./Ph.D. Sussex 2000) and he was a Postdoctoral and Associate Fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California (2001-2006). I mention all of these credentials because I have already stored certain positive opinions about these degrees and educational institutions. The photographs of Dr. Seth which I saw were of a smiling, open/inviting face provided additional cues for who I experienced him to be and whether to give serious attention to what he is positing. My reality of who he is and what he is saying was predetermined by these and other factors. Previously stored excitement about the field of neuroscience was another factor in determining my experience of my reality as concerns Dr. Seth.
For me, Dr. Seth’s talk reinforced my belief that the line between what we refer to as symptoms of mental illness and mental health is a very one. What appears as reality, for example, is dependent on a great many factors including past experiences. This past experience also includes for many of us past traumas. The person who has experienced combat related trauma will have different association with certain sounds, smells and other stimuli than the person who has not experienced combat related trauma. The person who grew up with an active addict may have an acute anxiety reaction to what appears to someone else as “normal reality”.
While our processing and interpretations brain functions are happening, different chemicals and many other factors are also affecting the retrieval system in our brain.
It is not surprising to me that we all experience reality differently at any given moment. It is surprising to me that we can ever have what we term a logical discussion. For example, I and, I suspect, most of those listening to Dr. Seth’s Ted talk, one of his other lectures or reading one of his papers are able to approximate the same reality he attempts to communicate. Many of us, baring acute mental illness, have logged similar experiences and information about both the subject matter and his credentials. Yet, it would not take much change in our brains or experiences to “hear” what he is saying as an attempt to convince one that he or she cannot trust any reality or that, in fact, Dr. Seth and other have indeed been attempting to control one’s mind.
Mental Illness is often or perhaps always a very slight shift in how one interrupts what Dr Seth is terming hallucinations and how our brain interprets incoming stimuli. Knowing or accepting this can allow us to approach our study of mental illness more effectively or make us very distrustful of any fixed reality. Knowing or accepting this might also save us arguments with our spouse or colleagues about who is right about what one sees, hears or smells. I suspect; however, we will continue to fall into the trap as acting as if our interpretations of what Dr. Seth calls our hallucinatory experiences are the correct ones.
Written January 14, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.o
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