Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Beyond Human We use a lot more than 12% of the brain.

Too often I see how a lot of people think we only use somewhere between 2 and 12% of our brains. I asked my old psych professor about this awhile back and found it was far from the truth.
At any given time we're not using all of our brain, and maybe it is around 10% then, but how often are we performing to our full potential. There are an infinite amount of ways we can use our brains, and each way will use different parts, and higher percentages of our brain.
Thanks to programs like the whole mind system we can make a lot more connections between varying parts of the brain for a lot more efficiency than ever before.

Thanks for your time.

I spoke with a psychiatrist once who also believed that every part of our brain is used, at one time or another, but that frequently different parts of our brains/minds are in conflict - leading to sub-optimal performance. One way of viewing this might be the "society of mind" model (Minsky?) where the mind, rather than being a single entity, is comprised of a number of intelligent "agents" or units that each interact, the sum total of which is our perception of ourselves. Now, the theory goes, if you have a "self-preservation" unit that kicks in when having to study or problem solve (due to conditioning that ties self-worth into learned material, say), this will compete with the mental resources that are engaged in trying to read or learn. Since it is tied, whether rightly or wrongly, with the survival instinct, its priority has a higher value than the "learning module" that might be running (which is not, in most people, tied to survival so much), effectively disabling it. The notion that we only use 10% (or 3-4%) of our potential might, in actuality, lie in the dominance struggles that occur in our brains between these different "agents".

If ways are found to passivate the "agents" that work contrary to the "agents" that we are trying to use to achieve our goals, then perhaps we can more fully utilize our learning potential. One way of passivating the rogue "agents" would probably include relaxation and positive visualization - both used extensively in accelerated environments. Also, using a sense of play can passivate the "survival agents".

I'd be interested in reading other people's thoughts on this subject - especially Mr. Bissonette's and Mr. Scheele's.

ckerins,

What an interesting post!

Passivate.......? What is the definition of this word? How is it different from passive? I clearly understand it in the context, but i'm curious for the full definition; it's not in the dictionary i have.

Thanks<

Sorry about that! I am mired in J2EE code, EJBs, servlets, and a bunch of really hairy and scary stuff! Passivate is a term used with respect to EJBs (enterprise java beans - something that is a part of J2EE). I was posting briefly while taking a break from some work that I was doing and got my vocabulary a little muddled! :-)

quote:

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Originally posted by Margaret:
ckerins,

What an interesting post!

Passivate.......? What is the definition of this word? How is it different from passive? I clearly understand it in the context, but i'm curious for the full definition; it's not in the dictionary i have.

Thanks<

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I've read that the majority of our brain's processing power goes toward maintaining us spatially--making sure we don't fall, making all sorts of gravity calculations. Walking is, after all, perpetual falling and rescue. The websites I have read say around 85% of brain usage is taken up so.

This is one of the great sides of Flotation Tanks. Not only does it cut off all sensory stimulation, but the buoyant saline waters keep you perfectly afloat, essentially negating the effects of gravity on the brain. The result is an immediate and ultra-intense theta state.

I've always wanted to try one of these. Supposedly, one hour in a tank is equivalent to four hours of sleep. I wouldn't mind sleeping in one of these for two hours every day instead of having a bed!! May the bedroom become a tankroom! The flotation tank is probably the most powerful tool available for altering consciousness. God, how I wish for one of these...

Brian, I'm surprised that with all the other stuff you've tried you've never spent any time in a floatation tank. Believe me, you must. Every time I finish a float I wonder how floating for an hour in salt water deprived of all sensory feeling can cause such a profoundly relaxing condition. Things that would normally wind me up in a moment just don't seem to matter. A totally relaxing and rejuvanating experience.

I've never tried a small individual tank, I use a place that has small floatation rooms. They're about 8 feet by 6 feet and tall enough to stand up in. This means once you've stopped the water moving about you're unlikely to have any part of your body touch the sides. Having said that I'm sure individual tank produce great results as well.

On one occasion some 14 hours after the float I used a L/S machine on my usual program and got far superior results. Maybe the float allows the senses to become more receptive to stimulation. Maybe this proves that being more relaxed DOES give better results. Until writing this I hadn't made that association.

Brian, over the last couple of months your posts have encouraged me to try new things. I'm now a regular consumer of Wheatgrass juice, the owner of a rebounder and the proud and almost constant user of the Brain Wave Generator. I hope this encourages you to seek out a floatation tank an give it a go.

Gareth,
What a name you have! You have no idea the associations I attach to your name! Are you a gallant plate-mailed, battle-axe-wielding knight by any chance? What is your armor class these days and do you and do you still have an 18 strength? I’m referring, of course, to Dungeons & Dragons. I was an avid player when I was 8 years old—played for about three years. Grand memories. Just grand. Anyway, my character’s name was Gareth. I had no idea that name was used in the real world! I’m envious.

Believe me when I say this, there is no-single-material-thing that I desire more than a flotation tank. There are two things holding me back, however. The first is that the closest floatation center that I know is in New York City, a good train ride away. The second is that to purchase one would set me back around $7,000... But I will promise you this: I will buy a float tank as the first big-ticket purchase of my life (even before car and house) as soon as the money starts rolling in. –within two years of today.

Cheers,
Brian

LOL. How I wish I was that character. There again, using paraliminals, I can be anything I want. Right Pete?

I'm sure you will get your tank and I know you'll enjoy it. I too have a train journey to my nearest float centre which is in London. I have to put aside at least half a day for a 1 hour float but it's always worth it.

My name is actually Welsh and was quite unusual in England when I was young but nowadays it's getting quite popular. I guess it hasn't reached the States just yet but give it time - us Gareth's are making a name for ourselves!

Is it pronounced Ga-reth, or Gar-eth?

Just curious.

The emphasis is on the first part of the name. Given that a lot of people either pronounce or spell it wrong I'm used to all variations!

Invariably you have to use your intuition when you come up against something new and the more we do that the better we must get.

Back on topic, many 'experts' say the capacity of the human brain is infinite, how then can they say we use only a specific percentage of our capaicity? Surely a better measurement is how much we use it not how much of it we don't use.