Reply To: Inhibitory neurons at play between L+R prefrontal cortex

  • Rodney Marsh

    Member
    May 4, 2023 at 12:57 am

    Thanks Whit

    The personal background and experience helps a lot….

    I have been a lifetime Christian Pastor and Minister in the Uniting Church in Australia (A Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist Union). I completed a Science and Economics degree, then I spent six years studying theology, religion, intro philosophy and pastoral studies – the pastoral stuff was very Rogers.

    I have not read widely in Psychology or Neurology, but I did read and attempt to apply Siegal’s wheelin my role as a school Chaplain. He, at least in his inter-personal ‘theory of mind’ seems to be approaching mysticism. However, I think “too complicated” for an approach that will work. To heal the self all LH concepts (‘self’ & ‘no self’) must be left behind if you wish to bathe in the Heraclitus’ healing river. I myself, gained far more personal healing from a poet with whom Siegal worked – John O’Donahue (‘To Bless the Space between Us’).

    For me, the important practical import of the two hemisphere hypothesis, lies in the necessity to still/inhibit the LH in order for the RH’s silent consciousness to be (not to become ‘conscious’ to the grasping of the LH but just to be). There is no ‘self’ in the RH only pure consciousness (in which the no-self participates). Hence, ALL of the Wisdom traditions the no-self and the self are united as one in the ’nothingness’ and ’emptiness’ of ’union with God’, ‘enlightenment’ and ’pure consciousness’. There is the healing waiting for us to return home to our RH attention. To guide patients to “Heal thyself” is the privilege of a psych (I think). Note what Iain says about applying his book in the last YouTube interview on the Epilogue.