I have been learning to draw using the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. It is an intentional interdisciplinary study, using art to learn more about brain hemisphere function. I have completed about 2/3 of the book.
One of the things that fascinates me is how Edwards uses exercises to "shut off" left brain thinking - language and analysis. I struggle to motivate myself to read the chapters and to prepare for the lessons, but I'm always pleasantly surprised by the results. It isn't easy, however, to turn off that monkey mind in order to bypass the language and get to the vision. Once I do - seeing the reality of what's in front of me rather than the shortcut symbols I've used since childhood, I can actually replicate them in a reasonable fashion on paper. I am convinced that I could do so even better if I took the time to practice from lesson to lesson. Why do I struggle to get into it - must be my left brain dragging its feet!
Interestingly, this brings me to connect the brain hemisphere struggle to what Eckhart Tolle refers to as ego mind in The Power of Now. There is always the interference of analysis and mind-talk getting in the way of meditation and Presence. As I lay awake for hours last night, telling myself to relax, stop thinking, and to meditate, I experienced the usual inability to turn off my mind. Is that ego mind or a powerfully trained left-brain? Or, are they the same thing?
It is clear from experience and from reading Betty Edwards that left brain development dominates educational experience in our society. We "want" students to analyze, to articulate, to think through....In fact, in the Vermont State Portfolio system, students are required to write narratives describing the process by which they solve mathematics problems. Left brain, left brain, left brain!! What about the right brain? What about the creative, intuitive, relational, and holistic left brain? Are we letting ourselves and our children down by focusing primarily on the left? And...are we lessening the possibility of experiencing the sense of Presence that Tolle (and so many others) promote by cultivating left brain thinking (is that where ego mind lives?) and ignoring the right?
Flow experiences, as explained by Csikszentmihalyi, are when we are so engaged in activities that match our interests and capabilities that we become deeply absorbed and lose track of time and emotion. These are times we reflect upon as fulfilling our passions. In order to be in the time-free mode, it seems that we are in right-brain mode. And, even if we are deeply involved in analysis or writing, I think it must be in full collaboration between the two brain hemispheres.
Therefore, it seems logical to think that the more we cultivate right brain thinking, the more we are likely to experience flow, Presence, and creative silence. I think I'll get back to my art class...
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3 comments:
Lee:
I think that our culture tends to think of the right brain as our "child brain." When we "grow up" and develop more complex brain functions, we are taught to use the analytical left brain. We see this analytical ability as one that signals mental maturity, intellectual strength, and "good scientific questioning."
While I agree that the left brain talents of analysis, articulation, etc. are valuable, I believe we need to refocus on the right brain abilities as a culture. We have become unbalanced, and thus unhealthy, in our thinking. We see this in education, medicine, government, religion...everywhere. People become obsessed with one way of thinking and ignore the wisdom of other cultures and abilities. Daniel Pink, in A While New Mind, talks about how success in the business world of today (and the future) will require the right-brained abilities that we’ve ignored for so long. I hope he’s right – I hope our culture has begun the “shift back towards the center.” Just imagine what would be possible if our culture was to rediscover its balance.
Just imagine what would be possible within each one of us if we were to rediscover our own balance.
We might be able to fall asleep faster. ;)
-Lara
Lara,
I just got Pink's book today and plan to do some reading in it tonight. I'm glad that you've read it so we can talk more about it.
I am intrigued by your theory about our child brain. I have never thought about that, but it does seem to be true. I even remember being criticized for spirituality because it is "childish," "immature," "unintelligent," "simple." Even as I think of that now I recognize your theory as true.
It is sad to diminish the value of that other kind of thinking. I hope to become more balanced myself and am eager for the adventure!!
Lee
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