All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
- Buddha
We seldom stop to realize that our experience of reality is created within us through the interactions between our brains and our minds. Some go as far as to say that we create reality through our minds. Others of course insist on a definite reality “out there,” independent from consciousness. The fact of the matter though is that we experience reality within our minds, through sensory filters based on biology, cultural conditioning and personal interpretations.
This is easy to see. Some people, for instance, visit a particular city and fall in love with its beauty and people. Others visit the “same” city and find it ugly and the people obnoxious. (Never mind that almost everybody agrees about Los Angeles.) We agree that it is the same city but our experiences vary. Of course, we all experience the same buildings in the same locations, etc. There are general reference points by which we all navigate a shared world.
I don’t want to delve into the ultimate nature of reality here. What I do want to explore is the ways that our experiences, both inner and outer, change the way our brains function, thus further changing our experience of reality. This is referred to as “neuroplasticity.” The brain has the ability to reorganize neural networks based on changes in lifestyle, attitudes, relationships, and very significantly through meditation, or contemplative practices. Mind in this sense is the medium through which these changes occur.
Our brains develop over our lives based on stimuli from our environment and our response to them. Beginning with fetal development a child’s brain develops in response to her mother. At birth a process of attachment-development begins which lays a foundation for further growth into adulthood. Children who have developed a secure attachment in infancy have an advantage over others in every area of life – education, relationships, sports, artistic abilities, and so on. Further, trauma, alcohol and drug abuse, neglect, abuse, exposure to violence and poor nutrition adversely affect brain development in adolescence. At least it keeps us therapists in business.
The critical brain component of mature adult functioning, the prefrontal cortex, develops from late adolescence into early adulthood. If a foundation is not present or other factors, mentioned above, interfere this development can fail producing a less than fully functional adult brain. Such capacities as empathy, decision making, emotional regulation, moral judgment, etc. are compromised. Abstract thinking is absent or barely present. The ability to reason and make sound judgments is impaired. The good news is that both the therapeutic relationship and meditation practice can “restart and catalyze development,” in the words of Roger Walsh, MD.
Meditation enables us to develop a “self-directed neuroplasticity” in the words of Rick Hanson, Ph.D. (http://www.noetic.org/noetic/issue-nine-april/self-directed-neuroplasticity/) The agency through which we develop this ability is the inner witnessing awareness cultivated through regular meditation practice. This is a level of “meta-awareness” which allows us to step outside of the usual conceptual systems that we habitually identify with. It liberates us from our self-imposed mental limitations.
The ability to witness our thoughts and beliefs as they arise requires an attitude of non-attachment. Sometimes we need to look at our most cherished ideas objectively. Any thoughts that we cling to which contribute to anger, resentment, hatred, dissatisfaction, greed, etc. need to be acknowledged and released. They are simply not good for us. They create stress which damages our bodies and our minds. When we are able to do this through meditation practice, and perhaps with the help of a therapist, we cultivate inner peace and overall wellbeing. We change our brains and we change our “reality.”
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