The Human Brain - What We Know

Some amazing progress has been made toward the study of our brains in recent decades. Still the volume of what we don't know in this field of study is more amazing than what we have discovered.

Many discoveries have been made that take the magic and mystery out of psychic phenomena, while at the same time confirming the validity of such events. This is great news for those of us who believe in the potential power of the human mind!

No neurologists were involved in the building of this site so a complex discussion of how our brains function is a little beyond our expertise. However I will share a few important and generally accepted facts with you.

Conscious vs. Unconscious

It's safe to say that humans operate on two different levels of mind; conscious and unconscious. Obviously our conscious level refers to what we are actively aware of, paying attention to, etc. while unconscious operation refers to activity taking place beyond what we are immediately aware of.

Interestingly, researchers have found that our unconscious mind tends to process hundreds of times more information than our conscious mind in any given instant. So what we are actively aware of is only a fraction of what we are actually perceiving and processing.

Furthermore, it's clear that we use automatic processing the majority of the time. So our brain analyzes a situation and signals our body, which then responds appropriately without our taking the time to sit down and think it through.

The next time you go to wash the dishes, drive a car, or read a book try to assimilate and act on each movement or word individually on a conscious level. Things will become confused and clumsy for you in short order.

The point is simple. We're not fully aware of the majority of work our brain/mind is carrying out; on this note there must be room for awareness and activity that seems to surpass the "normal" logic our society holds in such high regard.

Amygdala

Our brain's amygdala is - among other functions - constantly scanning our environment for danger and alerting other parts of our brain and body as needed. Perhaps this wonderful bio-device was developed during a time when our species held a more competitive position within the food chain.

If you've ever sensed you were being watched and looked up to find someone staring at you from a distance you've experienced your amygdala in action. Amazingly this region of the human brain processes activity our conscious minds never become aware of.

Subtle vibrations in the air and through the ground that are caused by movement in our environment are all picked up by our amazing sensory system. But events this subtle do not register at the conscious level.

It's also conceivable, given what we now know about quantum mechanics, that intentions are actually physical (or at least sub-physical) wavelengths that travel through our concept of space and could therefore be detected. Again, however, it's unlikely we would catch this in a cognitive manner - enter the amygdala.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex

This part of our brain has been observed to learn and adapt to cues in conflict situations. One theory is that by this process we are able to interpret situations as dangerous even without being aware of their existence on the conscious level.

Also, experiments have shown that in situations without "danger" in the traditional sense, this part of our brain is capable of adapting and recognizing situations that require action on our part and formulating an anticipatory response. In other words we might be able to, based on previous and similar experiences, anticipate and react to an event before we are conscious of said event's existence.

Pretty cool stuff huh?