{"id":2463,"date":"2014-09-23T17:10:11","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T07:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.narcissismcured.com\/blog\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2020-04-24T09:10:16","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T23:10:16","slug":"accessing-positive-brain-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/accessing-positive-brain-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Inner Connections &#8211; Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/kims-master-class-dashboard\/\">Master Class Dashboard<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/post-series\/connect\/\">Inner Connections Dashboard<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k4vYU19dLTw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"http:\/\/www.narcissismcured.com\/blog\/chapter-3-prayer\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2474\" src=\"http:\/\/www.narcissismcured.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mind_manual-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"h\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>Quieten Down in There and Stop all that Motivated Reasoning!<\/h2>\n<p>Updated, April 7th, 2020.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>With our propensity <strong>to fool ourselves\u00a0that what we want is always a good idea<\/strong>, when it comes to tuning into any form of \u2018higher guidance\u2019 it would appear the chances we might be kidding ourselves must be very high indeed!&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><span class=\"dropcap\">W<\/span>elcome to this updated introduction to <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Inner Connections &#8211; Wisdom for Life Decisions<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The steps offered in this process will help you access brain states that will connect you with inner wisdom; improving your choices, planning and problem-solving, bringing meaning and direction to your life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite being criticised for it sometimes, I don\u2019t usually write about spiritual matters. I am also admonished at times for apologising when I do. I object to this criticism and today will share why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As I feel it essential\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that everyone who needs our help here feels welcome<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, we do all that we can to present our message in a way that won\u2019t ever alienate our audience. It is because of this that we usually don\u2019t talk about our own beliefs and apologise and give an explanation if we do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It has never been considered good manners to talk about religion or politics with people who see things differently and have not asked questions or shown themselves open to a debate. <\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">These are rules of basic etiquette that I believe should be remembered by all of us. <\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Insisting that we have a right to express our ideas doesn\u2019t always make doing so emotionally or socially intelligent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Many religious folk might feel less persecuted if they remembered these rules. Salespeople are sometimes disliked for similar indiscretion without any religious prejudice involved.<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I am explaining this now because conscience will be the central inner state we explore in this program and instead of focusing on belief, I would like to challenge my religious and non-religious fans alike to stick with me on this. I will keep mostly to my usual topics of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, psychology, etc. and hope you can do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In this spirit, I will request that discussion in the online classrooms avoid people putting their religious views forward or political debate. We will never learn emotional intelligence from practising the opposite! Staying on topic with the work is essential so everyone can focus on improving their emotional intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I have posted an article <a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/personal-statement-of-faith\/\">here<\/a>, where I give a clear picture of my own beliefs\u2014for anyone interested\u2014so that you can decide for yourself upfront if there is any reason that you may not feel personally aligned with this work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Back to Inner connections:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So now you have heard my apology and explanation I am going to break my own rules for one moment but please bear with me\u2014this is an important point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Most people have heard the Lord\u2019s Prayer, which towards the beginning, says, \u201cThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.\u201d The concept that \u2018divine will\u2019 is distinct from \u2018our will\u2019 is not merely a religious or spiritual idea. At some point, most of us come to understand that in one way or another, we are not the highest authority in our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In a world full of corruption and cynicism, faith that the power \u2018at the top\u2019 is truly benevolent may seem naive. Yet this faith\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">has been demonstrated to do positive things for a person\u2019s life and state of mind<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But can we know what divine will is?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Humans are so prone to warped thinking which allows us to fool ourselves. Psychology has many terms for this; Motivated reasoning, <\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/owlcation.com\/social-sciences\/How-Youre-Fooling-Yourself\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">wishful thinking, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias, projection, rationalisation<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/au\/blog\/hide-and-seek\/201508\/the-psychology-self-deception\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">repression, denial, distortion, reaction formation, splitting, groupthink, idealisation, intellectualisation, displacement, sublimation<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and minimisation, <span class=\"s1\">just for starters!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With our propensity to fool ourselves\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that what we want is always a good idea,<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> when it comes to tuning into any form of \u2018higher guidance\u2019 it would appear that the chances we might be kidding ourselves must be very high indeed!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Worse, despite all of the empirical data that we now have access to, considered alongside our considerable logical abilities. The fact remains that while we might be able to control some of the events in our lives,<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0humans have proved to be hopeless at knowing how the plans we make are likely to make us feel.<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Brain science theorists have described this as our brains being \u2018faulty simulators\u2019. If you are interested there is a science-based TED talk on the evidence for this here;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/embed-ssl.ted.com\/talks\/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This fact is important because the <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Inner Connections<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> process is all about how to resolve this internal conflict and connect with your true inner wisdom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Faulty simulation is how most of us use our brain and advertisers just love it. They tell us \u201cStop and think how you will feel riding down the street in this brand new convertible [I want to sell you] with the wind in your hair. Just imagine how all of your friends in the street will envy you!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But didn\u2019t we just learn that our brains are hopeless at knowing how we will feel with any accuracy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The result is that many of us end up buying things we don\u2019t need and can\u2019t afford and instead of these things making us happy, we end up miserable and worried slaves to our credit card repayments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2018Our will\u2019, in this sense, is when we push ahead with our plans, failing to see that most of what we plan <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">just makes us unhappy<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2018Our will\u2019, is also when our desires and plans push ahead without thought or concern for the wellbeing of those around us; putting unrealistic expectations on others; only seeking feedback from our peers while marginalising and dehumanising people our plans might hurt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And this should be expected from humans who have been encouraged our whole life to use our brains in ways that do not serve our best interests. How many things will you see promoted to you today that are genuinely for the common good?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Understanding the limitation of \u2018Our will\u2019, however, should never allow someone else\u2019s version of \u2018Thy will\u2019, blind authority over our lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These are some of the reasons why\u2014for a long time\u2014I have been working on reverse engineering all the essential data available to us in the social sciences to come up with a system to help us access our inner wisdom for decision making.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0\u201c<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Thy will be done,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in this process, constitutes putting down the rose coloured glasses that represent our faulty simulator and accessing the wisdom that loving and benevolent parents might share with us about our current plans if we had them to turn to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I believe that the viewpoint of these divine and benevolent parents is always available to us if we learn how to access this \u2018inner state\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Understanding the limitation of \u2018Our will\u2019, should never allow someone else\u2019s version of \u2018Thy will\u2019, blind authority over our lives.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just as we hope our children will sometimes ask for our perspective on their lives and consider our point of view, this same wise choice of action is available to us through the process I offer here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But how do we know\u2014when considered in the solitude of our internal environment\u2014that this perspective is genuine? How do we know we are not tricking ourselves and inventing these voices in our mind to rationalise behaviour which is not a higher perspective at all?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This question, of course, is nearly impossible to answer, but once you have mastered accessing the Five inner states offered, I trust you will feel confident about the quality of guidance you receive.<\/p>\n<p>You can always continue tricking yourself if you wish\u2014the question is really if you want a genuine answer from your conscience or not?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just as we hope our children will sometimes ask for our perspective on their lives and consider our point of view, this same wise choice of action is available to us through what I offer here.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To learn more about this process, which also constitutes Unit Four in my Emotional Intelligence Master Class, please continue here &#8211; <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a title=\"Inner Connections \u2013 Overview\" href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/calm-and-clear\/\" rel=\"\">Calm and Clear<\/a>. If you are interested in joining our online classroom you can join either Steve or my group <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/ecourses-group-support\/\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">here<\/span><\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The steps offered in this process will teach you how to gain access to brain states that will help connect you with your inner wisdom. Ways of using your \u2018inner resources\u2019 to improve your choices, planning and problem-solving and bring meaning and direction to your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":321,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[334],"tags":[322,307,320,382],"post_series":[358],"class_list":["post-2463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-codependency-self-help","tag-connect","tag-free-articles","tag-gold-level-members","tag-leading-articles","post_series-connect","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/321"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thelovesafetynet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_series?post=2463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}