Monday, March 8. 2010
David Krueger MD
Activation of the self-conscious
mind occurs most vividly at the beginning of a new, exciting
endeavor. This “honeymoon period” generates the most energetic
attention and passionate engagement. The conscious awareness
focuses on present attitudes and beliefs. When our conscious minds
are more in charge, we generate the behaviors and qualities we most
aspire to. Buddhist spiritual practice – now affirmed by biology
and physics – terms this mindfulness.
Later, habitual traits
programmed into the unconscious mind take over. This switch from
mindfulness to habitual behavior parallels the neurochemistry of the
excited, honeymoon phase with dopamine and epinephrine transforming
to the maintenance system of norepinephrine. See: Sleep
On It: The Neuroeconomics of Striking When the Iron is Cold.
Approaches to revising limited
and outdated beliefs and rewiring brain pathways require that we
keep our self-conscious mind focused in the present, attuned to
specific purpose and intent. Otherwise, it slips into the past or
future, back to autopilot.
Mindfulness is an awareness of
what’s happening while it’s happening. Mindful attention – a
full awareness of self – is an inherent human capacity. The
Buddhist tradition offers one effective way to access and refine
this mindful attention (in Asian languages the words for mind and
heart are the same). The coaching application I teach of this
mindfulness is self-regulation, with mastery of states of mind. Psychoanalysis addresses coming
to the end of an old story, but not how to strategically create a
new story. Quantum physics recognizes the participation of the
observer in the creation of reality, but omits motivation.
Neuroscience illuminates workings of the conscious and unconscious
mind, while disregarding the spirit. Psychology helps us understand
the developmental role of effectiveness and mastery, yet remains
silent on brain contributions. Early interpersonal development
shapes both brain and psyche – our capacity for insight and
empathy. I integrate and apply these
perspectives with strategic coaching to help clients systematically
rewrite even longstanding behavioral programs. Guided along the
pathway of desired intentions, this journey can move from passive to
active, responder to initiator, victim to creator. Your brain and its unconscious
programs are not fixed or unchangeable. You can rewrite mind
software and rewire brain hardware to create a new life and money
story. Announcing the release of Your
New Money Story™: Roadmap for Money Mastery Seminar Series on 5 CDs + Workbook
www.NewMoneyStory.com
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