Teacher, Teach Thyself

Alchemy For Life

Q&A and the answer

(That’s so meta)

Have you ever helped a friend who has a question or a conundrum, and the answer was so obvious to you that you easily spelled it out for them? You felt pretty smart. You noticed at some point that when you’ve had issues you turn to others for answers and you realize thatr you also could have come up with the solution? You have a “Well duh, I know that” moment. You think “Why can’t I do that for me?”

That’s what this episode is about.

Highlights:

Question vs. Answer Mode – People think more clearly when answering for others because they’re emotionally detached.

But why are they emotionally detached?

Limbic System – When the problem is personal (even if it’s a decision) it triggers emotions—fear, uncertainty, doubt, etc. which makes the process more difficult

Frontal Cortex Role – Your frontal Cortex is what handles logic and reason—without the aforementioned.

Mindfulness – I don’t know what you think of when you hear ‘mindfulness’ but for me it’s nothing absolutely definable. However, being mindful of your current conundrum can shift the processing from the limbic to your frontal cortex. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can also help with this.

Being ‘professional’ – Professions like surgeons, pilots, and investors train people to use logic under stress.

Let’s talk about this concept so you get to know your hardware, and perhaps better understand its use.

And we’ll talk about how being coached allows you to automatically benifit from the best of this concept—if done correctly.

Join us on Patreon to talk about this!

Citations:

Bechara A, Tranel D, Damasio H. Characterization of the decision-making deficit of patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions. Brain. 2000 Nov;123 ( Pt 11):2189-202. doi: 10.1093/brain/123.11.2189. Erratum in: Brain. 2009 Jul;132(Pt 7):1993. PMID: 11050020.

Rosenbloom, M. H., Schmahmann, J. D., & Price, B. H. (2012). The Functional Neuroanatomy of Decision-Making. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 24(3), 266–277. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11060139

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