聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The other day I was speaking with someone about the power of the brain. It鈥檚 truly an amazing thing, you can convince yourself of nearly anything if you simply believe in it.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 What came up was the idea of ghosts and the afterlife. I鈥檝e read accounts of people who have died for a moment on an operating table or in an accident, then brought back to life. Although there are some similarities to what people described, there are also many differences. Some people report seeing a light, others say they saw themselves from above as they floated away and then were pulled back, while others stated there was simply nothing.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now, I don鈥檛 know if there鈥檚 an afterlife. I like to think my soul will go somewhere whether that鈥檚 Heaven or you鈥檙e reincarnated, whatever it might be, but it seems like believing that something will happen, does happen. So, is it your mind鈥檚 last effort of giving you peace as you die, providing the afterlife you imagine there is?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We also talked about ghosts. Although much of the supernatural is no longer believed, ghosts have somehow endured. Whether people have seen them or have felt something off about a room, whatever experience that might be. However, is it the supernatural, or is it your brain playing tricks on you? Is your brain trying to fill in an answer for something and unable to do so then tells you, 鈥済host,鈥� as a way to explain it? But, how can multiple people experience it? Typically if you hear that there鈥檚 a ghost somewhere, then you do some research as to what was seen, so you influence your brain by doing this and almost prep it to see something along those same lines.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The idea of gaslighting for example was first brought to pop culture through the stage play 鈥淕as Light.鈥� In the play, which was also turned into a film, tells the story of a husband who attempts to convince his wife that she is in fact insane by simply manipulating the environment, then insisting that she is wrong when she points out these anomalies. The gas lights used in the house dim, which the wife states as fact, but the husband keeps insisting that she imagined it all.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The book, which has also been turned into a movie, 鈥淭he Girl on the Train,鈥� written in 2015 again deals with this theme.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This isn鈥檛 just something made up for television or novels either, it鈥檚 documented that sociopaths and narcissists frequently use gaslighting tactics to deny something they did. But, it also works on ourselves. If you tell yourself something enough times, you鈥檙e likely to start believing it鈥� in mental training that鈥檚 where confidence comes from. You tell yourself positive 鈥淚鈥� statements, positive self talk, and before long, you鈥檙e feeling more confident in yourself.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So, it鈥檚 kind of amazing what a brain can do.
