Train Your BrainBuild a Framework for Clear Thinking

Train Your Brain Build a Framework for Clear Thinking Take Full Advantage of Your Brain’s Exceptional Powers By Dr. William W. Dodd Copyright 2012 William Dodd Smashwords Edition License Notes Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes provided the book remains it its complete original form. Permission is granted to teachers to reproduce shorter segments of this publication for classroom use. . If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Your Neurons at Work Chapter 2: Framing Your Thoughts Chapter 3: Putting Your Brain to Work Chapter 4: Tools for Clear Thinking Chapter 5: Food for Thought Chapter 6: The Conscious Mind Chapter 7: A Model of the Mind Chapter 8: Solving Problems Chapter 9: Getting it Right Chapter 10: Managing Your Resources Chapter 11: Clear Thinking and You About the Author Introduction Clear thinking involves learning more, remembering more, making better decisions, finding more satisfactory solutions to a variety of problems, and improving relations with others. The most important concept in Train Your Brain is that thinking skills can be developed and enhanced through directed effort and practice. You can train your brain to think better, just as you can train your muscles to perform specific tasks, such as playing a saxophone or swimming the backstroke. A clear thinker systematically collects data, analyzes information, and makes considered decisions. A clear thinker also communicates effectively and strives to work effectively with others. Thinking clearly on a regular basis is an achievable objective. It does not require a revolutionary approach. Every attempt at clear thinking leads to increased knowledge and improved skills. Each success lays the foundation for more success in the future. As you learn more and start to think more clearly, additional learning becomes easier. With more knowledge, clear thinking becomes a habit rather than a challenge. Over time, the cumulative effect of increased knowledge and clear thinking will lead to systematic improvements in your own health, wealth, satisfaction, and happiness. ### Chapter 1: Your Neurons at Work 1.1 Basic Anatomy of Your Brain 1.2 Your Body’s Communication Systems 1.3 Your Senses Thinking is a wondrously complicated biological process. The basic anatomy of your brain and input from your senses operate together to determine how your mind perceives the universe, and how you think. 1.1 Basic Anatomy of Your Brain Your brain is where all your thinking takes place. So learning a little about the structure and operation of your brain is an appropriate beginning for a book on training your brain to think clearly. The brain is a complex organic system for processing information fed to it by your senses. The structures of the brain contain several billion neurons with a total weight of about 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds). Those neurons require about twenty percent of the blood flow from your heart to keep them supplied with oxygen and nourishment. The brain floats in a cerebrospinal fluid that helps to support its spongy structure and protect it from mechanical shocks. Based on knowledge derived from anatomy, evolutionary theories, and functional characteristics, the brain can be regarded as a composite of three basic substructures. According to Paul MacLean (Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behaviour of the National Institute of Mental Health), as the human brain evolved primitive structures were successively surrounded by more advanced neural structures. The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, is its most primitive part and is associated with autonomic functions. The midbrain complex lies above the hindbrain, is more sophisticated, and is associated with our emotions and the formation of memories. The left and right hemispheres of the forebrain form a cap over the midbrain. The forebrain is the most highly evolved component of the brain and is associated with awareness and thinking. (See Figure #1 for a sketch of the basic brain structures.) It is MacLean’s contention that, “We are obliged to look at ourselves and the world through the eyes of three quite different mentalities.” [The human brain] “amounts to three interconnected biological computers [each with] its own sense of time and space, its own memory, [muscle] motor control, and other functions”. Carl Sagan adds, “Each [of these three] brain[s] corresponds to a separate major evolutionary step. The three brains are distinguished neuro-anatomically and functionally, and contain strikingly different distributions of the neurochemicals dopamine and cholinesterase.” Figure #1: A sketch of the basic structures of the brain We also know that the brain has conscious and subconscious modes. While you are reading this sentence part of your brain keeps your heart beating, part keeps your eyes moving across the page, and another part wonders what is for supper tonight. Your brain also has a sleep mode that can create dreams, and it has an unconscious mode to which it can retreat when your brain is injured. Your rational thoughts can be disrupted by emotional concerns, and your emotional concerns can be overridden by your basic needs to breathe, drink, and eat. It is no wonder that it is sometimes a challenge to think clearly. With several levels of functioning, each with conscious and subconscious modes, it is a great advantage to be able to shift mental gears at-will to meet daily demands. 1.1.1 Learning about the Brain There are a number of sources of information about the structure and operation of ... - tailieumienphi.vn