Our Three Brains

Did you know we have THREE Brains?  Yes that’s right.

There is the obvious Head brain.  
The other two brains are the Heart and Gut because they too can learn, process, store, change, and adapt just like the head brain.
Behavioral modelling expert and author Marvin Oka states:
       “They have their own intrinsic nervous systems.  They’ve got neurons.                                They’ve got the whole range of [capabilities] in order to do complex                                   adaptive processes...Basically, if it can learn, it’s a brain.”

The Head brain is the master at processing, thinking, creativity, perception, and cognition. It also runs the autonomic nervous system and processes basic everyday problems.  When our head brain takes the lead, in a balanced way, we are fully able to express our creativity.

The Heart brain is the master of emotion.  It processes emotions, feelings, and values and sends messages to the head about how the body is feeling.  When we learn how to think with our hearts, we are more fully able to understand others and come to a place of harmony.  Also, when we go to our heart brain for guidance, instead of our head brain, we are able to go to a place of calm to find the clarity we seek.  

The Gut brain is actually the first to develop. It is responsible for digestion, mood, health, and our core identity (who we are and aren’t).  It is also our core place of protection and courage. The gut brain plays a major role in regulating emotional stress disorders and prevents us from swallowing food during times of danger and stress.  When people say they can’t move past something it’s a gut issue. Forgiveness is also a gut issue because something has trespassed our boundaries and offended our safety or core identity. When we listen to our gut brain for guidance we are able to listen to our gut instincts that tells us when a situation is not safe.  

The three brains are in constant communication with each other.  
As Marvin Oka also states:
      “My head has a narrative, ‘I should… my rules are… my logic says’… but  my                        heart really wants to do something else. Still my gut says ‘Uh, not safe.’  As far
        as we can tell, the information highway between the three brains is the vagus                    nerve. 70-80% of nerve relays go up, not down.  That’s why, when your gut                      and your heart are already in a reaction, its hard to talk yourself out of it.”

Our emotions affect all three brains and can get stuck in any of these brains, as well as elsewhere in the body.  When the three brains are in balance we can bring in and process information more appropriately and from there make better decisions and choices.  

A quick and easy way to balance the three brains is the Corticies Technique. To learn this simple technique click here.  Or contact us by clicking here to set up an appointment to get a BodyTalk and/or Reiki Session, which are both healing systems that focus on balancing and increasing communication within the three brains. To learn more about BodyTalk and/or Reiki and how they can help you click here.  

References
“The Three Brains: Why Your Head, Heart, and Gut Sometimes Conflict.”  Published by Australian Spinal Research Foundation, 26 July 2016,
https://spinalresearch.com.au/three-brains-head-heart-gut-sometimes-conflict/