Get Happy, Be Happy, Stay Happy

I received an email from Tony Wright, author of Left in the Dark, letting me know that the book is now available to view online in its entirety. If you enjoy pondering the mysteries of human development, especially those that seem to make no sense outside of supernatural or mystical explanations, you’ll love this perception-altering book!

If you like studying human consciousness and enlightenment (are we truly on an evolutionary trajectory to higher, better levels of consciousness?), Left in the Dark will provide a new frame for understanding this intriguing subject. But not to worry — it is a hope-filled message, a message that quite possibly can lead us to real, workable solutions to the mess we’re in today.

The human brain, over a period of perhaps a million years, expanded at an increasingly rapid rate then, some 200,000 years ago, this expansion suddenly stopped. There is, to date, no plausible scientific explanation for either of these linked events.

Religious and mythic traditions of paradise inform us that we once lived in a benign state of perpetual wonder and joy but from this we regressed. The reasons for this are obscure. Do these apparently unrelated perspectives have something in common?

The new theory presented here and in the Left In The Dark book suggests the extraordinary evolution of our brain was influenced by changes in the activity of our own hormones. Such a seemingly innocuous idea has dramatic ramifications. It not only explains a number of recently uncovered anomalies within the human mind, but also makes sense of the stories of human degeneration that are preserved in virtually all cultural myths and religions from around the world.

Both perspectives tell the same unexpected and shocking story — Humanity is suffering from a progressive neurological condition that has distorted our perception and altered our sense of self. This seemingly dire situation however has a positive side — we still have unimaginable potential just waiting to be unlocked. There is a very real possibility of regaining our lost perceptual heritage. (from the author’s Home page)

View the book online

Consider buying the book to support further research!

More from Tony’s site:

Virtually all cultures preserve myths with an almost identical theme; that from a past golden age humanity has suffered a progressive degeneration. Is this near universal tradition based on real events? The answer appears to be ‘yes’. Recent scientific evidence supports the idea that we suffer from an inherited hormonal condition that has damaged part of our brain. In an unexpected twist, it is the damaged part that is not only driven to play the major role in telling us who we are but also dominates our basic biological functions.

Such a scenario explains some extraordinary anomalies that have emerged from research into how our brains function. It provides an underlying reason for the present crises in health, from the dysfunction of the immune system to the declining age of puberty. It also makes sense of the diverse mystic and religious practices that are said to lead to enlightened states or ‘oneness with God’.

If our common experience of near constant low-level fear and anxiety is actually a consequence of a neurological disorder, there may be a fundamental solution to the problem. We all know that fear, distrust and a lack of connection lead to conflict and ultimately war. Such a solution therefore could be of crucial importance to our global future.

To find out more, read on…

Don’t be left in the dark Read the book!

Thanks to Thingy, I’m now in the possession of the provocative, ground-breaking, eyebrow-raising, heretical book Left in the Dark: The Biological Origins of the Fall From Grace, by Graham Gynn and Tony Wright.

Here’s an excerpt from the foreward by ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna (download the foreward for free here). I can’t wait to dive in. I can’t wait to see how it relates to what I understand about human development, neuroscience and consciousness.

“The progress of science, and indeed, of human knowledge, requires a dynamic tension between the mere accumulation of observations and ‘dusty facts’ and a synthetic process in which the accumulated results of scientific observation and inquiry are woven together into frameworks that, in the ideal case, create revolutionary paradigms that enhance human understanding of apparently discrete and unrelated aspects of nature. The hypotheses proposed in this book may well represent such a revolutionary paradigm. These ideas do not originate from the mainstream of academia, but rather are the contribution of two independent scholars. The history of science and intellectual inquiry teach us that, as is so often the case with truly novel syntheses, established scientific and intellectual institutions are too ossified, and too invested in the conventionally accepted worldview, to allow the introduction of a new paradigm without putting up considerable resistance.

“Resistance will more than likely characterize the response to this book; its authors will undoubtedly be denounced as mavericks, unqualified to comment on such a momentous topic as the evolution of human consciousness; the ideas put forth here will be condemned as heresy. Indeed they are heresy, in the context of what we think we understand about human evolution, particularly the anomalous evolution of the human brain and consciousness. But one is reminded of the famous observation of philosopher Arthur Schopanhauer: All truth, he said, passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; third, it is accepted as being self-evident. We should be wary of rejecting out of hand the premises of a hypothesis that may one day seem self-evident.

“Evolutionary biologists have long been puzzled by what is perhaps the chief mystery of human origins: the explosive and rapid expansion of the human brain in size and complexity over a vanishingly small span of evolutionary time. There is also the mystery of hemispheric lateralization and the apparent de-integration of the right- and left-hemispheric functions that we humans suffer. In this work, the authors postulate that it was not always so; the universal myth of a pre-historic Golden Age, they maintain, is a racial memory that reflects our primate evolution in an arboreal, rainforest environment in which humans possessed mental and psychic abilities that have since become lost or atrophied in the profane ages that followed.”

Download and read the entire foreward.

“We could all be suffering from an evolutionary glitch
that has affected how we perceive, think and behave.”

I’m always thinking about the human condition, life on Earth and where we’re headed. Many believe we’re in a global crisis, with the health of the entire planet hanging in the balance. This may be true. I don’t know.

We now hear the call, from many quarters, for a great shift in human consciousness. Some groups are more than willing to lead this great shift, and they offer up a stellar slate of so-called leading-edge visionaries to serve as the pioneers. I do understand that a shift or change of consciousness is not possible without a new vision, leaders and participants. But I find myself resisting these group efforts.

For starters, some of the “visionaries” are highly questionable. I don’t get why people will simply believe what an author claims is true. You know, like having a conversation with God. Or that “Jesus” beamed a revelation into a psychiatrist’s brain for transcription. And while we’re on the subject of credible sources, it’s beyond my comprehension how people can believe that beings from other dimensions or universes are contacting Earthlings with important messages. Anyway…

I just don’t trust subjective experiences as truth. I want to know the facts, as much as we can know and understand them. I want stuff to be objectively proven. Or at least seem reasonable based on what we know. So I’m drawn to understanding the human condition through scientific study and research. Here’s a comment I wrote under Neuroanatomist Finds Nirvana, which prompted today’s post:

If you’re interested in human development and understanding the context for the varying levels of human thought and behavior (especially those we have now), I highly recommend studying Spiral Dynamics.

http://spiraldynamics.org

If you’re interested in learning about a fairly new, systematic approach to understanding and solving psychological problems, check out the Human Givens approach.

http://www.hgi.org.uk

Both of these are grounded in scientific study and research. I’ve found these systems and approaches extremely helpful for getting my arms around some of the biggest issues of our time. Not that I understand everything, of course, but now I have a basic framework for hanging the millions of pieces of the puzzle (to me).

Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor shared her “stroke of insight” at this year’s TED Conference in Monterey, California. If you’re interested in hemispheric brain function, mystical experiences, the concept of humans as energy beings, or consciousness, this is a must-see video.

Watch the video

Read the transcript

One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor’s brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke. She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness …

Amazed to find herself alive, Taylor spent eight years recovering her ability to think, walk and talk. She has become a spokesperson for stroke recovery and for the possibility of coming back from brain injury stronger than before. In her case, although the stroke damaged the left side of her brain, her recovery unleashed a torrent of creative energy from her right. From her home base in Indiana, she now travels the country on behalf of the Harvard Brain Bank as the “Singin’ Scientist.”

What she said about the right hemisphere and perception:

Our right hemisphere is all about this present moment. It’s all about right here right now. Our right hemisphere, it thinks in pictures and it learns kinesthetically through the movement of our bodies. Information in the form of energy streams in simultaneously through all of our sensory systems. And then it explodes into this enormous collage of what this present moment looks like. What this present moment smells like and tastes like, what it feels like and what it sounds like.

I am an energy being connected to the energy all around me through the consciousness of my right hemisphere. We are energy beings connected to one another through the consciousness of our right hemispheres as one human family. And right here, right now, all we are brothers and sisters on this planet, here to make the world a better place. And in this moment we are perfect. We are whole. And we are beautiful.

I have never experienced right-hemisphere perception like this. It’s hard for me to even imagine it. My left hemisphere is running the show in my head. However, my “body” easily connects to the energy of my environment. Actually, everyone does this. But I think we have varying abilities for receiving and perceiving information. Fascinating stuff.

I started this blog post several weeks ago after reading “Consciousness is Nothing But a Word,” an article by Henry D. Schlinger in Skeptic Magazine. I enjoy reading about consciousness, which remains a mystery. I absolutely loved the article and Schlinger’s ideas about what consciousness is. To my delight, the article is now available online in the latest e-skeptic.

I believe we do have the ability to create the wonderful world we want.

I invite you to read the article and comment.

Shake it, baby, shake it!

According to this Live Science article, “Scientists may one day be able to destroy viruses in the same way that opera singers presumably shatter wine glasses. New research mathematically determined the frequencies at which simple viruses could be shaken to death.”

Every “thing” vibrates because everything is made up of atoms that vibrate. We vibrate. Even our “thoughts” vibrate, because brain function is electromagnetic.

Sounds pretty woo-woo, doesn’t it? But this stuff comes straight from science.

Maybe one day the energy healing folks will have the last laugh. Maybe one day the Stuart Davis “thoughts are things” video (warning — R rated!) won’t be a parody. Maybe Bruce Lipton is right about his understanding of epigenetics, and that our own thoughts control certain genes.

Maybe is the key word for me. Obviously I’m very interested in woo stuff, but I need a lot more scientific evidence before accepting certain notions hook, line and sinker.

It seems so, huh? Especially if you know what goes on in the Internet marketing world. Most of these marketers sell nothing but nicely-packaged crapola, and many rake in millions of dollars doing so. What is their secret? Are people really that stupid?

And what about those who play the stock market every day, and end up losing their shirts? Are these people stupid too?

Maybe not. Blame it on our brain wiring.

Researchers have found that the fear of a loss has twice the psychological impact as the lure of a gain. Marketers exploit that fear. If you don’t act now, they say, you’ll lose your chance forever to get this fabulous product at such a ridiculously low price. Listen, we’re serious, they warn, you’ll never see this offer again! And what’s worse, you may never again get the chance to buy this life-changing thingamabob!

Kaching.

And you can blame apparent stupidity on the good old nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain that goes bonkers when you think you’ve detected a meaningful pattern. James Geary, a former editor of Time Magazine, explains:

Neuroeconomics mixes brain science with the dismal science — throwing in some evolutionary psychology and elements of prospect theory as developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky — to explain the emotional and psychological quirks of human economic behavior. To take a common example — playing the stock market. Our brains are always prospecting for pattern. Researchers at Duke University showed people randomly generated sequences of circles and squares. Whenever two consecutive circles or squares appeared, the subjects’ nucleus accumbens — the part of the brain that’s active whenever a stimulus repeats itself — went into overdrive, suggesting the participants expected a third circle or square to continue the sequence.

The stock market is filled with patterns. But the vast majority of those patterns are meaningless, at least in the short term. The hourly variance of a stock price, for example, is far less significant than its annual variance. When you’re checking your portfolio every hour, the noise in those statistics drowns out any real information. But our brains evolved to detect patterns of immediate significance, and the nucleus accumbens sends a jolt of pleasure into the investor who thinks he’s spotted a winner. Yet studies consistently show that people who follow their investments closely earn lower returns than those who don’t pay much attention at all. Why? Because their nucleus accumbens isn’t prompting them to make impulsive decisions based on momentary patterns they think they’ve detected.

Read the entire blurb at Edge.org.

So the moral of the story is, go do something else before pulling out your credit card or pressing the Buy button. Give your brain time to shift to a less aroused state. Then see what you feel like doing with your money.

The study of success isn’t rocket science, it’s neuroscience!

On my travels around the blogosphere this morning I discovered SharpBrains. I immediately went to the Neuroscience Interview Series and read the interview with Dr. Brett Steenbarger, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Medical University, in which he discusses success and the importance of emotional management.

“Elite performers are distinguished by the structuring of their learning process… It is important to understand the role of emotions: they are not “bad”. They are very useful signals. It is important to become aware of them to avoid being engulfed by them, and learn how to manage them.”

The interviewer asked what differentiates elite performers from the rest. Dr. Steenbarger replied:

The elite performers are distinguished by the structuring of their learning process. From a relatively early age, they are engaged in an intensive learning process that builds upon their natural talents. They find a niche—a field that makes use of these talents—and become absorbed with a deliberative and systematic learning process that provides them with continuous feedback about their performance.

The recipe for success seems to be talent, skill, hard work, and opportunity. In contrast, many people who don’t end up performing at a high level were driven mostly by practical reasons to enter that field and are not motivated to follow the same level of intensive and systematic training. (What Brett is saying reminds me of the Learning Cycle that Professor Zull outlined a few weeks back).

Success isn’t a matter of lucky breaks or magical thinking. It may seem ludicrous to point this out, but lots of people riding the Law of Attraction Train believe otherwise and are on the track headed to disappointment.

(I noticed that this site promotes HeartMath products for stress management and emotional management. I recommend the emWave. See my related post.)