Sometimes there are traumas in life which can drastically change the way your mind and brain function. These traumas are both mental and physical. Things such as blindness, dissociation, and even paralization of certain body limbs can alter someone’s life. This is where an interesting discussion comes about of the difference between mind control and the brain’s control. We wonder which has the most function over what, how about the notion of will power? You hear of cases when somebody comes out of a debilitating illness which they through pure will power overcome their illness.
In the Oliver Sacks and Martha Stout essays we are introduced to ideas of the how the brain and mind work together. Also, that they are separate from each other with their own functions. It is wondered which of the two has more influence on the other. Do we have any conscious choice about what our brain is doing? Well, yes we do have that control on our brain. However, there are things that our brains do systematically so that we do not have to think of doing them ourselves. For example, wouldn’t it be kind of a hassle in our busy lives to consciously take a breath. How about the simple task of making muscle flex in order to walk. Think of your brain as a company’s day to day staff and your mind is the CEO of that company. When a big decision needs to be made, then your mind takes over.
We look at these cases of dissociation in Stout’s essay of Julia and Peter. We see that they pretty much have no control over when or where it happens. They could be in the middle of a book and come to find out they are in an ocean. In Julia’s case she had forgotten everything about her childhood. Then you turn to Sack’s essay focusing on blindness. He conveys the idea that we are visually dependent creatures, yet when someone becomes blind they can strengthen their other senses. The connection between the two different ailments is how the mind has the ability to take over the brain. These life altering situations are very difficult to live with, but it is possible. When someone is blinded they lose one of their natural senses. However, Sacks’ essay argues that whether someone tries or not they can develop their other senses. Conversely, in Stout’s essay dissociation is not something you can simply use your mind to stop. The brain is an amazing organ which has many functions unknown to us. That being said, your mind is a much powerful tool, which has a tool your brain does not control. Will power can make a person do anything, and it’s your mind that controls it. Will power is what allows us to do anything complicated in our lives. If you take blindness as an example, a person has to have some sort of will power to overcome it. If will power is lacking then a person will simply give up trying to live their lives. They have to posses some sort of strength to learn how to even walk blinded. That in mind, can some one with dissociation will them out of such an ailment? Well, if will power can help blind people learn to walk maybe it can do the same for dissociation.
This scenario brings to mind the two different roles that the brain and mind have. This is a very thin line which can confuse many people. Does the mind take over in certain situations or does the brain? If you look at dissociation and the effect it has on people it is safe to say the brain takes over. What if it doesn’t? Maybe this is your mind taking over your brain taking you out of a stressful situation. The mind is very strong whether you are conscious of this or not. To think your physical brain is causing you to remove yourself seems far fetched. Since you almost have to use your mind in order to draw up certain thoughts, and this is probably what your brain is doing. To me the mind is much more powerful than your brain. People have used their mind to learn how to walk again. They use their minds to learn complex information to be stored in your brain. You use your mind for many things and your brain is use mostly as a storage bin.
The mind is such a powerful tool that we have at our disposal, and is used to its fullest strength when we need. These times are usually when a person has to overcome some sort of adversity. Often times when someone is involved in a tortuous car accident or even a sports injury, serious injuries to the body occur. This situation often calls for physical therapy in order for that person to function normally or even just simply learning to walk again. Physical therapy can consist of many difficult exercises. You have to learn how to stand on two feet again, putting a knee through strain on a weight program or using stretches to regain mobility. These situations are so painful at times many people just would rather give up than go through the work. However, the majority of cases pulls through and may come out stronger. You ask how this could be, especially after such a traumatic damage to the body. It is a basic strategy of mind over matter or your will power. This is your mind’s biggest strength. Mind over matter has allowed many people to put their bodies through extreme abuse with no pain whatsoever.
Can you imagine running an Iron man race? How about 27 miles through a major city? What about four quarters of football being hit by 300lbs. linemen? Some say that its adrenaline which pulls your body through these situations. There is some truth to that, but you have to think about the preparation. The preparation for these situations can be much more demanding. When you are practicing for some sort of sport you do not have that adrenaline running through you like a herd of buffalo. Let me make an example from a wrestler’s point of view. It is about three in the afternoon and you feel like you are dragging from the days events. After dressing you head out for a short two mile warm-up then stretches. Head on in to the wrestling room for about two and a half hours of drills and mini matches. Wait! You are not done yet if you are over weight. Head right on in to the weight room for a half hour of lifting and jump rope. Now, tell me where the adrenaline kicks in at all. I had this experience before and to tell you the truth it doesn’t ever. The only way you get through this kind of pain is mind over matter. You have to tell yourself you have one more left when you feel like you are about to drop. Your brain is the one that says no more. You can overcome this with your mind every time, but here is the kicker. It is not a natural thing to do. You have to teach yourself to do these things, and it might not be easy but the results are worth it.
Why do we do the things we do in life? Our brain and mind work together allowing us to perform our daily lives. We only can really wonder whether our brain is in control or our mind. The factors you have to take in are the daily tasks the brain helps us perform without thinking. While our mind helps us to make conscious decisions each day. We also should take a close look at the will power we posses. If we feel weak in certain situations we can overcome them by pure will power. Whatever the combination? Our brains and minds are a complex team, but in most cases a well oiled machine.
