Sunday 9 February 2014

Brain Science and Oneness


Imagine you've believed one thing your whole life and then that belief is suddenly turned on its head and appears to have been something else all along!! Imagine being able to wake up one morning and all those feelings of inadequacy that you've carried around secretly (or openly) since you can remember, which have affected the way you work, play, carry yourself, love etc. have all started to magically disappear forever, revealing a whole new you with a second chance at a fuller, happier and more accomplished life! Sound too good to be true? Though many of you may know I'm talking about mental illness and diagnosis, you may also think this elation I'm speaking of is one caused by medication.
For all those who believe that receiving the diagnosis of ADHD, Bipolar etc. is just handing innately irresponsible people crutches and excuses for their life's bad behaviour you're missing the valuable point of a diagnosis, which is, first and foremost, powerful knowledge that one can use to move forward with a better understanding of the way their brain is wired. Ultimately it's about what you do with the knowledge but most importantly it's what the knowledge does to one's lifetime of shame and self-esteem. It's a fresh start literally. Life appears to be something else entirely and all the names you've shamed yourself into believing literally don't apply anymore. It's a magical thing. If you're blind, squinting harder isn't going to make you see. This is exactly what someone with a diagnosed inability to focus goes through their whole lives when they try to do so in a world where everyone around them is getting things accomplished. Unfortunately the difference between a blind man and one with ADHD is that the blind man is recognized immediately as such by his environment whilst the other man continues to be told to pay attention!! The diagnosis is the revolutionary realization that they'd been "blind" the entire time....and that there's actually something they can do about it (medication just being one of a slew of things and NOT the only)
So, next time you hear that someone you know has just received a diagnosis, don't shame them by using words like "crutch" and "excuse" and jumping to conclusions about medication that you've read does this and that etc.....you're missing the most phenomenal point ever....what that knowledge itself actually does to a person, let alone what ends up being the plan of action! Celebrate them and remind them how lucky they are and the blessing their lives have been coloured with! So many of us really haven't the slightest clue how complex the brain truly is. When you begin to understand what needs to exist up there in the way of stimulants and neurotransmitters etc in order for you to do the things you do that you normally attribute solely to your will power and hard work, then your viewpoint of the human race in general changes entirely. (It's also humbling to feel blessed with a functioning brain that's given you the life you've lived.) You don't only need to learn how to be spiritual in order to love the world or show compassion. Science is one of the best springboards there are. It helps us help our community, not hinder it with our almost indoctrinated ideas of good and bad, right and wrong, smart and dumb. Need I say black and white? There are many brilliant people that have the capacity to live full, productive and loving lives of peace and tranquility who don't have the tools to do so because they're too busy beating themselves up about how incompetent they are and having that validated daily by their environment. This is where science and the spiritual concept of oneness come hand in hand. Be a more loving and informed environment, you never know who's listening. Once you get that, you'll also change your perception of the way others treat you! Love! 

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