Use the Mind to Influence the Brain and Use the Brain to Influence the Mind

When I asked him how belief can change the cellular environment, Lipton explained that the brain is perception, but the mind is interpretation. It’s all about how the mind interprets a life event. For example, you can open your eyes and see a person. (This is your brain’s objective perception.) Your mind may then recognize this person as someone you love. (This is the mind’s interpretation.) The brain then releases oxytocin, dopamine, endorphins, and other positive chemicals that provide the healthy cell medium of the whole body’s cells via the blood. (Location 768)

A good skill to learn: how to use one of the other when the mind or brain is misbehaving.

Consider which is weaker, more susceptible to a conscious attack to wrest control from anxiety or repetitive thoughts 202301092317.

With the brain being a physical object, the feeling of painlessness can be a good reminder to the mind that the interpretation is off.

With the mind being an abstract object, anxiety can be reinterpreted as excitement, pain can even be managed by master meditators.

For now, remind yourself of the sensations you felt in the Stressful Moment and Simple Pleasure explorations. Experiment with substituting pleasurable sensations for stressful ones in common situations. This does not mean that you can turn disastrous circumstances into fun times but simply that you refuse to allow impatience or irritation to compress, immobilize, or numb your body. (Location 874)