Two Brains are Better than One!
It would appear that the better connected the two halves of the brain, the greater the potential of the brain
for learning and creativity.
Recent research by Dr. Christine de Lacoste Utamsing at the University of Texas has found that the
interconnecting area is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres in women than in men. We don't
know why yet, but it has fascinating implications.
Roger Sperry's work further showed that, when people develop a particular mental skill, it produced a
positive improvement in all areas of mental activity, including those that are lying dormant. In other
words, the popular belief that painters and musicians (right brain people) must inevitably be poor at
mathematics is not true.
Einstein, who actually failed mathematics at school, was a creditable violinist and artist, and has described
the insight that gave birth to his Theory of Relativity. Alone on a hill on a summer day, he was
daydreaming, and imagined himself riding a sunbeam to the far edge of the universe; but in his mind's eye
he saw himself returning towards the sun. That flash of inspiration, (which as we shall see was probably
associated with a theta brain-wave pattern), suggested that for the dream to come true, it required the
universe to be curved. Space, light and time had to be curved also. The Theory of Relativity is therefore a good example of left brain/right brain synchronised thought.
Since the state of reverie or daydreaming is associated with a predominantly theta and alpha wave pattern,
it is also a perfect example of how an alpha brain-wave state creates the meditative background conditions for creativity.
Leonardo da Vinci is often quoted as probably the best example in history of the genius that can be liberated when left and right brain activities are fully combined. He was the most accomplished artist, mathematician and scientist of his day in at least half a dozen different fields, and he could write
simultaneously with his left and right hand. The artist Sir Edwin Landseer, had a similar ability he used as
a popular party trick. He could draw a horse with one hand, whilst simultaneously drawing a deer with the other!
Now this is not to say that there is a rigorous demarcation between the left and right hemispheres of the
brain. Each half contributes to the majority of thoughts, but there is no doubt about a specialisation of the
two brains. There are cases where patients had lost the power of speech (left brain) but could still sing
(right brain).
In the animal kingdom, the bottlenose dolphin is a mammal that has exceptional mental powers and has,
according to the Severstsov Institute in Moscow evolved an extraordinary brain. It can sleep with one half
or hemisphere of its brain whilst maintaining full consciousness in the other half. Then after an hour or so
it switches brains! Moreover, during sleep one eye remains open and the other remains shut.
The dolphin is also capable of incredible feats of memory. Lyall Watson has described how a dolphin can emit a half hour "song" - a series of high pitched sounds that appear to be the main form of dolphin communication. The dolphin can then repeat the exact same sequence of sounds in an identical half hour repeat performance. It's rather like repeating a half hour soliloquy , verbatim.
Educational researchers are talking increasingly of 'whole brain . learning'. Joseph Bogen, writing in the U. C.L.A. Educator, remarks "The current emphasis in education on the acquisition of verbal skills and the development of analytical thought processes, neglects the development of non-verbal abilities." It is, he claims "starving one half of the brain and ignoring its contribution to the whole person."
Since non-verbal communication is a right brain activity and non-verbal actions account for perhaps 80% of all communication, we can see just how much our left brain orientated learning systems may be starving our intellectual development.
Stuart Dimond, a former Professor of Psychology at Cardiff, points out in his book `The Double Brain',"when the two hemispheres work together they perform much better than one."
Dr. Bernard Glueck at the Institute for Living in Hartford, Connecticut found that men and women practising meditation showed an increased synchronicity between the left and right sides of the brain, and suggested that this showed an improved communication through the corpus callosum, achieved by the attainment of relaxation and increased alpha brain waves. Surveys of creative thinking have emphasised the importance of encouraging an initial right brain visualisation, an intuitive solution, which can subsequently be evaluated logically by left brain processes. But the original impetus is from the nonverbal side of our brain.
It would appear that the better connected the two halves of the brain, the greater the potential of the brain
for learning and creativity.
Recent research by Dr. Christine de Lacoste Utamsing at the University of Texas has found that the
interconnecting area is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres in women than in men. We don't
know why yet, but it has fascinating implications.
Roger Sperry's work further showed that, when people develop a particular mental skill, it produced a
positive improvement in all areas of mental activity, including those that are lying dormant. In other
words, the popular belief that painters and musicians (right brain people) must inevitably be poor at
mathematics is not true.
Einstein, who actually failed mathematics at school, was a creditable violinist and artist, and has described
the insight that gave birth to his Theory of Relativity. Alone on a hill on a summer day, he was
daydreaming, and imagined himself riding a sunbeam to the far edge of the universe; but in his mind's eye
he saw himself returning towards the sun. That flash of inspiration, (which as we shall see was probably
associated with a theta brain-wave pattern), suggested that for the dream to come true, it required the
universe to be curved. Space, light and time had to be curved also. The Theory of Relativity is therefore a good example of left brain/right brain synchronised thought.
Since the state of reverie or daydreaming is associated with a predominantly theta and alpha wave pattern,
it is also a perfect example of how an alpha brain-wave state creates the meditative background conditions for creativity.
Leonardo da Vinci is often quoted as probably the best example in history of the genius that can be liberated when left and right brain activities are fully combined. He was the most accomplished artist, mathematician and scientist of his day in at least half a dozen different fields, and he could write
simultaneously with his left and right hand. The artist Sir Edwin Landseer, had a similar ability he used as
a popular party trick. He could draw a horse with one hand, whilst simultaneously drawing a deer with the other!
Now this is not to say that there is a rigorous demarcation between the left and right hemispheres of the
brain. Each half contributes to the majority of thoughts, but there is no doubt about a specialisation of the
two brains. There are cases where patients had lost the power of speech (left brain) but could still sing
(right brain).
In the animal kingdom, the bottlenose dolphin is a mammal that has exceptional mental powers and has,
according to the Severstsov Institute in Moscow evolved an extraordinary brain. It can sleep with one half
or hemisphere of its brain whilst maintaining full consciousness in the other half. Then after an hour or so
it switches brains! Moreover, during sleep one eye remains open and the other remains shut.
The dolphin is also capable of incredible feats of memory. Lyall Watson has described how a dolphin can emit a half hour "song" - a series of high pitched sounds that appear to be the main form of dolphin communication. The dolphin can then repeat the exact same sequence of sounds in an identical half hour repeat performance. It's rather like repeating a half hour soliloquy , verbatim.
Educational researchers are talking increasingly of 'whole brain . learning'. Joseph Bogen, writing in the U. C.L.A. Educator, remarks "The current emphasis in education on the acquisition of verbal skills and the development of analytical thought processes, neglects the development of non-verbal abilities." It is, he claims "starving one half of the brain and ignoring its contribution to the whole person."
Since non-verbal communication is a right brain activity and non-verbal actions account for perhaps 80% of all communication, we can see just how much our left brain orientated learning systems may be starving our intellectual development.
Stuart Dimond, a former Professor of Psychology at Cardiff, points out in his book `The Double Brain',"when the two hemispheres work together they perform much better than one."
Dr. Bernard Glueck at the Institute for Living in Hartford, Connecticut found that men and women practising meditation showed an increased synchronicity between the left and right sides of the brain, and suggested that this showed an improved communication through the corpus callosum, achieved by the attainment of relaxation and increased alpha brain waves. Surveys of creative thinking have emphasised the importance of encouraging an initial right brain visualisation, an intuitive solution, which can subsequently be evaluated logically by left brain processes. But the original impetus is from the nonverbal side of our brain.
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