The Synapses of Life really is All in our Minds. You can never escape yourself; why not create a healthier connection?

We all have some sort of safety mechanism that psychologist call a response mechanism. I don’t know about you, but as for me, I have what I call a 2 or more filter. While I didn’t always know how to use it or even what it was but with practice it has become second nature to me.

As you read through this article, I ask you to eat the fish (valuable to you information) and leave the bones (those things that cause you to choke a bit), by the end of it, I believe you will see how our real self, stem cell research and brain research are all connected to our health and well-being. Allow me to begin by sharing a personal example of my own life and health.

Out of the Mouth of Two or more it is established

This is more of a life lesson; however it has an application to the topic of this article in that everything is connected, we just haven’t located all the links.

The human brain and the decisions that we make every day is a direct reflection in our self-talk. This reflection can be seen even in our overall health and well-being.

You have heard it said that sometimes people are their own worst enemy. That is true that you might believe. Think about it for a moment. You are the only person that you can never get away from. Ever! Now consider this. You are constantly talking to yourself throughout your lifetime.

Question is what are you saying to yourself?

As a child growing up in a highly dysfunctional family, I grew up with a pile of destructive self-talk. This destructive self-talk manifested itself in a variety of ways.

Migraines starting at the age of 7 or 8 years old, chronic childhood and adult illnesses, depression, suicide, you name, I had some form of destructive and unhealthy responses manifesting in my life and my body.

By the age of 31, I was taking several types of prescription drugs for asthma and anxiety. A script for Naproxen 800mg as well as using up the contents of a bottle of Extra strength Tylenol 500 count every week for chronic pain. The source of which was unknown by my doctors.

Not to mention two surgeries 6 weeks apart the prescription pain killers for recovery from surgeries and my boss thinking I was somehow faking a ruptured appendix.

• Top that all off with our blended family not blending very well, and you can see that my life was a wreck inside out and my health was failing fast.

As I lay in the hospital, facing the real possibility of being in the hospital on my 31st birthday from a ruptured appendix, I determined to make a lifestyle change.

So I don’t get to in over my head in science that I really don’t understand a few definitions and terms are necessary for us to learn first.

• There is a term that will be coming to the forefront of genetic and biotechnology that has been circulating within the science community since it was first reportedly found in mice in 2006 and reportedly discovered in humans in 2007. The term is Induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs- for an abbreviated form. These iPSCs’ are currently useful tools for the drug development industry and are being investigated in regards to organ transplantation.

Pluripotent cells – Cells that have the ability to become any organ or necessary support structures in a body. Interesting note: scientist have discovered that pluripotent cells can’t make the extra embryonic tissues components found in the life giving sack called the placenta.

Germ Layers – There are three distinct levels within each cell mass. The whole cell mass is referred to by the germ layers each layer has genetically encoded information for a specific purpose.

1. Ectoderm – the outermost layer of the germ layer responsible for the development of nervous system, sensory organs and skin as well the other related structures.
2. Mesoderm – the middle layer of the cell mass layers which is responsible for the development of bone, muscle, connective tissues, kidneys, as well as related structures.
3. Endoderm – the interior of the cell mass that is responsible for the development of the lungs and respiratory structures as well as the digestive organs commonly referred to as the “gut”.

With these basic terms we are beginning to see that science has located what makes what within mice and humans. (side note: wasn’t there a book written about mice and men?)

Trigger connections are the links connecting learning to embrace yourself to creating healthier synaptic connections throughout your life.

While reading the book, Fearfully...made by Jessica Strong that I was going to review, I stumbled upon medical breakthroughs that many may have never heard about.

Not yet anyway.

I will be publishing the actual review and interview with Jessica Strong on another hub. I will keep followers posted when it is available.

Triggers and Synaptic Connections are the same thing, just one is seen in addicts and some mental disorders and one is the unseen links that the human brain makes over some bazillion times – all the time.

When we think of addiction, most of us assume either some type of substance abuse. Allow me to give you a different perspective on addiction.

• Pastor Cammy’s definition of Addiction:

Anything done to an excess is an addiction!

Think about that for a moment. Anything done to an excess is an addiction. The first time that I had that come out of my mouth with a member of my congregation back in the Eighties, I was as shocked as some of you might be right now. “Anything done to an excess is an addiction.” So simple yet profound!

May I dare say, Everyone’s Brain is Addicted. Now let me show you why I feel safe in making such a broad and bold statement.

The human brain is the control center of life. Without the brain the body will cease to function. Your brain is linked through a complex network of links or synapses.

These link connections trigger other areas of the brain which send signal commands to whatever region of the body. When we feel hungry, our brains are firing these synapse links throughout the body. This also happens with our emotions and overall feelings of well-being too or your flight or fright center.

While I am sure you are wondering how all this relates to creating a healthier connection and discovering our real self, we must look at one other topic before I wrap this article up.

Understanding The REAL you

We started this article on premise that You can never escape yourself so why not create a healthier connection. Now let’s discover the REAL you.

Remember we discussed Pluripotent cells and that each germ layer of those cells has the ability to recreate specific organs or the support structures within the human body (actually they discovered it in animals, then the human body…just for clarification).

Think of your Real Self or the Real You as being a Pluripotent Cell. You contain everything within you, to become a better healthier you.

What is your Brain Addicted to?

The bigger the synapse or link connection within our brains the more work it will be to retrain your brain, but NOT IMPOSSIBLE!

Just like when people who want to lose weight, some people have more weight to lose than others. Same is true with your addicted brain.

Smaller synapse connections, the easier and faster change will come. Larger synapse connections, more work will be required to retrain the REAL You.

Like I introduced to you my “2 or more” thing earlier, how you retrain your brain works on the same principle. I expect that if I am to do a particular thing, I will get 2 or more independent confirmations. Some might say I am aligning my thoughts with universe, or that it’s the Law of Attraction attracting it to me,

While both may be correct, depending on your particular belief system, but that’s not my point in this article.

My point is that we all have habits. My “2 or more” thing happens to be my habit that keeps me from jumping before I look. Self-preservation mode is what some would call it.

While some may squeeze the tube of toothpaste from the bottom, and others use a pump tube to avoid household conflicts. How we respond to our world around us is because of the synapse connections.

The Real You is how you respond to the triggers of life around you each day. While you can’t change overnight, if you are determined, you can change the way you think which will change your response, which will create a new link connection in the brain.

You are retraining your brain to a new way of thinking which requires new synapse links to be built and old ones will diminish.

A new habit is born and the old habit dies!

Same type of experiences over and over again creates larger connections. Within these larger link connections are our habits.

Change your Thinking, Build new synapse connections, Create a Healthier life.

For an excellent expansion of this topic of habits please click to read How Long It Take to Form a New Habit by Maria Popova as she goes into this in much more depth.

Think better, Live Better, Create a Better, Healthier Real You.