Cultivating Awareness of Our Left-Hemispheric Culture
Every day, we receive vast amounts of information from the world around - and within - us, outside of our conscious awareness.
Very little of this original information reaches the level of our conscious minds. And because of the way we are living, our brains are often overwhelmed with sensory information and the speed of society.
Many implicit memories are made in the brain, that do not reach our conscious awareness. They are the nets that pick up the sensations and messages that carry culture inside of ourselves and continue to pass it on to future generations.
Research is showing that while both sides of the brain are involved in many activities, each hemisphere actually has a different perspective for how we view our lives.
The right hemisphere is deeply relational, seeking connection with others and open to the present moment, as well as the uncertainty that brings. The right offers fluidity, openness, empathy.
The left hemisphere is great at completing tasks, following protocols, setting goals and finding solutions. The left is linear and values self-reliance.
We may already be able to see, just from reading those descriptions, that our current culture favours the left hemispheric approach (rather than the right, or a balanced approach of the two).
We humans are wired to be with each other, to be in contact and connection. And each of us has a deep need to be seen and heard. This is particularly true in times of suffering.
Left process by Mario Felipe
Most likely as an adaptive, and protective, factor, we as a whole society have shifted to the left perspective and while productivity and autonomy have boomed, so has the sense of isolation and meaninglessness that permeates many people's lived experiences. While we may have greater certainty, we have also lost touch with ourselves and each other.
Is this bad, you might easily ask? Well, that kind of good/bad, right/wrong thinking is precisely the left hemisphere's perspective on things.
So no, it is neither bad nor wrong.
The left hemisphere shift has enabled amazing technology to become available at our fingertips, it is transforming huge areas of our lives and making leaps in medicine and health. The capacities of our left hemispheres are fantastic for helping to put plans into place, for creating structure and achieving goals.
And at the same time, we are seeing a growing disconnection between self and others, a reduced feeling of security (greater anxiety) and enormous impacts on people's wellbeing.
This both/and perspective is how the right hemisphere views incoming information.
And now, we are sitting together in a sort of cultural soup that is all around us, though mostly inaccessible to the conscious mind.
What happens when we bring awareness to this culture we are part of?
There may be an urge to fix, a deep emotional response or something else. Can you be with it, just as it is for now?
For me, when I view from a right hemisphere perspective - of deep listening, presence and openness to not knowing, as well as suffering - I feel the left shift as an intense loss for all.
The truth is that when we can lead from the right hemisphere, with support from the left, we are able to be with each other, to be with suffering and to grow in health and wellbeing.
If you would like to be with anything that has stirred in your soul after reading this blog, please contact bryony@creativesoultherapies.com