“The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences, and Teflon for positive ones:” psychologist Rick Hanson.
What an interesting idea… it really resonates for me. I just love the image of our minds being like velcro. So sticky!
Have you heard of the negative bias we all have in laying down memories?
This ease of remembering and ‘hard wiring’ of our neural pathways for negative experiences is supposedly to protect us from danger. It’s linked to the fight or flight response. Important for survival. Especially from drop bears. I mention drop bears ‘cos they are not real. Our dangers nowadays seem more linked to self-esteem, more the emotionally-charged dangers of the world.
What if we could train our minds to be more ‘velcro’ for positive experiences? This is something I’ve been exploring in my own personal practice recently.
Back to our minds…. Do you remember negative experiences more easily than positive ones? Is it true for you?
I’m an optimistic person, a ‘glass is half full’ type of gal. Even with this positive orientation, I can say in all honesty that negative experiences strike me more deeply. I’ve had times when I’ve wasted so much internal energy on ruminating over the past failures – it can be exhausting!
We seem to remember the times we stuffed up rather than the times when were praised or celebrated. But we all stuff up sometimes, we can’t edit failure out of our lives, mistakes happen…
I’m not chasing perfection here, simply a kinder, more connected version of myself – mistakes and all.
Can we train our minds to be more ‘velcro’ for positive experiences?
Mindful movement, meditation and gratitude practices are one antidote to this negative bias of our mind.
The BodyMinded approach is another antidote, giving us a clear pathway for creating positive ‘velcro’ experiences.
Can BodyMinded help train our minds to be more ‘velcro’ for positive experiences?
Greg says a clear YES!
Learning BodyMinded principles is positive and also new. Sometimes it can be strange in its new-ness, thus not immediately a ‘velcro’ experience. I’ve had discoveries and big ‘aha’ moments. Then these experiences slide away. I need repetition to create new neural pathways, new positive velcro patterns.
I’ve heard Greg say lots of times … ‘you remember then you forget, then you remember then you forget, then you remember and remember’. It becomes velcro!
I’ve flourished with the support & repetition of working with a teacher, accelerating positive ‘velcro’ patterns and habits.
The neuroplasticity our of minds means we can change. I enjoy conducting my own internal experiments.
I hope sharing the velcro vs teflon quote has been interesting and thought provoking. I seem to be drawn to simple metaphors; they tumble around in my mind for days J
Are you surprised the BodyMinded approach can be good for more than your sore knee, shoulder or back, or for improving your posture or performance?
Kathy Driscoll
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