Wikipedia loosely defines mind as “…the collective aspects and consciousness manifested as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination; mind is the stream of consciousness. It includes all of the brain’s conscious processes. This denotation sometimes includes, in certain contexts, the working of the human unconscious or the conscious thoughts of animals. ‘Mind’ is often used to refer especially to the thought processes of reason.”
Some people think that the mind is the brain or some other part or function of the body, but this is incorrect. The brain is a physical object that can be seen with the eyes and that can be photographed or operated on in surgery. The mind, on the other hand, is not a physical object. It cannot be seen with the eyes, nor can it be photographed or repaired by surgery. The brain, therefore, is not the mind but simply a part of being human.
If the mind is not the brain, nor any other part of the body, what is it? It is a formless continuum that functions to perceive and understand objects. Because the mind is formless, or non-physical, it is not obstructed by physical objects.
Brain research confirms that both sides of the brain are involved in nearly every human activity. Each hemisphere, however, has its own areas of mental specialization, a phenomenon we call “brain lateralization”. We do know that the left side of the brain is the seat of language and processes in a logical and sequential order. It communicates by using words, has highly developed verbal abilities, is logical and systematic, and is concerned with matters as they are. The right side is more visual and processes intuitively, holistically, and randomly. Communicates using images (pictures), artistic, has highly developed spatial abilities, is concerned with emotions and feelings.
Each hemisphere of the brain is specialized to control movement and feeling in the opposite half of the body. The two hemispheres are interconnected and communicate with the help of the corpus callosum, one of the main connectors that allows communication. Yet, with all the superior mechanics of the brain, it is the human mind that brings together abilities and skills into a comprehensive whole whose operation depends on the way in which its parts contribute and co-operate with each other.
Earlier on, our definition of mind said it “…included all of the brain’s conscious processes.” Let’s take a quick look at these natural variances in consciousness.
The brain has an electrical pulse which is measured like sound — in cycles per second or Hertz. During beta, brainwaves range from 14 to 40 cycles per second. In high beta we become anxious and overthink the simplest of things. Beta is our normal state of mind when we are awake and moving through a day. During beta our minds are the most alert.
Alpha is a slower state more indicative of relaxing and reflecting. During alpha, brainwaves range from 9 to 14 cycles per second. In the alpha state, an individual is fully aware of his/her surroundings but in a much more relaxed state of mind than beta. Too much constant alpha activity leads to excessive daydreaming. Meditation is often practiced in the alpha state.
During theta, brainwaves range from 5 to 8 cycles per second. It is the state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state of mind, memories, thoughts and facts that eluded a person in a wakeful state can be recalled and answers to problems seem to appear. A person who begins to daydream, who is driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can’t recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state. Deep meditation and prayer are practiced in the theta state.
Delta is the slowest of the four states where sleep occurs. During delta, brainwaves range from 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. At the slowest delta level, sleep is deep and dreamless. Delta also provide personal radar and feelings at unconscious levels. If you read other people’s minds very well, you probably have more delta activity than most.
As we can see, the brain waves act as vehicles for the mind to reveal its rich tapestry of consciousness. When our brains are in certain frequencies, the mind can manifest certain thoughts, feelings and emotions better (or worse). No longer is the mind an uncontrollable, mysterious object that is in our lives; we can utilize our switchboard of a brain to program and manifest the mind for a better self and, ultimately, a better world.
In our next essay, we’ll explore these concepts further to see how we can expand our lives and consciousness for our greater good.
