Introspection is the art of looking inside yourself. Contemplation describes the act of thoughtfully considering an idea or an object.
When you read exploring the mystery your introspective muscle is exercised at least once a week. Take a moment to contemplate this regular workout. Has it impacted your life in any way?
Historically introspection and contemplation have been practiced by monks and philosophers. Believing their task was to define the nature of reality, a sense of urgency was often evident in their writings.
Freud graduated from medical school in the late eighteenth century when scientists were beginning to study the physical structure of the brain. Initially he focused on the brain, however, his interest shifted from the brain to the mind when he observed how hypnosis could seemingly cure mental illness. The field of psychoanalysis influenced the nature of introspection by shifting the focus from defining reality to understanding levels of consciousness.
In the twenty-first century we look to neuroscience to study the brain and parts of the nervous system that are not located in the brain itself. I can say this with a degree of certainty because in 2009 I joined a quartet named “brain group.”
Once a month, four of us gaze at diagrams which purportedly illustrate the anatomy of the brain. We choose a tome to discuss. Two of us read the selected chapters with trepidation; we are not fluent in medical/scientific language. The other two breeze through the material with apparent ease; they know this other world.
While previously a visit to my interior landscape might consist of discovering Jungian archetypes or diagramming family structure, now I find myself trying to remember the illustrations of the neocortex and locate it in my head. During this rumination, my amygdala makes itself known by encouraging me to make a big deal over the fact that the memory is not crystal clear.
A question arises on these introspective/contemplative
journeys: “Where is my mind?”
Tune in next week to hear an answer provided by the latest developments in science.
As always, thanks for exploring the mystery – Nicky Mendenhall
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