Psyche Development

The holistic advantages of dual brain stimulation

Split brain experiments by Roger Sperry in the 1960’s “Hemisphere Disconnection and Unity in Conscious awareness” , and further work by him together with R. Gazzaniga and J.E. Bogen: “Interhemispheric Relationships: the Neocortical Commissures; Syndromes of Hemisphere Disconnection” (which eventually led to the Nobel Prize) presented a general conclusion that the left and right side of brain respond to distinctly different, yet mutually compatible sets of stimuli.

The diagram above, which first appeared in Betty Edwards’ multi-million-seller book; “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” illustrates the masculine/analytical; feminine/ intuitive dynamic that governs the individual human psyche very clearly.

What Betty discovered by applying Sperry’s findings to her art classes, was that by designing drawing exercises that forced pupils to see artistic images and perspectives with the right side of the brain, instead of trying to mechanically regulate them with the left, which most of us do, students (children and adults) with almost no artistic ability to begin with, could without exception, make sudden dramatic breakthroughs in artistic expression and progress to near professional levels inside three months.

Betty’s book got me to read up on Sperry’s findings – that study, together with some thirty years of research I had done myself on child development, among a wide range of cultures around the world, eventually got me interested in developing a dual brain child educational curriculum of my own which I called HeartStart. For the past eighteen years I have applied this home school developmental program to the education of eight of my own children. I have mentioned the outstanding results each have achieved, not only in the high marks in the academic subjects required by the State, but also in their exceptional artistic creativity and ethical social behavior. The threads it was mentioned on generated remarkably little reaction from the members of this forum.

As the future of this nation – and indeed its powerful influence on the rest of the world, will be determined by the next generation if children, such lukewarm interest in how we are continuing to educate them is somewhat puzzling – especially when there is a general consensus that our current education system is failing, while the potential for a revolutionary break-through in dual brain creativity and motivated ethical behavior, uncovered by Sperry, has been languishing in the offing for nigh on forty years.

Perhaps the lack of interest has been because I have failed to mention that dual brain exercises are efficacious not only with children, but among adults of any age as well. In essence dual brain development refers to our grasp of the both the physical world as well as our metaphysical potentials.

We have all been more or less well-trained in physics and know something of its finite limitations, but very few of are aware (other than via the distortion of biased religious instruction) of the infinitely more fascinating field of metaphysics. Specific exercises in right brain stimulation almost immediately open a whole new world of creative potential to those who first attempt it. Most people who have become involved with yoga, tai chi and meditation classes, etc, can attest to this to some extent. But there is also a wide range of other interesting metaphysical drills and exercises that not only further stimulate your creative impulses and allow you to execute skills in every walk of life that you only presently dream you have, but also awaken within you to a deeper sense of affection and altruism for mankind in general - and a more profound grasp, even reverence, for the workings of the Cosmos.

I would like to take interested members through a step by step process, describing the fascinating journey our family has experienced over the past eighteen years as we applied this new dual-brain approach to the development of the child psyche – as well as the general improvement of the adult psyche we have also experienced. I do this in the hope of perhaps giving the dual brain message more substance than previously, and thereby hopefully generating a more lively discussion on a vital subject that has the potential to give us an entirely new perspective on the way we all look at and share this life on this home planet of ours.