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Dr. Caroline Leaf
Dr. Caroline Leaf
Neuroscientist, Mental Health Advocate, Public Speaker, Neurocycle® Creator, Author of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess
Published Aug 16, 2021
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In a recentpodcast(#308), I explained the difference between thoughts and memories, as this is a question I get a lot — there seems to be quite a bit of confusion surrounding the topic!
We experience events and circ*mstances all the time — this is what it means to be immersed in life. We respond and react to events all day long and sort them into experiences while we sleep. This is what I call our “mind-in-action”, which makes a product: a thought.A thought is areal physical thingmade of proteins and chemicals that occupies mental real estatein the brain as a tree-like structure on our neurons, and as gravitational fields in the mind, as well as in DNA in the body.
These thoughts look like trees, and, like a tree, are made of roots and branches. These are our memories — the “root” and “branch” memories. The thought itself is the concept, or the big idea. Inside the thought are the embedded memories.There can be any number of memories, thousands even, in one thought, just as there are hundreds or even thousands of branches and roots on a tree.
What all this means is that a thought tree is literallybuiltinto the brain as you use your mind in response to your experiences, or in other words, as you think, feel and choose in response to life. This meanswe as humans literally have trillions of thoughts, and how we build them and use them to function is what we talk about as memory or thought formation. For example, the thought could be “I am concerned about a family member”. There will be hundreds or perhaps thousands of memories related to this thought.The thought is the big picture, and the details of the thought are the memories.
There are three types of memories in a thought:
Using the analogy of a tree,the thought is the big concept: the whole tree with the branches, leaves and roots. The roots are the source, the origin; for example, the book you are reading, the conversation you are having, this podcast you are listening to, and so on. The branches and leaves are how you interpret the information from your unique perspective, and how you will use the information (how it will manifest in your communication and behavior).
For more information on thoughts and memories, listen to mypodcast(#308), and check out my latest bookCleaning Up Your Mental Messandmy appNeurocycle.
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Mocheal Nam
I have sold cognitive rehabilitation programs for 7 years but couldn't cure dementia and Parkinson's disease. Recently, I encountered a healing product that claims to provide results within a month. Do you believe it?
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I read "Think, Learn and succeed" first, and I read it this morning. Interesting, mysterious, amazing. As I said before, we make program games for cognitive rehabilitation and use them in the rehabilitation department. I think I need your advice.
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