Published on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month

Right-Brain Training - Practical Applications Part 2

Apr 16 2007, Mike Estep

Welcome to the second article of my Right-Brain Training series. This article will continue discussing the benefits of exercising intuitive-feeling perceptions needed to unleash right-brain activity (intuition, random access, synthesis, imagination). Intuitive-feeling perceptions include all emotion, intuition (knowing something is correct, but not knowing how you know), and sensory input (touch, sight, hear, taste, smell). Throughout this article, I’ll refer to such perceptions collectively with terms like FEEL or FEELING.

In my last article, I talked about the importance of practicing the simple act of guessing. Constant guessing helps to improve awareness of feeling perceptions. With regular use, guessing begins to lead a person in the direction of trusting what they feel. Why is learning to trust what you feel important? Because this is one of the tools that geniuses have used for centuries to accomplish marvelous things.

Two notable examples include:

Einstein wondered what he would see if he looked in a mirror while traveling at the speed of light. Traditional thinking in classic physics led people to believe that light traveled at an unchanging constant speed. According to prevailing logic, it wasn’t possible for an observer traveling at the speed of light to see his/her reflection, because the reflection needed to travel at a faster rate in order to reach the observer. However, this didn’t feel correct to Einstein. He believed that he would be able to see his reflection and that the speed of light was relative in terms of time and space. Einstein’s trust of what he felt played a huge part in deriving his theories on relativity. He often discussed his use of feeling in his work. The following is a quote by Einstein taken from his prologue in Max Planck’s book “Where is Science Going”: There is no logical way to the discovery of these elemental laws. There is only the way of intuition, which is helped by a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance.

Leonardo da Vinci drew diagrams of helicopters 400 years before they were invented. He did not have the mechanical means of powering a helicopter in his day, but his concepts were sound. Prevailing logic in his day consisted of such notions as: The world is flat…if God meant for man to fly, he would have given him wings…the Sun revolves around the Earth…etc. It is also important to realize that people in his day were ostracized, imprisoned, and even executed if they spoke out against established religious, scientific, and political thinking. Yet, da Vinci still thought about the possibility of human flight. Was he just entertaining a fantasy? I don’t believe so, because he was an expert engineer and inventor and even developed military weapons for the Italian government. So, how was he able to conceive what at the time seemed inconceivable? The following is a well known quote of da Vinci’s that can help us to better understand how: Ogni nostra cognizione, principia da sentimenti (all of our cognition stems from feelings). His development and trust of feeling perceptions led him to be one of the most prodigious geniuses the world has ever known.

As a musician, I implicitly trust what I feel. Even though I’ve learned much knowledge about musical structures, most of my time (approximately 90-95%) is spent feeling when I hear and play music. I have done this since childhood. I also believe that utilizing feeling perceptions has allowed me to accumulate more skill and knowledge than would have been possible through intellectual pursuits alone. Feeling perceptions embrace more of a right-brained wholeness in mental information processing. I’m convinced that feeling has played an integral part in my becoming an expert on guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, voice, music technology (analog/digital audio recording, MIDI, music synthesis, computer music, sound reinforcement), and music education. It has also led to my expertise as a computer scientist/educator, multimedia technologist, and to obtaining four degrees including a PhD. Moreover, many of the concepts I discuss with my students are based upon what intuitively feels correct to me. These are some of the same concepts that I discuss in articles like this.

So, how does a person further develop such feeling perceptions? It is a matter of focus and awareness. You can start by asking yourself how things feel with many situations you encounter – even situations that are common and ordinary. For instance, if you go to an unfamiliar grocery store to shop for bread, ask yourself: Where does it feel like the bread is located? Then proceed to go with your gut feelings. Once developed, you will have a feel for the overall possibilities of where to look. This feel will ultimately help you find such locations in a shorter period of time.

As far as intellectual pursuits go, ask yourself for answers. More specifically, ask: What do I feel the correct answers are? It is ironic that in school, one of the few places we are encouraged to go with our gut feelings is during the taking of tests. Have you ever been told that if you’re not sure of a multiple-choice answer, to go with your first impression? Or, if you’re second guessing yourself, the first impression is most likely the correct choice? To really become skilled at this academically, you must ask yourself regularly what you feel the correct answers are.

The same concept will hold true for decisions made in business practices, ethical matters, personal relationships, and virtually every area of life. Ask questions like: How does it feel like I should proceed? The best way to practically develop and trust feeling perceptions in any area is to regularly focus on the awareness of such perceptions. Asking questions that include feeling perceptions allows this to take place.

When a person begins incorporating feeling with the search for answers, it will be common at first to have few hits and many misses. Does this mean that the concept of asking oneself what feels correct doesn’t work? No, it just means there must be practice in order to become proficient. How long will this process take? This is the part that a lot of people don’t like to hear. It may take months or years to develop true proficiency. Expert craftsmanship, musicianship, athleticism, scholarship, or any other acquired skills realistically are not developed overnight. Is it worth the effort? Yes it is, because a person learns to tap into the parts of the mind that generate genius. Unfortunately, those of you who want a quick fix may not devote the effort to really find out if I know what I’m talking about. All I can do is share and inspire – the rest is up to you.