Right Brain Left Brain

Achieving Goals Through Mental Images

Welcome to the Right Brain Left Brain page. This part of the web site is about psycho cybernetics - and in particular the vital impact that a negative or positive self image has on your success or failure in achieving goals you set.

The CD starts with a brief introduction to psychocybernetics and looks at the 'self image' concept, and then explains how to use your 'creative imagination' to achieve goals.

PART 1 - YOUR SELF IMAGE

An understanding of the ideas of the self image and the servo-mechanism is the basis of psycho-cybernetics. The audio explains it as follows:

In our 'conscious mind' we decide to set a goal. Our brain and nervous system are a servo-mechanism and will strive to achieve goals - acting like a guided missile. Unfortunately, the servo-mechanism might not lock onto the target we wanted with our conscious mind. It might strive to reach a quite different goal.

Yet the servo-mechanism, according to psychocybernetics, is just an order-taking goal-seeking machine. So why doesn't it follow the orders we send from our conscious mind?

The answer is that our conscious mind does not give an order directly to the servo-mechanism. Instead it uses a 'courier' - our self image. However, our self image is more than a courier. It is a censor. It will change the goal in order to match itself.

Take this example. In his book, Maxwell Maltz describes a salesman who always managed to earn almost exactly $5,000 commission a year (remember this is 50+ years ago). If he was given a poor territory, he worked very hard to achieve the $5,000. If he was given a much better territory he still ended up earning $5,000. During interviews with this salesman it was clear that he saw himself as a $5,000 a year man.

If this salesman wanted to earn $10,000 a year, he would have to change his self image to 'I see myself as a $10,000 a year man'. But how can the self image be changed?

Will power cannot do it. Changing your self image must be achieved through your creative imagination. In terms of the right brain left brain divide, this is the work of the right brain not the left.

PART 2 - UNLEASHING YOUR CREATIVE IMAGINATION

In reaching goals, your creative imagination is important for two reasons. First, communication with your self image can only be conducted through imagination rather than will power. Second, your self image accepts all your mental images as being real - even if you've deliberately created a false or 'synthetic' image.

Your left brain is associated with logic, facts, figures and analysis, whereas your right brain is associated with concepts, emotions, images and sensations.

So looking at right brain left brain in the context of goals, your left brain is largely responsible for logically setting and planning goals, while your right brain communicates with your self image to 'persuade it' that the goal is achievable.

Dan Kennedy takes us through 10 Key Ideas on stimulating our creative imagination. Two of these involve excercises that are central to psycho-cybernetics: mental rehearsal and mental movies.

For example, he recounts a scientific experiment involving students sinking basketball free throws. It was found that students who spent 20 days imagining throwing balls into a basket were almost equally successful as those who spent 20 days in physical practice. Both groups outperformed students who did no practice.

BACK to Positive Self Image

HOME to Make Your Goals Happen