Conversing with our Brains

By Shlomo Maital

    A friend of mine recounted recently, about how he listened to a song on Spotify, played it again – and then, his brain kept replaying it in his head, unwanted.  This has happened to me, and maybe to you. 

     Why?  When we enjoy something, our brain sends dopamine, a pleasure hormone, into our blood stream.  The brain sees we like the song, that it brings pleasure – and like a good servant, repeats it..again and again.  This also happens to us after trauma – bad experiences, only in a different manner.

    My friend, who is highly creative, solved the problem. He sang the Israeli national anthem, HaTikva, several times – and extinguished the annoying repetitive song. 

     We CAN converse with our brains. We can tell it things.  I do this at times when I am fearful of taking on some task or encounter.  I tell my brain, I am not afraid.  But – I am afraid. But if you tell your brain you aren’t… then maybe it comes to believe you.  And you aren’t – or, are less afraid. 

        Try this.  Converse with your brain. Talk to it.  Sometimes, we can restore control, after our well-meaning brain takes over and controls us.