Reality and the brain
Dr. Maxie C. Maultsby, Jr., MD Founder of Rational Behavior Therapy and Rational Self-Counseling! Emeritus Professor College of Medicine, Howard University! Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association! Lifetime Achievement Award from National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists
Dr. Maxie C. Maultsby, Jr., MD Author of several books on emotional and behavioral self-management Can be reached for questions or comments at Maxie0424@gmail.com 1983-2012 Learning as Leadership. 2014 Learning Used by permission as Leadership pursuant to a License Agreement.
Maultsby s ABC A - Activating event (Event as I perceive it)! B - Beliefs, mental models, thoughts, assumptions! C - Consequences C1 - Emotional feelings C2 - Behaviors This sequence happens so automatically that we do not notice it (except in specific learning situation like learning to type)
Our behavior is a response to our own thoughts not the facts
Facts do not upset us OUR thoughts about them do!
At each moment, our emotions and behavior are consistent with our thoughts
. 2014 Used Learning by permission as Leadership pursuant to a License Agreement.
Sort your ABCs A- Event B- Thoughts Beliefs C1- Feelings C2- Behavior Capture your observation of the facts List what came to mind about these observations: opinions, beliefs, diagnosis, evaluations, assumptions and other thoughts Name what emotional feelings you were experiencing Notice the connections between your behavior and your thoughts
Your brain does not care if your story is accurate or not! Dr. Maxie Maultsby, Jr., MD
It is going to translate it into consistent emotions and you will react accordingly.
Your personal beliefs (and not objective facts) are the most important factor in your life experience Dr. Maxie Maultsby, Jr., MD
We confuse facts and beliefs My beliefs become the facts for me! What I believe about reality becomes my reality
Clean up your A & B A- Event B- Thoughts Beliefs C1- Feelings C2- Behavior Capture your observation of the facts Make sure to only include neutral, objective, first hand observations List what came to mind about these observations: opinions, beliefs, diagnosis, evaluations, assumptions and other thoughts Name what emotional feelings you were experiencing Notice the connections between your behavior and your thoughts
But can you really trust your observations? A- Event Capture your neutral observation of the facts?
My brain is not a camera NO real picture,! it s all neurons and biological chemistry
I see what I believe
The brain manufactures images on its own Close your eyes It treats all images the same way
The brain cuts out entire pieces of reality It does not warn me when it edits
The brain twists reality to make it fit its expectations
Relevant objective facts almost never will cause you to overcome or ignore incorrect beliefs. Dr. Maxie Maultsby, Jr., MD
My brain: a blind organ
I 1 What I believe becomes what is. My brain does not care whether my beliefs about the facts are accurate or not, if they represent the whole reality or not, but my beliefs become the facts for me. My perception of reality becomes reality for me.
2 My beliefs have more power and more direct control of my emotions and my actions than external objective facts.
3 My beliefs drive my behavior, more than external objective facts
Where do those beliefs come from?
Objective Reality is not what I believe it is... 1983-2012 Learning as Leadership. 2014 Learning Used by permission as Leadership pursuant to a License Agreement.
My thoughts/beliefs are made of what I have stored in my memory from previous experiences. What I have stored in my memory from those past experiences is dependent upon what I observed of the facts at the time. What I observed of the facts at the time was dependent upon my beliefs
What I believe is based upon
What I believe!
I believe what I believe because...
I believe it!
I create my reality A lot of what I see are guesses and interpretations made by my brain, using it s memory to guess what should be there My brain doesn t inform me what it guesses from what it actually sees, nor does it inform me when it erases details it deems useless To the contrary, all that I see at each moment feels vividly accurate and precise.
I create my reality What I perceive is framed by my beliefs, thoughts (i.e. my Patterns, Desired and Dreaded images, etc.) They influences : à What my brain chooses to focus on à How I interpret what I perceive Therefore shaping my experience of the situation
I create my reality All of it at each moment feels vividly accurate and precise.