Hope in Second Line Thinking

"I can't help what I feel" she lamented. "My husband is uncaring, malicious and he torments me!" My patient was hurting. She was angry, frustrated and frightened. Her husband was everything she said he was and more. However, one thing that was not true about what she said was her belief that she could not help what she felt.

First Line Thinking (FLT) is thinking that arises out of "initial raw data" that the senses have provided. The eyes see, the nose smells, the ears hear, the tongue tastes and the hands feel. This data forms in the brain and we think about it. The facts are seen, smelled, heard, tasted and felt. A snake is seen or heard. The brain creates the raw data. The eyes are the light gathering, image gathering instruments but without a functional brain, there is no sight. There is no emotion, no behavior related to the raw data. However, once the snake data enters the presentation area, and SLT thinking gets into the mix, we might have any number of reactions to the raw data. For example, once the data got to my presentation field in my brain and my SLT took over my reaction to the snake would be immediate, forceful, emotionally loaded and quite decisive.

Second Line Thinking (SLT) is interpretive thinking. Raw data is given meaning, perspective is applied and belief systems, opinions, fund of knowledge and past experiences come into play. SLT is productive. Emotional and behavioral responses arise out of SLT. Raw data is rarely disputed. The senses are generally reliable although not completely trustworthy. Therefore, situations remain the same, facts remain facts and circumstances stay put. One may check and recheck the raw data making sure the data presentation in the brain, the FLT material, is correct. Sometimes clarifiying data or collaborative information does change the raw data presentation.

More often than not, however, circumstances and raw data does not change. Second Line Thinking can and often does change. How many times have we said or heard it said, "After further thought, I have decided to change my position on the matter." Belief systems can be altered, perspectives can change and opinions can be dropped or reversed. If we are not satisfied with some fact of our life, we can look more closely at our SLT. We can work to change our perspective, opinion or beliefs about certain data. "Is there another way of looking at the situation?"

Second Line Thinking is "to blame" for our behaviors and emotions. The circumstances, the raw data does not have to be altered for feelings and behaviors to change. SLT is the culprit. SLT is to be viewed as responsible for our life and we are responsible for our SLT. Someone has said, "We do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are." This is true. Taking responsibility for our First and Second Line Thinking means we are out of the blame game and self-pity parties. We are empowered by this responsibility. We can change our life. We do not have to wait for others to change or the situation to change before we find relief. There is hope in Second Line Thinking.

It is Really Easy to Overlook This

It is really quite easy to sassy right past the primary significance of thinking. There are so many other "things" that need our full cognitive attention....such as, issues, problems, concerns, worries, hobbies, pets, events, relationships, emotions, promotions, demotions, addictions, births, deaths, travel, finances, planning, flowers, doubts, jobs, certainties.....and thousands of other stuff like that. Not to mention all the sneeky intrusive stuff on the side that lies in wait for just the right moment to jump in line and claim a few seconds or minutes of our brain time.

Rushing through a moment without so much as one concious notion that a moment is happening can lead to premature aging, i.e. what happened to the day, week, month, year or life. "I was so busy living that I forgot to notice the very thoughts that were producing the life." So, it just makes good sense to practic what I call "Cognitive Pausing".

Cognitive Pausing (CP) helps us slow down and think about what we are thinking about. In fact, CP can help us get in touch with the fact that we are, in fact, thinking. How many times have we heard, "Penny for your thoughts?" or "What are you thinking about?" only to be drawn up short and startled by the question; snapped back into the reality of the very thing that was pushing our wagon in the first place?

Life is a bouquet of thoughts, emotions and behaviors. You can't have one without the other. Thinking, however, is the godfather of the group. Behaviors and emotions are plenty important in life. We must not over look the fact that thinking is the genesis of both. Of course, there are times when body chemistry crashes the cognitive party and walks away with an emotion or two or three. My middle-aged female patient said, "I am PMS-ing! Don't tell me that it is all in my head and that my thinking is causing this!" I would not dare tell her anything of the sort because I do not believe EVERY EMOTION IS CAUSED BY THINKING..... BUT MOST ARE!

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First Line Thinking

The five senses are critical parts of the people survival system. Humans would not have made it much pass the Genesis bush without keen senses. The senses are subjective instruments being called upon to perform objective tasks. Subjective in the sense that they are no where near perfect in their role as data gatherers. Children are taught to "stop at the street corner and look both ways." But, who has not followed this procedure only to "pull out or walk out" in front of someone or something, or at least almost do so? However, the senses can usually be counted on to adequate enough information about any particular situation. The old saying that "two heads are better than one" is never more true than when it comes to compiling data for decision making. Four eyes and four ears are, in most cases, better than two.

First Line Thinking (FLT) deals with the facts as presented by the senses. There is no interpretation, no opinion or assumption involved in first line thinking. Joe Friday, television's Dragnet detective would say to the informant trying to add an opinion as to what happened at the scene would chide, "Just the facts Mister, Just the facts!" FLT takes what the five senses provide and stop at that.

FLT is an essential part of thought management. It is a way of preventing worrisome thoghts related to what could have happened or probably happened. Mental imagery can get very sophisticated when it comes to assumptions and presumptions. Borrowed trouble or elaborate "probably's" can be avoided when first line thinking is allowed to stand on it's own. A friend's wife left him. She told him that she was "leaving and that she would not be coming back."
In the days ahead his tendency was to make more out of what she said than was there. He was reminded of what his wife had said and, since there was no more information, was cautioned to limit his thinking to that information alone. Speculations about where she was, what she was doing, why she left and what she was going to do only dug his mental and emotional hole deeper.
She said she was leaving and she did. She said that she would not be coming back, which she did not. Stop! That's all the information that the woman provided upon her departure.

FLT can ease the burden of obsessive thinking. The mind can begin to formulate elaborate story lines and plots involving a host of assumptions and probabilities. This kind of thinking is a gamble with the facts and usually prove to be false. A more productive method involves a thought management called "First Line Thinking." As Joe Friday would say, "Just the facts mister, just the facts."

Something on My Mind

The song says, "You were always on my mind." The brain can begin thinking certain thoughts and these thoughts can be intrusive, continual and pressing. That is sometimes referred to as obsessive thinking or cognitive rumination. For example, thoughts that are characterized as "Worry" can be quite obsessive. Continuous thinking is, however, not an option. The mind is never void of thoughts; they are there 24/7.

Thoughts can be selected and managed. A challenging part of this cognitive management involves slowing down the thought process. Thoughts come one at a time. They may seem to overlap and run together, but a thought is basically a loner in the sense that each stands alone as a single entity. Some researchers speak of the "gap" between thoughts. Like gaps between notes of music. Each note stands alone. When music is being played the gaps are so close that no silence is detected, even though it is there. Some forms of meditation strive to slow the cognitive process down, striving to "get in the cognitive gap" of silence.

This type of thought management requires desire and practice. One must recognize and desire the benefits of the technique. One of the primary benefits involves slowing down the body's matabolism such as heart rate, blood pressure and stress index. The body and the mind get a rest, resulting in a sense of well-being, energy and motivation. A sign on our football dressing room wall read, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all."

One of the most effective ways of slowing thoughts involves becoming aware of brain activity. Simply taking a moment to feel the "thought rate" is important. Thought rate is the speed of ideas, images and thoughts through the brain. Manic and hypomanic thought rates are exceptionally to moderately quick often resulting in confusion and dellusions. Knowing one's "cognitive speed" is critical.

Once cognitive speed is calculated and a need for slowing down is determined, one can simply begin to focus the brain's activity on a "mantra" or a single word or sound that can help one "get in the gap." Once some profficency is achieved with this technique, one can usually simply adjust thinking with a thought, "Slow down!" Awareness and focus are the most critical factors in the slowing process. Although difficult in the beginning, some benefits are felt immediately.

Thoughts for the Taking

There is an admonition in one of the Biblical Gospels that reads, "Take no thought for the morrow for the morrow has enough worry of it's own" (author's translation). There is a general opinion spread hither and yon that we humans "cannot help what we think". How many times have you said that or heard someone say it. The mind has a mind of it's own, and can think whatever it wishes for as long as it wishes, according to this line of thinking.

However, if you do not control your mind...then who does? How safe are you, how safe is anyone, if you cannot control your thinking? How could you ever have goals and work toward meeting those goals if you could not control your thinking? You can and you do control your thinking. Every thought that you have is managed by none other than you. You may manage your thought life very well. Maybe not. For most of us, our management varies from extremely effective and productive to extremely ineffective and dangerous.

There are thoughts, of course, that are intrusive. Those thoughts "pop into your mind." You may wonder where they came from. But, you manage them, and all other thoughts. Your thoughts may be "racing" and yo may have a "flight of ideas", but you manage them. The word manage may cause some confusion. Your thoughts arise from within your brain, and are categorized (conciously or unconciously) by your prior learning (thoughts) and decision making (thoughts).

Education comes from prior learning experiences and is used to categorize thoughts and make decisions. These prior learning experiences are all inclusive, i.e. every experience in life is a learning experience. We may or may not remember the experience, but the experience is part of our history and can effect the way we think, feel and behave.

Let me qualify my thinking on this. There are instances when you cannot and do not control your thinking. There are illnesses that arrest that ability and one becomes captive to a "run away brain". For example, there are instances of dementia caused by old age or disease. Individuals with traumatic brain injuries also have problmes related to thought management.

This is unfortunate and cannot be helped in some instances. So, I am not addressing this blog to someone in that kind of situation. Rather, I am thinking of those of us who have excellent neurological health. Our "thinker" is not damaged or diseased.

According to that ancient Biblical admonition, you do not have to "take a thought." You can reject it and send it away. However, you may chose to accept a thought, nurture it and build upon it. Thought Management is a new discipline for most people. They have allowed themselves to be at the mercy of every thought without considering the power they have over their thought life. Comedian Bob Newhart played the role of a psychiatrist on The Bob Newhart Show. A lady came to see him complaining of frightening thoughts of being buried alive. His counsel was "Stop it! Just stop it! Stop thinking about that! It's crazy to think like that! You do not like it. It causes you to feel frightened, so stop it!" Simplistic? Maybe. But, what else might work for her. If she is to ever get over the frightening emotions related to the negative images produced by her thinking, she would certainly have to change the thinking. I can see no other way. Unless perhaps medications or mood altering substances are administered to numb a thought or suppress it.

Again, what about individuals with Thought Disorders? Yes, this is a reality for many people and their families. What causes these Cognitive Disorders. We are not completely sure. Sometimes mood altering drugs may cause delusions. Individuals who have ingested hallucinogens have visual and sometimes auditory hallucinations. The individuals are experiencing self-induced mental illness; a thought disorder. There are also individuals that have been diagnosed with Thought Disorder illnesses such as schzophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder. We are not sure what causes these illnesses. It is safe to say that these indivuduals have some control over some of their thinking, but not all. The illness affects the cognitive processes.

Individuals not having these illnesses control their thinking. They may not think so.

Thought Stopping is a cognitive technique.

A Mind Set

The lady had just about driven me crazy. A sweet soul, she came to the counseling lab where I was doing my training. She was fifty years old and admitted that she felt a hundred and fifty. She had lost her husband some years prior. He had "run off" with another woman. The lady's negativistic personality was right up there with best of the nagatives.

The fact that she was a referral from a fairly popular counselor in town made me wonder if that good counseling doctor might have pulled one of my "Greyhound Therapy Tactics". Before a client drives you to the point of insanity, put them on a bus to another therapist that you generally don't like.


Ms. Negativistic admitted that she was negative about most everything; she had been that way all her life. At the end of the day she was satisfied with that "mind set". Her mind was set, made up, and she had no intention of changing it for herself or anyone else, which was her right.

The human brain produces thoughts in all humans. If there is no thinking, there is no life. If there is life without a functioning brain, the person is clinically dead. All life roads lead to the brain. The brain is an organ that creates a mind. The mind is thought central. A brain is an organ. We should be careful not to confuse the two.


Some brains have illness or injury and are not rational, capable or reliable. This is a fact of life. A brain that cannot function properly cannot be counted on to produce a mind that is reliable or stable. An individual possessing a perfectly capable, reliable and functional brain should have a mind that is capable of the same.

Minds can be injured. A child with a perfectly good brain can have a mind that is crushed under a load of shame from the power people in his or her life. An individual goes into battle with a perfectly good brain and a stable mind. In the coarse of battle the person experiences much trauma and stress. His mind is injured by the trauma and stress. He begins to have flashbacks and depression and anxiety problems. The brain is fine, the thinking is not.

The mind can be helped. Thinking can be challenged and changed. Perceptions can be altered and the mind salvaged and healed. However, if a mind is made up and a mind set has been established without acceptance of positive possibility, there is little or no hope for anything different in the indiividual's life. A tragic scenario indeed when a person fails to fall forward into mind healing.

Words are Thoughts Too

This morning I read the news concerning an AirFrance plane that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. My mind immediately took me back to my last trip across the Atlantic. We had traveled 10 days prior to South Africa on a Safari of sorts and, having completed our mission, were flying home via the Isle of Cape Verdes. Just short of a hour after our departure from the Cape one of our very pleasant sounding flight attendants announced that the captain had informed her that we were having "electrical problems with the aircraft". My God! Should we begin to look for floatation devices, I wondered? I thought they were under the seat, or perhaps the seat becomes a floatation device once it has been ripped from the floor at impact.



That chilling announcement sent a ripple of verbal concern throughout the plane. Only a complete idiot could not have recognized that this aircraft was carrying approximately 300 terrified souls. Perhaps the captain had used those precise words to scare the living hell out of the flight attendants and the passengers. I can imagine a rather adolescent pilot reaching for the microphone and saying to his co-pilot, "Watch this. Flight attendant Semuskisent? Yes, would you announce to the passengers that we are having electrical problems with the aircraft?" Ms. Semuskisent may have developed a serious mood and inquired, "And just what the hell does that mean Captain Turnip?" Maybe he joked with her and said, "Just tell those publicans that the Captain has informed you that there is an electrical problem with the aircraft and watch their faces. Ha!" I don't know. But, whoever choose those words to announce what would eventually be known as a "problem with the television" could have definitely choosen better.



Words are verbalized thoughts. Thoughts are sometimes graphic designs, images with a cinematic flow. At other times, they are words that we hear with the inner ear of the mind. How may times have you said, "And just as I was about to do it, I heard my mother, dad, teacher, minister, wife, husband say..."? When our thoughts are visual images we describe what we are seeing with language. Sometimes it is difficult to find the words to express what we are visualizing in our mind. When our thoughts are words, we are "self-talking" and speech is simply a verbalization of that inner voice in the mind.

How we talk to ourselves determines our reactions to what we are experiencing. How we describe, define, explain, calculate a situation with images or words in our brain is the essence of our perceptions. These perceptions are the sum total of our life experience. Someone said, "If you aren't worried then you just don't have all the facts." In other words, "Your perception needs tweeking."

Of course, that is not necessarily true. Perceptions are unique to each individual. An opinion is a perception. A "stated opinion" is a perception that has been made known. Perceptions can be false to one degree or another, or true to one degree or another. Perceptions are like blood; different types, but everybody has some. And, they matter!



The way we choose to speak about anything or anyone reflects our thinking. Vocabulary enhances or inhibits our ability to perceive and verbalize our perceptions. When a doctor listens to an individual describe and point to her pain, he thinks in terms of his training. He has vocabulary that matches what he is seeing and hearing. He sees and hears what an untrained individual does not see or hear because he has learned anatomy, physiology, pathology, disease and the vocabulary that best reflects those disciplines.



Words are thoughts too. When we change our vocabulary, we change our life because we add to our ability to think about anything. We enhance our ability to perceive and know. Words make a difference in how we act, react, respond and feel. They also make a big difference how others at, react, respond and feel. When the flight attendant verbally informed us that the "electrical problem" was isolated to the aircraft televisions, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Our negative possibility thinking that provoked our feelings of terror gave way to more positive truth and euphoria. I thought about buying everyone on the plane a drink.

Now About That Stupid Bird

This morning was beautiful. The sun was just beginning to lighten and brighten the manicured lawn. My dogs were lying peacefully at my feet while I sat in silence drinking my first cup of coffee. My mind was filled with thoughts of gratitude and feelings of serenity.

But, there was this one bird. At first I included this little vocal creature on my gratitude list. It chirped and chirped and chirped to the point where I began to wonder if birds take breaths. The unrestrained whistles that filled the morning air soon became nothing more than a bird screaming in a nearby tree.

I became irritated at the feathered virtuoso. Soon my peaceful morning was turning into a battle between this 4 ounce resident of one tree on 54 Oak Haven and me. I shewed and shewed, tossed rocks out of the flower garden and generally worked up a good sweat trying to silence this wren that I had come to refer to as "stupid".

And, then it was over. The little thing flew away. I dropped my hand full of rocks and marched victoriously back to my comfortable chair on the porch. Silence. I refilled my coffee cup with fresh brew and settled down to enjoy the silence of the beautiful morning. Sitting in my silence I felt a strange sense of sadness.

My little feathered morning companion was gone. I had driven it away. But, my victory did not please me. I was sorry that I had behaved the way I did. I wanted the bird to come back. It did not. It was at that point in time that I realized an unpleasant pattern in my life, i.e. working hard to get circumstances and situations in my life the way I wanted them only to discover after the fact that I was not happy with my behavior or the outcome. It felt like the man who cliimbed the tall ladder of success only to discover that his ladder was against the wrong wall.

My eleven-year old grandson and I were playing a round of golf one summer morning. He was not having a very good time of hitting the ball straight. After one of his scuffs he turned to me and said, "I think it is a mental thing, Poppie!" I laughed. Many times I have worked vigurously to change my environment only to discover that the problem was more mental than enviro/mental. Situations and circumstances are nothing more than situations and circumstances until we label them one way or another, good or bad, aggravating or pleasing, right or wrong, sad or happy.

I can try to change those circumstances that I deem unpleasant. I can throw rocks at birds that I label "stupid". But, I must remember the words of my grandson, Parker. "It is a mental thing, Poppie!" Changing the situation does not necessarily change me or my moods and attitudes. I change when I change my thinking because "Thinking is Everything".

Managing Thoughts

"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission."

Arnold Bennett (1867-1932)

Life is thoughts. Life is over when thinking ceases. Thinking determines the kind of life one leads and the quality of life one experiences. It is biologically impossible for someone to have a thought for another person. Thinking is an individual experience, governed and controlled by an individual's brain. Brain disease and brain injury are poniant reminders of how individualized thinking really is. As much as we might like to help a friend or loved one think, it is impossible.

Managing one's thoughts is the most significant of human tasks , and one of the most overlooked or minimized. Managing one's thoughts is not optional. Thoughts are always managed in such a way as to either maximize or minimize one's life experience.

Mental health, like physical health, is crucial to optimal living, or to use Abraham Maslow's terminolgy, "self-actualization." Ignoring one's physical health or making unwise decisions regarding personal health is costly. When individuals fail to eat properly, neglect excercize and use harmful chemicals on or in their bodies they set themselves up for pain, suffering and premature death.

The same is true of one's mental life. When an individual learns how to think correctly, maximizing positive thoughts while minimizing negative, he or she reaps the benefits of pleasant emotions and productive behavior. Putting positive information into the brain while guarding the mind from intrusive malignant images is health.

Managing thoughts is the greatest of all individual tasks. Manager training is sometimes needed.

Learning How to Think

One of the most interesting stories that I have ever read was the story of Helen Keller and her relationship with her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Keller was born without sight or hearing. I once heard a man tell of his brother whom he said was "deaf and dumb." I had no idea what that was.

Helen Keller may have been deaf, but she was not dumb. She had no language. She had no knowledge of what anything was. However, on one fateful day, Keller finally understood. Sullivan had been trying to establish communication with this young blind and deaf girl. Suddenly, as Sullivan was "signing" into the palm of Keller's hand, Keller understood and the communication barrier was broken. A world was opened up to this hopeless young girl; a world of thought, understanding and language.


Thinking controls most human emotion and behavior. Humans had thoughts before they had language, but language is one large factor in the critical thinking process. Communication with oneself (self-talk) and others is a language issue. Speaking to oneself is thinking. Speaking to others is thinking revealed in language. We learn a language or languages and we also learn how to think. Learning how to think realistically, logically and truthfully about any subject matter is called education.


A thought is a form of reasoning, calculation and a personal perception concerning anything. Thoughts can be educated evaluations or they can be perceptions based squarely on ignorance. Thoughts can be centered in the truth or framed on an untruth. Even educated thoughts are not necessarily true.


Learning how to think is one of the most significant tasks in the developmental process. Excellent teachers possess knowledge of logic and reasoning. They are skilled in the transfer of information related to critical thinking skills. Thinking abilities are taught and fortunate is the person who learns them.


Simply trusting one's reasoning and calculating ability without comparing it with the reasoning and calculations of others is dangerous and arrogant. Learning how to mentally calculate about anything is a fundamental necessity for anyone wishing to rise to higher levels of understanding and freedom. One of the tools of anarcy is to keep the population in ignorance. Ignorance is a potential prison for those trusting it's bliss.


Vocabulary is the building blocks of language. Thinking skills are enhanced by a growing vocabulary. There are more ways of thinking about anything when there are more words to explain it or understand it. Learning how to think about anything is controlled by the vocabulary of language. Understanding is communicated to self and others through langauge vocabulary.

Thinking is normal for living creatures. However, all creatures are not created equal when it comes to rational, logical and truthful thinking. The human animal seems to have a great cognitve advantage over other living creatures sharing the planet.

Thinking is everything and it is natural for humans to think. However, thinking skills are taught. Neglecting this most important elelment in human development is tantamount to relugating oneself to a prison of ignorance and mistakes. Education is knowledge related to any subject. Education is learning how to think, how to calculate or reason, about a certain subject.
Like Helen Keller, we can have a moment of enlightenment concerning the importance of thinking in our lives.

A Thought is Not a Feeling

Since I am in a "hopefully helping profession called counseling" I've asked more than a few people this question, "And, how do you feel about that?" Well, feelings are an important part of our lives. We would hardly be human if we had no emotions. Although most feelings are created by thoughts, we must distinguish between the two; feelings are not thoughts, never have been and never will be.

A thought is a mental calculation requiring some form of reason or logic, although the reasoning and logic may be faulty. A feeling is not a calculation. It is not a logical ideation. A feeling, which may or may not produce a physical sensation, is a mood or an attitude. The old saying "where there is smoke there is fire" may be applicable here. Where there is thought there are feelings. Smoke and are quite different and so are feelings and thoughts.

When I ask, :How do you feel about that?" the patient usually responds with a thought. They tell me what they think about "that". When I suggest that they have given me their thoughts, they often look very confused. "But, you asked how I felt about that and I told you how I felt?" This may be a teachable moment for the patient who knows that there is a difference between thoughts and feelings, she just bever thought that much about it. "When I asked you how you felt about that, yhoiu told me that you THOUGHT it was a good idea. Can you see that is not a feeling? You told me what you thought, not how you felt. Can you tell me how you felt about that by using these feelings as a guide: Mad, Sad, Glad, Afraid, Ashamed and Hurt. These are feelings, emotions not thoughts. "

It is interesting to note that once my client understands the difference (that he or she has always known) they are able to make the distinction between thoughts and feelings very quickly. At first, they may pause to think about how they feel about a matter. But, after a while they become aware of a feeling as it is happening. One may say, "I saw a young man steal an old lady's purse today and I thought the young man must be on drugs. It is a terrible thing to be on drugs, I'm sure. I felt sorry for the old lady." In this sentence we see how a person thinks and feels. The thought is "the boy must be on drugs to do some thing like that." The feeling is "sorry"
(sad, pity)for the old lady."

Feelings are not facts. They may be based on what appears to be facts, but they are not the facts. I may feel stupid, but my IQ says that I am in the high average range of intelligence. I may feel unattractive, but may be quite attractive to others. I may feel as if everyone is out to get me, while the truth may be intirely different. Feeling are not facts.

Feelings are not forever. They have a lifespan. If you are happy now you can count on something happening that will help change that feeling. Feelings are terminal. Feelings may seem to be forever, but they are not. A thought nor a feelings lasts forever. Some of my anxiety disordered patients think their panicky feeling will never go away, it is here to stay FOREVER. Not!!! Feelings come and go. Thoughts come and go. Whatever ain't forever.

Remember: Feelings and Thoughts are NOT, I repeat, NOT the same thing.

Blaming has been around as long as man has had a finger to point. In the very first Biblical story recorded in Genesis we find blame as one of man's original behaviors. Adam blamed Eve for his behavior and Eve blamed the talking serpent for her behavior.

There is the question as to why either of these individuals would want to blame someone or something else. It is easy to see their reasoning behind the transfer of responsibility. They thought they were "in trouble". They were afraid of the negative consequences for their behaviors, thus they began to excuse themselves. This event seemed very unpleasant for them. In order for the stress of potential devine litigation to be removed each of these once loving partners began the process of self-preservation. There is no apparent thought of personal responsibility for one's behavior only a hopeful shift in negative consequences from themselves to the other. With a friend, spouse or partner like that who needs enemies?

One of the first steps toward maturity, spirituality and human greatness is the willingness to take responsibility for oneself. That includes such things as one's thinking, one's behavior and one's emotions. It is easy to see how each of the characters in the Biblical story played a role in the other's behavior. But, to say that one made the other think what they thought, feel what they felt or do what they did is incorrect. Each of the characters was directed by their individual thinking. No one can have a biological thought for anyone else. It is a medical impossibility. And, since our lives are directed by our individual thoughts, we cannot blame anyone for our feelings, thoughts or behaviors even though others may play a role in each of them.

It may be liberating to adhere to the notion that one has power and control over oneself. Taking responsibility for oneself eliminates the middle man and gives the one with the brain all the power. This is a powerful start in the right direction for those considering giving up their role of victim.

Believing Vs. Experiencing

"Even the demons believe and tremble" (Book of James: Bible). Believing is important. We experience many things because of beliefs. Our experiences may be limited by our beliefs. Many individuals focus on their belief system as the most important variable in their life. Believing is a system of thinking ABOUT life. Experience is the mind's preception OF life.

Belief and experience are not the same thing. For example, believing and trembling are two different things. One is intellectual or mental and the other is behavioral. Trembling may occur as a result of what one believes about something or someone. Belief may be used to define an experience. "I believe the wages of my sin are the negative things that are occurring in my life." One may believe various things about human beings. However, one's experience of a human being is more significant. One may believe many doctrines and dogmas ABOUT God without having any particular identifiable experience WITH God.

Thinking is everything in the sense that it DEFINES an experience with or without certain preconceived ideas or beliefs about the experience. Experience is life. Thinking interprets the experience and gives it meaning, place and purpose. Without thinking there is no experience. Belief without experience is like a cloud without water. Go for the experience, that is the thing of life.

Is My Thinking True or False?

It is important to tell oneself the truth. Believing something for a period of time only to discover that it is false can be quite embarassing or maddening. Everyone has had that experience at least a few times. Children are initially gullible. They believe almost anything an adult says is the absolute truth. As they grow older, children begin to question the validity of some ideas postulated by the adults in their lives. This questioning can be a risky and dangerous business if the adults are fundamentalistic in their approach to their truth. Children, especially adolescents, arriving at a different truth can be considered rebellious or turning against family values. Harsh punishment often results with this change. What one thinks is true, whether about oneself, others, nature, circumstances, religion or politics is important and is either true or false. A good question might be, "is my thinking about (fill in the blank) true or false?"

The Data Gatherers

What you see is not necessarily what you are seeing. The data gathering senses are not perfect in their job. The older we get the more we understand that fact. The aging process can take a toll on the senses; we may not hear as good or see as well. Our smeller and our taster may even begin to let us down. Research has shown that eye witness testimony is not always accurate. A group of people are shown a car accident. After the viewing they are asked to discribe what they saw. No two people saw exactly the same thing. In fact, some of the "eye witnesses" seemed to hardly see the accident at all.

The data gatherers, the senses, are a critical element in the living process. An event occurs and we know that it happened because our senses bring in the sights, smells, tastes, sounds and textures of the situation. The brain begins to process the data, to interpret it and make assignments with regard to meanings. The event is simply that, an event. It has no power, no meaning, no particular effect until the brain swings into motion with the thinking process. Once the data is calculated, thinking is everything.

What Causes Feelings and Behaviors?

Now hear this! Events, circumstances, situations and instances do not, I repeat, do not cause an individual to do or feel anything. She/he/they made me feel/say/do is in no way, form or fashion true. It is emphatically false. Why? Because events have no cause without interpretation, perception or perspective. In order for one to have emotions about an event or circumstance there must be (1) data gathered about the event through the five senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing, seeing) and (2) thinking about the data that is gathered. Once thinking occurs there will be emotion and behavior. Quite simple, really.

How a Mind is Made

We know a lot about brain chemistry and anatomy; certainly more than ever before. New medications can often make the intrusive illnesses of depression and anxiety more manageable. Brain imaging and brain function research have pushed us into a new millinia of understanding. There is cause for celebration regarding these new advances.

There is still much to do. In fact, we have only just begun to understand this complicated organ, the brain. Some day researchers will smile when they think of the simplistic methods and theories of earlier centuries.

With all the research and understanding that abounds today there is one major part of the puzzle that remains a mystery. How does the ocean of neurons packed together under the bone of skull create a thought? We know how to make up our mind, but we do not know how is a mind is made?