Life Coaching & Your Brain
Posted on November 23, 2015 by Julie Dubuc MBA, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
New research shows Life Coaching has a positive impact on your neurology.
Our brains are a series of neural pathways firing repeatedly with our thoughts. Every time we think something or feel something a connection is reinforced. Imagine we repeatedly say to ourselves ‘I am such a failure.’ When we repeatedly reinforce a pathway with the same thoughts and words our brain gets the message this is important and makes the pathway a road, then a six lane highway and a belief. So, let me ask you a question. Is it easier to break down a footpath or a superhighway?
Our brain then calls on the reticular activating system (RAS) to support our thoughts – “Hey – we think we are a failure. Let’s find all the ways we ARE a failure!” Imagine being in a meeting and sharing an idea – and crickets. Our brain goes – “SEE! That’s EXACTLY what we were talking about! We are a failure!” And it does this again and again, and we think over and over ‘I am a failure’ strengthening our pathway, confirming our belief, and making a wide superhighway.
Life Coaching stops the merry-go-round of thoughts and questions those beliefs. How? By using questions, values, and re-framing a Life Coach can make quick work of breaking down outdated beliefs. When we stop the traffic down a highway it deteriorates and the new thoughts form new pathway and beliefs. Our RAS says “Oh – we are successful!” and it goes out to find all the ways we are successful. Imagine sitting in a meeting and you share an idea. It gets recognized and it gains momentum. Your RAS says “See! We are SUCCESSFUL!”
I want to leave you with one last thought today:
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau
