Gratitude and treachery are merely the two extremities of the same procession. Awareness is paramount to the individuation process. One must surrender to the unconscious, first accepting that it was swayed, and always can sway, feelings and actions outside of one’s immediate awareness. The individuating person must strike a balance in allowing the unconscious to permeate one’s actions, while also remaining cognizant of and vigilant regarding its grasp. To allow for individuation to occur, one must occasionally let the ego sit back and simply observe. People have firefighters and managers that are inside of their brains, which control their pain and emotions. When someone triggers your exiles, which carry the burden of your trauma, your internal firefighters will go on a rampage and will do anything to make the emotional pain go away. Asides from sharing the task of keeping the exiles locked up, your internal firefighters are the opposite of managers: Managers are all about staying in control, while firefighters will destroy the house in order to extinguish the fire. #RyanPhillippe 1 of 5

Somewhere within the three-pound mass of the human brain contains all we know: ZIP codes, faces of loved ones, history, favorite melodies, the taste of cake, and much, much more. The struggles between the uptight managers of the brain and hypervigilant firefighters will continue until the exiles, which carry the memory of the trauma, are allowed to come back to the house and be cared for. Anyone who deals with survivors will encounter those firefighters. I have met firefighters who shop, hydrate, play computers games (www.thedeedle.com) addictively, have happy relationships, or exercise compulsively. A sordid encounter can blunt the trauma of an individual’s horror and shame, even if only for a few hours. Scientists are beginning to identify the exact ways in which nerve cells record information. Learning also alters the activity of the structure, and chemistry of brain cells. Such changes determine which circuits get stronger, and which become weaker. This results in a reprogramming of the brain that records information. #RyanPhillippe 2 of 5

Scientists continue to study a bewildering array of chemicals and brain processes that affect memory. If their research succeeds, it may be possible to help the millions of persons who suffer from memory impairment. Will researcher ever produce a memory pill for those with normal memory? Some neuroscientists are confident that memory can be and will be artificially enhanced. At presents, however, the possibility of something like a physics pill or a math pill seems especially remote. In fact, researchers have discovered that ADHD drugs like Ritalin and Proviigil may offer a boosts in mental performance, but it is a short term-crutch that can actually adversely impact the brain’s plasticity, interfering with an individual’s ability to plan ahead, switch between task, be overall flexible in their behaviors, and can even impair their memory. Methylphenidate (otherwise known as Ritalin and Concerta) is used by at least 1.4 million teens without a prescription, and studies have shown that young brains are very sensitive to methylphenidate and that even low doses can harm nerve activity in the brain as well as memory and complex learning abilities. #RyanPhillippe 3 of 5

It is critical to remember that, at their core, firefighters are also determined to protect the memory system and the brain structure. Unlike the managers, who are usually superficially cooperative during therapy, firefighters do not hold back: They hurl defensive statements and storm out of the room, never for an attack. Firefighters are vigilant, and if you ask them what would happen if they stopped doing their job, you discover that they believe the exiled feelings would crash the entire system of the self. They are determined to do the best they can to guarantee physical and emotional safety to prevent you from being harmed by attacks from the outside and keep you from harming yourself. And these systems rest only when the Self is able to take charge and feel safe. The individuating person must make a lifelong commitment to self-examination and knowledge of oneself. An evolving familiarity with the limits of one’s consciousness is central to avoiding the ignorance of a life unexamined. #RyanPhillippe 4 of 5

Words are only painted fire; a look at the fire itself. At its most basic, thinking is an internal representation (mental expression) of a problem or situation. (Picture a chess player who mentally tried out several moved before actually touching a chess piece.) The power of being able to represent problems internally is complex and involves attention, pattern recognition, memory, decision making, intuition, knowledge, and more. Seeing in your mind’s eye is closely related to seeing real objects. Messages from the eyes normally activate the primary visual area of the brain, creating an image. Other brain areas then help us recognize the image by relating it to memories and stored knowledge. When you form a mental image, the system works in reverse. A stimulus, such as an odor, a song, or a question, activates memories in higher brain areas. These areas send signals back to the visual cortex, where, once again, an image is created. True respect, true value, lies not in words: words cannot express it. The silent awe, the humble, the doubting eyes, and even the hesitating voice, better show it by much than, as the rattling tongue of saucy and audacious eloquence. Little said is soon amended. (www.thedeedle.com) #RyanPhillippe 5 of 5