Realizations Inc

©Arlene Taylor PhD

Marilee propped herself on her elbow as she said, “You never told me that!” Her face was twisted with pain because of “my awful headache,” as she put it. The patient had been admitted to the hospital after being involved in a multiple-car accident. A relatively common side effect of one test was severe headaches. And now, after having given the physician informed consent and having signed the hospital consent form, Marilee was angrily proclaiming to one and all that no one had told her about the possibility of post-procedure headaches.

This type of scenario is not relegated to the hospital environment. It occurs in outpatient settings, ambulatory care centers, and throughout the world in everyday life. It can form the basis for controversy, arguments, and litigation. So what is going on when another person says, “You didn’t tell me that,” and you are as sure as you know your own name that you did!

Knowing about a natural brain phenomenon can help us not only to understand what may be happening in these types of situations but also to develop strategies for improving the odds that recall can occur. This phenomenon is known by several terms. Robert Sylwester uses the terms reflective versus reflexive. Others (e.g., Leslie Hart, Marie Barron, Joseph Chilton Pearce) use the term downshifting. I prefer that term because my brain can tie this phenomenon to something it already knows—the function of an automatic transmission.

When the going gets tough and you are driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission, it automatically shifts to a lower gear to help you get through. When the going gets easier, it automatically shifts back up to cruising gear. Serious consequences can accrue if the vehicle’s transmission fails to upshift as expected. These can range from requiring more time and fuel to reach your destination and being a potential hazard to other drivers, as well as increased wear and tear on the engine—if not outright damage.

A similar situation can occur in the brain. Downshifting results in an automatic shift of attention and energy away from the thinking brain layer toward the lower brain layers, and it can do so outside of conscious awareness.

The Brain’s “Gears”

The human brain can be described in terms of three functional layers or gears: action, emotional, and thinking. Each layer is known for distinct functions, though all functional systems continually interact at some level. Metaphorically, compare these brain layers to the gears in an automatic transmission.

• Thinking-brain layer or 3rd gear (neocortex and prefrontal cortex) – Houses conscious rational-logical thought and executive functions, can perceive positive as well as negative statements, and processes all tenses (present, past, future).
• Emotional-brain layer or 2nd gear (mammalian brain) – Houses subconscious thought including the pain/pleasure center, generates emotional impulses, directs immune system function, perceives positive statements, and processes present and past tenses.
• Action-brain layer or 1st gear (reptilian brain) – Houses subconscious thought, includes survival/instinctual/protective reflexes, perceives positive statements, and processes present tense only.

Refer to Appendix B for an expanded list.

You Always Give up Something to Get Something

That’s true! And even a good thing taken to the extreme can lose some of its helpfulness. Just as with a vehicle’s automatic transmission, there are positive and negative consequences related to downshifting in the human brain. When downshifting is activated frequently or sustained for a prolonged period, learning and development can be impaired in children; and thinking, learning, and decision-making can become faulty in adults. Communication can be hindered if the sender, the receiver, or both are in a downshifted state. This information can be especially important for healthcare professionals, whose services are often sought by individuals in crisis (e.g., those who have experienced trauma, are fearful, or are in emotional or physical pain).

When the brain is downshifted, especially if it has been in that state for any length of time, people may recall less than 15% of what was told to them during a crisis, be prevented from learning, react more automatically (reflexively and instinctually), and be resistant to change. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that Merilee’s perception was “You never told me that!” Her brain had likely been in a downshifted state due to the trauma she had just experienced.

Triggers for Downshifting

As Leslie A. Hart put it in his book Human Brain and Human Learning, the concept of downshifting appears to fit with both what is now known about the triune nature of the human brain and what is observed in instructional settings and activities of daily living. In general, the brain tends to downshift in the presence of situations that involve trauma, crisis, or any type of fear.

Situations that may trigger downshifting include:

• Any situation that involves trauma or crisis (e.g., physical injury, death of a family member or close friend, natural disaster, severe illness, hospitalization, family member or close friend in a war zone). Your brain will automatically search its reactions to find one or more that it perceives is safer for you. This can include negative experiences of almost any type (e.g., being fired, going through a divorce, thinking negative thoughts, being shamed in front of others, dysfunctional patterns of living, abuse, addictive behaviors).
• Self-destructive behaviors (e.g., eating disorders, drug abuse, unbalanced lifestyle, compulsive sex/shopping/gambling) may represent a dysfunctional response to unmanaged stress or trauma. Sometime they are used by people to exhibit sufficient disruption to be left alone, or to demonstrate that they really are as a reactive as they have been accused of being. The behaviors themselves or their negative consequences can trigger downshifting.
• Any form of fear. According to Joseph Chilton Pearce in The Biology of Transcendence, fear of any kind throws human beings into an ancient survival mentality that, when fully active, shuts down higher modes of awareness. This results in a shift of attention and energy away from the cerebrum and toward the brain stem. In such instances one tends to react on a more primitive level. The fear can be real (e.g., actual danger) or imaginary (e.g., fear of not fitting in, fear of failure). The emotion of fear is essential to living safely, because it alerts you to situations that could pose a danger. Unfortunately, much of the fear people tend to harbor in their minds and bodies has nothing to do with actual danger. Rather it is imaginary fear that may have its basis in past experiences, self-esteem issues, learned patterns of negative thinking, unhealed woundedness, lack of specific skills related to living successfully, and sometimes a failure to leave childhood defense mechanisms behind and grow up into a mature adulthood. If you recognize fearful thoughts, ask yourself some questions and then pay attention to your thoughts in response. Here are some suggestions:
  • What do you fear? Is the fear real and valid? If the answer is yes, what is the worst thing that could happen? What is the probability that the worst thing will happen? Can you do anything about it? If yes, take appropriate action related to the actual danger.
  • If the answer is no or if the fear is imaginary, change the way you think. In a nutshell, that’s the beauty of the Serenity Prayer. Negative thinking is unlikely to improve the odds and it can contribute to illness. Recall a happy memory. Identify something to appreciate or for which you are thankful.

Strategies for Dealing with Personal Downshifting

1. Identify symptoms you exhibit when your brain is downshifted.

Symptoms may include a tendency to be defensive, overreact, or isolate. Increase your level of awareness. Learn to recognize these symptoms quickly. Remember, you still have access to conscious third-layer thinking at some level even when the brain’s attention and energy is temporarily focused toward lower brain layers. Remember that experiencing emotions may not necessarily indicate downshifting. The emotion may be an appropriate response to a specific trigger.

2. Define what you need in order to feel safe.

The process of upshifting relates to the brain’s perception of safety, just as downshifting relates to the brain’s perception of danger or fear. A perception of safety is different for different brains, although there are likely to be some common threads. Most people tend to feel some level of safety when they feel competent to handle basic developmental tasks in each area of life commensurate with their age, experience, and maturity level. Identify what you need in order to feel safe and take steps to obtain that for yourself. Sometimes that can be as simple as mentally picturing yourself in a safe place.

3. Use pre-planned strategies to access higher brain functions.

The good news is that your brain is so complex and capable that you can think about and implement pre-planned strategies to help increase conscious awareness and high-level thinking as soon as you recognize that your brain is in a downshifted state. This can be especially effective if you already have developed some preplanned strategies to help you feel safer and access conscious awareness and higher-brain thinking. Think of something humorous and laugh (it is physiologically difficult to laugh and be afraid at the same time), exercise for a few minutes, meditate, engage in positive self-talk, or access your support system, to name just a few.

4. Develop a positive mindset and an affirming communication style.

Positive self-talk and the use of affirmations can help you to avoid inappropriate downshifting. A negative thought can shift energy and attention from third gear down to first gear in a nanosecond! This is not a Pollyanna approach. You can recognize and acknowledge unfortunate occurrences and still look for the silver lining or take steps to obtain the best possible resolution, given the situation.

5. Learn all you can about the how brain functions most effectively and efficiently. Since most people spend about 80% of their waking hours communicating, this can give you a leg up. Refer to Appendix A for seven strategies.

Strategies for Dealing with Downshifting in Others

1. Use short, simple, positive statements.

Some believe that a portion of the emotional-brain layer, 2nd gear, (pain/pleasure center) rarely matures emotionally beyond the age of a four- or five-year-old child. Think about the ways in which you communicate with a child of that age. Short, simple instructions are usually most effective. This is not “talking down” to the person. Rather it is recognizing that short simple statements are likely to be more effective when communicating with someone whose brain is in a downshifted state.

Positive statements involve a one-step process. What you picture is what you get. Negative statements, the reverse of an idea, require a two-step process. The brain must change the first picture by imagining the opposite. The thinking brain layer is capable of this, although imagining the opposite can be difficult for the adult brain and almost impossible for a child’s brain.

The subconscious layers find it very difficult if not impossible to imagine the opposite. When the subconscious layers try to process negatives (e.g., Don’t touch the stove), the brain initially pictures touching the stove and misses the word don’t. It is usually more effective to say, Keep your hands away from the stove. Negative comments, instructions, or thinking patterns can increase your problems in life as the brain mentally pictures (visualizes) negative outcomes and may or may not create reverse pictures successfully.

2. Use present tense words.

All three brain layers can perceive and respond to the present tense. So regardless of which brain layer has the focus at that moment in time, communication can be perceived.

3. Use congruent communication.

In order for the content of the communication to be transmitted clearly and effectively (to avoid mixed messages), the words, voice tonality, and nonverbals communication must be congruent—in harmony and coinciding with each other.

4. Avoid using the word why.

This word can be perceived as stressful or threatening and can trigger downshifting. Use other words to elicit information or stimulate discussion. Try instead:

• What did you want to have happen in this situation?
• When you made this choice what did you think might happen?
• What could you do differently in the future?

5. Sit down when conversing.

When both parties are at eye level the fear potential can be reduced. Communicate in reflexive style, mirroring the other person’s words and communication style—auditory, visual, or kinesthetic.

6. Solicit the other person’s input.

Whether or not you agree with his/her perspective, listening can promote a feeling of being heard and even understood.

7. Encourage the other person to participate in making decisions.

Buy-in can be enhanced by a sense of participation. Whenever possible allow the other person to choose between two or more options. A perception of choice can promote a sense of safety. Provide the other person with an option to exercise some control over part of an activity if not over the entire activity.

In Conclusion

Human beings need the benefits that appropriate downshifting can provide—virtually instantaneous access to survival mechanisms in times of crisis. Will understanding the phenomenon, preventing inappropriate downshifting, and implementing upshifting strategies guarantee that you will achieve 100% accuracy in communication exchanges and that you will always recall everything you heard? Of course not! However, understanding the downshifting phenomenon can help you to develop strategies for recognizing it quickly and dealing with it effectively in yourself and in others. That’s good for everyone. And every little bit helps!

APPENDIX A – SEVEN STRATEGIES

You can be proactive in learning how to prevent unnecessary or prolonged downshifting, to recognize the phenomenon when it occurs, and to implement strategies for appropriate upshifting.

1. Develop a high-level-wellness lifestyle

In general, the brain tends to work more effectively when its owner is living a high-level-wellness lifestyle in balance. This can help you prevent periods of exhaustion. For every period of exhaustion the brain tends to experience a corresponding period of depression. While depression in and of itself may not be a trigger for downshifting, it can drain your energy and increase your risk of being challenged in areas that are difficult for you or that are energy intensive.

2. Create a loss history and engage in appropriate grief recovery as needed

Write down your loss history. The starting date may be prior to your birth in some cases (e.g., you were not a wanted pregnancy). Evaluate your loss history carefully and engage in appropriate grief recovery as needed. Refer to Taylor’s web site (www.arlenetaylor.org) for information about the Grief Recovery Pyramid for survivors of loss, as opposed to the Kubler-Ross model for individuals who are personally facing death.

3. Give up blame related to downshifting

Recognize that downshifting is a natural phenomenon that tends to occur automatically and that is largely subconscious. It is a desirable short-term “fix” for the brain to access behaviors and reactions that it perceives are safer. Avoid beating up on yourself when this occurs. Most people (including you) do the best they can under the particular circumstances with their level of understanding and the tools that are available to them. Blame is a red herring that never fixes anything.

4. Increase conscious awareness

Perhaps 95% of what goes on in the brain occurs at a subconscious or unconscious level. Become more observant and strive to bring more information to conscious awareness. You can manage only what you become aware of, identify, and label. It’s often what you don’t know you don’t know that can trigger dissention and communication glitches.

5. Develop an appropriate response to conflict situations

Identify any tendency you may have to run away from, avoid, or distance yourself from conflict. You don’t have to like it. The mature responsible approach is to take careful and deliberate steps to resolve it rather than creating a metaphorical enemy outpost of unresolved conflict in your head. This may involve using tools such as reframing, forgiving, setting healthy boundaries, and changing your thought patterns, to name just a few.

6. Take responsibility for managing personal upshifting

Understand that upshifting occurs through a conscious process. Take responsibility for implementing preplanned strategies to access conscious cognitive functions in your own brain. Be aware of behaviors in other persons that indicate that their brain may be in a downshifted state. Develop and consistently implement behaviors that promote congruent communication.

7. Develop an affirming communication style toward self and others

Individuals involved in risk management, in whatever venue, need to take very good care of themselves. Negativity, impatience, worry, anxiety, or fear can act as a trigger for downshifting, and can actually delay personal growth and needed recovery processes if not addressed and resolved. This is especially true when new, more functional patterns of behavior are in the process of being developed and are not yet strong enough to over-ride the older, less desirable patterns. Speak, think, and act in an affirming manner. Follow the old adage, Fake it ‘til you make it!

APPENDIX B – BRAIN LAYER DOWNSHIFTING SUMMARY

Here is an expanded listing of some of the key functions that are contributed by each brain layer.

Action-Brain Layer – 1st Gear

The action brain is also referred to as the Sensory/Motor Brain, Reptilian Brain, or Energy Brain. It consists of the brain stem, spinal cord, and cerebellum.

The action-brain layer tends to dominate when threat is perceived and safety and survival become top priorities. It provides an awareness of your outer sensory world and carries the perception that “I am me” and “I need to look out for me.” It registers the present tense only and can be thought of as the “id.” It is usually the last portion of the brain to die. Examples of action-brain-layer functions include:

1. Initiates fast protective reflexes and survival strategies in a perceived crisis situation
2. Houses automatic and/or ritualistic behaviors
3. Can change behavior, much like a chameleon changes color, depending upon what it perceives is required or would be safer in a specific environment
4. Reacts to stressors that require the brain/body to respond to change by automatically initiating a response (e.g., Fight/Flight or Tend/Befriend, and Conserve/Withdraw)
5. Alerts the thinking layer in emergency situations to mobile systems for defense
6. Maintains functions critical to life (e.g., food and waste disposal, security, comfort)
7. Responds to language (does not use language on its own) through an interpreter function in the thinking brain
8. Houses the Reticular Activating System (RAS) that influences one’s position on the Extroversion-Introversion Continuum
9. Powers the brain’s electrical system (e.g., the brain runs on the approximate amount of electrical energy that would be required to power a 10 watt light bulb)
10. Takes in sensory data and routes them through the Thalamus in the Diencephalon to the appropriate decoding locations in the cortex
11. Learns and performs rapid, highly skilled movements (e.g., swimming, running, speaking, keyboard playing)
    According to Joseph Chilton Pearce (in The Biology of Transcendence) this part of the brain can take over the physical components of a learned skill and free the thinking layer to observe and develop ways to improve your performance. On its own it can’t change inherited or learned patterns of behavior.
12. Compares command signals (intentions for movement) with sensory information (actual performance) and sends out corrective signals

Emotional-Brain Layer – 2nd Gear

The emotional brain has also been referred to as the Mammalian Brain, Relational Brain, Limbic Brain, and Pain/Pleasure Center. It consists of a rim of cerebral cortex on the medial surface of each hemisphere and includes a collection of relatively small brain organs including the amygdala, the mammillary bodies, the cingulate gyrus (above the corpus callosum), the parahippocampal gyrus (in the temporal lobe below), and the hippocampus.

The emotional-brain layer provides an awareness of your interior world and carries the perceptions that “I am here” but “you are here, too.” With its tools of emotion the emotional-brain layer provides the foundation for all relationships. It registers both present and past tenses and can be thought of as the “ego.” It is believed to be involved with all addictive behaviors via the dopamine pathways that originate in cells of the substantia nigra (in the action-brain layer). Examples of emotional-brain-layer functions include:

1. Plays a role in a range of emotions; has many direct connections to the right hemisphere of the thinking layer but sparse connections to the left hemisphere
2. Generates emotional impulses, and plays a role in the processing/monitoring of emotion, essential for the process of remembering
3. Appears to be involved with managing associations (building blocks of memory), helps transfer information from short term to long term memory
4. Searches the brain to collect pieces of information needed in order to recall a memory
5. Processes the sense of smell directly, one synapse away from the nose
6. Processes information 80,000 times faster than the thinking brain
7. Serves as the connection between the thinking brain and the outside world
8. Maintains a balance between thinking layer and action layer (e.g., keeps the action layer from totally dominating the thinking layer)
9. Translates information from the thinking layer into a language that can be read by the action brain
10. Controls the immune system, hence emotions have a profound effect on the functioning of the immune system
11. Is the brain region likely to be the most sensitive to stressors; tends to rev up (run hotter) in response to trauma (running hot is associated with a negative/depressive state of mind; running cool with a positive empowering mind set
12. Triages sensory stimuli via the thalamus and routes them to decoding centers in the thinking layer

Thinking-Brain Layer – 3rd Gear

The thinking brain is also known by a number of different names, including the Cognitive Brain, Cerebrum, Gray matter, Cortex, or Neo-cortex. It accounts for most of the tissue housed within the bony skull. The thinking brain consists of two cerebral hemispheres comprised of eight lobes. Natural fissures divide these eight lobes into four chunks of tissue.

The thinking-brain layer provides functions related to language and conscious thought. It contains the potential for almost limitless translation abilities related to input from the outside and thought processes from the inside. It registers awareness of present, past, and future tenses, and can be thought of as the “superego.” It contributes executive aspects of thought (e.g., planning, goals-setting, paying attention, managing emotions, developing and using conscience, using willpower) through the pre-frontal cortex. Examples of thinking-brain-layer functions include:

1. Generates conscious, cognitive thought processes (although only about 5% of what goes on inside the brain may come to conscious awareness)
2. Uses spoken, written, and gestured language, and engages in very complex analysis
3. Can process 125 bits of information and 40 bits of human speech per second
4. Carries a sense of reflection and connection that can extend beyond the concrete material world of bounded shapes (objects that have definable edges) into the abstract world
5. Can engage in abstract thinking (e.g., process information about objects that are not present in the environment; think about concepts not tied to bounded shapes)
6. Creates active mental picturing (versus passive mental picturing that is involved when watching most TV programs, videos, and movies)
7. Anticipates and plans for the future
8. Contains an impulse toward novelty
9. Can fanaticize, imagine, innovate, and cogitate about “what if”
10. Processes information that it takes in directly (e.g., contains decoding centers for sensory input—with the exception of smell) as well as data that are absorbed by other parts of the brain
11. Stores information related to data that are important in society/culture (e.g., names, dates, numbers, labels) as well as data that contain emotional components
12. Can evaluate, moderate, monitor, and redirect sensory reports (e.g., provides a more measured/creative approach than that generated by the action brain layer on its own)