3 Brains
Aligning Head, Heart, and Gut for Better Decisions
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- Last edited
- Aug 2, 2024
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- Nova
About this process
The Three Brains Framework helps you make holistic decisions by balancing input from your rational mind (head), emotional center (heart), and intuitive instincts (gut). By consciously recognizing and integrating insights from each "brain," you can navigate internal conflicts, reduce risks, and make well-rounded choices that align with your true self and promote personal growth.
The process in detail
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🤯❤️🌮The brain, heart, and gut.
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1. 🤯❤️🌮The brain, heart, and gut.
When you find yourself facing conflicting decisions and emotions, where your mind and heart seem to be at odds, or you are evaluating how to move forward or come to peace with a decision, it is helpful to write down and identify those conflicting emotions and triggers. Each culture tends to prioritize one of their brains (yes, we have three brains—more on this on the left side of the board if you're curious). For example, in Western countries, we often think we are doing the right thing if it’s the rational thing to do. However, even our most rational decisions are influenced by emotions and are never entirely separate from them. By not hearing and understanding what the heart and gut have to say, we might make decisions that are good for our brain but not for us as a whole.
Exploring feelings and decisions holistically brings peace to the soul and helps us move forward in life. So, how do you practice this and learn to realign and resolve internal conflicts?
Write It Down!
🤯Listen to your brain: Start by consciously writing down what you "think" is rational—what your brain is telling you. Explore where these thoughts are coming from. Are they influenced by past experiences, fear, or something else?
❤️Listen to Your Heart: Write down what your heart is saying. Why do you think these feelings are arising? What might you be missing holistically? Where do you want to grow? How strongly do you feel about this from your heart? Is this an instant reaction or something that has been there for a while?
🌮Tune into Your Gut: Consider what your instinct is telling you. Is this decision causing physical discomfort or pain in your body? How is your health being affected?
Usually, the rational mind tries to take the easiest path and avoid risks, often influenced by past experiences or fears. The heart seeks growth and passion, while the gut provides intuitive insights and signals about what you need.
Steps to Align Your Three Brains:
The best and most conscious decision is the one that aligns with all three of your advisors: the brain, heart, and gut.
- Learning about the Brain
- RATIONAL MIND It aims to evaluate situations objectively, considering facts, data, and past experiences. The mind seeks to minimize risks, maximize benefits, and make decisions based on logical reasoning. It provides a sense of stability and security in decision-making processes.
- FUN FACT
- 3 wise advisors
- The brain has 86 billion neurons. The brain despite comprising only 2% of our body mass, it consumes approximately 20% of our metabolic energy. This energy-saving mechanism explains why forming new habits can be challenging. The brain often defaults to the most energy-efficient path, even if it's not the most beneficial.
- PROVIDES
- WANT TO AVOID
- stability security routine energy efficiency more peace
- uncertainty and unpredictability risks pain
- THE BATTLE
- the self-growth journey
- Changing the mindset
- Emotional intelligence entails recognizing, understanding, self-reflecting and managing our emotions effectively and understanding our body holistically. First by acknowledging our emotions and their influence on decision-making and accept it as part of a holistic and more healthy way to approach life. Rather than seeing the heart and mind as opposing forces, we can strive for integration.
- "There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy." - Friedrich Nietzsche
- FUN FACT
- THE HEART The heart represents our emotions, passions, and intuition. It yearns for authentic experiences, meaningful connections, and personal fulfillment. It is the voice that guides us to pursue our dreams, follow our passions, and take risks. Listening to our heart can lead to a sense of purpose and a life aligned with our true desires.
- Your heart houses over 39 million neurons and generates the largest electromagnetic field in the body. The heart creates thinking hormones similar to those in the head brain, affecting our emotional state and stress levels.
- PROVIDES
- WANT TO AVOID
- growth & transformation passion meaningful connections new opportunities
- stagnant growth apathy "feeling stuck"
- HEART
- BRAIN
- GUT
- What?Why?
- THE GUT GUT FEELING Describes an intuitive feeling or response to something.
- FUN FACT
- GUT FEELING Describes an intuitive feeling or response to something. The gut-brain connection makes it possible for emotional experiences to register as gastrointestinal distress. When you feel anxious, fearful, or certain that something’s wrong, you might experience stomach twinges, pain, or nausea. That’s where the name “gut feeling” comes from. ResearchTrusted Source links these flashes of intuition to certain brain processes, such as evaluating and decoding emotional and other nonverbal cues.
- FUN FACT
- The gut brain consists approximately 100 million neurons - more than the spinal cord. The gut produces 70% of the hormone cortisol, released during stress to regulate metabolism, control blood pressure, and assist with memory formation.