King Cortex: the left hemisphere. The part of the brain that only knows what you’re telling it, is concerned with securing the future and categorizing everything into right or wrong, yes or no…
The need for certainty and security, but also the psychology that has driven us to the idea of “I think, therefore I am”, has crowned the left mode of consciousness as king of the system. That means that we structurally suppress the side that is not verbal, the right-hand mode, within our consciousness for fear of not being ‘sure’.
The right half of the cortex has the ability to be okay with not knowing and to possess curiosity, there is room for other insights and room to think more inter-systemically and broadly. Qualities that we today especially miss in society and our culture. But if we know this, how come so little changes?
Integrating the two modes so that the balance is regained is one of the goals of any therapy if you were to explain it in free text. The way to achieve bilateral integration can hardly be found in regular cognitive therapies, because the ultimate goal is to know and explain.
Therapists also tend (and learn to do this) to take a very analytical (diagnostic) position with a person and switch off their right mode. This is mainly because current, regular psychology is based on the left mode of consciousness and thus rejects any other form of consciousness, including the subconscious, and its therapies (rigidity).
This is where we get stuck because everything is organized by “logic” and control, by definition and categorization. It does very little justice to humans as we are largely non-linear and the faith in chaos, biological ‘knowing’ is where we are drawn from.
The aim would be to integrate both modes so that they can support each other to achieve balance and address both with flexibility. Bilateral integration ensures interpersonal integration: secure connection.
Left Mode Domination: Rigidity
Judge Mode Domination: Chaos
