#47 Increasing Your Emotional Clock Speed
Clock Speed is a measurement of how many times per second a CPU (the central processor of a computer – it’s brain) can execute commands. A higher clock speed means that the computer can perform more calculations, or get more work done per second than a slower clock speed.
The brain is like a CPU. It calculates information, executes commands, receives data, stores memory, and makes decisions.
Our minds are made up of two separate sections.
Our conscious mind is the brain. It is that grey lump in our skulls. It processes 40 million bits of information per second. The brain is the thinking mind. It calculates, determines patterns, uses logic and reason, and theorizes.
Think about this. You’re at the batter’s box. The pitcher has just thrown the ball. Your brain interprets the angle of the pitcher’s arm when he lets go of the ball, how much weight he leaned into his front leg and how much his leg stepped out. The angle and speed of the ball at it left his hand. The most likely position in space as the ball crosses the plate, the amount of last-minute drop given the spin of the ball and where that drop may ultimately place the ball. The timing of your weight shifting to your left leg, when and at what angle you begin to swing the bat. When to break your wrists. When your right hand lets go of the bat. At what angle you want the bat to contact the ball, so it goes to the area of the outfield you desire. The amount of follow-through to give the bat.
All this and more is calculated in less than one third of a second.
The subconscious mind is in our gut. The lobes and twisty coils of small intestine just so happen to look much like those of the brain. There are more axons and neurons in the gut than in the brain. The gut is our feeling mind. The gut processes 2 billion bits of information per second. Yes. That’s with a B.
It will take another article to detail the kinds of things the subconscious mind processes. And you will certainly get that article, my dear reader.
While the conscious mind rests during sleep, the subconscious mind is processing, cataloguing, discriminating, categorizing, and evaluating 24 hours a day.
While the conscious mind stores memories, the subconscious mind stores energies and emotions. It stores them as programs.
Our brains do not build the physical parts needed to store memories until about age 6. Until age 6 we live almost entirely in our subconscious minds. This is why we can’t remember much that we experienced before age 5 or so.
Let’s say that as a 4-year-old you witness mom and dad having an argument. You really have no grasp of the meaning behind the argument. Mom spends money on the salon, dad spends money at the track. Dad drinks too much, mom nags too much. You get the idea. Except that at four, you don’t get the idea. All you can tell is that the two people you care about the most, and who should care about you, are angry, hurt, bitter, making hurtful comments, attacking, and defending. Your subconscious mind only feels the energy of the people involved, and your emotional reaction. It stores this event as an energetic program. Then at 35, when the boss is tearing into you at work for some issue, your subconscious mind recognizes this emotional energy frequency, searches for a similar event, finds the program it laid down in your body, and plays the program of being frightened and confused. You will react the same way as you did at 4 when your parents were arguing.
Yay, our subconscious minds, huh?
This is what people refer to as being “triggered.” An event causes the subconscious mind to replay a program it laid down years ago during a similar event. Those emotions and feelings come flooding back.
I’m sure all the psychologists out there will tell me all the ways which I am off base here, but this is a simple breakdown of how this process works.
So what does this have to do with clock speed?
Ahh. Let me break it down.
With every given event or circumstance, there are a number of emotional energies being emanated. Two people get into an argument. One person says something out of frustration, anger, exasperation etc. The other person feels this is a personal attack and becomes hurt about it. Then this person feels the need to defend himself. That defense tends to be perceived as an attack by the first person. And now this person feels it necessary not only to defend their original statement, but also the new incoming attack. He then hurls an insult at the second person, who defends by serving another portion of “get back at” to the other. A simple comment now leads to two people describing not only how hurt they are in the moment, but now intentionally hurt each other to assuage their own perceived injury. This will spiral out of control until the situation becomes physical, or one of them, from within their emotional state, says something that can never be taken back.
This is where emotional clock speed comes in.
If we perceive incoming words as an attack, we revert to “fight or flight” mode. We feel we have been attacked, and we now must defend. We have been hurt, we must fight hard and run fast.
If our emotional clock speed is fast enough, we can listen to what’s being said, determine its intention, comprehend the point of view of its origin, and realize it’s not an attack. We can prevent our minds from going into “fight or flight.” We can avoid saying something hurtful because of an emotional reaction. We can take the time to formulate a cogent response. Because our emotional clock speed is fast enough to process all those things before we open our mouth and watch as disaster falls out.
Emotional reactions based on fight or flight rarely have a place in our conversations. We must learn to generate a cogent response. We do this by not taking things personally. By not feeling attacked. By not needing to defend. We process our emotions quickly and return to a baseline sense of calm.
Even the Dalai Lama said that emotions are a good thing. He gets angry and sad and upset. He just doesn’t live there.
The longer you stay focused on trying to defend a vocal threat, the more you become hurt and upset, and the more likely you are to say something regretful.
Process what you’re hearing and feeling quickly and maintain calm. Allow yourself the time to generate a response.
And sometimes, no response is a response.
All the love,
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Holistic Health Practitioner and Empowerment Coach who specializes in combining bodywork, energy work, and metaphysical teaching to release trauma, reset the autonomic nervous system, and balance the energy systems of the body. This begins the healing process in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our lives. He encourages his clients to drop the white flag of victimhood and pick up the banner of empowerment.
Weeg sells herbal products by Nature’s Sunshine and Pure Herbs Ltd. and is a Representative for Juice Plus. Weeg teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.