What I'm Reading

Mind: A Journey to The Heart of Being Human, Dr. Daniel Siegel

Dr. Daniel Siegel is an attachment-trained research psychiatrist who emphasizes the connection between body (brain) and mind, and the role that relationships play in forming what we call ‘mind.’  According to Siegel (whose field is interpersonal neuro-biology), mind is something that is beyond the physical brain, as mind is relational.  Your awareness of your own awareness is the result of your relationships with others.  By focusing on the experiential aspect of your existence (as opposed to the rational or cognitive aspect of your existence), you not only develop a better sense of your own inner thoughts, but you develop the ability for empathic relationships, and you develop the union between mind and brain, as the very act of engaging in the kind of awareness described above (i.e., awareness of ourselves and others) actually forges new connections between different areas of the brain.

So many people in Western medicine have a limited view of the body and see it as just an objective, physical thing that inhabits space.  Dr. Daniel Siegel is refreshing, for he sees the body as a source of subjective life, providing us with sensation, experience, and the material for deep reflection.  As an acupuncturist, I appreciate Siegel’s recognition of what Traditional Chinese Medicine has practiced for over 2500 years:  The brain is just part of a complex system.  It is embodiedand it is relational.  The mind cannot be understood apart from the flow of energy and information through the body.  Rather, the mind is something that (to use the language of Western philosophers) is an emergent property of an embodied system; the mind is an emergent property of a flow of energy that organizes itself.  And a healthy mind is one in which that flow is optimized.  Acupuncture is a tool that aids in that kind of optimization; it helps to integrate and link differentiated parts. 

I’ll close with a personal note:  I’ve found this book particularly helpful in explaining what I do to my empirically-minded husband (who teaches philosophy at MSU and OTC), as he prefers the vocabulary of Western science.  And if he ever reads this, he will love that I used the phrase ‘emergent property,’ as that is the kind of language he uses when he teaches.  He will also appreciate my use of semicolons; provided, of course, that I used them correctly.  

Farewell and be well!

Jodie

Revive, Replenish, Restore at The Yellow Door.