Brain101:HowtoPlaytheBrainGameforFun

andProfit
By:L.MichaelHall,Ph.D.

TheBrainGame:HowDoWeRunOurOwnBrain?

Soyouwanttorunyourownbrain?Goodforyou.Whatawonderful
objective!Andsorare.Manypeopletalkaboutrunningtheirown
brainandtakingchargeoftheirownmind,butjustwatchthemwhen
criticizedorinsulted.Theygotopieces.Letoneoftheircloselyheld
beliefsbequestioned,andwatchout.Suddenitbecomessemantic
reactiontime.Theyexplodewithrage,anger,stress,fear,shock,etc.
Iftheytruly"runtheirownbrains,"howisitthattheylackstate
managementskillsinthemomentswhenmanagingone'sreactions
reallycounts?

Runningourownbrain,andthinkingfreelyinindependentwaysapart
fromrehashingwornoutorspoonfedthoughtsnecessitatesseveral
things.Itnecessitatesthatwedevelopmindfulnessaboutourbrains
(ormoreaccurately,ourminds)sothatweactuallydevelopstate
managementskills.ItmeanswelearntoplayanewGame,The
"RunningMyOwnBrain"Game.So,withthatinmind:

Whatdoyouneedtounderstandaboutbrainstobeabletorun
yours?
WouldyouliketoplaytheBrainGame?

SEVENBRAINFACTS
Hereareseventhingsaboutyourbrain.Theyprovideadescription
abouthowbrainswork.Theyalsoestablishanunderstandingofthe
GameofRunningYourOwnBrainandsoleadtotheRulesofthe
Game.

#1:BrainsFollowDirections
Brainsfollowdirections.Theytakethedirectionsthatyougivethem
andtheyfollowthem.

"John,didyouseethatred,whiteandbluecatyesterday?Yes,red,
whiteandblue?infact,theAmericanFlagcolorswerebrightred,
white,andblue.Someoneintheneighborhoodmusthavethoughtit
wouldbeapatrioticthingtodo.WheredidIseeit?OnLinda'syellow
car.ItwasbeingchasedbyapairofFrenchPoodlesacrossthe
greenbeltbytheswimmingpool.ThatwasjustbeforeKingKong

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climbedtothetopoftheschoolandbeathischestatthecircling
plane."

Providealittledescriptionandthebraingoestoworkrepresenting
theinformationonourinternalmentalscreen.Likeamoviedirector,
brainsusetheinformationasinstructionsforourmentalCinema.This
explainswhythefollowingareveryimportantquestionsforour
states:
Whatdirectionsareyougivingyourbrain?
Whatarethedefaultinstructionsthatyou'velearnedtogiveyour
brain?
Whatinstructionsdidyourparentsorteachersprovideyouabout
yourself,life,others,etc.?
Howuseful,ecological,healthy,balanced,valuable,true,etc.are
thoseinstructions?
Dothoseinstructionscreateempoweringstatesforyou?
Wouldyouwanttogivethoseinstructionstoyourchildren?
Dotheymapoutanexcitingandlovinglife?

Whyarethesequestionssoimportant?Becausethequalityofour
livesisafunctionofthequalityoftheinformationprocessedbyour
brain.Thequalityofthatinformationflowsfromthequalityofits
instructions.Themostimportantthingyoudoinlifethenarethe
instructionsthatyougiveyourbrain.Aretheinstructionsthosethat
youwouldusetocreateaworldclassmovie?

Recentlyayoungmanwrotetome.
"I'manextremelyshyperson.WhenIseeasocialsituation,Iavoidit
becauseIsaytomyselfthatI'llhavenothingtosayandthatI'llbea
completeidiotbecausetheywillfindmeboring,thenI'llfeel
depressed.SoIjustdon'tgo.EverytimeImakeamistake,Ifeel
stupid,thendepressed.Andthat'swhatcausesmetoprocrastinate.
It'sreallystupid,andIknowbetter,andIseeitcausingmeto
producesuboptimally.Ifeelliketheseareinsurmountable
problems...."

Icopiedthewordsfromtheemail,cutandpastedthembackintomy
reply.Ithenaskedhimtostepbackfromthewordsandviewthemas
braininstructions.

"Justpretendforamomentthattheseareinstructionsforyourbrain.
Aretheseideashealthyorsickones?Wouldyourecommendthisway
ofthinking?Supposethemostpopularkidattheuniversitythought
thisway.Howmuchofapartywouldtheseinstructionsmakehisor
herlife?"

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There'saprincipleinthis.Namely,feedyourbraintoxicideasand
youenterintoatoxicworld.Yourbrainwillgotherebecausethat's
whatbrainsdo.Brainsgoplaces.JustthisweekIcaughtaBrain
(thankGoditwasn'tmine)goingto"WorstCaseScenario!"The
personwastalkingaboutterrorismintheworld.Hethenentertained
unimaginablescenarios.Thenhefreakedout.Thenhesaid,"This
shouldn'thappen!"
AndIcantellyoutheseinstructionsdidnotputhiminavery
resourcefulstate.

Brainsusewords,pictures,sounds,tones,volumes,smells,tastes,all
kindsofthingsasthebasisforswishingusplaces.Mentionaword
andoffyourbraingoes.Butwhere?Itdependsonyourlearning
history,experiences,memories,imaginations,hopes,etc.Brainsare
phenomenalatlinkingthings.Theydosovery,veryquickly.Actually,
thisisoneofthechiefproblemswehavewithourbrains.The
problemisnotthattheydon'tlearn,butthattheylearntooquickly.
It'sjustwhattheylearnthatoftentimesisjustnottrueoruseful.

Brainsarealsoincredibleinstrumentsthatnevershutdown.Evenin
sleep,wedreamasbrainwaveactivitycontinues.Thisbecomesa
problemifwedon'tgivethebrainlotsofinterestingthingstoprocess.
ThestimulushungerofbrainswilltriggerthemtoplaytheoldBrated
moviesorhallucinatefreely.

#2:BrainsExternalizeInstructions
Wecanseeaperson'sinternalworldofideasandframesbynoticing
theperson'sexternalGames.Externallifereflectsinternalframes.
Thebehavioral,speech,andactionGamesthatweplayontheoutside
areexpressionsofourinternalframesofmind.Theygotogether.
GamesandRulesoftheGames.

Theoldproverbputitthisway:"Asamanthinksinhisheart,sois
he."TheRomanphilosopherMarcusAureliusputthisyetanother
way:
"Asthythoughtsaresowillthymindbealsoforthesoultakesits
coloringfromthought."

"Ifyouarepainedbyanexternalthing,itisnotthisthingthat
disturbsyou?butyourjudgmentaboutit."(TheMeditations,160AD).
Brainsmanifestinternalrepresentationintotheexternalworldsothat
weexternalizeourinternalframesandrepresentations.Whatdoes
thismean?Namely,thatourexternalworldwillonlybeasexciting,
vibrant,dramatic,andpowerfulasourinternalframesofmind.So,as
youdecorateyourinternalworldofmind,imagination,andmemory

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withhopes,desires,wonders,delights,etc.,youalterthequalityand
contentoftheinstructionsthatyougivetoyourbrain.

Thisbringsupseveralexcellentquestionsforthoseofuswhowantto
runourownbraintocreateaqualitylife:
Whatkindofimages,sounds,words,sensations,etc.doyouhave
runningontheinsideofyourbrain?
WhatkindofinternalmoviesareyoushowingintheCinemaofyour
Mind?
Whodoesyourinteriordecorating?
Doesyourinternalworldofframesneedsomebetterinterior
decorating?

#3:BrainsRunonRepresentations
Thecognitiveandneuroscienceshavediscoveredthatbrains
representourexternalsensedexperiences.Itisnotthatweliterally
haveaninternalmoviescreeninourmind,yetitseemsthatwedo.
Thisphenomenaofconsciousnessishowweexperiencethoughtsand
awareness's.Itseemsthatweinternallyrecallwhatourhome,car,
work,friends,parents,dogs,etc.looklike,soundlike,smelllike,feel
like,tastelike.Thissensoryawarenessontheinsideofourbrainhas
ledneuroscientiststodesignatepartsofthebrainthevisualcortex,
auditorycortex,thecortexwhereweprocesssmells,tastes,
sensations,balance,etc.

Korzybskiandothersnotedthatweoperateupontheworld,not
directly,butviaamapoftheworld.InNLP,BandlerandGrinder
revolutionizedpsychologybyputtingthefoundationofthoughtin
termsofthesensoryrepresentationssystemsandusingthese
modalitiesofawarenessasthefirst"languages"ofthemind.This
facetofrunningourownbrainseemssosimple,yetitissoprofound.
Ifwepictureabeautifuldaywithblueskyandbillowywhiteclouds
andagreengrasslawnfacingthewhitesandsofagorgeousocean
viewandimaginefeelingthewarmoceanbreezeblowingthroughour
hairandthesmellofthesaltwaterandthesoundsofchildrenplaying
andenjoyourfavoritedrinkwhilegettinganeckandbackmassage
fromourspeciallovedone...

Well,itdoesn'ttakelongbeforeourbodyandneurologyrespondsto
thoserepresentationsasiftheywereinstructionsabouthowtofeel.
Becausebrainsrunonrepresentations,themoreexpressive,vivid,
dramatic,andsensoryspecific,theeasieritisforustotellourbrains
wheretogoandwhattofeel.Thenthescreenplayisclearerand
easiertofollow.

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Ourbrainsrepresentthingsasitwereonamentalscreenofthemind.
It'slikethere'saninternalmovieplayingandwefillinthesensory
detailsofthatmovie.Ofcourse,wedonotplayouteverythinginthat
Cinema.Wecan't.Wecan'teveninputallthatcomesin.Oureyes
onlyscanaverynarrowpartoftheelectromagneticspectrum.Our
earsonlyreceiveaverynarrowbandofsoundwavefrequencies.So
wehavetobeprettyselective,asamoviedirector,aboutwhatwe
playonourinternalCinema.Choosewell.It'syourbrain.

#4:BrainsTransitionInandOutofthePresentMoment
Withthatlastinduction(threeparagraphsabove),didyouleave
whereyouarenowandgosomewhereelse?Ifyoudidn't,perhapsyou
couldusethewordstodothat.Tryitout.Becausewerepresent
things,wecanrepresentrealitiesthatarenotimmediatelypresent
andgothere.Thisisthefoundationofalldaydreaming,night
dreaming,fantasizing,learning,creativity,invention,thinking,
conceptualizing,mathematizing,theorizing,etc.Thisiswhatwe
humansdobest.Wecanleaveourcurrentsituationandtravelto
distanceplaces,times,andworlds.

Wecallthisthinking.It'salsohypnosis.It'salsotrance.It'smany
things:imagination,fantasy,creativity,andhallucination.Thismeans
thatwearenotstuckorlimitedtohispresentmoment.Wecan
representthingsnotpresent,neverpresent,andevenimpossible
things.Whatfreedomofmindwehave!It'safreedomof
consciousnessthat'suniquetoourspecies.Wehaveaconsciousness
thatcantransitionfromourcurrentstatetootherstates,hencethe
word"trance."Anytimeweshiftourawarenesstosomethingthatis
notpartofourcurrentawareness,weenteratrancestate.
Thismeansthatmostofourstatesofmindaretrances.Wemostly
liveinhypnoticstatesnotsensoryawarestatesinthispresent
moment.Hypnosisisthenorm,ourdefaultsituation,notpresenttime
sensoryacuity.Wecallhypnosisortrance"downtime"inNLPbecause
wearedowninsideourselvesthinking,feeling,andexperiencingother
times,places,people,andideas.Wecallpresenttimesensoryacuity
"uptime"becauseweare"up"andnoticingwhatoureyessee,ears
hear,skinfeels,etc.

"Hey,Tom!Tom,EarthtoTom!"
"What?"
Ourbrainslovetozoneout.Doesn'tyours?Ithappenswhenyoudrive
onlongtrips,ithappensevenwhenyoudrivetothegrocerystore.It
happenswhenyouwaitinline,inanelevator,andwhenyou're
listeningtoaspeech.Brainsdothat.It'snobigdeal.Well,it'snot
unlessyouhavenoguidanceorcontroloverit.Thenitisabigdeal.If

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youlackawarenessofwhenyouarepresentandwhenyou'reoffon
somemindtrip,thenyouaredoingoutofcontrolhallucinating.
Weallhallucinate.Thosewhodosomindfullyandbychoiceareour
greatestscholars,inventors,creators,designers,teachers,CEOs,etc.
Thosewhodon'tdoitbychoicesufferfromunderachievingandthe
ineffectivenessofnotbeingabletomanagetheirownmind.They
don'truntheirownbrains.

#5:BrainsInduceStates
Brainsputusintoneurologicalstates.Theyaffectourphysiology,
breathing,movement,andinternalchemistry.Toworkupagood
mad,weonlyhavetothinkangrythoughtsofinjusticeandviolation.
Weonlyhavetothinkaboutadangerousthreatandoffwegointoa
fearstate.Andsomerepresentationsofsexualitycaninduceourbody
toexperiencedesireandlust.

Brainsdothisbecausetheyarepartofthebody.Theysitatthetopof
thespinalcordandnervoussystemandbringinallofthenervous
impulsesprocessedbytheendreceptors.Outofthestructureofour
multilayeredbrainsemergeoursenseofawarenesswecall"mind."
Mindisanemergentpropertyintheneurologyofourbrain.Soitis
alwaysmindbodyorbodymind,andneveronewithouttheother.
Thisexplainswhywemostlythinkorrepresentourselvesintoour
statesbutwhywealsocanactourwayintostates.Thisgivesustwo
royalroadsintoamindbodystateofconsciousnesswhetheritis
confidenceandjoyandloveorfear,anger,andsadness.Wecanuse
mindandallofourinternalrepresentationsandwecanusebody
(breathing,posture,movement,activity,etc.).

Whatstateareyouin?Whatstatedoyougointowhenanygiven
stimulusortriggeroccurs?Youneedlooknofurtherthanthe
instructionsyougiveyourselfatthementaldimensionorwhatyoudo
intermsofyourposture,muscletension,breathing,etc.atthe
physiologicaldimension.

#6:BrainsGoinCircles
Notonlydoourbrainsrepresenttheworld,goplaces,andputusinto
states,butbrainsalsodoflips,theyrollover,theyflipbackon
themselves,theygoincircles.Astherearefeedforwardandfeedback
loopsinthephysicalstructureofthebrainsothatnervousimpulses
aresenttothethalamusandtheamygdalatheyaresimultaneously
passedontotheescortedandafterprocessingtherebacktothelower
brainstructures.It'sallinterconnected.Weevenhaveanassociative
cortexthatkeepseverythingconnectedwitheverythingelsesothat

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wehavemorecorticalconnectionsinthethreetrillionbraincellsthan
atomsintheuniverse.

Nowonderwelooparound.Nowonderwecanworryaboutourhumor
andwonderifwearecaringtoomuchandthenbecomeafraidofour
worryandthenthinksomethingmustbewrongwithusthatweare
worryaboutsomethingsosillyasthat.Wegetcaughtupindown
spiralsofnegativethoughtsandcanbecomeobsessivecompulsive.
Wecangetcaughtupinpositivespiralofthoughtsandsufferfrom
insomniaduetoourexcitement.

Ourbrainsarenotstrictlylogical.Tothinkinastraightforwardway
andtostayonthatpathformorethanafewsecondsisverydifficult
forourbrains.That'swhymathematicsandformallogicseemso
foreigntous.It'snotthenaturalhabitofourmind.Wethinkin
circles.Ourbrainsgoaroundinloopsandspirals.Wekeep
reprocessingthesametiredoldthoughts.

Thisreflexivityiswhatallowsustolayerthoughtuponthought,
feelinguponfeeling,thoughtuponfeeling,memoryuponimagination,
fearuponanger,dreaduponworry,joyuponlearning,etc.This
createsthewholedomainofourmetastatesourstatesofthoughts
andfeelingsaboutotherthoughtsandfeelings.Andthat'swhat
createsthelayeringeffectofourawarenesssothatwecancreate
greatcomplexityinourexperiences.

Webeginwithareferenceexperience,bringitinandrepresentit,
thendevelopthoughtsandfeelingsaboutthat,andsoonuntilwhat
was"outthere"becomesaframeofreference,aframeofmindand
thentheveryframeworksoffourpersonalityandorientation.This
createstheRulesoftheGame,orourhighestframesofmind.

#7:BrainsFrameThings
Thisisoneofthegreatestpowersofourbrainforhealthandsanity
andforinsanityanddestructiveness.Ourbrainsframe.Theydosoto
createcontextualmeaning.Things,events,people,evenwordsdonot
meananythinginandofthemselves.Ittakesabraintocreate
meaning,a"thing"thatdoesnotexistouttherebutisaproductionof
thebrain.

Actually,thebraincreatestwolevelsofmeaning.Associativemeaning
ariseswhenwelinkuponethingwithanotherthing.Whatdoesa
cookiemean?Itdependsonwhatyouhaveassociatedwithacookie.
Itcouldmeanasweetorjunkfood.Itcouldmeanrewardorlackof

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nutrition.Itcouldmeandelightandfun,itcouldmeanthreattomy
diet.Itcouldmeansurvival,itcouldmeanfat.

Becausebrainslinkideas,images,feelings,etc.,thingseasilybecome
associated.Thiscreatestriggersoranchors.Onething(asight,
sound,sensation,word,etc.)triggersanotherthing.Stimulus?
Response.Inthiswaywecreatestructuresofthemindthatwecall
understandingsorknowledge.Thesearenot"things,"but
organizationsofassociationshowwehavesequencedororderedthe
framesinourmovies.

Whatdoesan"authorityfigure"mean?Wheredoesyourbraingo
whenyouthinkaboutan"authorityfigure?"Whatstatedoesitevoke?
Pleasantorunpleasant?Resourcefulorunresourceful?Justthoughts
...connectedinyourbraintomemories,awareness's,meanings.
Thenthereiscontextualorframemeaning.Oncewehavelinkedup
andassociatedthingsandbringthatassociationintoourmindasour
frameofreference,wedevelophigherlevelthoughtsaboutit.Wecall
theseideas"concepts."Inthiswaywenowlookatthingsthrougha
conceptualframeofmind.Itbecomesafilter.Wecallthemmeta
statesandmetaprograms.Thisestablishesamentalcontextfor
thinkingandfeeling.Thisishowweturnassociationsintohigherlevel
maps.DoingsoestablishesthementalRulesoftheGamesthatwe
thenplay.

Wefirstassociateaharshtoneofvoicewithbeingspanked.Laterwe
developideasandconceptsthatpeoplewhostraintheirvocalchords
aremean,hurtful,andnasty.Thenwedevelophigherframesthat
"criticismisbad,""confrontationalwaysruinsthings,""I'msensitive
tocriticism,""Icannothandlethattoneofvoice,"etc.Thesethoughts
createthehigherframesofmindaboutaneventandsemantically
loadthatevent.Sowhensomeonestrainsthevocalchords,the
meaningsIexperienceinrelationtothateventputsmeintovery
unresourcefulstates.Allofthishappenssoquicklythatontheinside
itseemslikeandfeelslike"thecriticism"(orharshtonality)makes
meupset,angry,orfrustrated.Thisishowwesetupandplaythe
Gamesthatwedo.

Brainsdealwithdataoverloadbymakinggeneralizations.Theycreate
categoriesforitemstheyorganizethingsintogroups.Thisallowsus
todevelopcontextualmeaningsfromourframes,givingusaneven
higherwaytointerpretthings.
"Oh,that'sjustinformation.Good.ForaminuteIthoughtthatwas
criticism."

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Howwecategorizeathingdetermineswhatit"is"tous?inour
neurology.Yetasweframe,sowebecome.Whatweorganizeonthe
inside,informsus.Weareallpsychologicallyorganizedbyourbelief
frame,valueframes,identityframes,decisionframes,etc.Andthe
thingaboutthebrainframingisthatasweframe,soweplaythe
framegamesthatwedo.

HOWTOPLAYTHEBRAINGAME
Nowthatyouknowaboutbrains(minds),whattheydoandhowthey
work,you'rereadytoplaytheBrainGame.ThisistheRunningYour
OwnBrainGame,oneoftheoriginalvisionsofNLP.WithNeuro
Semanticswetakethisevenfurthertorunourownbrainatthe
highestlevelsofthemind(TheSecretsofPersonalMastery
<../Books/Personal_Mastery.htm>,2000).

Rule#1:QualityControlYourBrain'sInstructions.
Consideranythingthatisn'tTopNotchQualityforyourBrainas
Absurd.
DidImentionthatbrainsarestupid?Atleastinonesensetheyare
verystupid,intheaspectofquality.Inthatarea,theyareless
intelligentthanstomachs.Really.Afterall,ifwefeedourstomach
garbage,itatleastknowshowtovomit.Notsothebrain.Feedit
garbageanditdoesn'tthinktwice,itjustprocessesthegarbage.Feed
ittoxicideas,poisonousthoughts,limitingbeliefs,irrational
conclusions,andinaccuratemappinganditdoesn'tknowanybetter
thantorepresentit,assumeitisreal,andthenbelieveit.Brains
themselvesarenotdiscriminatingaboutquality,atleastnotnearas
muchasthestomach.Whethertheinformationisaccurate,useful,
true,productive,hurtful,stupid,etc.,itdoesn'tseemtomatter.
So,giventhisstupidityofbrains,wehavetotakechargeofthe
QualityControloftheinformationwefeedit.Wecallthis"runningan
ecologycheck."Realitytestthevalue,health,andbalanceofanidea
inthewholesystemofyourbody,relationships,energy,etc.Thisis
thefirstRuleoftheGame.

Ifyoudon'tdothis,prepareyourselffortroublebecausetrouble,
problems,illhealth,incongruent,sabotage,conflict,etc.youwillget.
ThisBrainGameRulesays,

"Anythingthatdoesnotcreatepersonalpower,health,balance,joy,
compassion,wealth,love,etc.isabsurd."
DoyouplaytheGameofLifebythatrule?
Ihighlyrecommendit.

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Consideranythingthatyourbrainproducesinyourbody,emotions,
speech,behavior,relationshipsthatputsyouinconstantconflict,that
keepsrepeatingpatternsthatdon'twork,thatcreatesincongruity,
ineffectiveness,unresourcefulness,etc.asabsurd.Thenstopit!If
youfollowthisfirstrule,yourlifewillprobablyradicallychangeand
transforminamatterofweeks.Thisisanextremelypowerfuland
pervasiveRule.

Ifwhatyouaredoing,whetherincommunicationtoyourselfor
others,whetherinrelationshiptoyourwork,career,relationships,
health,etc.isnotworkingasanongoingpattern,STOP.Tokeep
repeatinglongtermpatternsthatdon'tworkwhilehopingfordifferent
resultsisapracticaldefinitionof"insanity."Itisabsolutelyludicrous
tokeepreplayingtheoldmoviesofhurtandpaininthetheaterof
yourmind.Wasn'tonceenough?It'sludicrousbecausewhilethefirst
timeithappentoyou,afterthatfirsttimeyouhavebeendoingitto
yourself!It'syourbraindoingit.It'snothappening"outthere"
anymore.Ifyou'restillwatchingthatBratedmovie,andyouarethe
directorofthemovie.

Qualitycontrolyourthinking,higherframesofmind,beliefs,states,
etc.
Doesthisenhancemylifeoverthelongrun?
Doesthisempowermeasaperson?
Doesthismakelifeaparty?

ThisRulewillradicallychallengeeverybodystillwhiningover
childhoodachesandpains,feelinglikeavictimtoafailedmarriageor
business,orblamingothersfortheirlackofsuccess.ThisRule
enablesyoutoliveinadifferentwayandtoplayadifferentGame?a
morepassionateandferociousGame,onewhereyoumoveoutinto
lifelookingforopportunitiesandtakingrisksandplayingtoyour
strengths.

Rule#2:RiseUpinyourMindtoBecomeAwareoftheGames
YouOnlyGettoRunYourOwnBrainifYouhaveMeta
Awareness
Everybodydoesnotgettorunhisorherownbrain.Thereisone
primaryconditionforgettingtorunyourownbrain,youhavetoknow
thatyouhaveabraintorunandawarenessofhowyouarecurrently
runningit.Thebraincreatesfirstlevel"awareness,"awarenessofthe
world.Thisistheconsciousnessofanimalsandsmallchildren.
Awarenessofthatawareness,metaawareness,movesustoahigher
levelofmind.Ifyoudon'tknowthatyouarerunningyourownbrain
orhowyouarerunningit,thenyourunawarenesswillbe

10
unconscious.Thenyouwon'tgettorunyourownbrain.YourBrain
willrunyou!
ThisRuleoughttoscarethehelloutofoutyou!Doesit?
Unconsciousnessmeansthatyouarenotmindfulofwhat'sgoingon.
Usethatasacue.Doyoueverscratchyourheadwonderingthat?Do
youhaveask:

Hey,what'sgoingonhere?WhydoIfeelthisway?
Whycan'tIseemtogetahead?
WhyamIalwaysrunningaroundincirclesandnevergettingonwith
things?
Idon'tknowwhatcameovermeIjustflippedout?
Idon'tseemtohavecontrolofmyemotions.

WhenRule#2saysthatyouonlygettorunyourownbrainwhenyou
developmetaawarenessofwhatyou'redoing,itpositsawarenessas
thekeycondition.Thisisabigchallengeformany.Overtheyears
manyhaveasked,"Wouldyoujusthypnotizemeandmakethis
problemgoaway?"IplayedthatGameforawhile.ThenIrealizedthe
toxicityinthatattitude.It'sthewrongattitudeifyoureallywantto
havecontroloveryourownlife.Thatattitudewillnotleadyouonto
personalmastery.Thatattitudeindicatesthefailuretoactively
participateinyourownlife.Andthat'swhyithastoberefused.
InNLPandNSweknowthatthemagicisinthestructure.The
structureofanexperienceitselfisthemagic.That'swhywemodel.
Wemodelexpertstolearnhowtheydoit.Dowhat?Runtheirown
brainwithregardtoaspecificarea(selling,parenting,relating,
communicating,wealthbuilding,healthandfitness,leadership,etc.).
Onceweknowthat,weknowhowtofindthemagicinanyfieldor
expertise.

Thisexplainswhywedothekindoftrainingsthatwedo.Weseekto
teachtotheconsciousmind.Wewantconsciousnessinvolved.So
whileweutilizeprocessesforworkingwithfacetsofmindoutsideof
consciousawareness,wefocusonempoweringpeopletoruntheir
ownbrainswithoutbecomingdependentuponus.Sowefacilitate
theirselfawarenessandegostrengthtolookrealityintheface,and
laugh,andfeelferocious.

Thisruleleadstovariousquestionsandorientations.
Whatisthebasicattitudethatdrivesthisexperience?
WhatframeofminddoIneedinordertoexperiencethisorientation?
Howdoeshedothat?
HowcanIadoptherframeofmindaboutthat?

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Rule#3:BewareofYourFrameReferencing
JustBecauseYourBrainFrameditDoesNotMakeitUseful
Ifyourbrainframes,andiftheframesthatyousetcreatetheGames
thatyouplay,takecarewhatyoureferenceandhow.Weallknow
people(perhapswehavebeensuch)whoexperienceoneormore
negativeeventsinlifeandthen(tomakethingsworse),buildtheir
livesaroundthatevent.Talkaboutaprogramthatsucks.Thisisthe
structureofsickmagic:CenteryourlifearoundaTragedy,Misfortune,
orInjustice!ThisviolatesRule#1fortheBrainGame.Itisfailingto
considerthiswayofrepresentingandframingthingsastotally
absurd.
Decidedtobuildyourlifearoundgreatevents.Find(orinvent)
wonderfulreferencesthatyoucancenteryoulifearound.
WhatwonderfuleventcouldIbuildmylifearound?
Whatinspiringreferentexperience(realorimagined)wouldIliketo
commissionatthecenterofmyattention
andfocus?
IfIdid,whatelsewouldhavetochange?
Andwhatothersupportingideasorbeliefswouldenablemetoframe
thingsthisway?

Whatyoureference,howyoureferenceintermsoftherepresentation
richnessyouencodeitinandwhatyousetasyourgoverningframes
makesallthedifferenceintheworld.Itcontrolsandgovernsthe
Gamesthatyouplay.AreyouplayingtheGamesthatyouwantto
play?Ifnot,thentakealookattheentirereferencingandframing
sequenceanddesignamoreempoweringone.
Aseverythinghabituatessodotheneuropathwaysandtheinternal
processingofthebrain.Whenwehabituateawayofthinking,an
informationprocessingstyle,oradirectionforsendingourbrain,it
eventuallybecomesourmetaprogramsorsortingstyles.Thisdefines
ourcurrenttrancethatorganizesourmindbodystates.Frames
becomeoursoftwareprogramsordefaultmapsforhowtooperatein
anygivenarenaoflife.

Rule#4:LightenUpandHaveLotsofFunwithyourBrain
Ifyoudon'tenjoytheprocess,youwillgetstupid.
Here'sanotherruleintheBrainFrameGame.Ifyougetseriousabout
things,youwillgetstupid.Stupidityistheoccupationalhazardof
gettingseriousaboutthings.Gettingserioustypicallyundermines
suchgracesashumor,laughter,enjoyment,playfulness,silliness,and
ludicrousness.Andyetthesearethesavinggracesthatkeepus
human.Thesearethesavinggracesforbeingreal,beingspiritual,
andbeingauthentic.Losetheseandyouwillnotbeabletorunyour
ownbrainwithanydignityorgrace.

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Losehumorandlaughterandyoulooseperspective.You'llevenbegin
tobeseducedintoplayingtheGodGame,thinkingyouareperfect(or
shouldbe),knowitall(orshould),andbeeverywhereanddo
everything(hence,indispensable).Ifanyofthatseemslegitimate,
youareindangerofgettingstupidveryrapidly.

Nowthestupidityofseriousnesscausespeopletobecomestiffand
rigid.Theyget"right"(orsotheythink),thenproudofbeingright.
Thatleadstostuffiness,arrogance,andtheclosingofthemind.It'sa
pitifulthingtosee.Yetithappensalltoooften.Manypeoplepursue
anadvanceddegreeandthenthinkthedegreebestowsupontheman
AllKnowingness.Theyactuallythinkthattheireveryopinionis
somehowsacredandshouldneverbequestion.Doctors,educators,
andbureaucratsoftenfallintothisfallacy.Allofthisincreasestheir
stupiditybecausenotonlydotheynotknowitall,buttheycannot
knowitall,noonecan,andiftheydid,itwouldmakelifelessworth
living.Thefunisinthepursuit.

Rigidseriousarrogancemakesthesepeopleclownswhenitcomesto
makingamistake.Talkaboutwatchingafalliblehumanbeingmake
anassofhimself.Watchoneofthesepeopledosomethingwrong.
Theproblemisthattheycan'tbewrong.It'snotallowed.Yettheir
pompositywon'tallowthemtosimplysay,"Oops.Missedthatone."
ThisRuleintheGameofRunningYourOwnBrainsaysyouhaveto
enjoyanddelightyourselfinyourcompletefallibility.Yourbrainis
fallibleandthatmakesallyouthinkfallible,allofyouremotions,
speech,behavior,andactions.Itisall"liabletoerror."Don'tjust
acceptthis,enjoyit.Howeasyisitforyoutohavefunwithit?To
pokefunatyourownsilliness?Toberidiculous,makeafoolof
yourself,blowit,andstillmaintainallofyourdignity?

Seriouspeoplenotonlybelieve,theybelieveintheirbeliefs.Thisis
whatmakesthemdangerous.Thatleadsthemtobeingfanatical"true
believers"whohaveclosedtheirmindstothepossibilityofbeing
wrong.Suchseriouspeopleneverseethehighcomedyoftheir
ridiculousposition.It'stheirlackofhumorthatleavesthemwithno
perspective.Soitishumorthat'soursavinggrace,thatfreesusup,
thatallowsustolightenupandtoknowthatallofourmental
mappingisjustthatfalliblehumanmapping,atthebest,thehighest
thinkingwecandoatthemoment.
Lightenupandenjoytherideespeciallywhenyougetintoaloop.
Justflowwithit.Ifyoufightit,ifyouresistit,youaddnegative
energytotheloop.Thequickestandeasiestwayoutisparadoxical?
welcomeitandenjoytheride.It'sjustaloopofthemind.Playwith
it.

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#5:KeepTeachingYourBrainNewTricks
Yes,yourbraincan(andwill)learnnewtricks.Countonit.Brainsare
alwayslearning,that'sthegoodnews.Thebadnewsisthatifyou
don'ttakechargeofwhattheyarelearning,theywilllearntrash.So
inplayingtheBrainGame,aimtoconstantlybeteachingyourbrain
moreproductivethings.Feeditthebestdataavailable:inspiring
ideas,awesomethoughts,empoweringbeliefs,andsupporting
understandings.KeepcodingandrecodingtheCinemainyourmind
sothatyourinternalworldisdramatic,exciting,biggerthanlife,full
ofgraceandlove,powerandenergy,makeitaliveandvital.Create
onenewempoweringframeofmindeveryweek.Inayear'stime
you'llhave52enhancingframesfortheMatrixofyourMind.

Setoutontheexcitingadventureofdiscovering,unpackingand
replicatingthestrategiesoftheexperts.Forget"why"thingsgowrong
andpeoplearestupid,focusonthosewhoareproducingexcellence
andsearchouttheirstrategy.Findoutwhatmoviesareplayinginthe
CinemaoftheirMinds.Findoutallofthecinematicfeaturesthat
makethatmoviesoentertainingandthestatesandhigherlevel
statesitcreates.Afteryoudothatforayearortwo,you'llhave
habituatedtheMoviesoftheExpertsinyourmind...andbodyand
emotionsandlife.

Summary
There'sanewGameintown.It'stheGameofRunningYourOwn
Brain.NordoesittakearocketscientisttounderstandtheGame.
Mostlyittakesselfawareness,metaawareness,andthewillingness
tohavefunexploringhowthebraincreatestheMatrixofFramesthat
thengovernstheGamesofourlives.

THEBRAINGAME
BRAINFACTSBRAINGAMERULES
#1:BrainsFollowDirections
#2:BrainsExternalizetheirInstructions
#3:BrainsrunonRepresentations
#4:BrainsTransitioninandoutofthepresentmoment
#5:BrainsInduceStates
#6:BrainsGoinCircles
#7:BrainsFrameThings
#1:QualityControlyourBrainInstructions
#2:RiseUpinyourMindtobecomeawareoftheGames
#3:BewareofyourFrameReferencing
#4:LightenUpandHaveLotsofFunwithYour
#5:KeepTeachingYourBrainNewTricks

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References
Bodenhamer,BobHall,L.Michael.(2000).Usersmanualofthebrain
<../Books/contents.htm>.Wales,UK:CrownHousePublications.
Hall.L.Michael(2000).MetaStates:Managingthehigherlevelsof
yourmind<../Books/MetaStates.htm>.GrandJct.CO:Neuro
SemanticsPublications.
Hall,L.Michael.(2000).Secretsofpersonalmastery:Advanced
techniquesforaccessingyourhigherlevelsofconsciousness
<../Books/Personal_Mastery.htm>.Wales,UK:CrownHouse
Publications.

Author:
L.MichaelHall,Ph.D.,cognitivepsychologist,internationalNLP
trainer,entrepreneurprolificauthorandinternationaltraining
developerofMetaStatesandcodeveloperofNeuroSemantics.(P.O.
Box8,CliftonCO81520),(970)5237877.www.neurosemantics.com
<http://www.neurosemantics.com>.

2002L.MichaelHall,Ph.D.Allrightsreserved.

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