Wikipedia’s definition of mind (pron.: /ˈmaɪnd/) is the complex of cognitive faculties that enables consciousness, thinking, reasoning, perception, and judgement—a characteristic of human beings, but which also may apply to other life forms.
Before we can use language, memory or solve a problem, we must be immersed in a stimuli-rich environment, and perceive with our bodies (through our senses) the world around us. How can we speak of the fine grains of sand warmed by the sun if we haven’t seen them or felt them slip through our fingers? How can we remember how much we enjoy Louis Armstrong if we’ve never heard how amazing he was at the trumpet? How can we decide to cook fish for dinner if we’ve never tasted baked red snapper?
It is fairly obvious that one cannot exist without the other, but we seem to forget this when speaking about mental health and well-being.
Daniel Siegel gives a working definition of mind that brings three dimensions of reality into one. He writes, ‘the human mind is a relational and embodied process that regulates the flow of energy and information’. Let’s dissect this into parts.
- The mind involves a flow of energy and information.
We can have an energy-filled sensation such as a gurgle in our stomach and assign a word to the sensation such as hunger. Or, we can become aware of a piece of information such as a sad face and then become motivated to do something about it.
- The mind is a regulatory process that monitors and modifies.
The mind observes information and energy flow across time and then shapes it into unique thoughts, feelings, perceptions, memories, beliefs, and attitudes.
- The mind is embodied and relational.
The mind is embodied because the regulation of energy happens both in the brain, but also in the body, distributed through the nervous system which monitors and influences energy and information in the form of chemical signalling.
The mind is relational because energy and information flow between people; our minds are created within relationships (including the one we have with ourselves!).
The mind then is broader than the brain, and when we perceive our mind we sense something even more than our internal world or the world of others. We now have a definition that takes away the superficial boundaries that separate us and enables us to see that we are each part of an interconnected flow, a wider whole.
How can we use this working definition of mind to explore the factors that ultimately contribute to our individual and collective health, happiness, and well-being?
Siegel says it all comes down to integration. He goes on to give a detailed explanation of the different domains of integration and how they all come together to produce a healthy mind through self-organisation. It’s a fascinating read; you can buy it here.
The point I’m interested in making is that in search for a healthier society, especially when talking about ‘mental health’, the answers do not lie exclusively in the brain. There is a delicate interaction between our bodies, our brains, and our community. By practising mindfulness we can contribute to the mental health of ourselves and our community. By being aware of the present moment we learn to pay attention to our intentions, we become ‘attuned’ with ourselves, which helps us become balanced and regulated. You learn, through daily practice, that no matter how far your thoughts wander, you can always come back to your centre, you can always bring yourself back into balance. When we are able to observe our inner and outer worlds with acceptance and compassion, by looking directly at them and not running from them, we understand more and more that ‘we’ cannot be defined in terms of perceptions, or memories, or thoughts, or feelings; ‘we’ are part of something much much bigger, a universal consciousness, a complex system where the physical, the spiritual and the mental come together to create the whole human experience.
The Whole Human Experience 