Neurocycles and Taming Negative Emotions: (What Are They?)

Neurocycles
(What are They?)

and Taming
Negative
Emotions
Mind has 3 parts
Conscious mind -
thinking, feeling and
choosing
Subconscious mind -
physical and emotional
signals (e.g. increased
heartbeat, temperature)
Unconscious mind - origin of

informational, emotional and physical
memories, perceptions, assumptions,
biases, why we do certain things
Our Thoughts Are Physical Structures
• When we think, feel or choose, the mind builds thoughts which are physical
structures in the brain, like a tree
• When we hear, read or watch something, a thought is “planted”

• When watered with thinking, it grows into a little plant, and if it gets a lot of thinking energy, it
will grow bigger and stronger, and begin to dominate and influence our behaviour.
• If ignored, within 24 hours, the dendrites will weaken and disappear.
Our Thoughts Affect Our Brains
• A thought is a concept or big idea e.g. “I am concerned about X”
• Within this thought, there may be hundreds of memories related to this concern.
• Whatever we think about the most will grow because we are giving it energy
• Brain responds to the mind, a neuroplastic responder, and since we are using our
mind all the time, the brain is changing all the time
• Good news is we can direct this process and manage our minds by thinking deeply
and reconstructing thoughts
Our Thoughts Affect Our Brains
• A telomere is a cap at the end of a chromosome (a bit like plastic at end of shoelace),
and when it wears out, the cell will age more quickly and won’t be as effective in
keeping us healthy
• Suppressed thoughts, negative rumination and unmanaged toxic stress result in
telomere shortening.
Detoxing Our Negative Thoughts
To detox a toxic thought pattern:
• Observe what is happening at your conscious level (e.g. speech, behaviour,

tone) and subconscious level (e.g. increased heartrate, insomnia, tone,
raising voice)
• Nonconscious mind is an excellent housekeeper and will always send physical and
emotional signals to conscious mind to deal with any chaos
• Discover what you are feeling (e.g. fear, anger, anxiety, worry, bitterness,
jealousy, covetousness, envy, lust, guilt) and acknowledge you are feeling this
way
Danger of Not Acknowledging Emotions
•Not acknowledging your emotions (e.g. saying I shouldn’t feel this way) creates
dissonance with non-conscious mind, creates harmful chemicals in brain
•Avoidance sends signals to your brain that whatever you are avoiding is fearful,
and increases anxiety.
•The emotions are still there but they cannot be processed
•They will come out later as volcanic explosions e.g. OCD, mounting frustration
•Suppression of thoughts
•Is related to telomere shortening and premature biological ageing, poor cell and organ health
•Generates high beta and delta activity, associated with anxiety and poor sleep quality
•Can lead to psychological inflexibility.

Benefits of Naming the Emotion
• This awareness increases blood flow and oxygen to front of brain, helping repair
the damage from emotional intensity and chronic unmanaged stress
• • Name it and Tame it

• The more specifically you can identify the emotion, the more power you have
over it
• Often when you notice your emotion, it dissipates on its own
To Detox a Toxic Thought Pattern
• After you know how you are feeling, ask yourself what led you to feel this way
• Writing is a good tool (stimulates neurotransmitters in your brain that help clear your thinking)
• What experiences, incidents, triggers, information, assumptions, beliefs
• By doing so, you pull memories linked to the thought from nonconscious mind
• Then you examine your interpretations, assumptions, beliefs, are they true?
• If not, you can replace them with a healthy thought or perspective

• Come up with at least 6 other possible interpretations of the situation
• What does God’s Word, His nature say about the information/situation
• When you do that, the connections between dendrites become weak, and you can
replace them with a healthy thought
• You now view the memories from another perspective
To Detox a Toxic Thought Pattern (2)
• It takes 21 days to form new neural network in mind (new thought), and another 63
days to make it into a habit (thought is automatic or automised)
• Heb 2:1 KJV, Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
• Most careful attention - super abundant
• Heed - bring to mind
• Let them slip - run out like leaking vessels
• Everywhere in the bible it says to MEDITATE on the Word of God, not READ, e.g.
Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8
• Meditate is 2 parts - deep thinking and active recall.

A Case Study - For Worry
• Worry about PSLE, kids’ academics
• Underlying information, experiences that led to worry
• Encounters with tiger mommies, mothers who spend a lot of time preparing kids for PSLE
• Secondary school is seen as foundational to kids’ future and success (target top schools)
• Own busyness at work, need to tend to other kids
• Kid not appearing to exhibit the diligent, excellent attitude expected
• Own experience
A Case Study - For Worry
• What is my underlying interpretation, assumption, belief?
• Expected of a mom not to have a normal life during PSLE, spend a lot of time drilling kid,
helping kid, spending money on buying resources, finding “magic” tutor
• Belief that Secondary school is foundational to future and success (hence target top schools)
• If I spend the time and effort like other working moms, I should be able to get the same result
• Belief that kid needs a lot of help as not exhibiting the self-motivated, diligent, excellent
attitude
Are they true? What does Bible Say?
• Expected of a mom not to have a normal life during PSLE, spend a lot of time
drilling kid, helping kid, spending money on resources, finding “magic” tutor
• “There is a time for everything”, ok to focus more on something at particular season
• Discussed with boy, he wants me to spend more time with him
• Even so there are non-negotiables, e.g. God, church, cell, family, work
• Most important principle of time management – put God first (Seek first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you)
• Conclusion – Can devote more time to boy, but not compromising on non-
negotiables like God
• Secondary school is foundational to future and success (hence target top
schools)
• Do we need to get into top schools to succeed in life?
• Are there counter-examples in modern life? In Bible?
• Conclusion – Have faith in God, our paths are in God’s hands, we try our best
and leave the outcome in God’s good hands
• If I spend the time and effort like other working moms, I should be able to get the
same result
• Galatians 6:4 “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in
themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else”
• Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of
the others”
• Conclusion – Do not compare or compete against one another

• Belief that kid needs a lot of help as not exhibiting the self-motivated, diligent,
excellent attitude
• He has his own way of studying
• Trust God to work in the boy and help scaffold where possible
• Conclusion – Try to help but do not exasperate the kid and trust God and
respect his individuality
Simple Active Reach
• “When I experience the trigger of (physiological), I will tell myself (new thought),
and choose to feel (emotion).”
• “When I experience worry over PSLE year, I will tell myself we try our best and
leave the outcome in God’s good hands and choose to feel peace and focus
A Case Study - For Anger
• Teenager who felt angry at God over a friend’s suicide
• Wife who felt angry at husband for leaving newspapers (or clothes) on the floor
every time
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Neurocycles

(What are They?)

Unconscious mind - origin of

• When we hear, read or watch something, a thought is “planted”

• Observe what is happening at your conscious level (e.g. speech, behaviour,

•The emotions are still there but they cannot be processed

•Can lead to psychological inflexibility.

• • Name it and Tame it

• If not, you can replace them with a healthy thought or perspective

• Meditate is 2 parts - deep thinking and active recall.

• Underlying information, experiences that led to worry

• Own busyness at work, need to tend to other kids

• Kid not appearing to exhibit the diligent, excellent attitude expected

• “There is a time for everything”, ok to focus more on something at particular season

• Discussed with boy, he wants me to spend more time with him

• Do we need to get into top schools to succeed in life?

• Are there counter-examples in modern life? In Bible?

• Conclusion – Do not compare or compete against one another

• He has his own way of studying

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