1. Your Brain A Gift From the Creator of the Universe
Judy Ebbitt

2. Peaceful appreciation
A moment of grace

3. Have you given it much thought?
Your brain
Have you given it much thought?

4. “Of all the objects in the universe, the Human Brain is the most complex. There are as many neurons in the brain as there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.” Discover Magazine Sept 2007

5. God’s thoughts on the brain:
“You will keep him in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 26:3 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2

6. “As a man thinks in his heart…. so is he. Proverbs 23:7

7. Critical Periods of Brain Development
2-9 months
Mother Core
2-3 years
Library of conscious emotions comes on-line
6-12 months
Joyful identity develops
3-4 years
- 2 sides of the brain become attached
- Can now use words to change how the child feels!
12-18 months
Learn to return to
joy from bad emotions
5-6 months
Theory of self/
mind sight

8. General Aspects of the Brain
Has a joy center
Fetal biochemistry; joy can be built all your life
Syncs with caregivers, peaking at 9 months
Each side has different functions:
Left: verbal, logical
Right: expressive, where trauma resides

9. Taking Sides Left Right Computational Logical Verbal Analytical
Language
Sequential
Linear
Factual
Runs at 4-5 cycles/second
Creative, artistic
Imaginative
Non-verbal
Emotional
Visual
Intuitive
Melodious
Daydreaming
Runs at 6 cycles/second

11. What’s fueling your brain: Fear or joy?

12. The Brain in Trauma and Fear
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8
“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self- discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

13. Traumas can inhibit brain development and overwhelm capacity

14. Type A Trauma Absence of good things
Abandonment, rejection, malnutrition, isolation, lack of love, lack of encouragement
Inhibits the development of capacity
Develops insecure attachments
Impacts brain structures where strong emotions are handled

15. Type B Trauma Bad things that happen
Actions against you, betrayal, abuse, humiliation, even “first person shooter” video games
Overwhelms existing capacity
Seriously impacts “memory” area
Brain protects with amnesia/instant forgetting of the trauma after age 3
Can take a long time to heal
Therapy can help heal

16. Fractures of the soul
Fractures of the mind

17. “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.”
The Brain on Joy!
“…complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of the same mind.”
Philippians 2:2
“The JOY of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:9

18. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
God’s Thoughts

19. Joy is: Core of how our brain wants to learn
Basis for strong and secure attachments
Basis for better brain development during first 2 years
Only emotion infants seek on their own!
The way to grow and strengthen relational bonds

20. The greater the joy, the greater our capacity to handle distress and trauma. Joy can be built in our brains during our entire lifetime!

21. What’s fueling your brain: Fear or joy?

22. The Brain: A Command Center

23. Overview of the Command Center
Located in the right hemisphere
Always in charge
Shuts down other areas of the brain when under high stress
Develops during first 24 months of life
4 Levels:
Thalamus
Amygdala
Cingulate Cortex
Right Orbital Prefrontal Cortex

24. Let’s Build a Brain!

25. Subconscious / Involuntary
Left Side
Right Side
Conscious / Voluntary
Subconscious / Involuntary 1
Attachment & Pleasure Center
Notes what’s personal or important to me
Gets us attached or bonded

26. Subconscious / Involuntary
Left Side
Right Side
Conscious / Voluntary
Subconscious / Involuntary 2
Fear Center: Keeps us safe
Evaluates as either: good, bad or scary
Good? Engage. Go to level 3
Bad? Scary? Flight, flight, freeze, appease 1
Attachment & Pleasure Center
Notes what’s personal or important to me
Gets us attached or bonded

27. Subconscious / Involuntary
Left Side
Right Side 3
Relational Quality: Synchronizing Center
Wants to share experiences, to be with
Synchronizes all other functions
Conscious / Voluntary
Subconscious / Involuntary 2
Fear Center: Keeps us safe
Evaluates as either: good, bad or scary
Good? Engage. Go to level 3
Bad? Scary? Flight, flight, freeze, appease 1
Attachment & Pleasure Center
Notes what’s personal or important to me
Gets us attached or bonded

28. Subconscious / Involuntary
Left Side
Right Side 4
Identity Center: Who we are
Stimulated by joy; can always grow
How I feel about how I handle things
Defined by how others see us
Wants models for how to be 3
Relational Quality: Synchronizing Center
Wants to share experiences, to be with
Synchronizes all other functions
Conscious / Voluntary
Subconscious / Involuntary 2
Fear Center: Keeps us safe
Evaluates as either: good, bad or scary
Good? Engage. Go to level 3
Bad? Scary? Flight, flight, freeze, appease 1
Attachment & Pleasure Center
Notes what’s personal or important to me
Gets us attached or bonded

29. Subconscious / Involuntary
Left Side
Right Side 5 4
Belief Center: Language
We can talk about it
Rational belief, logic, reasoning
Name, explain, analyze
Only changes beliefs when right side is activated
Identity Center: Who we are
Stimulated by joy; can always grow
How I feel about how I handle things
Defined by how others see us
Wants models for how to be 3
Relational Quality: Synchronizing Center
Wants to share experiences, to be with
Synchronizes all other functions
Conscious / Voluntary
Subconscious / Involuntary 2
Fear Center: Keeps us safe
Evaluates as either: good, bad or scary
Good? Engage. Go to level 3
Bad? Scary? Flight, flight, freeze, appease 1
Attachment & Pleasure Center
Notes what’s personal or important to me
Gets us attached or bonded

30. Command Center: Level 1 Right side | Non-Verbal Side
Level 1: Thalamus
Asks, “Is it personal to me?”
Receives auditory and visual signals: Attachment Level
Responsible for motor control
Controls asleep / awake states

31. Command Center: Level 2 Right side | Non-Verbal Side
Level 2: Amygdala
Asks, “Is it good, bad, or scary?”
Center for fear, anger, and pleasure: Evaluation Level
Secretes hormones
Determines what memories are stored, as well as where they are stored

32. Command Center: Level 3 Right side | Non-Verbal Side
Level 3: Cingulate
Cortex
Most central and important part: Mutual-Mind Level
Sharing center and first conscious level
Involved with emotion formation/processing, learning, and memory
Links behavior outcomes with emotions
Basis for all trauma if not shared

33. Command Center: Level 4 Right side | Non-Verbal Side
Level 4: Right Orbital Prefrontal Cortex
Feels, validates, and comforts
Develops as you grow, peaking at 9mo., 4yr., 9yr., 16yr.
Thinks of “you” as “you”
Directs attention toward what is important: The Captain
Provides body awareness
Transfers information to the left side of the brain

34. What we’ve learned so far: Brain facts to remember
Left Side vs. Right Side
Verbal and logical, always explaining everything happening right in front of it
Center for stories, as well as anxiety and guilt
Very resistant to change
If no information is received from the right side, the left side simply makes things up to explain
Houses both the joy and command centers of the brain
Maximum growth ~ 9mo.
Defines “you” as “you”
Non-verbal, noticing everything and responding to tone and facial expressions
Houses the cingulate cortex, which is the “Mother Core”
Brain is made to run on JOY…not FEAR
Brain has a four level command center located on the right side
Brain’s neurons run one way…right to left
You can train your brain to be relational through appreciation and gratitude.
Building JOY can increase your capacity to handle troubles

35. Information Revelation Application
Appreciation gets you from the back of your brain to the front where your brain can explain, verify and comfort.
Joy and a synchronized brain can keep the relationship bigger than the problem!
“You will keep him in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

36. How to stay relational with God and man?
“…but we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:16

37. Sources: Works and writings of Dr. Jim Wilder Joy Starts Here by Dr
Sources: Works and writings of Dr. Jim Wilder Joy Starts Here by Dr. JIm Wilder and others Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You by Dr. Jim Wilder