Are You Doing Your Daily BRAIN Huddles?

I always say, “It’s a wonder that any two of us can communicate at all!”

Summer is coming to a close, and our world continues to feel divided. Our futures remain uncertain, and it is easy for us to feel a sense of frenzy or disconnection. When stressed, it is natural for us to run on automatic and lose touch with how we are feeling or acting. During high-stress moments, we tend to become human doings rather than human beings. For many of us, our individual stress is wearing and tearing down our relationships.

So please tell me, how are YOU (and I mean all Four Characters of you) really doing? How are your relationships holding up? When was the last time you checked in with a BRAIN Huddle to promote your own personal peace?

I hear from people every day who are caught up in their pain. Some are grieving the loss of a loved one. Some are angry that the world is not what it used to be, and many are alarmed that political polarity continues to escalate. We don’t feel safe. We don’t feel happy. Worst of all, many of us are losing hope.

Our Character 2 circuitry of emotional suffering can leave us feeling desperate to escape—and that escape can take many forms. My escape has been movement, lots and lots of movement (and chocolate, of course). What has been your favorite escape over the last few years?

When I ask folks who are reaching out to me if they have named the Four Characters of their brain—it’s about 50/50. Yet it is impossible to fully employ the true transformative power of Whole Brain Living and the BRAIN Huddle, if you do not thoroughly know who you are calling into the conversation. Knowing and being able to recognize each of your Four Characters is key to having a joyful life. The BRAIN Huddle helps us recognize the value of all four parts of ourselves—including our personal pain (as well as the pain in those we love).

There’s a reason why I wrote Whole Brain Living—and it was not so you would just read it. Think of it like a gym membership. They are both great things to have, but if you never make the time to use them, you’re not getting any real benefit. I wrote Whole Brain Living so you would practice it and live it—just like you bought the gym membership to improve your health and not because you wanted another monthly payment.

So, tell me—do you have an unused gym membership situation going on with Whole Brain Living, or have you enthusiastically thrown yourself full force into knowing your Four Characters? Send me a message at WBLCT@drjilltaylor.com, and tell me the names of your Four Characters and how many times a day you tend to call a BRAIN Huddle. I would love to know.

Think about some of your favorite songs and decide which character is doing the singing. With a little practice you’ll be able to recognize the Four Characters in those you love, in songs you hear, in TV shows you watch, and even in the books you read.

In Whole Brain Living, I encouraged you to call a BRAIN Huddle at least twenty times a day. I really wanted to put thirty, but my beloved editor thought that number would freak you out. But every time you call a BRAIN Huddle, the stronger that ability becomes—and eventually it will run on automatic, making it easier for you to do whenever your little unhappy Character 2 needs it the most.

You have much more power over what is going on inside of your brain than you have ever been taught—but you do have to do the work to maximize its benefits. Sometimes it’s easier to do work like this with another person—because in every relationship, there are eight characters engaged. Reach out to your loved ones and see if they will work with you around the Whole Brain Living concepts.

As you explore your relationships more deeply, know that my Character 4 is sending love to you. My Character 1 is eager for you to master the BRAIN Huddle, so you can find your own deep inner peace when you need it. (Remember Character 1 is always wanting to fix a problem). My Character 3 wants you to live a life filled with joy and as much experiential fun as possible—while my little Character 2 pain continues to offer me insight into our capacity to love deeply and share amazing emotions within our various relationships.

Our painful emotions are not a bad thing. They simply outline for us our edge for growth. Within the BRAIN Huddle, we are safe to soothe our own fears, so we can grow, continue to reach out to others, and live our best life.

I hope you will explore this interview I had on the Thriving Relationships Show with one of my most favorite people on the planet, Christine Eartheart. We talk about Whole Brain Living, our Four Characters, and the BRAIN Huddle as they related to our relationships.

Watch on YouTube »
Listen on Apple Podcasts »
Listen on Spotify »

From my Four Characters to yours,
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor