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Personal Journal - Day 4: Neuro-Associative Conditioning
10 years ago
Okay, so I skipped a day and them proceeded to forget to post. Sooo, three journals today, two of which I am doing back to back, so...yeah, I've got to get better at keeping up with my projects.
Neuro-Associative Conditioning - Changing how we respond
So, today it’s going over what they call “Neuro Associative Conditioning” herein referred to as “NAC.”
Neurological associations were mentioned in day 3 and I had a few theories on how they were formed. Here’s a big one. As I had mentioned to some of my friends, school is based off of the WRONG learning style. “Far too few people even know that there are readers and listeners and that people are rarely both.” ~Peter F. Drucker. Drucker also says there are readers, writers, listeners, doers, and talkers. These are different methods of learning. I utilize several of these in some form or fashion. I am by far, a writer and talker. I can sit around and talk to myself all day about something and I’ll just keep drawing different conclusions about one subject and a few dozen different results. Those of you who know me know I mutter to myself a LOT. Others learn by reading. They can read text books, literature, and other written media and just seem like a sponge. Others are listeners. They can learn quite quickly through lectures and sermons. Some, are doers. These are the people who learn best by going up to the board and completing a problem written by the teacher themselves or working hands on with say…automobiles.
Schools use negative reinforcement to drive their students, but there’s no real reward factored into all these tests and assignments. We don’t get anything for doing well really. A friend of mine actually put this quite nicely. He says: “When you go to school you start at 100% and there’s only one direction you can go from there. If you don’t maintain 100% performance, your grades drop.”
I know some people have argued with me on this point. You start at an unmeasured level and build UP to a good grade instead: but is that really how we, as students, see it? I personally didn’t see it that way at all. Your grades are based on your assignments, right? So what happens if you start off unmeasured and miss the first assignment? You get a 0. You’re still unmeasured because that assignment hasn’t given them anything to measure. But the next one, you get a 100 on. That overall performance score averages to 50. You are STILL failing, even though you’ve proven now, that you know the material.
So, what does this have to do with NAC? Well; many of us learn, in school, that we can’t learn and so simply become discouraged. This isn’t because we are incapable of learning, it’s because we are not learning in the fashion that we do BEST in. People have blamed my poor performance on a whole mess of mental issues. Hell, I’ve been diagnosed with a bunch of things in the past. ADD/ADHD/dissociative identity disorder/depression/anxiety, whatever. I realized this, though; the MORE I blamed any of those issues for what I was doing or how I was performing, the more pathetic I sounded. “I can’t learn because I have ADD and can’t pay attention.” And yet…here I was, the tech in my family taking apart and putting computers back together, writing web pages, and coding.
Now I’m not picking on anyone diagnosed with one or more of these issues, but I’m going to point this out, since it held true to me (and maybe this might hold true to others). I noticed the more I leaned on my diagnosis, the more I taught myself how to be helpless. It is my opinion that the turning point in any diagnosis is when an individual recognizes a problem as something MAJOR in their life that NEEDS to change.
NAC is what makes those changes happen. It is more permanent than any other method I have looked at, come across, or been subjected to. Therapy revolves around this whole adjustment. The major problem comes in the level of commitment one might have. For some, it hardly takes any effort to make a change once they go to therapy. Others go to the therapist but don’t seem to get anything out of it.
Well, there are two possible problems. One is the approach. As mentioned earlier, everyone learns in their own way. That also means that in order to actually get anything out of therapy, you need to be able to “learn” and “absorb” what is being provided. If that means you need to write, then you keep a journal that you bring to froydian therapy or maybe non-directive therapy. If that means you need to talk, then you might try person-centered therapy. If that means you listen, then you might take on rational-emotive therapy which will direct you and make clear what your issues may be. If you learn by doing, then perhaps you’d try gestalt therapy instead.
Second is the individual’s willingness or drive to make that change. That simply means that, to the individual in question, the pain of that change is simply more real to them than the pleasure of the result. And this is again, where that focus comes into play. Not to say that this is all there is to it, because it’s not. It also has a lot to do with the individuals values (that’s something I’m hoping will be brought up later so I won’t go into detail on this one). Suffice to say, that if the drive isn’t there, the change cannot happen.
The fundamentals of NAC systems. “In order to get a change where it will absolutely happen and LAST, you must first get leverage on yourself.” ~Tony Robbins
In other words, you need to reach the point where you HAVE to change or NEED to get that change and you CAN change it. That point comes when you experience enough pain with the current pattern. If we only believe we could change, or should change, then that drive to make it happen and STICK with those changes will not be there.
How? Rapport, maybe. Belief that if this change doesn’t happen it will cost EVERYTHING.
Interruption of the pattern of associations.
This means you need to stop the pattern. Jolt the pattern, and this helps with others around. It doesn’t matter HOW you interrupt it, as long as it happens. If, say, you get into this heated argument over something with a friend and you catch yourself…Try radically changing the subject. Out of nowhere, just change the subject completely and make absolutely no sense. All of a sudden you’ve got a reaction of “…what?” Sure, you’ll probably come off as crazy, but halting that pattern, is a huge part of changes.
Condition yourself with a NEW Association.
That means an old association needs to be replaced and it needs to be replaced with something you WANT to have replacing it. Personally, my views on wealth. This was mentioned day 3. I want to be financially independent in some form or fashion, but if I do reach that point well…those I know will resent me. IS that true? Probably not, and if so, then perhaps I just shouldn’t be dealing with those individuals. Either case, that should be changed and probably replaced with something else. Like; if I DID have the money, well hey, I could donate to charities, I could do more for my friends. As it stands right now though, I need to improve my financial standing. Get a better job or something like that.
So; for today…
For each of those things written on day 2, list 10 reasons why you must change that behavior now; then list all the reasons why you can do it.
Dental appointments – I…already did this so, I’m not sure what else to say to this…
Doctor vists – Also done and currently waiting to go in.
Exercise routines – And this one I have to admit I haven’t really stuck to. Sooo…ten reasons. Well, for one I need to get in shape. If I don’t, I’m just going to be tired all the time. I’ll be sick constantly, I won’t be able to function properly. I’ll be mentally and physically spent after only a few minutes of…anything. I can’t really be active if I can’t keep up, I’ll be an embarrassment to myself if I can’t keep up with my friends.
Diet – Working on this one and looking forward to dinner today, strangely enough… salmon <3 Love the stuff, never make it. Anyway, I don’t really have to develop leverage on this one or really interrupt it… I just don’t like eating out or fast food. Convenience is hardly worth the yuck most times. Also; I don’t generally feel great after eating out, just slow. Lol.
Interrupt your own pattern: Design four or five ways to get yourself out of the limiting association - and do them!
Patterns…Well, exercise routines. I come home daily and generally head upstairs to my room. I don’t know about interrupting that pattern so much as a slight alteration. Instead of getting online to chat, I think I’d be okay with taking 30 minutes for a brief workout and another 15-30 for a shower. That’s not much time I’m taking out and besides; I normally don’t catch anyone online until about midnight anyway so I’m not missing out.
Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior. Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically.
On a side note…I’m not entirely certain I’ve been going about this properly, but fundamental basis I don’t really have issue with that I’ve found o.o Maybe I’ll have to go back and look again.
Neuro-Associative Conditioning - Changing how we respond
So, today it’s going over what they call “Neuro Associative Conditioning” herein referred to as “NAC.”
Neurological associations were mentioned in day 3 and I had a few theories on how they were formed. Here’s a big one. As I had mentioned to some of my friends, school is based off of the WRONG learning style. “Far too few people even know that there are readers and listeners and that people are rarely both.” ~Peter F. Drucker. Drucker also says there are readers, writers, listeners, doers, and talkers. These are different methods of learning. I utilize several of these in some form or fashion. I am by far, a writer and talker. I can sit around and talk to myself all day about something and I’ll just keep drawing different conclusions about one subject and a few dozen different results. Those of you who know me know I mutter to myself a LOT. Others learn by reading. They can read text books, literature, and other written media and just seem like a sponge. Others are listeners. They can learn quite quickly through lectures and sermons. Some, are doers. These are the people who learn best by going up to the board and completing a problem written by the teacher themselves or working hands on with say…automobiles.
Schools use negative reinforcement to drive their students, but there’s no real reward factored into all these tests and assignments. We don’t get anything for doing well really. A friend of mine actually put this quite nicely. He says: “When you go to school you start at 100% and there’s only one direction you can go from there. If you don’t maintain 100% performance, your grades drop.”
I know some people have argued with me on this point. You start at an unmeasured level and build UP to a good grade instead: but is that really how we, as students, see it? I personally didn’t see it that way at all. Your grades are based on your assignments, right? So what happens if you start off unmeasured and miss the first assignment? You get a 0. You’re still unmeasured because that assignment hasn’t given them anything to measure. But the next one, you get a 100 on. That overall performance score averages to 50. You are STILL failing, even though you’ve proven now, that you know the material.
So, what does this have to do with NAC? Well; many of us learn, in school, that we can’t learn and so simply become discouraged. This isn’t because we are incapable of learning, it’s because we are not learning in the fashion that we do BEST in. People have blamed my poor performance on a whole mess of mental issues. Hell, I’ve been diagnosed with a bunch of things in the past. ADD/ADHD/dissociative identity disorder/depression/anxiety, whatever. I realized this, though; the MORE I blamed any of those issues for what I was doing or how I was performing, the more pathetic I sounded. “I can’t learn because I have ADD and can’t pay attention.” And yet…here I was, the tech in my family taking apart and putting computers back together, writing web pages, and coding.
Now I’m not picking on anyone diagnosed with one or more of these issues, but I’m going to point this out, since it held true to me (and maybe this might hold true to others). I noticed the more I leaned on my diagnosis, the more I taught myself how to be helpless. It is my opinion that the turning point in any diagnosis is when an individual recognizes a problem as something MAJOR in their life that NEEDS to change.
NAC is what makes those changes happen. It is more permanent than any other method I have looked at, come across, or been subjected to. Therapy revolves around this whole adjustment. The major problem comes in the level of commitment one might have. For some, it hardly takes any effort to make a change once they go to therapy. Others go to the therapist but don’t seem to get anything out of it.
Well, there are two possible problems. One is the approach. As mentioned earlier, everyone learns in their own way. That also means that in order to actually get anything out of therapy, you need to be able to “learn” and “absorb” what is being provided. If that means you need to write, then you keep a journal that you bring to froydian therapy or maybe non-directive therapy. If that means you need to talk, then you might try person-centered therapy. If that means you listen, then you might take on rational-emotive therapy which will direct you and make clear what your issues may be. If you learn by doing, then perhaps you’d try gestalt therapy instead.
Second is the individual’s willingness or drive to make that change. That simply means that, to the individual in question, the pain of that change is simply more real to them than the pleasure of the result. And this is again, where that focus comes into play. Not to say that this is all there is to it, because it’s not. It also has a lot to do with the individuals values (that’s something I’m hoping will be brought up later so I won’t go into detail on this one). Suffice to say, that if the drive isn’t there, the change cannot happen.
The fundamentals of NAC systems. “In order to get a change where it will absolutely happen and LAST, you must first get leverage on yourself.” ~Tony Robbins
In other words, you need to reach the point where you HAVE to change or NEED to get that change and you CAN change it. That point comes when you experience enough pain with the current pattern. If we only believe we could change, or should change, then that drive to make it happen and STICK with those changes will not be there.
How? Rapport, maybe. Belief that if this change doesn’t happen it will cost EVERYTHING.
Interruption of the pattern of associations.
This means you need to stop the pattern. Jolt the pattern, and this helps with others around. It doesn’t matter HOW you interrupt it, as long as it happens. If, say, you get into this heated argument over something with a friend and you catch yourself…Try radically changing the subject. Out of nowhere, just change the subject completely and make absolutely no sense. All of a sudden you’ve got a reaction of “…what?” Sure, you’ll probably come off as crazy, but halting that pattern, is a huge part of changes.
Condition yourself with a NEW Association.
That means an old association needs to be replaced and it needs to be replaced with something you WANT to have replacing it. Personally, my views on wealth. This was mentioned day 3. I want to be financially independent in some form or fashion, but if I do reach that point well…those I know will resent me. IS that true? Probably not, and if so, then perhaps I just shouldn’t be dealing with those individuals. Either case, that should be changed and probably replaced with something else. Like; if I DID have the money, well hey, I could donate to charities, I could do more for my friends. As it stands right now though, I need to improve my financial standing. Get a better job or something like that.
So; for today…
For each of those things written on day 2, list 10 reasons why you must change that behavior now; then list all the reasons why you can do it.
Dental appointments – I…already did this so, I’m not sure what else to say to this…
Doctor vists – Also done and currently waiting to go in.
Exercise routines – And this one I have to admit I haven’t really stuck to. Sooo…ten reasons. Well, for one I need to get in shape. If I don’t, I’m just going to be tired all the time. I’ll be sick constantly, I won’t be able to function properly. I’ll be mentally and physically spent after only a few minutes of…anything. I can’t really be active if I can’t keep up, I’ll be an embarrassment to myself if I can’t keep up with my friends.
Diet – Working on this one and looking forward to dinner today, strangely enough… salmon <3 Love the stuff, never make it. Anyway, I don’t really have to develop leverage on this one or really interrupt it… I just don’t like eating out or fast food. Convenience is hardly worth the yuck most times. Also; I don’t generally feel great after eating out, just slow. Lol.
Interrupt your own pattern: Design four or five ways to get yourself out of the limiting association - and do them!
Patterns…Well, exercise routines. I come home daily and generally head upstairs to my room. I don’t know about interrupting that pattern so much as a slight alteration. Instead of getting online to chat, I think I’d be okay with taking 30 minutes for a brief workout and another 15-30 for a shower. That’s not much time I’m taking out and besides; I normally don’t catch anyone online until about midnight anyway so I’m not missing out.
Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior. Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically.
On a side note…I’m not entirely certain I’ve been going about this properly, but fundamental basis I don’t really have issue with that I’ve found o.o Maybe I’ll have to go back and look again.
EV1LP1NK1
~ev1lp1nk1
My recommendation for exercise, try some simple stretches to get your body warmed up, prepare for an exercise and you'll be more inclined to follow through. You don't have to do anything extreme, some leg stretches or a bit of low impact yoga could do the trick. Beyond that it sounds like you're making great progress! As for the journals, just do your best. If you miss a day, then you miss a day. Focus on the next and keep going forward with your progress. :3
foxxpaw
~foxxpaw
OP
xD I'm looking to get home and get some exercise in after work. It's been a little sporadic though, didn't do friday and sunday, though I will say this is partly because I -may- have overworked my muscles somewhat (oops) ^^; As for the journals, taken to listening to the tape while I'm exercising and occasionally taking a note on the side, then just putting it all together at once. Somewhat difficult since I don't really learn as well by listening but that's kinda how this one works so I'll have to get used to that or find a more...unconventional solution.
