Page 36 - Biblical Counseling II

The Brain
“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. In your relationship with one
another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:3-7

Connect…

“One hospitalized 23-year-old woman showed no outward signs of conscious awareness after being in a
traffic accident. Nevertheless, when researchers asked her to imagine playing tennis or moving around her
house, brain scans revealed activity like that of a healthy volunteer. As she imagined playing tennis, for
example, the area of her brain controlling arm and leg movements became active” (Myers, 2009). This
woman was not conscious. Her eyes were not open, and she was not responding to other types of stimuli
around her. However, her brain was reacting to researchers asking her to imagine different activities. How
does this happen?

The Lesson ...

The Brain
When you think about your brain, you’re thinking with your brain – sending billions of neurotransmitter
molecules across countless millions of synapses. Indeed, the mind is what the brain does.

The Brainstem
The brain’s oldest and innermost region is the brainstem. It begins
where the spinal cord swells slightly after entering the skull. This slight
swelling is the medulla, the control center for your heartbeat and
breathing. Just above the medulla sits the pons, an area that helps
coordinate movements. The brainstem is a crossover point. Here, you’ll
find a peculiar sort of cross-wiring, with most nerves to and from each
side of the brain connecting to the body’s opposite side. Thus, the right
brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa. This cross-wiring is

one of the brain’s many surprises (Myers, 2009). (Photo from: courtneys-
column.blogspot.com)

The Thalamus
Sitting at the top of the brainstem is the thalamus. This joined pair of egg-
shaped structures acts as the brain’s sensory switchboard. The thalamus
receives information from all your senses except smell, and it forwards the
messages to regions of your brain that deal with seeing, hearing, tasting,
and touching. You can think of your thalamus as something like an e-mail
server. Messages flow through this hub on their way to their final
destination. In addition to incoming sensory messages, your thalamus
receives replies from some higher brain regions. It forwards these replies
to your medulla and cerebellum for processing (Myers, 2009).
(thalamus photo from: www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com)

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