Joy Starts Here is so much more than just a book.
Sure, it’s loaded with theological and neuroscientific explanations of how our brain works in relationships that can change your life.
But that’s only part of it.
The File Cabinet
In fact, one of the things that you might learn reading Joy Starts Here is the difference (and importance of understanding the difference) between the left and right hemisphere of your brain.
Here’s the cliff notes version:
Your left hemisphere is where your brain stores all your knowledge and words. Every word you read, and every word you hear is stored in the left side of your head! Ed Khouri likes to call it your “file cabinet.” You might be like me and lose track of where things are filed, but I can assure you…it’s there in your left brain somewhere!
This file cabinet stores all kinds of information. It’s like a mega computer full of all the data you enter into it. All those self-help books you bought. Every feelgood Bible study shelved in your living room. Every page of eloquent and inspiring literature. It’s right there, in your left brain.
Where Memories Live
You also have a right hemisphere in your brain. This side is in charge of storing things too. It stores everything you experience in life. Memories, feelings, pictures of places you’ve been all “live” there. The right side of your brain contains the experiences that make up who you are.
(Did you know that what you know is not who you are?)
When Your Brain Doesn’t Work Together
Now there’s something else you should know about your right brain. It does more than just store things. It’s also the control center for your actions!
On a normal day, both sides of your brain work well together. They communicate with each other, and they help you make good, informed decisions for your life.
But sometimes (and more frequently than you’d think) your brain gets stressed. The system becomes overloaded, and the left brain shuts down.
Yep. It shuts down. It’s like the silent treatment from hell. The left brain stops sharing all of its knowledge. It’s like “lock down”, “in the vault”, and “access denied” all at once.
When that happens, your decisions are all made by the right brain. The right brain has no access to all those self-help books. It has no clue what that amazing inspirational speaker told you just the other day!
All it has is its experiences.
It might have lots of old painful experiences to base decisions on.
It might have some pleasuring experiences with BEEPS* to guide it. And the problem with these, is that the original “good feeling” associated with your BEEPS is given a higher priority than any “after effects” stored in the memory bank.
Can you see how this might be a problem?
Teach Your Brain to Work Together
So, for that reason Joy Starts Here is more than just a book full of left-brained knowledge. Joy Starts Here is meant to be a small group experience.
Joy starts in a group setting because that’s how your right brain learns new things – by experiencing them. In group, we have lots of experiential exercises for your right brain to learn so that when your left brain starts the silent treatment, your right brain has memories of how to build joy and get back to feeling shalom.
So, grab a book, a few friends and let Joy Start Here!
(To find a local group you can check out our map here. If you’re leading a small group why not add your name to our map while you’re there!)
If you can’t gather anyone to join you in this Joy Starts Here experience feel free to check out my next online group. Registration ends March 11. Groups meet Fridays at 11am Eastern. Find out more on my life coaching page: www.theopenbench.com/jshgroups.
*BEEPS are the Behaviors, Events, Experiences, People or Substances your brain looks to for pleasure and relief from pain INSTEAD of looking to God and other healthy relationships to be its source of joy.
