You, Me and Second Brain Psychology - chapter 1

You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

EXTRACT from: “You, Me and Second Brain Psychology” by Armando Ingegnieri

CHAPTER 1: Introduction

Book available for sale at www.blurb.com Contact info: armando.ingegnieri@gmail.com cell: (+39) 348-3242079

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Armando Ingegnieri Ph.D.

You, Me and Second Brain Psychology

Drawings, illustrations and cover design by Sarah Todd

Original Title: ‘L’individuo e la Psicologia del Secondo Cervello’ © by Armando Ingegnieri 2012 ISBN: 978-88-906784-1-7 Publisher of first edition in Italian: Autentica, Rome, Italy, 2012

English version by Sarah Todd You, Me and Second Brain Psychology ISBN: 979-12-200-0208-0

For contact info: see last page

You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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KEY TO THE BOOK VIII o Layout VIII o Mission of the book VIII o Mission of Second Brain Psychology: speed and efficiency IX  Conclusion XII o My journey XII MAP of the book

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Second brain psychology : introduction

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The biological role of the second brain O BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SECOND BRAIN PSYCHOLOGY 13 o Emotions 14 o Emotions as a form of nourishment 18 o Emotions and the holistic individual 21 o Emotions and the Second Brain 22 o The senses as remote control 23 o Emotions and the senses 24

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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ROLE OF THE SECOND BRAIN

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THE EMOTIONAL MATRIX OF THE SECOND BRAIN AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE PSYCHE 41 o The psycho-emotional profile of the Matrix 45 o The Emotional Matrix as trans-cultural factor 46 o Key to the Emotional Matrixes 47 o Symbolisms in relation to the Matrixes 49 o The psycho-energetic poles 54 o (+) and (-) energy as behavioural modes 58

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

The colours of the Emotional Matrixes 61 The Matrixes and the Elements Fire and Water 65 The Emotional Matrix is the field 67 Emotional styles of the Matrixes 71 The Matrix as ‘modus operandi’ 75 The Psychic Poles of the Matrixes 78 Psychic Poles and aspects of life 84 The Matrix as psycho-emotional substrata 90 The Matrix and gender-related needs in relationships 90 The variable characteristics of the Matrixes: active/to have - passive/to be 108 The active and passive modes 110 The ‘to have’ and ‘to be’ modes 117 Dynamics of manipulation and corresponding roles 120 The Emotional Matrix: summary 121

FROM EMOTIONAL MATRIX TO EMOTIONAL CODE

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DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES AND THE EMOTIONAL CODE o The ‘EGO’ stage: trust/mistrust – judgment/prejudice 130

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147 RELATIONSHIPS o Triads: causes and dynamics 148 o Triads in love relationships 151 o Triads between parents and their offspring 152 o Triads in friendships 157 o Triads in work contexts 159 o Triads: effects, management and resolution 160 o Love relationships 162  Competitive and antagonistic behaviour in couples 169  Different approaches to ending relationships 169 o Parent-child relationship 170  Parent roles in relation to the child’s Emotional Matrix 173 o Friendships 177

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

o Work relationships 180 TWO BRAINS IN INTERACTION: LOGIC VERSUS EMOTIONS 183 INNE R CONFLICTS: TWO BRAINS, TWO MINDS

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THE EMOTIONAL MEMORY OF THE SECOND BRAIN o The Emotional Memory as focus of treatment 207 o Emotional programs and repetitive schemes 208

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211 SECOND BRAIN COMMUNICATION o Core level communication 212 o Second Brain language 213  Second Brain language and Matrix-related symbols 216  Second Brain language in everyday life 217 Psychosomatics and the second brain o Common psychosomatic symptoms 222 o Treatment of psychosomatic ailments 224

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PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS & DISTRESS 225 o Psychological disorders: a new perspective 225  Balance tipped towards the emotional mind 226  Balance tipped towards the logical mind 227 o Psycho-emotional disorders 229  ‘Wrong’ behaviour or thoughts 232 o Signals of a saturated Emotional Memory 233  Psycho-emotional and behavioural problems that have been successfully and speedily treated with this method 235  Psychosomatic disorders that have been successfully and speedily treated with this method 236  Pre and post surgery psychological interventions 236 DEPENDENCIES o Dependencies and emotions 238  Specific types of dependencies 240  Dependency on internet and the virtual world 240

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

 Substance dependencies 242  Dependencies and psycho-emotional overload 243

245 AnXIETY, PANIC ATTACKS & THE SECOND BRAIN o Panic attacks 246  Visible and non-visible symptoms 248  Panic attacks and ‘thought viruses’ 249  Side effects of panic attacks 250  Range of panic attacks 251  Coping with panic attacks 251  Why panic attacks can disrupt one’s life 252  Anxiety and panic attacks in children and adults 252  ‘Coping’ substances 254  Removing the root causes of panic attacks 254  Cases treated and time span of treatment 255  Common physical symptoms of anxiety and of latent or manifest panic 256 Epileptic fits & the second brain

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Bipolar disorder & THE SECOND BRAIN

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HOMOSEXUALITY & THE SECOND BRAIN

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FOOD AND THE TWO MINDS o Feeding the psyche 269  Emotions and food 269  Emotions as a form of nourishment 272  Food for thought 272  Compulsion for negative emotions 273

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SPIRITUALITY & THE SECOND BRAIN o Spirituality and the two minds 275 o Spirituality and the Emotional Memory 275

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

The psyche of the second brain In work & PROFESSION

279 o o o o o o o

Psyche of the Second Brain and crisis resolution 281 Psyche of the Second Brain and decision-making 283 Emotional Matrixes and communication 284 Training in Second Brain Psychology 285 Art-related work contexts 285 The Matrixes and Codes in selection of personnel 285 Peak performance and crisis resolution with SBP 286

THE ARTS & THE PSYCHE OF THE SECOND BRAIN o Sound, music, colour and the Psychic Poles 288 o Symbols and the Psychic Poles 288 o Artistic style and the psyche of the Second Brain 290 o The Emotional Memory in the creative process 290 o The Emotional Matrix and Code in film casting 291

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SECOND BRAIN PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH AND METHOD 293 o Digestion of experiences in the Second Brain 293 o General description of the treatment method 296  Variables in the treatment setting 297  Treatment of the emotional mind 300  Treatment of the rational mind 301  The Emotional Matrix and Code in self-management 303  Counselling with Second Brain Psychology 304 OVERVIEW OF CASES o Many paths to treatment 308 o A few case summaries 310  Time span of treatment programmes 334

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SECOND BRAIN PSYCHOLOGY: brief overview

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SUMmary: The psyche in Second Brain Psychology

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

SECOND BRAIN PSYCHOLOGY: SPECIALIZED COURSES & TRAINING

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OTHER TRAINING ACTIVITIES

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BIBLIOGRAphy

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CONTACT US

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Map of the book Second Brain Psychology: introduction

Second Brain and Biology The biological role of the Second Brain: • Functions • Role of the emotions

Second Brain Psychology The psychological role of the Second Brain: • • • • • • •

Areas of application: • • • • • • • • • • •

Psychosomatics Disorders and imbalances Dependencies Anxiety and panic Bipolar disorder Homosexuality Psyche and food Psyche and spirit Work Method Cases: overview

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The Emotional Matrix The Emotikonal Code Relationships Logic and emotions Conflict and the 2 brains The Emotional Memory Communication

You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

Second brain Psychology: introduction Psychology may be loosely described as a field that deals with the psyche and the processes of the mind. The branch of Psychology that I have developed offers a new approach to these processes which focuses on the functions of a second mind, as the name Second Brain Psychology1 clearly implies. A fundamental concept of this approach is that the human psyche is composed of two minds in interaction, one being the mind of the brain in the head and the other being the mind of the brain of the gut, precisely of the gastro-enteric system.

This brain became scientifically known as ‘Second Brain’2 in the 90s.

The Second Brain represents the focal point of my approach because I consider it to be the seat of a number of important functions of the human psyche, amongst which those related to innate Temperament. In fact, in Second Brain Psychology the Second Brain is considered to be:

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In Italian referred to as ‘Psicologia del Secondo Cervello’.

This was the result of the scientific findings of Michael D. Gershon, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology at Columbia University, New York, who first introduced this term to describe the similarity in structure and function of the enteric nervous system with the brain in the head, as described in his book The Second Brain, a groundbreaking new understanding of nervous disorders of the stomach and intestine.

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

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the biological seat of the unconscious mind and so also the generator of drives and needs; the generator and processor of emotions, also responsible for transforming emotions into emotional states, moods and behaviour and into modes of feeling and reacting towards circumstances and people.

Second Brain Psychology is based on the concept that the Second Brain is the biological seat of the individual’s primeval mind, that is to say of an innate psychoemotional blueprint which I have defined as ‘Emotional Matrix’ in that it determines one’s basic innate psychological and emotional mode. This basic innate mode includes:  emotional predisposition and attitude, and unconscious selective attention, hence also innate Temperament ;  emotional and psychological predisposition towards the two genders including parent figures;  mode of relating to the various areas of life such as work, friendship, sexuality, love relationships, hobbies;  behavioural style of which there are two basic genderindependent types: one characterized by a dry, fiery, rigid style of behaviour with the tendency to being selforiented and accusing others; the other characterized by a variable, flexible, accommodating style with the tendency to being other-oriented and self-accusing.

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

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Other traits include: the tendency to act first and then think or to think first and then act; style of communication: this includes choice of vocabulary and sentence structure, way of presenting issues, tone of voice, type of gestures, type of body movements and postures, and amount of personal space during interaction with others.

Because of the important role it occupies in the workings of the human psyche, understanding the psycho-emotional processes of the Second Brain opens the door to understanding the root triggers of motivation, the hidden causes of conflicts, the reason why relationships tend to follow certain patterns, and the reasons for personal choices, needs, drives and blocks. It also provides definite parameters for understanding why similar experiences affect people differently on the emotional, psychological and physical planes.

This book describes how many of the problems that people experience are caused by a breakdown in communication between the minds of these two brains which results in them no longer working together towards personal objectives.

Moreover, when the two minds are no longer in alignment, it is often not easy for one to distinguish between objectives which are psychologically meaningful and those which have been rationally self-imposed. The breakdown in cooperative

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

interaction between the two minds is caused by unassimilated emotional experiences which the rational mind of the head may not even be consciously aware of. These undigested emotions bring about what I refer to as ‘autonomy of the emotional functions of the Second Brain’ by which I mean an excessive autonomy of these functions that disrupts psychological balance giving rise to a wide range of problems.

These include panic attacks, depression, phobias, eating disorders, mood swings, headaches, digestive problems, skin disorders, eyesight problems, sexual problems, learning difficulties, compulsive obsessive behaviour, bipolar disorder, dependencies and addiction to a variety of things such as drugs, alcohol, things, people, relationships, videogames, gambling, television, as well as to excessive or negative emotions.3 What happens in these cases is that the brain in the head, which normally should be in control, gets overridden by the emotional brain of the gut and coerced into satisfying the needs created by the undigested emotional experiences rather than the innate psycho-emotional needs.

Psychological treatment with this method is specifically aimed at bringing about the psycho-emotional digestion of experiences causing the emotional overload as this automatically restores the balance between the two brains, hence of both mind and body. In many cases, it is possible to improve the general state of balance and quality of life simply 3

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As described in the chapter entitled ‘Imbalances and problems’.

You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

by gaining an understanding of how the emotional mind of the Second Brain works.

I developed the first concepts of Second Brain Psychology during my search for answers to certain aspects of human behaviour which classical psychology did not supply. These concepts stemmed partly from my own personal observations with regards to common factors in both male and female psychology. The most important of these was that, contrary to common belief, psychological make-up and attitude to gender were not determined by the one’s gender but by a genderindependent psycho-emotional matrix. I was later able to pinpoint and codify these innate psycho-emotional ‘types’ which define the individual’s psychological development by determining a number of fundamental psychological aspects such as innate attitude towards each of the parent figures.

In Second Brain Psychology, the individual is considered as a global system composed of body, mind (in this case, minds, with the second one occupying a leading role) and spirit. The individual’s psychological processes are therefore considered as an interactive part of the whole.

In formulating this new approach and method of treatment, I drew on a wide range of branches of knowledge4 each of 4

These included Western and Eastern philosophies, medicine, various schools of spiritual thought, quantum physics, neuroscience, various

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

which contributed concepts that helped to fill in the blanks left by classical psychology and make sense of my initial observations, the very ones which had spurred me on beyond the visible horizons in my search for a fuller view of the human psyche, one that could really make a difference to the quality of people’s lives.

branches of psychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, biology and cybernetics.

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

THE PSYCHE IN SECOND BRAIN PSYCHOLOGY Brain in the head: logical-conceptualanalytical processes

Second Brain Psychology considers the human psyche to be composed of two minds in interaction, each with its own specific functions.

Second Brain: psycho-emotional and behavioural processes

Second Brain Psychology

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE SECOND BRAIN On the psychological plane, the Second Brain is considered to be the seat of:  innate Temperament  drives, needs  emotional tendencies  innate mode of interpreting the world  innate predisposition towards male and female figures  behavioural style  mode of communication  mode of relating to others  primary emotional processes  long-term Emotional Memory  the unconscious mind.

Second Brain Psychology

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You, Me and Second Brain Psychology – Armando Ingegnieri

EXTRACT from: “You, Me and Second Brain Psychology” by Armando Ingegnieri

CHAPTER 1: Introduction

Book available for sale at www.blurb.com Contact info: armando.ingegnieri@gmail.com cell: (+39) 348-3242079

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