Only good can come out of knowing your strengths and weaknesses. In the case of left brain versus right brain dominance knowing how you think and operate is likely to be a useful addition to this list.

If you haven’t heard the theory before, it’s actually quite simple. According to psychologists, each side of the brain controls different types of thinking and people are said to prefer one type of thinking over the other. You can liken it to hand dominance, but with the brain. A person who is “left-brained” is said to be more logical and objective, while a person who is “right-brained” is said to be more intuitive and subjective.

Here’s a quick test you can try right now.

Now try to focus and see if you can change her direction. If you concentrate you’ll be surprised to see that she’s moving in the opposite direction!

In general, the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information in different ways. The Left brain uses logic, is detail oriented, likes facts, words and language, is good with order, is reality based, forms strategies, and is practical. The right brain on the other hand uses feeling, is “big picture” oriented, like symbols and images, not necessarily good with order, is fantasy based, and risk taking.

The question here is not which side is better, but instead how you can integrate the appropriate functioning of both your hemispheres. This comes down to strengthening the less dominate hemisphere of the brain. For example, if you have a difficult time following verbal instruction (often thought to be a right-brain characteristic) you may benefit from writing down directions and developing better organizational skills.

Although we tend to process information using our dominant side, mental abilities are enhanced when both sides of the brain participate in a balanced manner and are actually strongest when both halves of the brain work together. While this idea like is often over generalized, understanding your typical behaviour can help you develop better ways to operate and function in your life.

Here’s a good left brain/right brain test produced by the Art Institute of Vancouver. Give it a try. You might learn something new about yourself.
http://www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver/left_right/rb_test.htm

If you haven’t already watched the highly acclaimed, yet controversial film “The Secret”, it may be that time for you to jump on the band wagon. This presentation, featuring a series of authors, doctors, physicists, and entrepreneurs, was catapulted to public attention through television talk show moguls such as Larry King, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Those of us not aware of the film are likely still familiar with it general theme and topic - The Law of Attraction, and the idea that our thoughts create our world. Sounds good doesn’t it?

But for those of us who’ve tried it all from affirmations to self approbations, holding on to such an entertaining idea can be challenge. In our work as hypnotherapists, it is not uncommon to find ourselves face to face with individuals who are in a state of despair after several failed attempts toward a specified goal. We’ve all had it happen to us and likely more than once. Why wouldn’t we feel down?

Esther and Jerry Hicks, authors of “Ask and It Is Given” and other books in alignment with The Law of Attraction, have themselves written and spoken about some omitted, but important components to the concepts illustrated in the movie The Secret.

In the field of hypnotherapy, these missed components have to do with an individual’s emotions and how one can establish control over them. Without the appropriate emotional state, any task or activity that could be done with relative ease and naturalness becomes arduous and difficult. This applies not only to physical tasks, but also to mental tasks such as visualization and imagery. It is the ease of these tasks that directly contribute to one’s long term success. The more difficult something feels in our minds, the more difficult it becomes to achieve them in our reality. Consider working through your own emotional blocks to help you attract what you want into your world.