The Defined Mind: Brain vs Mind Decoded

FIRST, IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE BRAIN AND MIND ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS (BEFORE WE DELVE INTO THE DEFINED MIND).

The Brain

The brain is a physical organ. Of the many theories I have read about the mind, I prefer the one that describes the mind as a map the brain creates in itself of itself. The map is being updated in close to real-time from all the info the brain receives from ALL your internal processes of all the internal systems and all the info the brain receives from ALL of your external sensory processes. Primarily the 5 senses: TOUCHING, HEARING, SEEING, SMELLING, and TASTING. The amount of data received is several powers more than what we are ever aware of.

I can’t provide, in this post, a decent explication of how the info gets to the brain – too long. However, while the brain is receiving the internal and external info and processing it, the brain is also updating in some part of the physical brain this map it has created which is a duplicate of the physical brain. A backup, if you will.

The brain is operating primarily in the now making sure all systems are in good physical repair, functioning properly, etc. Doing first-stage pattern recognition to assess for immediate warnings of danger both externally (e.g., a lion appears on the scene). And internally, Serious disease or injury to internal organs and structures – “OMG “ …… explosive pain in the abdomen!

The Mind

The mind, however, is slower because it has a different task. How to make sense of the data on several different levels – categorization is probably first. How to integrate complex neural structures in several ways? Is the info needed for integration into “the past” personal memory structure? For integration into “the future” personal models of likely outcome structures? Into the nebulous now of quirky individuation personal models of how to change everything up? Maybe.

The mind also has to deal with complex routing systems based on probabilities at the neural level of pattern recognition which are then used to update our own “Personal Narratives” of deeply held beliefs and risks based on a risk assessment algorithm (plus specialized subsets). Creation and modification of “keyword tags” for script building for narrative inclusion, exclusion, modification, etc.

There are many powers higher in complexity of input and processing here than what I am describing. This all lags some number of units of time (milliseconds perhaps or greater) behind the brain’s processing.

I doubt the mind was created to allow the brain to self-reflect via the map; that seems to be a more recent function of the map. The mind processes the data as it arrives and organizes it differently than the brain does. The advantage to us from the mind doing this is that it presents us with the tools and environment to potentially modify our behaviors on the fly – even going so far as to introduce behavior options that are, for all practical intents and purposes, capable of offering mutated behavior patterns.

The Mind Center in Human Design is essentially the processing unit in your brain that allows for a much more complex range of responses to the world (e.g., several different kinds of social interfaces) as it includes multiple past, present, and future possibilities of you, as well as new and very different behaviors.

The Defined Mind Center in Human Design

The defined Mind Center is reliable in its ability to be consistent in how you think and process information. It’s like a workbench, where thoughts and ideas are systematically examined, analyzed, pieced together, and organized. This definition provides you with a stable framework for understanding concepts within multiple contexts and mixtures of contexts simultaneously.

If you have a defined Mind Center, you likely have a set way of taking in information, analyzing it, and drawing conclusions. This can be extremely useful in situations that call for logical thinking or sorting through details. This consistency is of the kind that is potentially malleable based on circumstances and helps us adjust to unexpected changes,

A defined Mind Center can also make you feel like your way of processing information is the only right way.

This could create mental rigidity, and let’s be real, flexibility can be a huge asset in our rapidly changing world. It’s important to recognize that while your thinking processes are consistent, being open to other perspectives can be enlightening. Not to mention that hidebound thinking usually creates a dinosaur on its way to extinction.

Another aspect of having a defined Mind Center is that it can provide a sense of mental reliability to those around you. People might seek your advice or perspective, as your way of thinking could come across as clear and well-considered. This can be an asset in professional environments or in supporting friends and family.

Personally, I Love My Mind

I hear so many people in Human Design denigrate the mind with nary a thought for the value it contributes – in entertainment if nothing else. Personally, I love my mind. It’s not my decision-maker for setting my direction or determining my values, or who I love or how. But if want to win at chess or even just to play well, I certainly depend on my mind for that. Thanks to my mind, I had a great career as a computer programmer and systems analyst. Not possible without logical thinking.

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