Helena Moore Ph.d.

Wrong Way Brain: Reflections on and About a Left-brain Society Helena Moore Ph.d.

When more is known about the characteristics of the metaphorical right and left hemispheres of the Neocortex, we may begin to make different choices in how we deal with forming the fabric of our lives. We complain a lot about our "left-brain" society, but seem to feel helpless to change it. More knowledge about the gifts of the silent right hemisphere can make some subtle--and profound--changes. The essays in this little book cover a wide range of topics, from a critique of the treatment of mental illness to an appreciation of the intelligence of animals-and a lot in between. The right hemisphere has the kind of intelligence that sees the whole picture. The left brain has been developed as a tool, and we seem to have put the tool in charge. We don''t have to lose any of the gifts that the left hemisphere gives us--we can still take advantage of all our words and all our numbers and all our machines, but our focus can be changed enough to make a difference, and to create a less stressful, more natural, environment. As more knowledge of hemispheric differences has become known, more and more books have come out extolling the virtues of the right hemisphere. The essays in this book are based on a belief that the right brain should not only be appreciated more, but that it should be in charge, because it is the hemisphere that sees the whole picture.