Pearlman's essay is a complex way of saying we think about what we think about. It says the RAS lets in what we obsess about, so if we obsess about something we don't want, we train our brains to ignore what we want and focus on what we don't want. Sometimes I obsess over something. Yes, that's a brain habit pattern that is a problem. Obsessing over something leads to obsessing more over it and not thinking about other things. The cure is to break the habit of obsessing, which can be difficult to accomplish -- I've been messing with it for years. Redirecting my thinking to intentionally focus on what I value helps retrain my brain to allow in what I value and keep out what I don't want. In some situations, reducing my thinking altogether helps.
On Oct 10, 2020 David Doane wrote :