10. Review & Practice

1. Understanding the Three-Part Brain Model

To support practical self-awareness, we use a simplified three-part brain model that includes:

• Limbic System (2-in-1): This part combines
  • Emotional responses (fear, anger, desire).
  • Heuristics (shortcuts, habits, mimicry).
  • Together, these form the fast brain, activating in as little as 0.02–0.03 seconds, often deciding what to do before we’re consciously aware.
  • The limbic system is also known as the survival brain, the lizard brain, and the lower order brain.
• Prefrontal Cortex (PFC):
  • Resourceful responses including creative and critical thinking, emotional regulation, flexible decision making, and empathy
  • Slower, activating in 2-3 seconds
  • May become de-activated by the stress hormones
  • The PFC is also called the resourceful brain, the Sage brain, and the higher order brain

This framework helps us recognize when we’re in reaction mode vs. resourceful mode.

2. Recognizing Limbic Mode in Action

Limbic responses often fall into five patterns:

• Fight, Flight, Freeze, Habit, or Mimicry

These reactions are designed for speed and survival—but can be unhelpful in modern challenges. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can shut down the PFC, leaving us with fewer options and more impulsive behavior.

3. Engaging the Prefrontal Cortex

The PFC gives us access to:

• The 9 Functions including emotional regulation, empathy, reflection, insight, and moral reasoning.

• The ability to pause, plan, and choose instead of simply react.

When limbic mode takes over, the PFC might justify the reaction rather than intervene—unless we create space through awareness or calming techniques.

4. Moving from “I Can’t” to “Perhaps I Can”

“I can’t” is a freeze state—shutting down creativity and problem-solving.

• Saying “Perhaps I can” is a gentle way to invite the PFC to step in, opening a path to new possibilities.

• It’s a mental wedge that avoids inner resistance, unlike “Yes I can,” which can feel false and provoke backlash.

This mindset helps us move toward creative action without triggering fight/flight defenses.

5. Certainty, Bias & Metacognition

Rigid thoughts like:

• “This must be done my way.”

• “That person is always wrong.”

…are often signs of limbic certainty and confirmation bias.

Skills we’ve explored:

• Metacognition (aka self-awareness): The act of noticing your thoughts while you’re having them.

• Indirect approaches: Gentle questions or reframes that reduce defensiveness and encourage curiosity—both in ourselves and others.

6. Training Better Reactions

Improving decision-making and behavior starts with:

• Better Heuristics: Training helpful habits (e.g., “Pause before replying”) to replace old patterns.

• Repeated Practice: Reinforcing small shifts until they become natural.

• MindShifting: Spotting when the limbic brain takes over, calming it, and creating space for the PFC to engage.

  
  

Our brain loves shortcuts—especially under stress. The goal of MindShifting isn’t to eliminate these limbic responses but to train better defaults that serve you in real-life challenges.

Making Limbic Reactions More Effective

Your limbic system will always act first—that’s biology. But with intentional repetition, you can shape how it responds.

Build Better Habits Over Time

• When you consistently replace “I can’t” with “Perhaps I can,” you’re not just using a phrase—you’re rewiring a pathway.

• These microshifts, when repeated, become new heuristics: faster, more flexible mental responses you can rely on automatically.

Use Mindful Interruptions

• Taking a brief breath or short pause before responding doesn’t just calm you—it creates space.

• That pause is like a reset button, making room for PFC engagement before the limbic system locks in a reaction.

Quieting Fear, Engaging PFC

The Power of the 3-Second Pause Sometimes all it takes is three seconds to:

• Lower adrenaline and cortisol

• Prevent an impulsive reaction

• Let your PFC step in and offer a more thoughtful path

But Sometimes that’s not Enough

In high-stress or high-stakes moments, the limbic system might still hijack your thinking. That’s why this course includes:

• More advanced calming techniques

• Self-awareness practices

• Strategies for longer-term rewiring

Practice: Labeling Your Default Thoughts

• When a thought like “They’re obviously wrong” pops up, pause and think:
  → “That’s a limbic certainty.”
  Then ask:
  → “What else might be true here?”

The more you notice and name these reactions, the faster your brain learns to shift toward reflection rather than reaction.

?Key Takeaway

Training your brain isn’t about getting it right all the time—it’s about creating micro-moments of choice. Those moments, practiced daily, become your new superpower.

? Interactive Exercise

Welcome to our interactive exercise, “MindShifting Exercise & Reflection!” This activity is designed to help you reflect on and test your understanding of key Mindshifting concepts. Through engaging activities and thought-provoking questions, you’ll deepen your understanding of how to handle challenges more constructively and develop a more resourceful mindset.

Remember to observe the blue status bar to know how much of this exercise you have completed.

Let’s get started!

Listen final reflection from the MindShifting book author.

You’ve now completed Module 1, the foundations of MindShifting—a first look into how the brain’s survival systems and reflective systems interact. But this is just the beginning.

In the next module of the course, we’ll go deeper into the internal stories and mental scripts that quietly guide our actions. Often, these narratives are invisible—but they’re powerful drivers of behavior.

You’ll explore:

• Why the brain is wired for narrative—and how stories shape your perception of self, others, and the world.

• How to spot outdated or unhelpful scripts—especially the ones that keep you stuck in loops like “I’m not good at this” or “People never change.”

• Simple ways to revise your mental narrative—so it supports growth, creativity, and stronger relationships.

Just as you’ve begun to recognize reactive brain patterns, now you’ll start noticing the stories behind those patterns—and how to update them.

This next step builds directly on everything you’ve learned so far: recognizing the limbic response, engaging the PFC, and stepping into more intentional, reflective thinking.

Let’s shift the story.