Your head says yes, but your gut says no?
Especially when making decisions, we shouldn’t rely solely on our intellect. Only by drawing on our holistic knowledge can we find answers to virtually every question in life. But what exactly is holistic knowledge? It is the synergy of all the knowledge we possess.
The left and right hemispheres of the brain perform different functions—a fact that is almost common knowledge. Yet hardly anyone realizes just what fascinating abilities the right hemisphere, in particular, possesses—and why it is so incredibly important for making decisions that feel right.
How exactly do the right and left halves differ?
You’ve probably heard before that the left and right hemispheres of the brain each perform different functions: While the left hemisphere is primarily responsible for linear, logical thinking and the verbalization of thoughts, the right hemisphere is primarily responsible for emotional and creative processes and visual thinking.
What is less well known is that the right hemisphere of the brain also intuitively sorts and prioritizes emotional experiences, and that this is where we distinguish the important from the unimportant. I would therefore essentially describe the right hemisphere as superior, because its fascinating ability to process lived experience holistically ultimately enables us to find good and creative solutions and make well-considered decisions.
Test the difference.
Do you have doubts when I talk about the superiority of the right brain hemisphere? Then try this experiment. Watch a news broadcast for 1.5 hours and then try to recall everything you learned. Repeat the experiment with a feature film of the same length – do you notice the difference? The fact is: The mere stringing together of facts is much harder for us to remember than what reaches us on an emotional and, above all, visual level – faces, stories, fates. But why is that? Quite simply: Pure intellect tires quickly because mere factual knowledge only engages a part of our brain. If we want to understand and implement things holistically, the involvement of our right brain hemisphere is essential. Scientists like Professor Julius Kuhl call the area at the front right the “self” – which suggests that not only is our holistic knowledge located there, but also… [https://www.psi-theorie.com/](https://www.psi-theorie.com/ )
The Reason Behind a Sense of Meaninglessness
In my coaching practice, I frequently find that my clients have “trained” their left brain extremely well—meaning they can clearly analyze their situation, problems, and questions on a rational level. Incidentally, these questions often revolve around topics such as: What job is really right for me? Why am I somehow not happy? What meaning do I want to give to my life? (more about personal coaching)
When these people then consider, for example, the logical—and outwardly reasonable—next step in their (professional) careers, they nevertheless almost always feel a latent, inexplicable sense of unease. When they approach a decision using their logical thinking skills, they feel uneasy. Why? Because they are not sufficiently in touch with their sense of meaning—and may even be out of touch with themselves—and therefore can hardly connect fundamental aspects of their lives with their rational knowledge. The result is often a feeling of meaninglessness—as well as a sense of helplessness when it comes to formulating coherent answers to the question of how to live a more fulfilling life.
The “Zurich Resource Model” method paves the way
Fortunately, however, all of this can be learned through practice. In coaching, I show my clients specific ways to discover and harness the treasures that lie dormant within them. We improve and reactivate the communication between reason and emotion. The #Zurich Resource Model (ZRM—read more at: https://zrm.ch/artikel-presse/) is wonderfully suited for this. It provides the ideal conditions for quickly steering our own perceptions and actions toward what we truly want—for example, in our professional lives—and what aligns with us as whole people on every level. You can read exactly how this works in my next blog post. Stay tuned. Until then, why not rearrange a few things on your desk? After all, cross-lateral movements help your two hemispheres communicate effectively.