What is ‘the Mind’?

Look up ‘Mind’ on Wikipedia …

… and you’ll soon discover that the scientific, philosophical and religious worlds are still undecided, even after discussing their respective views on the subject after three or four thousand years.  Yet across the globe people use the word almost randomly to describe a whole array of things. 

Here in Powerchange we wanted to at least have a working definition, so we can be clear with our clients what we mean when we invite a person to ‘change their mind’ or to ‘put their mind at ease’. Do we mean their brain? Their thinking? Their memory? Or even something perceived as metaphysical, like a person’s spirit or soul?

Here is our definition of the Mind. Don’t worry if you don’t ‘get’ it. We are very happy to explain the bits that are important for you so you understand. Most people aren’t in the slightest bothered, but some like to be curious and learn more:

“The self-referencing, living system of emergent processes that seeks to interpret and regulate a person’s perceptions and inaugurate consequential changes in behaviour.”

In other words, the hidden part of you that runs your life! Ask anyone for whom life isn’t too easy, and they’ll tell you, that’s a Big Deal.

Just for the record, those processes include: remembering, understanding, emoting, thinking, rationalising, judging, wondering, enquiring, exploring, assessing, choosing, learning, and may be within and beyond their human body. Pretty much everything.

Perceptions may be internal or external, conscious and unconscious, physical, social and transcendent/spiritual.

Behavioural changes, the things you actually do, may also be internal or external, conscious or unconscious, in thoughts, beliefs, and physical actions, greater or lesser.

To us in Powerchange, the Mind would seem to have both material and immaterial components, with its whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

What happens in your Mind is very very important to your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.