Comments on: Are Your Gut Feelings Actually An All Seeing Eye? A Demi God Of Some Sort?

By: Adam Eason

Adam Eason — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:32:23 +0000

In reply to Richard Ingate. Thanks Richard, another interesting and enjoyable analogy... Appreciated. Best wishes, A.

By: Richard Ingate

Richard Ingate — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:24:23 +0000

Hi Adam,
Another enjoyable post, thank you. Too many just churn out what ever they have learned without thought. Even the ‘new age’ has become the new dogma for some. Further to Andy’s comment, Hindu religion, I think in the text the Bhagavad Gita offers a metaphor for the mind as a chariot which actually needs a driver (will) to get anywhere and certainly cannot just be left to the horses to go where ever. I think the Hindu tradition can be said to know a thing or two about states of mind!

Best wishes,

Richard

By: Adam Eason

Adam Eason — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:20:39 +0000

In reply to Andy Smith. I like that metaphor Andy, thanks for sharing, always enjoy and value your contributions.

By: Andy Smith

Andy Smith — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:01:30 +0000

Thanks for this Adam – a useful post as ever.

I like the “elephant and rider” metaphor that Jonathan Haidt uses – the “elephant” being unconscious processing/intuition and the “rider” being conscious awareness.

The rider thinks he’s in charge. Most of the time it’s actually the elephant that makes the decisions – but as you say, it is possible to ‘retrain’ the elephant with nudges, reframes and more attractive possibilities. More about this idea here:
http://coachingleaders.squarespace.com/blog/you-are-the-elephant-you-are-the-rider.html

Best wishes,
Andy