Nervous System Mastery: Self awareness, different types of memory and a nod to the Anthropocene!

Photo by Ricardas Brogys on Unsplash

The Anthropocene ( ‘anthropo’ is greek for human and ‘cene’ means new) is a term used by many scientists to represent the planets history in regard to human influence. There is an ongoing debate as to whether we are officially in a new geological Anthropocene age but placing that aside what we cannot contest is the fact that we have affected at least 83% of the planet’s land surface, negatively impacting biodiversity, oceans, ecosystems and so much more.

But what does the Anthropocene have to do with nervous system mastery? Well let me explain. Our nervous system is an interconnected, multifaceted, complex system just like our planet. Humans work with multiple types of sensory data from external ( such as sight, touch, taste) and internal sources from within our physical body ( numerous examples including stomach pains, feeling relaxed, safe, knees aching, knowing we need the loo). All of this data is being streamed 24/7 and is being aided by our extensive memory components to help us build out our reality.

The different types of memory :

factual/intellectual (FI) memory examples- remembering our name, age, address, the name of the film viewed at the cinema, the location of the cinema or boring stuff like details for a mortgage application

procedural memory examples- learning to walk, riding a bike

emotional memory examples- how we felt on a blind date, wedding day, first day at school or a new job, how attuned we felt with our primary care givers as babies

embodied memory examples- a pain from being hurt but yet we may not remember how or why

There is also generational memory akin to geologists mapping the planets past. For example researchers made use of mice love of cherries. The smell of cherries would prompt them to hunt out the cherry treat. But scientists in America exposed a group of mice to a cherry like smell and then immediately to a mild electric shock. The mice quickly learned to freeze every time they smelled the cherries. They then had pups who had no exposure to cherries or electric shocks. The pups then had pups themselves and this is when the experiment resumed.

Now I personally struggle with any animal testing and could not do it myself. But placing my opinion to one side the results were very important. It turns out the grandpups were very fearful and more sensitive to the smell of cherries. The DNA in the grandfather mouse’s sperm had changed shape, which rerouted nerve cells connected to pleasure and reward, towards patterns connected to fear instead.

It would appear conflict, neglect, violence and abuse is not only held within the body but the genes too. Of course many us do not need science to validate what we already believed in regard to generational trauma but just as trauma changes our biology so does curiosity and empathy too. It reinforces the need to approach mental and physical health differently in all aspects of our society. Furthermore, it also highlights how our different types of memory do not always work in sync. For example FI memory, unlike the others, work with language and understanding time. Interestingly this is also a perfect illustration of why AI and humans differ. AI generally requires a language model to learn and unlearn, humans don’t, we also have a somatic narrative, exemplified by the different memory components, that are held in and out of conscious awareness. Neuroscience is also demonstrating how the brainstem and subcortical areas are contributing to our cognitive intellect, adding more weight to the brain and body interplay.

Therefore with all this complexity I wanted to give a shout out to the importance of consciously maintaining curiosity about our sense of self. Self awareness is daring to look & ask questions of one’s self. Its an ongoing process of understanding, requiring vulnerability and bravery. Throughout our lifespan we are constantly establishing patterns about our behaviour, motivations, feelings, needs, thoughts and perceptions all entwined with memory. Just as geology can show the planets history so can our bodies and genes. Fortunately, however, neuroplasticity allows for learning and unlearning to unravel old patterns and old memories replacing them with healthier patterns if need be. Admittedly not an easy process but none the less possible when we create the right environments.

May 2025 allow for more leaning into complexity, more curiosity, more empathy, to give our brains, bodies and the planet a better chance to thrive.