I just finished David Brooks “A Social Animal”,  a cerebral page-turner written with mind, heart and yes, even a sense of humor. And I was very psyched to discover him on TED X.   His basic premise is the engine behind SFI and LegacyMD: the cultural assumption that reason trumps emotion has led to what Brooks refers to as “the Great Amputation” between mind and heart, and this is central to our country’s current political and economic paralysis.

I had to smile – this is not new stuff.  But maybe it is for a rational, reason-based, card-carrying Republican. It’s no surprise to those of us in experiential modes of training that emotions, rather than distracting annoyances,  are actually at the center of our reasoning and behavioral functions.  Brooks refers to instances where stroke victims or those with lesions in the emotion processing part of the brain (the amygdala) are helpless to make even small decisions – (see Jonah Lehrer).  Emotions are central to how and where we focus our attention – they are at the very core of our being, and we cannot learn new skills and more effective behaviors, or apply best practice anywhere without paying close attention to how they impact our behavioral decisions.  David Brooks, in thinking and researching deeply into the emotional nature of human interaction, has unknowingly lent his respected voice in support of our work.

Welcome aboard Mr. Brooks…

And speaking of TED X …Portland Playback Theatre will be profiled on TED X this coming September 10th – come see us in person or on the web!