wpainterw

Perhaps in some future time they may be able to alter the “midbrain”, sometimes referred to as the “lizard” brain because of its primitive nature. But, as for now, all I know is that, despite years of sobriety, the “Beast” within that part of me is still there and must be watched carefully. I doubt that sobriety has really removed any of my so called “character defects” (“personality characteristics” might be a better term). Although I hope it has given me more humility I feel that I must still be aware of being obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist, impatient, and yet dependent on others, overly sensitive to what they perceive me to be, all stuff which I suspect my midbrain has something to do with. If I’ve been taught anything, it might be the danger of overconfidence. I hope I have been able to develop a set of tools to cope with the stuff which probably led me to drink. And I know that starting to drink again would let the Beast out of its cage and that it might be difficult indeed to get back what I have now.

W.

advbike

I believe that rather than coming from the mid-brain, most of those personality traits you mention (some of which I share) are a result of the mind, or thinking part of the brain. Just listen to it talking all the time and you get the idea. I highly recommend Tolle's book "The Power of Now" if you want to get into it deeper, although it is a bit hard to digest at times.

least

I relapsed after twenty years sober, so yes, the beast is only sleeping, not dead.

wpainterw

Oh yes, the "thinking part of the brain" is doing the "talking". But the baby down below is doing the screaming. It's d... mad that it's not getting it's bottle and it wants what it wants when it wants it and it wants it right now. The various personality traits I mention may be largely genetic and don't involve any "talking". The consumption of alcohol over long periods of time numbs the cerebral cortex and renders it more vulnerable to the screams from down below. And the games that go on. Remember. Charlie McCarthy also did lots of "talking". The "thinking" brain may be more of a puppet because of the booze.
Well, anyway, I'm not a psychologist. But I think I know enough to be on my guard about certain aspects of myself which I've had from day 1. At the end of the day I don't care where it's coming from. I just know it's there and I have to be on my guard. I hope that by working my program I get better at doing this.

W.