The world’s firstNeurometric

For more than two thousand years physicians and scientists have known that the brain consists of distinct areas, and that different parts of the brain serve different purposes. For example, early in the 19th century a French physician called Pierre Paul Broca identified a region in the left hemisphere that was important for speech and a few years later the German physician Carl Wernicke located an area critical for the comprehension of language.

BecauseBecause damage in specific parts of the brain appeared to impair particular functions, early neuroscientists assumed that all human skills and abilities must have a corresponding location within the brain. Furthermore, because different regions of the brain were known to possess different styles for the way in which they processed information, it was believed that a person’s personality, preferences and abilities were the result of the relative ‘strength’ of these various regions. Indeed, it was this belief that led to the development of numerous brain-based psychometric questionnaires that claim to explain, amongst other things, whether you are more ‘right-whether you are more ‘right-’ or ‘left-brained’.

Today, neuroscientists have come to realise that this ‘nodal’ theory of brain organisation was a gross over-simplification, as modern brain scanning technology reveals that multiple areas of the brain are involved in virtually every thought and action.

The breakthrough in understanding the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain followed research by eminent neuroscientists such as Elkhonon Goldberg and Joseph LeDoux. Their research has provided new insights into the way in which information is distributed within the brain and on the synapticsynaptic ‘wiring’, a network of unimaginable complexity that lies at the heart of the brain’s messaging system and that is unique to each of us.

The conclusion is that it is not the relative strengths of the different brain regions that determine how we think and behave, but rather the way in which our synaptic network routes information to use the different processing styles of the various brain regions.

Based on this new understanding, MyBrain International undertook research to establish whether it would be possible to create a profiling instrument based on neuroscience rather than psychology and, in so doing, create the world’s first ‘neurometric’. Since then MiND has evolved into a comprehensive instrument that today is having a profound impact in areas such as team-building, coaching and organisational development.coaching and organisational development.

Unlocking themysteries ofthe human brain

Dr Tracy Yeates, Sn Programme Mgr, Jaguar Land Rover

“The impact of the MiND workshop was amazing, levels of respect between team members improved immediately and overall team performance increased so markedly that colleagues sitting nearby noticed and were asking me what had happened”

Neurometric [n(y)ur-ō-̍me-trik] A tool that demonstrates the causal link between the psychology of a person and the neurology of their brain.

What makes MiND special?MiNDMiND stands apart from all other self-analysis instruments in that it is based on a scientific understanding of the human brain rather than on the results of analytical psychology. This makes MiND unique as it is able to account for what Carl Jung described as the ‘unconscious mind’. In his book Psychological Types, Jung observed that a man’s unconscious mind is ‘of considerably more importance than his rational intentions’. MiND is able to do this because it is not seeking to categorise or label a person based on the skills, abilities and aspirations they derive from the conscious regions of the brain, but rather, provide a neurological explanationexplanation of their energy and motivation based on the whole brain including regions that are outside of their conscious awareness, such as the brain stem and cerebellum.

Being based on neuroscience, a MiND report goes beyond the traditional psychometric explanation of how a person is (which of course they already know) by providing an evidence-based explanation as to why they are the way they are and where they

are in their ‘flow’. Flow was a term defined by the Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi to describe a mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersedimmersed in a feeling of energised focus and using their skills to the utmost. For this reason, MiND is an invaluable instrument for organisations seeking higher levels of employee satisfaction, productivity and engagement, and for organisations seeking to build a strengths-based culture.

This understanding is also valuable to teams and team leaders, where research demonstrates that the greatest single factor that limits team performance is the lack of synergy. Since MiND provides a fun, engaging and impactful means of exploring the different perspectives that colleagues mightmight offer, team leaders often report improvements in levels of respect, collaboration and performance as soon as the day after a team workshop.

MiND is also unique in that it acknowledges that a person’s energy and motivations are not static, but that they can vary with circumstances. MiND does this by providing a breakdown of a person’s overall profile into the motivations they exhibit in their personal life and those they exhibit at work. Where differences exist, the MiND report can help people to understand this change and may even enable them to use those differences to their advantage.

As an instrument based on scientific research rather than psychological concepts, MiND is invaluable to trainers, coaches and other HR professionals seeking an evidence-based approach to their work in areas such as management, leadership, communication, team effectiveness, strategic thinking and other interpersonal disciplines.

For more information visit www.mybrain.co.uk or contact MyBrain International.

enquiries@mybrain.co.uk