Awaken Your Inner Guide: How the Reticular Activating System Shapes Your Reality E161

September 3, 2024

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcast | Goodpods

In this episode, where we dive into the fascinating world of the mind and how it shapes the reality we experience.

Have you ever wondered how we manage to navigate the overwhelming amount of information we receive every second? The truth is, that our brain has a hidden tool that helps filter out the noise and focus on what’s important—it’s called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS.

I’ll be sharing a powerful model that shows how this small bundle of nerves in your brainstem influences everything from your beliefs to your behaviours, and ultimately, the reality you create. Let’s dive in.

RATHER WATCH THAN LISTEN/READ? CLICK PLAY!

The Power of the Reticular Activating System: Your Brain’s Filter

When we are awake we constantly receive pieces of information through our 5 senses. Around 2.3 million bits of information per second stream into our systems through what we hear, see, feel, taste and smell. You can probably imagine, that 2.3 million bits per second sound far too much for us to handle. And that’s why we thankfully have the Reticular Activating System.

The Reticular Activating System called as well the RAS, is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information so the important stuff gets through. In our conscious mind, we would not be able to process that amount of information every second. Thankfully we don’t have to because the RAS is working as a filtering system for us.

Your RAS takes what you focus on and creates a filter for it. It then sifts through the data and presents only the pieces that are important to you. It does this through deleting information that is not necessary, it even distorts data for it to be of more importance to us and it generalizes all of this data for it to be of better use. All of this happens without you noticing, of course. The RAS programs itself to work in your favour without you actively doing anything. Pretty awesome, right?

How the RAS Shapes Your Perception of Reality

In the same way, the RAS seeks information that validates your beliefs. It filters the world through the parameters you give it, and your beliefs shape those parameters. If you think you are bad at giving speeches, you probably will be. If you believe you work efficiently, you most likely do. The RAS helps you see what you want to see and in doing so, influences your actions.

Beliefs are a main part of the filtering system of the RAS but there are other subconscious filters: values, your identity, memories, past decisions, language, your current mood, your location and even the time of day.

The RAS is the reason you learn a new word and then start hearing it everywhere. It’s why you can tune out a crowd full of talking people, yet immediately snap to attention when someone says your name or something that at least sounds like it. It’s why you are seeing suddenly everywhere the car that you are considering buying but before you saw it at all.

Understanding the Filters That Shape Your Reality

For example, if you were bitten by a dog when you were a child, you obviously have a strong memory of this. What your RAS does is see all dogs as threats and danger. It will generalize that all dogs could bite you and therefore you avoid them. That’s how fears or even phobias get created.

The funny thing is that we are just not aware of this happening, that the RAS even exists and filters life into the version of what we call reality. But what we experience is not truly reality. Our reality is what ends up through the filters. It distorts, deletes and generalizes data based on our filtering system. That’s why reality is different for everyone. And that’s why you are creating your own reality based on your beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and memories. Does this make sense to you now?

Once the 2.3 million bits per second have gone through the filtering system of the RAS, you are left with an internal representation filtered down to 128 bits per second. From 2.3 million to 128. That’s how little we actually perceive. That’s all that your conscious mind can handle.

The RAS and the Creation of Meaning

And what happens next with that 128 bits of information? Whatever ends up in our conscious mind filtered down through the RAS, we create meaning out of it. And meaning is everything. It’s part of being human to create meaning out of what we see, hear, touch, taste and smell. We human beings will create meaning out of everything.

And from that meaning what do we do? We create a behaviour from it. We act and behave in a certain way due to the information that comes through and the meaning that we give it. And that action or behaviour will result in a certain experience. But it’s an experience that we created based on all the filtering and meaning systems that we inside of us.

If I ask you now: “Will you travel to India with me?” It depends very much on your RAS and what your next thought is going to be. If you previously created the fear of flying through memories or perceptions from others, then you will tell me: “No, Linda, I am not going to fly to India with you.” Just the idea of flying to India is now stuck in your mind and it creates an icky feeling inside of you. The meaning of my question for you is actually a negative one. Whereas someone who has no fear of flying might say: “Sure, Linda. I am happily going to travel to India with you.” And who knows what the RAS of the next person will come up with why it’s a good or bad idea to travel to India. Do you see how this works?

Training Your RAS for Positive Outcomes

It’s not come as a surprise to you, that you can train your RAS. You want to train your RAS by changing your beliefs so that your RAS automatically picks up on all the evidence of your new, positive and helpful beliefs. It’s like “setting your intent” for how your RAS can serve you. This basically means that if you focus hard on your goals, your RAS will reveal the people, information and opportunities that help you achieve them.

If you care about positivity, for example, you will become more aware of and seek positivity. If you really want a pet turtle and set your intent on getting one, you’ll tune in to the right information that helps you do that.

When you look at it this way, The Law of Attraction doesn’t seem so mystical. Focus on the bad things and you will invite negativity into your life. Focus on the good things and they will come to you because your brain is seeking them out. It’s not magic, it’s your Reticular Activating System influencing the world you see around you.

How to Train your RAS

The same you would train to run a marathon or to prepare to play a piano concert, you can train your RAS towards what you desire. First, you need to be clear on the goal or situation you want to influence. It sounds easy, but a lot of people are not so clear on what they actually want. If you have made up your mind, now you think about the experience or result you want to reach in regard to that goal/situation. You literally create a mental movie of how you picture that goal/situation ideally turning out in the future. Notice the sounds, conversations, visuals and details of that mental movie. Replay it often in your head. That’s how you make changes to your RAS.

The cool thing is that I have a meditation for you to help you with this process. It’s a short 11-minute visualization meditation that guides you in the process of bringing your desires to life and helps you to reprogram your subconscious mind and change therefore your RAS.

I hope you like the deep dive into the Reticular Activating System with me to understand the science of the law of attraction or how we are creating the reality we are living. Let it sink in and then make the decision to change your reality by training your RAS.

Two easy ways to show your appreciation!

If you found value in today’s episode, here’s what you can do to show your support:

First, consider making a donation to the podcast. Every little bit helps to cover the costs of producing and hosting the show. And ensures that I can continue to bring you the latest insights and opinions on the topic of energy and improving your life.

Second, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps boost the podcast’s visibility and attract new listeners, which helps me create more tailored content for you to enjoy.

So whether you choose to donate, leave a rating and review, or both, know that you’re an integral part of my vision. You are helping everyone who struggles with burnout or high-stress levels to experience how awesome their life can be. So, thank you for your support!