Left Hemisphere vs. Right

The right and left hemispheres are geographically and functionally different.

The left has more neurons, more closely packed, and the left side neurons tend to have short connections, so they work in their own neighborhoods. Frontal neurons work with frontal neurons; parietal with parietal, etc. They don’t pay much attention to other points of view. The left hemisphere is the side of rules, so rule-based processes like language and calculation are handled there. The left side tends to put things in categories and have a limited ability to deal with individuals. Once it finds an approach that works for a category (according to its definition of what “works”), it tends to apply that directly. Life is simpler for the left side. Nuances aren’t very important.

The right hemisphere has fewer neurons, more spread out, and it has many more connections among separate groups of neurons. Frontal neurons are sharing information with temporal and parietal neurons, so the right side provides a view of the context of our experience. Right hemisphere specializes in novelty–situations for which there aren’t yet any rules set up on the left. They are much better qualified to deal with things like music, which, like calculation, has a mathematical basis, but is much more about feelings and moods than about getting an answer. Left hemisphere hears the words someone says; right hemisphere understands the tone of voice, facial expressions, etc., which tend to be important in social interaction. The right side recognizes categories, but rather than placing individuals in categories, it tends to identify ways in which an individual differs from the category, so it is more about nuance.

The two hemispheres are also most commonly energetically different as well.

The left side, with its short connections, is about processing with faster beta speeds, which are important for language and calculation types of thought. The right side is more about integrating multiple sources of information, so alpha and slow beta (12-15 Hz) are more useful frequencies. We talk about reversals, where the right hemisphere has more faster activity than the left, or where the left has more alpha than the right. In other words, the hemispheres are trying to act like each other instead of like themselves. A faster right hemisphere doesn’t integrate information before making decisions, so it often results in anxiety or anger, because it doesn’t get all the information before making a decision. A slower left hemisphere can’t process as effectively.

When someone has one or more of these complaints about how his brain works, it may well be related to beta reversals: 1. Excessive activation in the area of behavior (hyperactivity, fidgeting, inability to be still); 2. Excessive activation in the area of sensory sensitivity (easily distracted, sensitive to light or sound); 3. Excessive mental activation (can’t stop thinking, racing mind); 4. Excessive emotional reactivity.

The BAL4C RH bipolar protocol can be very effective for quieting these problems. It does this by inhibiting excessive fast activity and rewarding very slow frequencies to calm the right hemisphere, so it can begin to do what it is designed to do more effectively–and let the left hemisphere do its job as well. As usual, however, brains, like other parts of the body, can produce the same symptoms in a number of different ways. So not all brains who show these symptoms have the fast right side. In those cases, BAL4C RH bipolar probably won’t do much to resolve the problem.