Episode Details

In part two of the Thought Model series, I go deep on the difference between circumstances and thoughts. A circumstance is a neutral fact that could be captured on a video camera or stated in a court of law with no interpretation. A thought is the story your brain creates about that fact. My husband didn't take out the trash is a circumstance. My husband never listens and doesn't care is a thought. I share the neuroscience behind why your brain does this, including Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory of the brain as a prediction machine and Dr. Daniel Kahneman's system one and system two thinking. Your brain is producing personalized interpretations based on your entire history, not objective truth. The most liberating idea: your thoughts are optional. This week's practice is the video camera test: when something gets a reaction out of you, pause and ask what would a camera actually capture here?

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Chapters:

00:00 — Introduction: There Was a Thought Between What Happened and How You Felt
01:30 — What a Circumstance Actually Is (Neutral Facts Only)
03:00 — Thought vs Circumstance: Real Life Examples
04:30 — Why Your Thoughts Feel Like Facts: Cognitive Distortions
05:30 — The Neuroscience: Your Brain Is a Prediction Machine
07:00 — System One vs System Two Thinking
08:30 — Your Thoughts Are Optional
09:30 — How to Examine Your Thoughts: Cognitive Restructuring
11:00 — The Video Camera Test: Your Assignment This Week
12:00 — Next Episode: Where Feelings Live in Your Body