Neuroscience event examined conflict

In the film The Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio had to learn how to act out Howard Hughes’ obsessive-compulsive disorder. When shooting was completed, the actor then had to teach himself how to break his character’s habits.

The man who showed DiCaprio both how to act out OCD as well as how to stop symptoms of the disorder he developed was Jeffrey M. Schwartz, who recently gave a seminar on how using neuroscience can resolve conflict at the Oregon Convention Center.

During the Nov. 15 seminar, Schwartz presented the idea that the brain and the mind are actually two separate entities–the brain acts as a machine while the mind acts cognitively.

Schwartz, a nationally recognized neuroscience expert, presented the lecture alongside Stephanie West, a California lawyer who has co-authored articles with Schwartz on neuroscience and conflict.

The mind can be used to improve self-leadership and overcome conflict, she said.

Schwartz and Allen’s contention is that subconscious, “below-the-line” processes, which is controlled by the brain, can be overcome by conscious, “above-the-line” thought.

In order to help people overcome habitual behaviors such as OCD, Schwartz and Allen presented a five-step strategic model to help the mind take over the brain, which involves changing the way one thinks about such behavior.

“When the brain is delivering things–how much we have of a genuine choice on what things we focus on?” Allen said. While how much of a choice a person has depends on the person, Allen said that everyone has the ability to change their way of thinking.

Schwartz said people follow pre-existing ways of thinking that have developed over time, making it difficult to change someone’s way of thinking. The first step, Schwartz said, is acknowledging that you want to make a change.

Once a person has decided to make a change, they must choose an alternative to their way of thinking rather than simply resisting it, Schwartz said. Resisting old habits simply reinforce them, while exploring alternative ways of thinking makes one move away from their previous way of thinking, he said.

Rehearsal and acting come next, Schwartz said. Rehearsing a new way of thinking allows a person to grow accustomed to it, which is then reinforced by acting as though you have already changed your way of thinking, said Schwartz.

When people think and act as though they have a trait, their brain will begin to create pathways in the brain, he said.

Both Schwartz and Allen said that the best way to improve on a wanted trait is to act as if you’ve already mastered the skill or trait you want. This strategy is how DiCaprio developed OCD through acting, Schwartz said.

Finally, Schwartz and Allen said people should make mental notes to increase attention and concentration.

It is hard to make mental notes in the heat of a moment, for example when you are angry or frustrated, but practicing helps, Allen said. For example, when a person is eating, they would mentally say “eating,” she said.

This method has been proven to calm emotions, he said.

After being asked if the concept that the brain and mind being separate was “supernatural,” Schwartz said the mind was considered at one point to be unnatural.

“The mind used to be supernatural but is really scientifically viable, and in effect, natural,” he said.

Schwartz said he disagrees with many philosophers and scientists who believe the brain defines what people are.

The two-day seminar also featured a workshop, where Schwartz and Allen presented a slideshow the overall context of the brain and spoke on how to apply the five-step strategy to solve conflicts. The seminar was sponsored by PSU’s Graduate School of Education.

Schwartz is an expert in neuroplasticity, or changes that happen in the brain as a result of experience. He has written books on the subject, and is currently a research psychiatrist at the University of California.