Does Understanding the Brain Make Us Wiser?

This morning’s keynote with Daniel Siegel, one of the leaders in integrating brain science with psychotherapy, was a fabulous way to end a weekend full of thinking about wisdom and its applications in the field of psychotherapy and in the larger world. He began his talk by talking about how, when he first began working in the field, there wasn’t a solid definition of the mind.

“I felt like a fraud when I first started practicing psychotherapy,” Siegel said, “No one had defined the psyche, and I was supposed to be a psychotherapist!”

Most of the address, though, was a demonstration of his ideas about the mind, in which he led us on a meditative journey focusing on our ability to control and focus our attention and awareness. Although I know he could’ve talked to us about his ideas the entire time, it was akin to the idea of “show, not tell” in writing; it’s more interesting and easier to understand when it’s shown to the audience instead of merely narrated.

When concluding the address, he said, “Wisdom comes from inside of you…this is an invitation to develop that wisdom, not just for you, but for everyone you work with.”

If you were able to stay and participate in Daniel Siegel’s keynote this morning, what did you think? What did the meditation mean to you, particularly as the conclusion of a weekend full of sensory experiences and learning? We want to hear what you think.