ENHANCING SKILLS

  The "Corpus callosus" connect one hemisphere with the other

 By Ruth Ferraz

This was the main subject that I researched for my  Post Graduation dissertation in 2001 when I got Master Degree in Education: Hemispheres of the Brain Functions. I fell in love with this research and the methodology of Dra. Edwards when in 1994, I participated in a course, which the amazing teacher was using the drawing exercises in her book. This course helped me to unlocked my Artist Talent. Since them I have been researching about this studies and practicing what I am figuring out about: - how to work out to develop the functions of the RIGHT and the LEFT HEMISPHERE, everything that could help to connect the two hemispheres  in order to enhance skills, not just the drawing but Exercises of Physical Coordination and eyes.  These kinds of exercises help not just connect the brain hemisphere but to enhance skills, specially creativity, that is very important not just to me as an artist, but it is important to everybody who wants to be diligent and use their full potential.

The main book I used for my research was the book of Dra. Betty Edwards, "Drawing in the Right Side of the Brain". She wrote the first edition of the book in 1979 when she was already a retired Art Teacher for the UCLA (University da California in Los Angeles). In order to write her book and do a deep research for her Doctor Degree or PhD, she used the research of another doctor of the Caltech, in Pasadena, CA, Dr. Roger Sperry. They even become colleagues and he helped her personally to finish her research and write her book.

Dr. Roger Sperry was a Neuropsychologist who won the Nobel Price in Medicine in 1981 for his research about the Hemispheres of the Brain Functions. In order to do his research Dr. Sperry studied the ‘’Split Brain’’ which is the brain of whom did COLOSOTOMY, surgery to cut the ‘’corpus callosum’’, which is a stripe of fibers which connect one hemisphere to the other. In the 50s and 60s some people with Epilepsy did this king of surgery in order to treat their diseases.

In the end of this research Dr. Sperry proved that the Hemispheres of the Brain have different functions, when he even won the Nobel Price in Medicine in 1981. Dr. Sperry quotes for Dr. Edwards book in 1979 that: -  ‘’the Right Brain has a high level of cognition’’.  Cognition  is the way we process information to performance tasks. Some people who have a good level of cognition, process information faster than other that have low level.

``When we learn to see better, we solve problems easier``. (Edwards)

The main goal of Dra. Edwards book, in fact isn’t art but to improve PERCEPTUAL SKILLS, which the draw help to improve, because when we are drawing, we work out our eyes to see close, far and a middle distance, but we don’t need necessary to draw to do this kind of work out with the eyes, we can just do eyes exercises and look around  us with  focus. We can just look closely an object, focusing in it and after another object far.  This kind of eye exercise is excellent to train focus and details easier.

 We  can develop our PERCEPTION, through  our ability to see, to hear and touch, then we will become more aware about something through the senses, specially through our eyes.  The eyes are the `hand of the brain` and the optic nerve is the arm.  Even Jesus Christ quote the eyes saying:

- "The eyes are the flash light of the body, if the eyes are single, all our body will be light".

Our society which is predominant VERBAL, honor more the Rational Mind, this both skills are from our Left Hemisphere, then Dra. Edwards says, we need a shift, to trick the dominant LEFT to access more the RIGHT, which is the NO VERBAL. I believe we should balance our both hemispheres, because they can help each other for we have a better performance.  Per example, if we have an emotion, which is a skill from the right hemisphere we should be able to express verbally or writing down what we are feeling, but many times we become without to understand our own emotions and then we become confused blocked if we don't reliease or workout that emotion. 

Below is the chart from Dra. Edward's book, summarizing the functions  of each hemisphere:

 MUSIC helps to connects the Hemispheres of the Brain.

"To draw is a magic ability, that can be learned and causes new connections in the brain." (Dra. Edwards)

I would say that not just draw necessarylli can helps to use more the RIGHT HEMISPHERE, but uses our eyes properly in order to see things, objects or views with more details and focus, help our brain to form the images correctly and producing new synapses or connections in the brain cells,  the neuronios.

Bibliography:

Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.  4a. Edition 2012. Published by Tarcher Perigee.

Medical Disclaimer:  

 I am not a doctor physician. I am just a teacher with Master Degree. I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the Physical and Eyes Exercises. Doing the exercises is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is intended to treat or prevent diseases. Consult your own doctor if you have some health problems.