Why do I keep going back to this topic? As if there is a compulsion that directs my hands to write about it. In my book Reflections of a psychiatrist, the opening chapter with seven essays explored creativity in the visual, literary, and cinematic arts. * I wrote about books, paintings, movies, as well as the creative process itself. I thought I exhausted what I have to say about it. But no, the devil within me is not asleep. This time my writing on creativity was inspired by the lecture I prepared for the course at Yavapai College in Sedona, Arizona. As a result of this long process, I have gained more knowledge about creativity, so I decided to share it in this way. Recently, I read a quote from one of the famous yogis that speak about the value of learning, writing, and teaching. It says: “If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” ** So I'm going to follow this advice all the way.
Creative brain
I will not write about eminent creative individuals, the relationship between creativity and mental illness, and the creative expression of the severely mentally ill, even though I covered these topics in my lecture at Yavapai College. I decided to approach the subject of creativity from a position of (neuro)psychiatrist interested in the workings of the brain and mind. A long time ago, I delivered a talk to mental health professionals called Creative Brain. The material in that presentation serves as a platform to write about the characteristics of the brain that are associated with creativity.
In medical school, almost 50 years ago, I was taught that the brain develops during the embryonic period and completes development in the first 4 years after birth. From that point on there is only refinement, maturation, and programmed pruning, but in essence, no further growth. It was stressed to us that we were born with a finite number of brain cells and that they don’t reproduce (unlike body cells). Now, I know that this teaching was incorrect, particularly with respect to the claim that brain cells do not reproduce. There is plenty of evidence that the brain is very adaptable to experience. We call this ability experience-dependent neuroplasticity. The brain is capable of developing new cells (neurogenesis), creating new connections (synaptogenesis), and reinforcing existing connections. This process was first described by the renowned Canadian neurobiologist Donald Hebb and summarized in this quote, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” *** He thought that everything in the brain was interconnected and collaborative. His theory was that whatever we experience in our surroundings triggers a set of neurons called a cell assembly to develop new connections. We know that creative thinking involves the discovery of novel connections and is therefore tied intimately to learning. Whatever we stimulate in the brain tends to grow stronger over time.
Healthy brain
A healthy brain is the stimulated brain is the creative brain. The best strategy for this purpose is physical exercise, especially the combination of aerobic and strength training. Physical exercise makes our brain healthier through better circulation, higher levels of neurotransmitters of growth, neurogenesis, and a reduction in stress hormones. My experience is a testimony in this regard. I have noticed that whenever I am physically active, new ideas and imagination flood my conscious mind.
When exercise is combined with a diet high in beans, berries, cruciferous vegetables, greens, nuts and seeds; herbs and spices, and whole grains, we facilitate not only a healthier brain but also a healthier body as well. Our brain is strongly embodied. For its optimum functioning the integration of the entire nervous system, in particular, that in the heart and intestines is crucial.
Additional strategies are mental exercises, related to a similar principle regarding brain growth. It is called, “Use it or lose it” or “Use it and improve it.” Training that involves a specific brain function leads to the enhancement of that function. One of the particular types of mental exercises is meditation, which makes the functioning of the brain efficient. Meditation increases neurogenesis in some parts of the brain, lowers stress hormones, and enhances the state of rest. During meditation, the frequency of brainwaves shifts from beta to theta, which promotes creativity and reflection.
A purpose or calling leads to exploring, looking for new challenges, thinking critically and creatively, and connecting with like-minded people who share the same passion. When we explore our brain releases dopamine that gives us a sense of pleasure and enhances our motivation to pursue the intended goal. When we connect with others, our brain releases oxytocin, resulting in a soothing sensation.
Highly interconnected brain
Our brain is highly interconnected by the preferred “highways” consisting of the large-scale brain networks that process information efficiently between distant parts of the brain specialized for specific functions. There are three major functional (core) brain networks: the default mode, the central executive, and the salience networks.
The default mode network is responsible for the unquiet or noisy mind. It is active during passive rest and mind-wandering which usually involves thinking about others, thinking about one's self, remembering the past, and envisioning the future. It is internally oriented and introspective in nature.
The central executive network is a problem solver. It maintains and manipulates information in working memory and is responsible for decision-making and problem-solving in the pursuit of goal-directed behavior. It shows activation during cognitively and emotionally challenging activities. While the default mode network can be considered our “internal mind”, the central executive network is our “external mind.”
The salience network is a controller or network switcher. It monitors information from within (internal input) and from the external world surrounding us, which is constantly bombarding us with information. It is an “air traffic controller” of the brain. Its job is to scan all information from the outside world and within our own brains. Then it decides which information should receive priority. The salience network moderates switching between the internal and external processing of the brain’s two other main networks. In healthy brains, only one core network is active at a time. The salience network determines which network is “online” at any given moment.
These three core networks work as a team all the time and especially with creative tasks. The default mode network generates ideas, the executive control network evaluates them, and the salience network helps to identify which ideas get passed along to the executive control network. The more active and interconnected they are, the more creative our brain is. This theory has much greater support in contemporary neuroscientific research on creativity in contrast to the oversimplified misrepresentation of brain lateralization to the right “creative” hemisphere, and the left “rational” hemisphere.
The hierarchy of human needs
Let’s now turn our attention from the brain to the mind. To help us further understand creativity I will outline Maslow’s motivational theory. He proposed the so-called hierarchy of needs idea in a journal paper. **** The hierarchy of needs states that five categories of human needs dictate our behavior. Those needs are physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. This hierarchy ranges from more concrete (basic) needs such as food, water, shelter, and physical safety, to psychological needs of belonging, love and self-esteem, to more abstract concepts such as self-actualization, the realization of one’s potential. According to Maslow, when a lower need is met, the next need in the hierarchy becomes the focal point of attention and the driving force of behavior.
Maslow's original conceptualization of the hierarchy of needs requires that individuals progress successively through the stages, completing one before proceeding to the other. In reality, the progression through these stages, however, is in fact more of a fluid and flexible process. Maslow in his later work stresses that the needs of one level do not necessarily need to be fully satisfied before a person starts working at the next level. He considered the process as more than one gradual back and forth between steps. Individuals can work to meet more than one level of needs simultaneously.
Self-actualized creativity
Unlike other needs that are “deficiency-motivated”, self-actualization is a “growth-motivated” need. Self-realized individuals live creatively and to the fullest of their potential. According to Maslow, the prerequisites for this stage are the fulfillment of a desire to know and understand the world as well as a need for symmetry, order, and beauty. The main characteristics of self-actualized people are that they are autonomous, productive, open to new experiences, expressive, integrators of new ideas, spontaneous, genuine, self-accepting, and psychologically healthy. They are also equipped with the so-called self-actualized creativity. Unlike the special talent “natural” creativity found in individuals who seem to be born with a specific aptitude or talent for something, self-actualized creativity is more of a way of approaching life in general. It is a tendency to do anything creatively. It is process-focused creativity, not dependent on external evaluation of a final product. This type of creativity is imbued with curiosity, playfulness, a sense of wonder, imagination and the ability to decern patterns in nature.
I wrote about this consideration of creativity in this way:
“Creativity may be conceived of as the highest level of mental elaboration, with the ability to beautify and enrich our lives and inspire others. Recently, I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic, her manifesto on how to lead a creative life. Suddenly, I realized that a creative approach to life has a broader meaning: it signifies a life that is elevated above the struggle for survival. That type of existence is driven by curiosity and imagination rather than fear and is, therefore, happier, more interesting, and expansive. Creativity understood in this way implies courage because it leads us down untrodden paths where the result is unpredictable. Only then are we ready to listen to the Muse and react to the physical and emotional signs of her actions. I have answered her call several times in my life. In those moments, the response in my body is palpable as rapid and numerous thoughts, fueled by an emotional charge and an obsession, lasted until I responded to that feverish state in a written form.” *
Writing and creativity
This can be used as a segway in this elaboration of creativity by continuing to write on writing, the literary manifestation of the creative spirit that is closest to my heart. Because of my psychiatric orientation, I wanted to understand how writing can be used as a form of therapy, especially for processing the effects of traumatic experiences on the mind and body, as well as, for enhanced coping with depression and anxiety. There are many techniques developed for this purpose. The best known are: stream of consciousness writing (whatever crosses the mind, write it down), equivalent to the technique of free associations of psychoanalysis; cognitive processing therapy, which is a formal therapy for trauma experiences in which a significant part of therapy is a detailed written account of the worst traumatic experience, which the patient then reads to the therapist in session; letter writing (the best for building or repairing relationships); reflective daily journaling (as a way of processing the content of ‘monkey mind’ with its tendency to obsess about negative thoughts and feelings); gratitude journaling (which nurtures abundance rather than deficiency); poetry writing (the best outlet for creative energy); and expressive writing (about any emotionally charged topics for the purpose of integration and sublimation). My personal benefit of writing, along with my thoughts about its benefits generally, I expressed with these words:
“Overall, writing has strengthened my voice, reinforced creativity, and promoted literary expression. It has given me a platform for expressing emotions in a sublimated way, helping me to understand and clarify the ideas I have in my head, and allowing me to reflect on and explore the psychological layers in myself and others. I feel satisfied and rewarded when my writing has a positive impact on others.
Writing activates both the logical side of the brain, as well as the feelings, emotional memory, and speech from the other side of the brain. When we write expressively, we use the brain in an integrative way, that is optimal for mental health. Writing makes us happier; it improves our thinking and ability to communicate verbally; keeps us psychologically young; forces us to continuously learn in order to write better; makes us ‘slow down’ and pay attention to one activity instead of ‘jumping’ into the flow of modern life, characterized with an abundance of information and sensations without beginning or end.” *
In conclusion, creativity teaches us how to live in an authentic way. It signifies a life led by curiosity and imagination rather than fear. Creativity has the potential to be an integrative process both internally and externally. It is an innate characteristic of the brain that facilitates self-actualization, positive relationships with others, the development of original and critical thinking, and commitment to learning. In essence, it is a deeply personal and enriching process with the capacity to become transpersonal and even universal.
* Reflections of a psychiatrist, by Zelko Leon, Independently published, 2022
*** The Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory, by D.O. Hebb, John Wiley & Sons, 1949
**** Maslow, Abraham H. (1943). “A theory of human motivation.” Psychological Review. 50 (4): 370–396
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