The Unsettling Truth Behind Self-Awareness and How To Change it
In the 1960s, scientists did something radical.
To help patients with severe epilepsy, they surgically cut the brain in two — specifically, the bundle of fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres: the corpus callosum.
It worked. The seizures stopped. But something even more fascinating happened.
When they tested these “split-brain” patients, it revealed something uncomfortable — not just about the brain, but about us:
Our minds constantly invent stories to explain what we feel, even when the story isn’t true.
Let me explain.
In one experiment, a patient was given a banana in the left hand and a fork in the right — blindfolded.
Now here’s the thing:
The left hemisphere handles language and logic
The right hemisphere handles emotion, spatial awareness, raw experience
Touch from each hand goes to the opposite side of the brain.
So when asked, “What are you holding?” — the patient said “a fork.” Correct, as far as the left hemisphere knew.
But when asked to draw what they were holding — the left hand drew a banana.
Why?
Because the right brain knew, even though it couldn’t speak.
Here’s the wild part:
When asked why they drew a banana, the patient said:
“Bananas are just easier to draw with the left hand.”
That wasn’t true. That was a story the left hemisphere made up to maintain a sense of coherence. It didn’t have access to the full picture — but instead of admitting “I don’t know,” it invented a reason that felt true.
And this is what your brain does every day.
Even with an intact brain, you constantly rationalize your emotional reactions.
When you’re angry, your reasons feel justified.
When you’re hyped up, that impulsive decision feels like genius.
And later, once you’ve calmed down, you wonder:
“What was I thinking?”
Your mind was trying to explain your state — not your situation.
That’s not awareness. That’s storytelling under the influence.
Now, imagine basing your most important decisions on that.
We do it all the time.
We skip workouts because we feel “off.”
We quit things that matter because one emotional dip felt like a red flag.
We eat like garbage because “we’ve earned it.”
But these aren’t value-driven decisions. They’re emotion-driven improvisations, justified after the fact.
The philosopher Schopenhauer said consciousness is split between:
The subject — the observer
The object — the thing being observed
The moment we identify with the object, we become lost.
You don’t just feel angry — you become an angry person.
You don’t just fail — you become a failure.
This fusion between emotion and self is where suffering hides.
That’s why mindfulness, breathwork, and journaling matter so much.
They help you create space — between the thought and the thinker, the feeling and the self.
It’s what Buddhism calls the second arrow — not the pain itself, but the suffering we create by wrapping stories around it.
So here’s what I recommend:
Breathe deliberately when emotions are high (double inhale, long exhale — works wonders).
Write things down to see your thoughts clearly.
Build protocols in calm states, so when chaos hits, you don’t have to “think” — you already know what to do.
I’ve learned this the hard way.
More than once, I’ve let my split-brain interpreter hijack a whole day (or week).
But I’ve also learned how to spot it sooner, reset faster, and choose more wisely.
