#neurology

If you want your memory or executive function to improve, stare out a window at the skyline or sidewalk or trees or birds on the electrical wires for like 20+ minutes per day. (With no other stimulation like a podcast or TV if you can manage but hey baby steps innit). If you're fortunate enough to have safe outside with any bits of nature, go stare closely at a 1 meter square of grass and trip out on the bugs and shapes of grasses and stuff.

Literally this will make you smarter. Our brains HAVE TO HAVE this zone out time to do important stuff behind the scenes. This does not happen during sleep, it's something else.

That weird pressurized feeling you get sometimes might be your brain on no defrag.

I think they've done tests on this by getting people to pilot novel bodies in VR. But you don't tend to notice it day to day until something weird happens like just now. I was reading a paper book and it had a line of text blacked out as if redacted. Instinctively I go to move my cursor over the black line to see if I can read any text if I highlight it.

Except it's a book and not my computer screen, so the cursor my brain thinks it's moving across my field of vision in front of me doesn't exist. At the same time, my right hand is making a bunch of small involuntary movements next to me. I didn't intend to move it and didn't even notice it was moving until I saw it with my eyes. What I intended to move was my Cursor, something that my brain had learned to understand that it has, and the way it moves this is by actuating the muscles in my right arm, an action that is entirely disconnected from any intent to move my arm, which is a different thing.

Because under the post about giving minors the right to medically consent, people are spreading a ton of misinformation on this - largely because they just do not question the stuff they just assume are "normal". Which here is: "kids are all afraid of needles and therefore if we let them consent or not to medical proceedures, they would just not consent and not get vaccinations, because needles hurt".

And, look. Here is the thing: no, needles do not actually hurt a whole lot. And while, yes, certain procedures that involve being stabbed by a needle hurt more if you are younger for a bunch of reasons... that is actually not the main reason children fear needles. Because, again: the pain is not that bad. And most kids, especially young kids, whose motor skills are still developing, usually will have a bunch more hurting scratches, bruises and the like at any given moment than there will be pain from the needle.

No, from what research can tell, the main reason kids are afraid of needles, is more that for many of them needle procedures are very traumatizing. And that is largely because of the consent issue.

Imagine you are a person who is still pretty darn new to that whole human thing. So for one, yes, your brain is actually not that great in understanding what pain is dangerous and what pain is a safe limit of pain. So yes, someone intentionally hurting you (like with a needle) is really kinda scary. But then there is also the thing where this person hurting you is not telling you why they are doing. The people who you normally trust with keeping you safe (your family) is betraying you, by just holding you down and scolding you for crying over it. Or maybe it is not your family, but some strange nurse who is holding you. And while you are scared, because someone is intentionally hurting you, while someone else is restricting you, the adults around you are telling you, that your emotional reaction to this is actually bad and you are wrong for reacting that way. They might in fact lie to you and tell you that something that is insanely scary to you is "not that bad", instead of just understanding that it is super scary to you. And that is then what you start to expect whenever you see a doctor prepare a needle: people holding you down, hurting you without reason, and telling you that you are wrong for being upset, actively gaslighting you.

We have research on this. And this research is pretty clear: most kids are actually somewhat okay with needles, if you inform them why you are doing it, allow for them to have their emotions, talk to them about their emotions, and allow for them to set at least some conditions.

And frankly, I hate how many people just accept the framing of "kids are naturally afraid of this because it hurts". Like, folks, I know y'all are fucking Americans and that in your culture it is kinda normalized to like put kids into like some sort of fortified hamsterball to stop them from like doing typical kids stuff. But... let me tell you: if you do not do that, kids will actually very regularly engage in dangerous play that they know will often end up in injuries that are going to hurt. And, no, they are not to dumb to understand that. The kids know that this is what might happen because of their play. They actually just take the risk. Yes, they will cry if they get hurt, because - again - their nervous system is still calibrating how it relates to pain. But they will likely do that thing again and again. I can tell you: I fell down a tree so often during my childhood, and I still climbed it. Again and again. So did most kids I knew. Like, fuck, we lived next to a forest. We played "Tarzan", and tried to go along paths without touching the ground. And we fell. A lot. And we still did it.

When most people start practicing the Law of Assumption, they focus on affirmations, scripting, or visualization. They repeat phrases over and over, wonder if it’s “working,” and sometimes give up when nothing seems to happen. The truth is, your brain is not ignoring you it’s simply waiting for you to change its underlying neural architecture.

At the core of manifestation is neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Every thought, feeling, and assumption you hold strengthens certain pathways while leaving others weaker. Your brain is constantly predicting reality based on these pathways, and assumptions act like default programs. If your subconscious assumes “I am unlucky,” “I always fail,” or “they will never love me,” your brain will selectively notice evidence that confirms this.

Repetition matters because it creates synaptic strengthening. Each time you mentally affirm or imagine a scenario, you fire the same neurons in the same sequence. Over time, these pathways become more myelinated, covered in the fatty insulation that speeds electrical impulses. The more a thought fires consistently, the faster and more automatic your brain recognizes it as “normal.” In short, repetition doesn’t just remind your mind of what you want; it teaches it to expect it.

Another key process at work is Hebbian learning, often summarized as “neurons that fire together, wire together.” This principle explains why repeated visualization or affirming reinforces the assumption at a subconscious level. Your brain begins to treat your imagined reality as a familiar scenario, creating what neuroscientists call predictive coding. Essentially, your brain starts predicting that your assumption is reality and begins filtering external events to align with that expectation.

Interestingly, the reticular activating system (RAS) plays a role here. This tiny network in the brainstem acts like a filter, focusing your attention on what matters most to your survival and well-being. When you repeatedly assume a positive outcome, your RAS starts prioritizing information consistent with that assumption. That’s why you suddenly notice opportunities, synchronicities, or confirmations you hadn’t seen before, they were always there, but your brain wasn’t tuned in to notice them.

However, repetition alone is not enough. Your brain also responds to emotional congruence. If your affirmations or visualizations are repeatedly paired with fear, doubt, or conflicting beliefs, the new neural pathways will compete with old ones, slowing down the process. That’s why subtle techniques like State Akin to Sleep (SATS), mental diet, or identity anchoring work they create neural conditions where your new assumptions can take root without interference.

Practical steps to help your brain learn assumptions faster:

Single core assumption: Focus on one clear assumption at a time, e.g., “I am deeply loved.” Simplicity prevents neural interference.

Short, consistent repetition: Affirm or visualize 2–5 minutes multiple times a day instead of marathon sessions. Your brain learns better in small, consistent bursts.

Neutral emotional pairing: Avoid trying to force excitement or desperation. Calm repetition strengthens pathways more effectively than high-drama attempts.

Evidence harvesting: Notice micro-proofs that align with your assumption. Each confirmation strengthens neural prediction loops.

Evening rehearsal: Use the hypnagogic state before sleep to fire the pathways in a receptive state. This is when your subconscious integrates assumptions most efficiently.

In essence, repetition works not because it magically “changes reality,” but because it physically rewires your brain to expect and behave as if your assumption is already true. When your neural circuits align with your desired assumption, your perception, choices, and attention shiftnaturally reflecting your assumption in your 3D experience.

[If you want help creating personalized, neuroscience-backed techniques to make your assumptions stick and start seeing consistent results, I offer one-on-one coaching. Together, we can design a plan that rewires your brain in a way that finally makes your manifestations feel effortless, natural, and undeniable.

Researchers have just discovered a process in fruit flies which links inflammation with impaired motor function, providing researchers with a potential target for treating the persistent muscle fatigue that follows many infections. Of long COVID's numerous symptoms, an intolerance to exertion could be considered one of the more debilitating. "This is more than a lack of motivation to move because we don't feel well," says Washington University developmental biologist Aaron Johnson. "These processes reduce energy levels in skeletal muscle, decreasing the capacity to move and function normally."

autistic people saying they are disabled by it and suffering is not an argument for eugenics. it's not an argument at all. it's a signal that someone needs support. they may have that support, they may not, or maybe they have some support but not enough.

you can talk about how "autism moms" villify autism without punching down on disabled autistics. you can talk about how they say their children 'suffer' from autism without shutting out the fact autistic traits can lead to distressing & debilitating experiences. we know autism is a neurodivergency, not a personality quirk. autism is a difference in neurological functioning. it's not a stretch to say that means it can be disabling.

high and medium support needs autistics matter. level 2 and 3 autistics matter. our suffering does deserve to be heard, from us directly, or chosen advocates. and it deserves to be addressed - not dismissed. you don't have to identify as disabled from autism. but what you're not allowed to get away with is telling other autistic people that they're not disabled or suffering when they are.

ableism just makes the distress from the disability worse. it doesn't cause the disability, and the distress is morally neutral. that's a fucking human emotion. toxic positivity isn't advocacy. it's harm. stop it.