A Weekend With My Chimp

Befriending The Wild Animal Within

I have just returned from a weekend retreat with “The Troop.”

This is an organisation set up by Dr. Steve Peters, the author of many books, most notably “The Chimp Paradox.”

He devised a model which uses neuroscience to explain why we always seem to go against our best intentions and how to live the way we really want to.

In our brains we have many areas which all perform different functions, but Dr. Steve Peters simplified this to show that they generally work in three separate functions. He has called these the human, the chimp and the computer.

The human is who we really are. It is the awakened part of us that is engaged when we are mindful. It is the most recent part of the human brain in its evolutionary development.

The chimp is the primitive part of the brain which hijacks our best intentions and leads us down paths we later regret.

The computer is the part of the brain where we store our knowledge. It is the place that both the chimp and the human look to to get information before reacting to any external stimuli. It is up to us to program our computer with our own values and intentions or life will program it for us.

The chimp isn’t the enemy. Although it is responsible for our bad behaviour, procrastination and anxiety, it actually looks out for us. It tries to protect us but it lacks the logic that the human holds and therefore, often gets us into trouble by carrying out its animalistic drives, against our best intentions.

The chimp is four times stronger than the human, which is why our diet is blown when it sees cake.

It is also the reason we can’t seem to find the time to meditate.

The computer however, is five time faster than the chimp and the chimp looks into the computer before it acts. If the computer isn’t well programmed the chimp will have its way every time.

Our best hope is to have airtight, up to date programming in the computer, so we can live as we want to at our deepest, most meaningful level.

If we understand our values and see who we really are, and they are in the computer, then we can stop the chimp from hijacking our best intentions.

We can also work with the chimp by listening empathically, understanding its drives and coming to an agreement on how to fulfil them. The chimp can actually be of great help if we learn how to utilise the strength that it has, and get it to help us reach our true potential. As it is four times stronger than the human part of the brain, it makes sense to have it working for us rather than against us.

This is only a basic introduction to Dr. Steve Peters’ chimp model. I hope I have done justice to it, as it deserves all the praise it gets.

Here is an exercise I have recorded, loosely paraphrased from from the book that might help you to see something new.

On this retreat we reflected deeply on our lives.

I came to see my own deepest values and beliefs and it came as no surprise that meditation featured at the top of my takeaway list.

Here is what I wrote:

Silence in itself heals.

What requires action in order to heal is shown through silence and the path to that healing is shown too.

Sometimes, the healing is acceptence, perhaps The Great Healing.

Live your life guided by silence.

The deepest wisdom already lies within you, waiting to be heard.

I trust in silence.

Silence is my refuge.

Today, on EarthDay, an auspicious sight. We were visited by these two beautiful deer.

Never in twelve years of being here have we seen them.

I have also been appreciating the Spring garden bursting into bloom. Here is a photograph of bluebells I have taken.

And here is a watercolour painting of mine of trees and bluebells.

I will be providing more video meditations on here so stay tuned.

For live guided meditations and to chat to me do come and join my facebook page

Have a wonderful week.