What Is Multifocal Intelligence?
Multifocal intelligence is a theory created by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Augusto Cury. It analyzes how we build thoughts and the effects this has on our emotional well-being. It is an existential approach, and the main goal is to learn how to control your thoughts in a constructive way.
Your way of thinking, including the way you process information you have access to, has a crucial impact on how you position yourself in the world. This is what determines how your attitudes and behaviors develop.
Thus, if you use multifocal intelligence properly, you will be able to handle your thought production properly. As a result, you will have more constructive attitudes and behaviors, focusing on your most positive goals.
Multifocal intelligence
Multifocal intelligence is defined as the result of the interaction between the psychodynamic structures that exist inside your mind. Simply explained, your brain performs many processes. The way they interact with each other gives rise to what we call multifocal intelligence.
Four processes take place in multifocal intelligence:
- Thought construction
- Transformation of psychic energy
- Self-training
- Organization of memory, based on conscious and unconscious history
Our self is what directs and handles all these processes. In other words, they can all be directed consciously. The theory presents what we achieve this when we are able to practice a critical analysis. This allows you to see facts from different angles and points of view. In addition, it allows you to give meaning to all the negative things that happen to you.
The basics of the theory
The theory of multifocal intelligence is based on philosophy and existential psychology, as well as archetypal psychoanalysis. It is a perspective that aims to make you think logically. By doing this, you can analyze how some thoughts are derived from others, as a chain reaction.
The positive aspect of this process is that you can cut off one of the “links” in the chain and stop it, thus preventing the other potential negative thoughts from affecting you.
The goal of this theory is to make you question, challenge and analyze the disturbing thoughts that come to your mind. These would be the result of your emotional history, both on the conscious and the unconscious side. According to this theory, disturbing thoughts and anticipating suffering need only five seconds to leave some negative mark on our brain.
To open a window
We store these entries in the cerebral cortex, and this opens a kind of “window” with a kind of destructive purpose. Here is an example. Imagine that you have to give a presentation in public, and you think it’s going to go wrong. As a result, in just five seconds, this “window” will open and you will begin to expect a series of negative situations, which in turn will lead to many kinds of destructive emotions.
If you oppose this scenario with rational thinking, you will, according to this theory, be able to prevent the “window” from opening. It also says that with the help of time and practice, you will gain enough skills to be able to prevent negative thoughts from appearing at all. This is precisely the point of multifocal intelligence.
To train on multifocal intelligence
Augusto Cury has suggested various activities aimed at training our multifocal intelligence. All of these have to do with becoming aware of and putting the thoughts that motivate your actions on pause. This is called “thought control”. This is what is recommended:
- To relax for short periods. You need to take a few minutes to let your mind relax several times during the day. Take a few minutes to take a deep breath and think about what the meaning of and the logic behind what you do or should do.
- Emphasize positive stimuli. This means training your attention so that you mainly focus on the things you get every day.
- Constructive and creative activities. Reading, writing, making art in one of its many forms, or engaging in honorable activities, such as growing a plant or caring for the environment. All of these can help you have a more flexible and constructive mind.
- Get enough rest. Under no circumstances should you cut back on the time you spend sleeping. It is also very important to focus on your working hours and rest time. The latter is sacred.
To control your thoughts
- Check your thoughts on expectations. Beware of ideas that make you envision or expect something to happen in the future. The only thing you should think about when it comes to the future is to set goals or find projects, not to envision possible future scenarios. When your imagination starts to run wild, it’s time to give it a time out.
- Pay attention to the quality of your thoughts. Watch out for disturbing thoughts that try to invade your mind and analyze them in a critical way.
All of these are ways to train your mind while transforming destructive emotions. Over time, according to this theory, this will lead to a more intelligent, calm, peaceful and constructive life.
