As I get older, I'm often frustrated by having something "on the tip of my tongue" that I can't quite get out.  Now scientists are making progress in discovering where and how the brain sorts out information that's "on the tip of the tongue."

To find out what's happening in the brain, scientists use a technique called magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI.  An MRI scan uses a magnetic field to monitor blood flow changes in the brain during different mental activities.  It then makes pictures of specific layers of the brain.

In one study, scientists monitored blood flow changes in the brains of people taking a general knowledge test.  Certain parts of the brain's outer layer, or cortex, sprang into action only when participants reported being on the verge of remembering an answer that they were sure they knew.  Scientists theorize that particular regions, which are activated on both sides of the brain, compare conflicting information triggered by memory tasks.

Efforts to visualize possible responses and generate a correct final answer eventually activated three distinct patches of the right brain tissue.  These seem to be regions that help us sort out the right information from all the knowledge that springs to mind when something is "on the tip of the tongue."

So next time something's "on the tip of your tongue," be patient while your brain sorts things out, before it spills them out.

MOVING BEYOND MATTER
by Debbie Hughes

I'm sure we've all had those frustrating experiences when something was on the tip of our tongue but still effectively out of reach.  Have you ever noticed though that sometimes just going away from the topic for a while will allow our brain to come up with the answer you were wanting? 

The moments during which our brain is working overtime but not coming up with anything profitable for us to say is an exercise in frustration.  And while others can't see anything happening, we know we're working hard. 

Many times though, a thought does break through and the words that were on the tip of our tongue finally manage to be voiced.  And that's both a reward and a relief.

What is important for our considerations today is the idea of process.  Process does its work on you and in you.  At times you are not aware of the change going on inside.  At other times you are very conscious of it and frustrated by the experience.  Process takes both time and energy.  And it doesn't always look like anything is really happening.  Frequently though this work does have its effect. The puzzle is solved and you're in a better position to deal with the issue the next time - either because you've discovered now what doesn't work or perhaps indeed because you've found the solution.  Be patient with yourself as you process. Change, growth and development are part of life's unfolding.  And we are all in the constant process of change. 

Some of those changes are physical, some emotional, or mental.  Some are spiritual changes.  

It seems that we have little difficulty understanding this concept as it applies to children.  Why, they are growing in all sorts of ways. We expect them to change and we're worried if they didn't.  Yet as adults we have this idea that we've reached full development and things are static.  That we have arrived.  Yet there are significant challenges and changes that occur in adulthood too.

Now, consider your spiritual views and how they've changed, grown, and matured.  Can you anticipate what kind of spiritual life you will have in, say, 5 years?  And what are you doing to get there?  Do take heed to yourself and to the beliefs you hold for your values and life decisions will flow out of them.