Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, met with prospective university students within the scope of the Science Workshop held at Maltepe Science High School. Tarhan made important evaluations at the organized ‘Neurotechnology Committee,’ stating that the biggest motivator for people is the goals in their dreams. Tarhan emphasized that controllable stress is beneficial and pointed out that a lack of stress dulls the brain. Tarhan said, “The best way to make the brain work is to remain calm under stress.”
Tarhan, who met with students at Maltepe Science High School, received significant interest from the high schoolers.
“Sensory integration method is used to strengthen weak areas”
Üsküdar Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, drawing attention to children with autism being subjected to peer bullying, stated that the brain's infrastructure can be strengthened and learning can accelerate with special education provided. Tarhan said, “First, we test all the skills of autistic children related to fine motor skills, gross motor skills, verbal skills, visual skills, tactile skills, and social and emotional-language skills. We find out which one is weak. The sensory integration method is used to strengthen their weak areas. That person performs exercises related to that area. This is the current gold standard treatment. While doing these skill exercises, we also provide stimulation to the brain. They wear a helmet with electrodes, and they work on it, which accelerates learning. Skill work includes social skills, emotional skills, disassembling, assembling, placing, playing, speaking, understanding when the other person smiles. For example, these individuals are subjected to peer bullying in the classroom. Everyone laughs, but they can't. Everyone gets excited, but they can't get excited, they remain outcast in the classroom... Because they are outcast, they become marginalized. It's not the child's fault. They may lack fine motor skills, but they might be super in mathematics, for instance. Special education is provided for such children, and treatments such as auditory memory therapies and visual memory therapies are applied. Magnetic stimulations are given. This strengthens the brain's infrastructure, and learning accelerates.”
“Is the 10-20% brain usage a myth?”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, speaking about the full utilization of memory skills with ‘The Six Loyal Servants of Memory’, said; “The human brain is used everywhere. There are no limits in this regard. It is said that 10-20% of the brain is used, but those are urban legends. 5W1H is a method used by communicators. ‘Who, what, where, when, how, why?’ A Canadian psychologist who discovered this calls it ‘The Six Loyal Servants of Memory.’ The brain has a 'who, what, where, how, why' network. When a person uses these six networks, they use all parts of their brain. If you use all six, if you don't remember 'who,' you will remember 'what, where, how, why.' Your memory strengthens. In fact, the reason for strong memory is being able to fully utilize memory skills. Then it also makes use of the entire brain. That is, the frontal lobe of the brain is the region that makes humans human…”
“The best way to make the brain work is to remain calm under stress”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing that controllable stress is beneficial, pointed out that a lack of stress dulls the brain. Tarhan said; “The brain has a characteristic; it works on the 'use it or lose it' principle. There are some wells that open up as water is drawn from them, and the human brain also opens up as it is used. Some people's brains become dull because they don't use them. So, because the human brain works on the 'use it or lose it' principle, the best way to make the brain work is to remain calm under stress. Don't be afraid of stress at all. Controllable stress is beneficial; it develops the brain. A lack of stress dulls the brain. That's why one must embrace challenges and seek out stress. Currently, there is a global epidemic, an epidemic of comfort-seeking. The comfort-seeking epidemic makes the brain lazy. That's why remaining calm under stress teaches everything very well. It is what makes the brain, all of its parts, work best.”
“Using our brain is like managing the waves in our brain”
Tarhan, stating that the waves produced by the brain are meaningful waves, said; “Alpha waves are the brain's resting waves. In the brain's resting state, muscles are relaxed. While learning something, studying, or focusing, beta waves immediately increase. Beta is the brain's stress wave, but beta waves need to increase in the frontal region of the brain. If they increase throughout the entire brain, then it means there is a problem in every region of the brain. The waves produced by the brain are meaningful waves. For example, if there are many alpha waves in the brain, it occurs frequently in obsessive individuals, in perfectionists, who cannot relax themselves enough. Therefore, the beta-theta ratio in their brains gets disrupted. In fact, using our brain is like managing the waves in our brain. Beneath the waves, there is chemical communication. There is a connection between chemical communication and electrical communication. If chemical communication is disrupted, electrical communication is disrupted. If electrical communication is disrupted, chemical communication is disrupted. Chemical stimulation triggers electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation then travels throughout the entire brain.”
This cycle is a quadruple chain…
Tarhan, speaking about the importance of being able to say no to distractions, said; “The most important motivation that activates the brain and drives a person is need. For example, you felt the need to study, but a distraction, a feeling, comes over you and pulls you away from studying. At that moment, you will say, ‘Why do I need to study this subject? What is my need?’ When you feel that need, in such situations, the brain can say no to distractions, temptations, and things that would lead you astray. In fact, for cigarette addiction, we have addicts prepare a card. Do you want to quit smoking? Yes, I do... Why do you want to? For example, your mouth smells, it harms your lungs. We prepare a personalized card with three to five points for that person. When they crave a cigarette, they look at that card. ‘No, I shouldn't smoke this; it has these harms, I won't smoke.’ They become a self-stopper. The ability to say no emerges. Similarly, for you, being able to say no to studying, to distractions, is very important. For a person to manage themselves, it is important to be able to say no to deceivers. Therefore, they will remember their goal. The goal creates the need. The need arouses desire. The one who desires then takes action. This cycle is a quadruple chain. Goal, you will ask, what is my goal? If there is a goal, then a need arises. When there is a need, desire arises. When desire arises, self-action occurs. Motivation is formed. Therefore, our greatest need is a goal.”
“One with a high purpose can use every region of their brain”
Tarhan emphasized that a person with a high purpose uses every region of their brain, saying; “Anyone with a purpose succeeds in this life. We will have high purposes. Not short-term, temporary goals. A person with a high purpose uses every region of their brain. A person who wants to use every region of their brain will load a high ego ideal into their brain. They will load an ego ideal for which effort will be expended, they will get tired, they will suffer. The one who loads it takes action. Therefore, people with high purposes can motivate themselves. When we load a high purpose into the work we do, it makes us more dynamic, more energetic. What motivates people the most are the goals in their dreams. Therefore, dreaming and the goals in dreams are what motivate people best. It is the greatest remedy for laziness. There is a laziness within all of us. We will work by remembering our purpose. That's when we make a difference from other people. The person will embark on their own inner journey of discovery, an internal journey, they will know themselves, develop themselves…”
“Being able to work in the paradox of abundance is a separate skill”
Tarhan, pointing out that an intelligent person is one who thinks in the medium and long term, said; “In the past, there was maturation through hardship, now there is maturation amidst abundance. In fact, maturing amidst abundance is more difficult. This is called the paradox of abundance. It’s the paradox where a person's material prosperity has increased, but happiness has not increased in parallel. Suicides have increased more in America. Crime, violence, and divorces have increased more. Material prosperity increases, but happiness declines. This is the paradox of abundance. Abundance sometimes backfires. Being able to work within this paradox of abundance is a separate skill. Currently, modernism teaches us this: ‘If you are happy today, that's enough. Don't worry, don't think about the future.’ However, an intelligent person is someone who can think in the medium and long term. In fact, the smartest person also thinks about what comes after death. Life is not limited to worldly life! Long-term thinking is referred to as strategic thinking. You create a strategic roadmap and think accordingly. Someone who thinks long-term does not fall into today's pleasure traps. They do not fall into today's comfort-seeking. This is also a hidden law of psychology.”
“Those who love mathematics will win…”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining the importance of learning mathematics and building social and emotional skills upon it, said; “Mathematics teaches cause-and-effect relationships. It teaches calculation, timing, and sequencing. First, a city's infrastructure is built, then its superstructure. Mathematics builds the infrastructure in the brain. Other aesthetics, music, and art are built upon this. Learning mathematics and building social and emotional skills upon it is very important. The more math you solve, the broader your brain's infrastructure will be, and the better you will use your memory and intelligence. Mathematics already means software, nothing else. Mathematical engineering is equivalent to software engineering. Therefore, those who love mathematics will win…”
“Stop, think, do…”
Tarhan, stating that the thing that makes people make the most mistakes is saying the first thing that comes to mind, said; “We program our brains ourselves. If you go to bed believing you will wake up at 4 AM, you will wake up without an alarm. If you say, ‘It's okay if I catch the plane, it's okay if I don't,’ you will miss the plane, but if you go to bed believing, you will wake up without an alarm, even a minute before 4. When we don't program our brains, the brain goes on autopilot. If you are in control of the steering, you will make fewer mistakes. You will be less unused, less unmanaged. That's why the 'stop, think, do' method is important here. Children cannot 'stop, think, do.' They do the first thing that comes to mind, they believe the last thing they hear. This is the thought pattern that causes the most mistakes. The correct thought pattern is 'Stop, think, do.' Stop, think, take action. Stop, think, decide. Stop, think, speak. The thing that makes people make the most mistakes is saying the first thing that comes to mind. Some people suffer because of their tongue. Therefore, whoever says whatever they want must accept hearing whatever they don't want. Saying whatever you want is not comfort, it's trouble.”
“A person establishes connections related to what they believe”
Tarhan also emphasized that thoughts need to be validated, saying; “Our thoughts turn into vital realities. Let's be careful about erroneous thoughts and things we believe, as they can materialize. A person establishes connections related to the topics they believe in. They make perceptions related to it. They take a position related to it. They make mistakes, but if they think based on evidence, they abandon that mistake. Believing the first information that comes to mind makes a person make mistakes. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to confirm whether this is true. If we do not confirm and verify, we will make mistakes. We will find ourselves in situations where we regret and then apologize. Therefore, always stop, think, and then decide. Stop, think, decide is the method of intelligent people.”
