Stating that the brain dislikes uncertainty, which leads to fear and anxiety, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “The brain desires order, balance, and continuity. Only then does it function comfortably. To achieve this, it must make sense of events. For this, it uses symbols. Meaninglessness and lack of purpose disrupt the brain's orchestra.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that inauthenticity has spread to all areas of life, added, “There are also inauthentic people. This inauthenticity weakens trust, and when trust weakens, deep relationships are lost. Where deep relationships are absent, loneliness increases. One of the main reasons for global loneliness is that a person's inner and outer self are not aligned. The real issue is for a person's inner and outer self to be harmonious, to live in peace with oneself.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the psychological effects of symbols on the program "Akla Ziyan with Nevzat Tarhan" broadcast on EKOTÜRK.
Symbolic learning is a learning model unique to humans
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that symbolic learning is a learning model unique to humans, noting that while the lives of other living beings are limited to basic physiological needs, humans possess the ability to produce abstract, symbolic, and conceptual thought. He added that this ability, along with the understanding of the brain's working mechanisms, laid the groundwork for the emergence of artificial intelligence.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "Artificial intelligence imitates the brain. Artificial intelligence, advancing in fields such as machine learning and deep learning, is also trying to understand how the brain processes images, forms symbols, and establishes connections of meaning."
Brain algorithms and social learning
Prof. Dr. Tarhan likened the brain's information processing to a layered structure, stating that input information is processed in various layers (such as image, emotion, fear) and transformed into an output. He noted that this process works with algorithms that develop through social learning, adding, "Humans learn through experiences acquired from their environment and life. Even though a monkey is 96 percent genetically similar to humans, it cannot learn to behave like a human due to that 4 percent genetic difference. This difference stems from 'meta-mind' genes related to abstract concepts like time, meaning, and death."
The brain dislikes uncertainty…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the brain dislikes uncertainty, which leads to fear and anxiety, saying, “The brain desires order, balance, and continuity. Only then does it function comfortably. To achieve this, it must necessarily make sense of events. For this, it uses symbols. Otherwise, meaninglessness and lack of purpose disrupt the brain's orchestra.”
Multi-layered meanings of symbols
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that symbols are fundamental elements the brain uses when recording information, adding, "Elements such as size, shape, and color are symbols. Symbols have multi-dimensional meanings, for example, the 'plus' sign in mathematics, the positive meanings of the color red such as energy, power, courage, or negative connotations like blood and fire, and blue representing infinity and peace or sadness. Black symbolizing power in some cultures and fear in others is also an example of this."
Culture and symbol relationship
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that symbols vary according to culture, beliefs, and value systems, stating, “Even hand gestures can carry different meanings in different cultures. A hand gesture that means 'perfect' in our culture might mean 'be careful' in Italy, or 'be patient' in the Middle East. Religious icons, traffic signs, and emojis are also symbols and can evoke universal responses. We learn with symbols from childhood, and humanity cannot be learned in an environment without symbols."
The power of words, language, and concepts
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that a word is also a symbol, noted that the brain's Broca's area is related to emotional expression, while Wernicke's area is related to comprehension. Prof. Dr. Tarhan added, "The words in our language are also symbols. The more concepts and words a language has, the more new thoughts a person can produce. For example, the word 'heart' refers to both the organ in a concrete sense and emotions in an abstract sense. The fact that 'kalp' (heart) in Arabic comes from the root 'inkılap,' meaning to change, could be a mental representation of the need for transformation in the emotional world."
Dream theory and the collective unconscious
Highlighting that explanations regarding the meaning of dreams should be re-evaluated with developments in neuroscience, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung's dream analyses are much more compatible with neuroscience, and Jung's definition of dreams as a "world of symbols" aligns with today's neuroscientific findings.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that humans, unlike other living beings, are the only creatures conscious and aware of their existence, stating, "While each individual has a separate consciousness, beneath it lies a collective unconscious shaped by cultural heritage. Dreams are the realms where we experience the symbols within this collective unconscious."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan underlined that dream interpretations should be personal, stating, "The meaning of a universal symbol like water in a dream varies according to the individual's personality structure, the meanings they attribute to water, and their cultural context. Therefore, general interpretations in dream interpretation books can be misleading. Dreams are not meaningless; they present a higher reality where physical reality, imaginative reality, and dream reality converge."
Reality testing and the relationship with schizophrenia
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the inability to distinguish dreams and fantasies from reality can lead to serious consequences, noting that the "reality testing network" in the brain is important, and in schizophrenia patients, this network is impaired, allowing the person to believe their dreams or fantasies and organize their life accordingly. He added, "At the root of schizophrenia lies the inability to differentiate between fantasy, dream, and physical reality. The impairment of the relevant network in the brain leads to this condition.
The universal language of symbols
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that sound, like colors, is a powerful symbol and that music is one of the most stimulating elements for the brain, stating, "While logical concepts are processed in the left brain, artistic and sound-related concepts are processed in the right brain, and image-related concepts in the posterior brain. According to quantum physics, every color is a frequency. Different tones like black and white are formed through the mathematics of colors. Our sense of sight and light add meaning to everything in the universe."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that the human brain is in constant interaction with information from the five senses, information produced by the mind, and emotions, stating, "Our brain perceives, defines, interprets, and reacts to this information. A black-and-white thinking style, meaning the tendency to see events as either good or bad, is one of the characteristics of toxic individuals and leads to inflexibility and inability to empathize."
Mind economy and social learning
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the human brain operates on the principle of "mind economy" and tries to use information in the most economical way, saying, "While the animal brain learns at a primitive level through a reward-punishment system, humans learn by experiencing, adding meaning, and interpreting. Reacting to information without asking 'who said it, what did they say, why did they say it' leads to symbols working against us.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that keeping the brain's cache clear is important in preventing sudden errors and correctly interpreting symbols.
Divine signs
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the question "Is God silent?" represents humanity's desire for a divine sign, a search for a symbol, and these signs can be interpreted as warnings, good news, or punishment. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "If we consider life as an examination, the teacher does not speak during the exam. They remain silent for a fair competition. This world is also a transitional period between the realm of souls and this world."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that according to quantum physics and string theory, there is no such thing as matter in the universe, everything is energy and consists of magnetic filaments, added, "In superdeterminism, besides apparent causes, there are also unseen causes in events. Reading these unseen causes is done through the language of symbols. Thinkers like Ibn al-Arabi have imbued events with deep meanings using the language of symbols."
Not everyone can see with the eye of the heart
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that symbols carry divine messages and that how a person interprets events deeply affects their life, giving the example of an ordinary event like an ant invasion being interpreted by Ibn al-Arabi with deep meanings such as patience, diligence, avoiding despair, and teamwork, saying, "Those who look with this eye can see it, not everyone can. This is called the 'eye of the heart'."
Highlighting the importance of how meaning is attributed to an illness or life events, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "If a person says, 'I didn't deserve this, why did it happen?' or blames the past by saying, 'I wish I hadn't done that,' they amplify the event and suffer more. Not everything goes well in life. The human mind merely chooses and observes; what comes after is not under our control."
Sense of control and radical acceptance
Emphasizing that humans have limited power despite their limitless desires, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that when the sense of control transforms into a desire to control the future, life, and nature, it can lead to problems like high blood pressure in individuals.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed to the importance of "radical acceptance" in this situation, saying, "If a person surrenders control to divine will after doing their best, they calm down. We call this 'tevekkül' (trust in God's plan). It is not laziness or sluggishness, but the ability to surrender after fulfilling one's responsibilities."
Humans have free will within the limits set by their genes
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the idea that everything is predetermined does not eliminate human will, saying, "Humans have free will within the limits set by their genes. They have the ability to make sense of events and produce abstract thought. When an idea comes, we make sense of it, choose it, and after choosing, we become mere observers. According to quantum physics, we cannot control events; we only choose."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that inspirations require mental effort and labor, saying, "Archimedes, pondering how to determine if the gold in the crown was fake based on the task given by the king, received inspiration and exclaimed 'Eureka!' leaping out of the bath. Inspirations are the result of a certain mental toil."
The healing power of stones and meditation
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that stones, like colors, have a frequency and vibration, and that stones like amethyst and amber have spiritual meanings and relaxing effects. He added, "Just as someone holding an amethyst stone might find their anxiety disappear, such cultural accumulations should be confirmed by scientific research, but they should not be dismissed as absurd."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that individuals can choose a symbol for relaxation and use it like mantras in hypnotherapy or yoga, adding, "To secrete happiness hormones in our brain, three things need to be done together: movement, music, and symbolic repetition. Rumi's Sema meditation is also based on this methodology. With these methods, also known as rhythm therapy, the brain relaxes."
Music also carries symbolic meanings
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that music also carries symbolic meanings and creates different effects depending on the meaning attributed to it by the person. He added that some music evokes anger and aggression, while others have a calming effect.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that one-third of human personality (persona) consists of genetics, one-third of social learning, and one-third of personal choices, adding, "A person with the ability for symbolic, semantic, and conceptual thought can manage the other two-thirds of their being, shaping their personality positively by attributing new meanings, setting new goals, and developing new methods."
One of the main reasons for global loneliness is inauthenticity
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that inauthenticity has spread to all areas of life, concluded his remarks as follows:
“There are also inauthentic people. This inauthenticity weakens trust, and when trust weakens, deep relationships are lost. Where deep relationships are absent, loneliness increases. One of the main reasons for global loneliness is that a person's inner and outer self are not aligned. The most important point in human relationships is for an individual to establish balance in their inner and outer appearance. Saying 'my heart is pure' is not enough; the outer appearance must also be part of this harmony. Such people can form long-term relationships. Their inner peace reflects outwards as a positive effect. People inevitably feel respect and love for such individuals and gather around them. Even if the established order does not want them, society embraces them. Historically, such people are transformative figures who leave lasting marks. But those who play roles and act inauthentically lose in the long run. Because if a person sells vinegar with a sour face, no one will want honey from them, even if they have it. The real issue is for a person's inner and outer self to be harmonious, to live in peace with oneself.”