Quantum Zeno Effect

DeAnna Willman photo Kaspars Eglitis @unsplash

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and finding none it says, “I will return to the house from which I came.” And when it returns, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits, more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse that the first. Luke 11:24-26

A few posts ago we talked about perspective and perception. One’s perspective (world view/lenses) determines how one perceives (interprets) the information taken in by the brain. We have also talked about how the conscious mind makes a choice which becomes a physical part of your brain and stored in the non-conscious. The more that thought is exercised, the stronger it becomes and the more readily it will influence future thoughts.

The exercising and strengthening of a thought is called the Quantum Zeno Effect. It is the repeated effort to learn something new. The more something is repeated, the stronger the retention and later use of what was learned. We can see this in teaching our kids the alphabet. We repeat the letters and the song over and over. We teach them to say/sing them over and over. Each time we repeat the thought, the stronger that thought becomes. As it becomes stronger it will make connections with other neurons (thoughts) within the brain.

Now, many of us were required to memorize the times tables when younger. We exercised those thoughts till we could easily recall them at any given moment the teacher would call upon us to answer any math problem. However, how many of you can still easily recall, without taking time to figure it or asking some technological assistant, some of those larger times tables? Quick! What is 12x9? The correct answer should have come faster than you could speak it. Did it? Or did you have to stop to think about it? The thoughts in our brain are just like all the muscles in our bodies, what we do not use, we will quickly lose. But those we regularly exercise will grow strong and serve us well.

It is so much easier to default to old and negative thoughts. We tend to be very good at exercising those repeatedly until they heavily influence the rest of the body and mind’s function. We tend to operate the Quantum Zeno Effect much more readily when it comes to negative thoughts. Especially after we have done it enough to have a perspective built upon those thoughts. Then we perceive everything according to what we have built and strengthened, which in turns further strengthens the perspective.

Choosing to change your thoughts will require the same effort, but at first it will seem harder. As babies we naturally worked on building our leg muscles without any thought to why or what to do with strong leg muscles. And eventually after months of bouncing, “jumping” and standing, we then began walking. Looking back, we do not recall any of that as an effort. We just did it. But, later in life you decide to take dance lessons. Now suddenly you are having to think about your muscles, the placement of your feet, and time your movements to a rhythm. This becomes a real effort on your part. So, after 4 lessons you have made some improvement, but you still are not as good as the teacher, and you still stumble many times. Will you decide to quit, or will you proceed to exercise the Quantum Zeno Effect? Will you decide to repeatedly go back over the dance steps every day, even multiple times a day, until it becomes natural to you? What is the consequence of either choice?

Quantum Physics of the Brain is:

Information- you have taken the lessons for four weeks but are still struggling, your

Muscles are still sore after practice, and you still often stumble in the steps

Consideration- is it worth the struggle to continue? Is it better to quit? What do I

want in my future? Will I regret one or the other choice?

Choice- I will quit or I will continue the effort

Consequence- What becomes the reality in your life due to your choice?

It is very much the same in choosing to replace lies and negative thoughts with truth and positive thoughts. It will be a struggle at first. It takes 21 days to change a thought and make it a new thought. It takes 42 more days of the Quantum Zeno Effect (repeated effort) to make that new thought a permanent part of your brain and life. But you cannot work 63 days and then just not use that thought again for months on end. No! What you do not use, you will lose. You may not work out 7 days a week, but if you do not work out at least 3 days a week, you will not maintain the muscle and strength you have built, and it takes at least 4 days a week of work outs to build more muscle and become even stronger. Same with the brain. Once you have gone through the 63 days of the repeated effort to build the new thought, you will need to continue to exercise it multiple times every week, sometimes every day.

So, you may have been working a few days or even a couple of weeks at replacing a lie or negative thought with truth and find it to still be a real effort. This week you must decide whether to continue or to simply default back to the lies and negative thinking. It’s so much easier to quit. Take the time to sit with God and ask yourself, what will be the consequence of either choice? What reality do you want in your life? Your decision will create your reality.

Until next time…..

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So, run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable prize, but we receive an imperishable one.

1 Cor 9:24-25