The Holographic Mind

Podcast Version
(Created by NotebookLM)

How to use the understanding of brain interference patterns to your advantage.
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Some people say we live in a hologram, but what they actually mean is that our brain captures information like a hologram. How does it work and how can we use that to our advantage in our work and triathlon?

1. What is a Hologram?

A hologram is a three-dimensional image formed by the interference of light waves, typically created using lasers. The process involves splitting a laser beam into two:

• One beam reflects off the object being recorded.
• The other acts as a reference beam, traveling directly to a photographic plate.
• When these two beams intersect, they create an interference pattern—a complex arrangement of light and dark regions encoding the image in its entirety.

Unlike a traditional photograph, which stores light intensities at specific points, a hologram stores information in wave interference patterns. This allows for unique properties, which can also help us understanding how our brain processes and stores information.

2. The Brain as an Interference System

Just as a hologram does not store an image in one specific location but rather distributes it across the entire interference pattern, the brain does not store memories in single neurons. Instead:

• Neurons communicate through electrical signals and synapses, forming wave-like patterns of activity.
• These signals propagate across neural networks, interfering with each other in complex ways to encode information.
• The result is a distributed memory system, where no single neuron contains a complete memory, but rather, memory emerges from the interaction of many signals.

​This dynamic, wave-based approach makes memory robust.

3. How the Brain and Holograms Align

The holographic model of brain function is recognized by several key properties of both systems:

• A Part of the Image Contains the Whole

In a hologram, each fragment retains the entire image at a lower resolution. Similarly, memories in the brain are not localized, meaning partial information can still reconstruct the whole experience. This is why people with partial brain injuries can still recall past events, albeit with some loss in clarity.

• Intertwined Interference Models: Multi-Sensory Memory

Holograms can store multiple images that emerge based on how they are illuminated. The brain does the same with multisensory memories. For instance, a smell triggers a cascade of memories - for example, the scent of cake reminds you of your grandmother's house, bringing back visual, auditory, and emotional associations.

• Perspective Alters What We See

In holography, changing the angle of illumination reveals different images. Similarly, the way we focus on a memory or situation shifts our perception. Viewing an event with nostalgia highlights positive emotions. Re-examining a past failure through a growth mindset can transform it into a lesson. This aligns with cognitive biases and how reframing thoughts can lead to different emotional and behavioural outcomes.

• Recognizing Similar Images Brightens the Hologram

Holographic systems enhance familiar images when they match a stored pattern. Likewise, the brain uses pattern recognition to strengthen familiar associations. When learning a new skill, recognizing similarities to past experiences makes adaptation easier. The more a concept aligns with existing knowledge, the faster it is processed and recalled.

• Repeated Exposure Strengthens Interference Patterns

Just as longer exposure in holography enhances the image, repeated exposure to an idea, movement, or skill strengthens neural pathways. Deliberate practice ingrains skills. Repetition of mental imagery improves motor coordination. This principle is crucial in both athletic training and cognitive learning.

4. Applying the Holographic Principle in Triathlon and Coaching

The Holographic Mind in Triathlon

Visualization is a powerful training tool because activating interference patterns in the brain can trigger actual muscle responses. Athletes can use this principle in two ways:

• Reinforcing learned skills: If an athlete has trained a movement many times, simply visualizing it can reactivate the correct muscle engagement without physical strain.
• Even if an athlete hasn’t performed an exact movement before, visualizing a similar known movement can create the necessary neuromuscular activation allowing to learn a new skill through other now memories. Examples:
  • Reaching for the ceiling, making yourself as tall as possible encourages the correct posture for swimming - engaging the core, stretching the body, and rotating the shoulders, stretching your ankles.
  • Thinking of pushing the ground backward while running enhances stride efficiency by focusing on propulsion, body alignment, foot placement, knee drive, leg stiffness and lower vertical oscillation.

The Holographic Mind in Business

The same principles apply in professional settings:

• Multisensory training is stronger than singular learning. The more senses involved in training, the better the retention and performance. This is also where experience comes in as the richer interference patterns allow you higher recognition of know situations. Also consider the difference between specialist and generalist interference training techniques.
• Negotiation benefits from understanding the interference model. Just as holograms reveal different images based on the lighting, the way you frame a negotiation alters the perception of both parties. Understanding how an opponent’s experiences shape their interference pattern can help understand their responses. Reframing an argument changes how the information is processed.

This explains why perspective-taking and framing are such powerful tools in leadership and communication.


5. AI and the Brain: The Same Interference Model

Neural networks in artificial intelligence operate just like the interference patterns in the brain. Machine learning algorithms do not store individual data points - they build weighted interference models based on prior exposure. Just like our brain:

• AI enhances pattern recognition over repeated training.
• AI uses multiple overlapping signals to generate predictions, much like multisensory memory.
• Changing input data alters AI’s output, just as shifting perspective changes how the brain recalls memories.

Thus, AI’s so-called "black box" is maybe not mysterious after all - it operates under the same interference-based principles that govern human cognition.

Conclusion: The Power of the Holographic Mind

1. Our brain functions like a hologram, storing memories as interference patterns rather than isolated events.
2. Interference principles explain memory, learning, and perception, everything from multisensory recall to perspective shifts.
3. Triathletes and business leaders can use visualization, pattern reinforcement, and reframing techniques to enhance performance.
4. AI and human cognition are not fundamentally different, both rely on interference-based learning models.

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

• Use multi-sensory visualization to reinforce learning faster.
• Think about how changing the light on a situation can change perspective in competition or business.
• Repetition strengthens interference—so train consistently and deliberately.

 
Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

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