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Mind is very diffecult to reduce to brain. There is what's called "The Hard Problems" of consciousness. One of the most difficult problems in all of science is the problem of qualia. Infact, it's such a complicated problem that some scientist write it off as not even being a problem at all. This kind of thinking comes on behalf of frustration. The problem is the subjectivity of consciousness. Why neural activity gives rise to anything is baffeling enough, but the fact that all are conscious experiences are subjective-this makes it all the more baffeling. I am going to analyze this problem a little further. If my sence of touch and my sence of smell are processed in almost exaclty the same manner, by the same material than why do my sence of touch and my sence of smell "feel" so vastly different. There is nothing in the brain that jumps out and says, "This is why this part processes this and this is why this part processes that" because for the most part they are almost identical. Then there is the problem of intentionality. Intentionality is the question of how neural firing can "mean" anything at all. The brain works by patterns and sequence. If you are to look at an apple and if I am to take an fMRI show you your neural representation while you were looking at the apple: the neural representation and the apple are equivalent. They "mean" the same exact thing. How we derive this meaning is still somewhat in question?

The neural activity in th brain sometimes mirrors other people's actions. If you are to watch me grab for a glass of tea, and I pick it up and drink it. There are neurons in your brain that fired, as if you yourself had picked the glass up and drank the tea; even though you did not even move. The brain learns on it's own. No conscious effect is required for this to happen; just observation and it's interesting because the brain seems to only learn from species that are similar. If a robot were to perform the very same action, the very same one, of picking up a glass and drinking tea and I watch him; now those same neurons won't fire. Only when another human does it or a similar species like a monkey. The brain takes things into context and teaches itself.

The brain has these unconcious zombie agents that are made up of neural collitions that fire for us to act, before we are even consciously aware of it. However, we are not slaves to are neurons. The mind has the power to veto or deny the actions of the brain. This is the act of free-will. If I "feel" like I want to hit something. Neural activity is dictating me to do so. Now, mind can accept and reinforce or veto the actions of the brain in a small time interval. There is about 500 milliseconds for conscious will to intervein.

Last but not least. The mind has the power to dictate plastic changes to the brain. If a person with OCD has a compulsion, it's because there is over-activity in what has been coined the worry circuit. If the person was to practice mindfullness by telling self that: "These compulsions are from cross-wiring in the brain" and distract self; the worry circuit, over time, calms itself. The mind acually physically changes the anatomy of the brain. The mind must be some form of "feild of force." The reason I believe this to be so is because of recent findings on neuroplasicity; the mind can change the anatomy of the brain, from top to bottom. Mind must be a physical force because it has the power to dictate the changes and deny the actions of the brain. I learned all this by watching Jimmy Neutron!

Learn more about this author, Richard Hemingway.
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