For those of you who like to quantify the degree to which you are coming from your most productive part of your brain, Dr. Crawford has created a short test, or inventory that should be helpful. Keep in mind, however, that unlike most instruments of this kind, the Top of the Mind Inventory (TMI) does not attempt to get at what you “really think” by asking the same question in many different ways. Nor is there an attempt to keep someone from skewing the results to make themselves “look good.”

The thing to remember in taking the TMI is that all you are going for here is awareness. No one but you will see the results, and thus, this is not the time to worry about whether or not you come out with a “good score” (a brainstem concern, by the way). As the good Dr. Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them,” and so you are encouraged to use this instrument and your results as “good information” about what part of your brain is driving your thoughts, decisions, and emotions.

The Top of the Mind Inventory™
Created by Bill Crawford, Ph.D.

In response to the statements below, please choose one of these five responses:

I tend to become frustrated, stressed, and/or worried when...

1. I am stuck in traffic, or in a long line.

7. I think about my future.

2. I am faced with a deadline.

8. Someone criticizes my position.

3. I imagine having to give a presentation.

9. I fail to live up to other’s expectations.

4. I am late, or running behind schedule.

10. I evaluate my financial situation.

5. I think about my past.

11. Things don’t go as planned.

6. I think about my present situation.

12. People don’t do what they’re supposed to.

13. I make a mistake.

15. I fail to reach a goal or achieve what I set out to accomplish.

14. I encounter one particular person, or type of person.

Now, simply determine your TMI score by adding up your responses to each of the fifteen questions.

My TMI Score __________________________

Now, let’s plot your score on the TMI brain map.

• A score in the upper 25% (60-75) means that you are coming from the “top of your mind” most of the time, and experience very little frustration, stress, or anxiety regardless of the situation. Whatever you are doing is working well, and thus Dr. Crawford’s material should reinforce what you already know, and provide support for you to continue to come from this “Top of the Mind” perspective.

• A score in the 45 to 59 range means that you operate from your neocortex most of the time. However, there are also situations where stress and/or frustration may get the better of you and throw you into the lower part of your brain. Given that you are coming from the neocortex most of the time, however, you can (if you like) choose to interpret this as “good information,” and apply Dr. Crawford’s material to the situation. Do this often enough, and you should find yourself moving into the upper 25%.

• A score in the 30 to 44 range means that you are experiencing much more frustration and stress than you like, and that you may feel unsure of what to do to fix what is wrong. This is because you are often trapped in the brainstem, and this lower part of the brain lacks the clarity, confidence, and creativity necessary to solve the problem. If you practice the models outlined in Dr. Crawford’s material , however, you can begin to move up the scale and begin to increasingly engage your neocortex in the process of creating your experience of life. You might also consider engaging a professional to support you in this process so that you don’t have to make this move all by yourself.

• A score in the lower 25% of the scale (15 to 29) indicates that you probably feel worried, stress, and anxious almost all the time. This is a tough place to be because neither of the two options available to you (fight-or-flight) will allow you to successfully address the problem. Plus, because you are trapped in the “undermind” so much of your life, you are likely to feel trapped and undermined by life in general, and confused as to what to do. Here is where working with the BRAIN model will be an important first step, because you must initially allow the neocortex to regain some semblance of control in order to begin to operate from this higher-order thinking. Once this is done, the rest of Dr. Crawford’s material should be useful in helping you maintain this perspective, and with practice, you should be able to find yourself coming from the “Top of the Mind” on a much more regular basis. Getting support from a qualified mental health professional that you trust is even more important here, because the experience of being stuck in the undermind is so frustrating and confusing. Chances are that you wouldn’t want someone you cared for having to deal with this alone, and thus you will want to ensure that you have this kind of support as well.

Of course, this inventory is not designed to be an all-encompassing, diagnostic instrument, but simply a tool to help you identify what part of your brain is dominating your thinking. As you work with Dr. Crawford’s material, feel free to return and retake the test, and watch your score go higher as you access your higher-order thinking.