Stress will Degrade our Social Structure
We know that the limbic brain is our body’s fight-flee-freeze center. It engages this way during perceived moments of threat, danger or fear. Dr. Stephen Porges notes in his book The Polyvagal Theory that “In most individuals the nervous system evaluates risk and matches neurophysiological state with the actual risk of the environment. When the […]
Wait Until your Father gets Home!
The Insula is important in our social brains. It’s involved with things like processing events in the future based on our current body states, and it is active when dealing with pride and disgust. Studies published in last year’s Journal of Cerebral Cortex noted that a sense of uncertainty increases insula activity and level of […]
Anti-depressants vs. Meditation
IF you are on antidepressants…PLEASE understand this post is not meant as a critique of your healing process. Based on many studies, including one published in JAMA in 2010 by Fournier, antidepressants were no more effective in changing serotonin levels than the placebo in mild to moderate depression. HOWEVER, both the placebo and drugs had […]
Dreaming Ourselves Awake
“The function of the mind is to dream twenty-four hours a day. The waking dream has a material structure. In sleep, the dream also seems to have a structure. While awake, our mind is affected by cycles of energy through the day as the light changes, and this rhythm gives the mind a notion of […]
Reprogramming the Machinery of the Brain
According to Dr. Norman Doidge in The Brain that Changes Itself, “Michael Merzenich is a driving force behind scores of neuroplastic innovations and practical inventions.” One of the groundbreaking devices he developed enabled cognitively deaf children to hear. He supports that “brain exercises may be as useful as drugs to treat diseases as severe […]
You in Control of Your Stories
Our prefrontal cortex regulates attention and thoughts with vast amounts of neural connections and a system of arousal and neurotransmitters. If we take no action, our default system may favor excessive stress response and disease. Science proved that focused attention and a perceived sense of control manipulates these connections and overrides stress and disease. Each […]
A Little Novelty and Humor Goes a Long Way
In order for our brains to learn, encode, and stamp experiences into lasting memories, we must engage in a delicate balance or dance between chemical and neurological activity. One sensitive coupling is the relationship between dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex. When these two neurotransmitters are at their perfect levels with respect to each […]
Raising Your Sword to Battle an Illusion
Our nervous system is a miraculous and complex network of information and control mechanisms. Our SNS (sympathetic nervous system) readies us for action, to mobilize, to activate, charge, fight or flea..among many other things. Our PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) calms us down, soothes, relaxes, and regulates…also among many other things. So when we get stressed, […]
Rewiring the Subconscious
Neuroplasticity is now a scientific house-hold word. It is our superhero power, our ultimate ability for mind control. According to Dr. Bruce Lipton in The Biology of Belief he notes, “I believe the greatest problem we face is that we think we re running our lives with the wishes, desires, and aspirations created by our […]
Nirvana, Located in our Brains?
Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor is a remarkable individual who tours the world discussing the devastating and enlightening effects of the massive stroke that annihilated the left hemisphere of her brain. With only her right hemisphere online for many years she notes, “No longer capable of perceiving temperature, vibration, pain, or proprioceptions (position of your limbs), your […]
