Your Brain Potential – Ten to the Millionth Power

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel notes in Mindsight that “Given the number of synaptic connections, the brain’s possible on-off firing patterns–its potential for various states of activation–has been calculated to be ten to the millionth power–or ten times ten one million times.  this number is thought to be larger than the number of atoms in the […]

Life out of Control

How we focus our attention determines the neural maps we reinforce in our brains.  It is the basis of neuroplasticity–our inherent gift of transformation.  Daniel Siegel notes in Mindsight “Some days we lean towards chaos–life feels unpredictable and out of control.   But in general, when we are well and at ease, we move along […]

To Know Another is to Know Thyself

Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of Mindsight, notes that “our awareness of another person’s state of mind depends on how well we know our own.” (62).  From studying mirror neurons and the insula we now know that we map others’ experiences to our own internal experience and the brain perceives we are actually having the same […]

Our Truths at War

Each of us vacillates between truths battling for attention and dominion: closeness and solitude, autonomy and independence, caregiving and mastery, certainty and uncertainty, and the list goes on.  According to Dr. Daniel Siegel “Mindsight (mindfulness or meditation) permits us to embrace these states as healthy dimensions of a layered life instead of parts of ourselves […]

Gray Matters

According to Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, author of Mindsight, the right side of the brain creates an “AND” stance, while the left creates an “OR” point of view.  “AND” becomes an inclusive mindset that leaves room for the shades of gray in any situation.  “OR” can get us stuck in black-and-white thinking.  Left is concerned […]