Gratitude is a Choice by: Shanti Medina

At the Neurosculpting® Institute, we empower our students with the knowledge that we each have the ability to choose, in each moment, where we place our attention and therefore direct our energy and vital resources. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude begins with a choice to focus our attention in the present moment on our gratitude […]

Is Your Head full of Plastic?

In the last few decades the concept of neuroplasticity has taken hold of the science community.  We agree now that our brains are malleable, waxing and waning in their structure and function, and ever changeable.   NOW we know it’s even more plastic than that!  Not only can we birth new brain cells, and strengthen […]

Biased by Smell – You’ll be Amazed at how Easily You are Influenced!

In studies, unpleasant odors that either preceded or happened simultaneously with facial expressions (Scientific American Mag) or as subjects read short paragraphs (Eagleman, Incognito) caused individuals to feel disgust in relation to the action they were witnessing or engaged in.   Bad smells activate the insula, a center of the brain that registers disgust, and […]

Seeing in Black and White…Not Just a Metaphor

We sometimes refer to perspectives as “black and white” where there’s little room for moral negotiation.  This is actually more than just a metaphor.  Recent studies show that when one reads information on a black and white background, such as a newspaper, the information is perceived to have less moral wiggle room as information read […]

Wait Until Your Father Gets Home!

Remember that statement when you were a kid, and how it filled you with a sense of dread when you were in trouble?  The insula is important in our social brains. It’s involved with processing events in the future based on our current body states, and it deals specifically with pride and disgust. Studies published […]

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 […]