neuroscience - brain science

The January 2020 issue of National Geographic focuses on pain for its cover story, and the article has a TON of information and new insights, many of which are relevant to what we are trying to accomplish here. The science of the mindbody connection is advancing rapidly, which is awesome. I...

http://www.rickhanson.net/key-papers/ (Key Scientific Papers - Dr. Rick Hanson) From Rick Hanson, an impressive collection of key scientific papers on the following subjects; neurology systems theory consciousness mindfulness and meditation psychotherapy nutrition positive psychology pain and...

Hello! If you follow me on social media, you likely have seen that I'm starting the 100 Happy Days Experiment this Thursday, which will run throughout the last 100 days of 2017. Mood has such a powerful effect on how our brains process pain and this is an excellent way to commit to laying down...

I love this technique because it's very simple and you can use it when pain in intense, when you're feeling overwhelmed by emotions, or when you're fear or anxiety are running high. It's a very gentle way of letting your fear brain know that you are safe in this moment. I'd love to hear about...

Deliberately cultivating positive emotions is one of the absolute best tools we have in transforming our relationship to pain. Our emotional state is one of the largest forces shaping our perception of pain and positive psychology offers tools to help create neural pathways for more positive...

The practice of loving kindness offers a whole host of benefits, one of the most important being that research shows that the practice produces significant improvements in pain and psychological distress for people living with chronic pain. On a personal note, this practice saved my life. It so...

Hi there, I wanted to share this video I made about a strategy I use in relating to the more difficult parts of myself like the inner critic, my fear brain, the perfectionist, and all those different characters. I would love to know what protector parts of yourself you notice and if you can...

I made this video in honor of the #faceyourfearchallenge and would love to hear in the comments about the things you are doing everyday to help gently face your fears!

Being unable to forgive ourselves for mistakes plays a huge role in TMS symptoms. I have seen clients who still repeatedly beat themselves up for mistakes they made as teens or even as children and who often blame themselves for their pain. This is absolutely brutal on the nervous system and...

So, you really can't think your way into self-compassion. It's something that you grow over time through behaving kindly towards yourself. Here's a video I made about a tool I use all the time both with clients and in my own life to grow those self-compassion neural pathways.

I have always wanted to write a book with that title! But seriously, if you've read about the incredible benefits of self-compassion but struggle with how to actually DO it, here's something to try.

You know the cost of repressing difficult emotions well, but it can be difficult to start learning how to let our nervous system know those emotions are perfectly safe. Here's a short video I made on a neuroscience-based technique to help with this. I'd love to hear your experiences if you...

I see TMS clients all the time whose inner critic attempts to use their TMS diagnosis against them. By that I mean that when people are doing the recovery work and not getting the relief from pain they had hoped, their inner critic unhelpfully chimes right in that it must be their fault. Do not...

Here's a short video I made about the importance of cultivating a different relationship to fear along with some practical tips for taming fear. I would love to hear about how you work with your fears.

I found this article in Time magazine with four very simple things we can do that help increase our happiness. These are all backed up by neuroscience research. I have used writing in a Gratitude Journal daily for some time and know that it works, and only takes a few minutes every evening...

Just read this article in The Atlantic (thanks to my subscription to Pocket - sending me the best articles on the internet): Why One Neuroscientist Started Blasting His Core - A new anatomical understanding of how movement controls the body’s stress response system There's a lot of neuro-tech...

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/26/464372009/how-meditation-placebos-and-virtual-reality-help-power-mind-over-body?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160126

Hi All, I'm sure many of you are familiar with this video, but thought I'd post it for those who aren't. Absolutely incredible... Regards

Written by Dr. Schubiner on November 26, 2009 One of the great books of the twentieth century is Victor Frankel’s, Man’s Search for Meaning. In the book, he describes the need we have to understand why things happen. When someone gets sick, one of the first questions asked is, “Why did this...