IDEAL

Belief's are like a House of Cards

2011-07-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

Belief's are like a House of Cards

Your belief system gives you a framework that helps you interpret and understand the experiences you face in life. A belief is something you accept as true, without question. That means you can expect that every day it will seem just as true as it was the day before. Your beliefs are deeply embedded in you, so you and particularly your team of protective inner selves, live your life around them, without thinking about them, questioning them or even being aware of them.

As part of your overall belief system you may, as a small child, have developed unbalanced or negative beliefs about yourself, that actually helped you ‘fit in’ to your family environment by making sense of things that happened to you, things that would otherwise be very hard for you to live with. For example if, a small child is constantly ignored or neglected, one of his or her beliefs might be ‘I am not worthwhile’.

If this belief helped that child fit into a negative and unbalanced family situation then it was what they needed to believe, even if it was not true. Without false beliefs like these, the child may well have been neglected even more. However, once the child takes on the false negative belief they find they adapt and inner selves are created to help them become more acceptable and so appear to ‘fit in’ better in their family. This reinforces the belief and makes it seem even more ‘true’. The more the selves react to protect us from that belief the more true it will seem.

The beliefs that helped you survive and fit into your childhood will have been unique for you and different from mine (unless the toughest things you and I had to cope with were very similar). If in childhood I was told I would always fail, a core belief might be ‘I can’t’. This helps me because it gives me a framework around which to survive, a ‘map of the world’ that helps me cope with life and plan my future. Now I know what to expect in life and I can start learning how best to ’fit into’ my unbalanced family system.

So our core beliefs as they took root in our first few years became a kind of summary of the most basic convictions we make up about our self-worth, the kind of person we are, what will become of us as a result, our place in the family and the world and how we can expect others to treat us all our life.

Core beliefs like these are supported by the primary inner self system. This means they grow stronger rather than weaker. One of the ways they often grow is by helping make sense of our worst childhood experiences in the only way a small child can, by telling us that what went wrong was essentially our fault. Even though this assumption was based on false information or false understandings set up in early childhood, it becomes more firmly established as you grow up. Today it may still shape and guide much of our life and the way we react to those around us. It also provides us with an unusual ‘gift’ in the way it motivates us to change our natural personality and adapt to become more like the person others want us to be.

These beliefs about yourself, which you hold on to so strongly also reflect your deepest vulnerability and pain and help to keep these locked within you.

Core beliefs resonate through your whole life

Your strongest inner selves, the polarised one-above ones, were created to help you live with your core beliefs but unfortunately while they were helping you live with a negative core belief these same selves in conjunction with your supporting beliefs were also making it seem as if that belief really must have been true.

Your locked in automatic repetitive behaviour patterns set up by your polarised selves certainly helped you cope with the pain of your unbalanced beliefs but they also created a binding situation. Learning to live with and constantly find better ways to cope with these false beliefs gave you no opportunity to discover ways to question them or to change them.

Instead what you and I learned for most of our life (so far) was simply how to "channel all our energy and resources towards dealing with these negative beliefs." (Nikki Nemerouf)

"Money, time, relationships, professional skills, family, everything has been reorganised so that it can be better used to distance me from my pain, my vulnerability and my fear of my negative beliefs getting any worse than they already are. In so doing I also distance myself from the love (or power or freedom or happiness or wealth or health or security or whatever it is) that I am so desperately seeking". (Nikki Nemerouf)

Your senses are so tied up, bound and distorted by the false belief that you literally cannot see the positive reality in front of you. You may even fight it when someone else tries to show you that these beliefs have a positive side, until you begin the process called balancing and transformation, as explained at the end of this section.

Almost every unbalanced or negative belief seems to be connected in some way with your deepest thoughts or feelings about being:

• not good enough (incompetent)

• not good enough (unlovable)

• unwanted, different

• defective, imperfect, bad

• powerless, one-below

• in danger, not safe

• don’t know, wrong

Within that broad belief pattern, however, are many different variations.

Whatever your unbalanced beliefs are, they help to define your unique and individual core issues and these in turn control the way your inner selves react when those issues are triggered. It's often been said that whatever your most negative core belief about yourself might be, that's the one your selves will tend most to "dance around".

There are hundreds of core issues and core beliefs, so you can expect that yours may be quite different from those held by the person next to you. Let’s look at four people who at first appear to have very similar issues and see how differently they react.

If ‘A’ has a not good enough belief ‘It’s always my fault’ then whenever ‘A’ thinks she has made a mistake she will react by doing too many favours for other people to ‘make up’ for it.

On the other hand, ‘B’ has a not good enough belief ‘I can’t get it right’. For B this may mean failing to make decisions out of fear of making a wrong one or doing nothing as the only sure way of avoiding rocking the boat.

Meanwhile ‘C’ has a not good enough belief ‘I am wrong’. He or she might become a ‘one-above’ school teacher or police officer so that they can spend their days correcting others who are wrong while avoiding looking at his or her own issues.

Finally there is ‘D’ whose not good enough belief is ‘I am a mistake’. Whichever way ‘D’ tries to deal with that false belief, will be connected to D’s deep seated feelings of shame. One way for the selves to block D’s shameful feelings is for them to help ‘D’ become very analytical or perhaps develop a strong ‘knower’ self that can argue convincingly to help prove that ‘D’ is never ‘mistaken’ about anything.

A second possibility is that ‘D’ turns to drugs or alcohol to hide the shame of being a mistake. Of course that only helps ‘D’ feel more of a mistake as explained in Section 5 on addictive cycles.

The good news is that of course these beliefs are not true. We just act as if they were. What to do about it?

See: IDEAL PLan

Fear of Fear is the Goal

2011-07-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

A common mental game challenge for athletes is the fear of failure. Fear of failure is a constant source of stress or anxiety and a huge barrier to an athletes’ mental game and performance. What is fear? In sports, fear commonly relates to the athlete’s perception of the significance of their performance and what they assume others (parents, coaches, teammates, and friends) think about their performance.
Fear is about avoiding poor results, and worrying about making mistakes before or during competition.

Athletes, who struggle with fear of failure, fear the negative consequences of a poor or less than perfect performance. Athletes worry about letting their team down, looking bad, disappointing a parent or coach and not performing up to the expectations of others. They also worry about things that are not under their control such as who their opponent is, or what field their playing on and most of this concern is unnecessary.

It’s not enough just to recognize that you have fear of failure before games or when competing. The key is to know what type of fear holds you back, so you can address your underlining sources of fear. Fear of failure often is related to what you assume others think about you, which we call social approval.

The following is a list of common types of fears athletes tell us they experience before and during competition:

Fear of losing a match, game, or race – you badly want to win and are afraid you will not win.
Fear of negative social evaluation – you fear others will view you as a failure in sports.
Fear of embarrassment – you are afraid to embarrass yourself in front of others if you don’t perform well.
Fear of letting others down – you do not want to let others down such as a coach, parent, or teammate.
Fear of putting in the effort and not playing to your potential in games. You don’t want your hard work, talent and long practices to be for nothing.
Fear of not performing up to others’ expectations – you worry about not meeting others’ expectations for you, such as a parent.
Fear of being rejected, losing respect, or not gaining approval.
Fear of making mistakes and not performing perfectly after having worked so hard at it.

Do any of the above fears sound familiar to you? The first step in managing your fear of failure is to understand the specific source of your fear so you can deal with it head on. For example, if you realize you’re afraid to let down your parents with a poor performance, the obvious solution is to learn how to play for yourself instead of others.

http://www.sportpsychologytoday.com/youth-sports-psychology/fear-of-failure/

Brain Activity changes When Viewing It's own Brain Activity

2011-07-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

People control thoughts better when they see their brain activity: UBC study

As humans face increasing distractions in their personal and professional lives, University of British Columbia researchers have discovered that people can gain greater control over their thoughts with real-time brain feedback.

The study is the world's first investigation of how real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging EEG Feedbackfrom the brain region responsible for higher-order thoughts, including introspection, affects our ability to control these thoughts. The researchers find that real-time brain feedback significantly improves people's ability to control their thoughts and effectively 'train their brains.'

"Just like athletes in training benefit from a coach's guidance, feedback from our brain can help us to be more aware of our thoughts," says co-author Prof. Kalina Christoff, UBC Dept. of Psychology. "Our findings suggest that the ability to control our thinking improves when we know how the corresponding area in our brain is behaving."

For the study, published the current issue of NeuroImage journal, participants performed tasks that either raised or lowered mental introspection in 30-second intervals over four six-minute sessions. EEG Feedback technology tracked real-time activity in the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC), the region of the brain involved with higher-order thoughts.

Participants with access to real-time EEG Feedback could see their RLPFC activity increase during introspection and decrease during non-introspective thoughts, such as mental tasks that focused on body sensations. These participants used the feedback to guide their thoughts, which significantly improved their ability to control their thoughts and successfully perform the mental tasks. In contrast, participants given inaccurate or no brain feedback did not achieve any improvement in brain regulation.

When participants saw their brain reacting to their thoughts, they knew whether they were performing the task well or poorly, and they could adjust their thoughts accordingly," says co-author Graeme McCaig, a graduate of UBC's Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering's Human Computer Interaction specialization. "As a result, participants who received the real-time feedback were able to focus on the mental task more consistently."

The study points to the possibility of improving our everyday lives through EEG Feedback-assisted advances in our ability to focus our minds on personal or professional matters, according to the research team, which includes Matt Dixon, Kamyar Keramatian and Irene Liu.

The findings also raise hope for clinical treatments of conditions that can benefit from improved awareness and regulation of one's thoughts, including depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, the researchers says. For example, with increased availability of EEG Feedback technology, real-time brain feedback represents a potentially important complement to feedback provided by a therapist or a patient's own self-monitoring ability.

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Learn more about UBC's Dept. of Psychology at www.psych.ubc.ca

Anger Can Go Viral, Happy people are Smarter

2011-07-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

Memetics and Social Contagion,

"...social scientific research has largely confirmed the thesis that affect, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour can indeed spread through populations as if they were somehow infectious. Simple exposure sometimes appears to be a sufficient condition for social transmission to occur. This is the social contagion thesis; that sociocultural phenomena can spread through, and leap between, populations more like outbreaks of measels or chicken pox than through a process of rational choice."

Emotional contagion is considered one of the primary drivers of group/mob behavior, and the recent work on "mirror neurons" helps explain the underlying cause. But it's not just about groups. From a Cambridge University Press book:

"When we are talking to someone who is depressed it may make us feel depressed, whereas if we talk to someone who is feeling self-confident and buoyant we are likely to feel good about ourselves. This phenomenon, known as emotional contagion, is identified here, and compelling evidence for its affect is offered from a variety of disciplines - social and developmental psychology, history, cross-cultural psychology, experimental psychology, and psychopathology."

[For a business management perspective, see the Yale School of Management paper titled The Ripple Effect: Emotional Contagion In Groups]

Can any of us honestly say we haven't experienced emotional contagion? Even if we ourselves haven't felt our energy drain from being around a perpetually negative person, we've watched it happen to someone we care about. We've noticed a change in ourselves or our loved ones based on who we/they spend time with. We've all known at least one person who really did seem able to "light up the room with their smile," or another who could "kill the mood" without saying a word. We've all found ourselves drawn to some people and not others, based on how we felt around them, in ways we weren't able to articulate.
Happy People

The notion of "Happy People" was tossed around in the Robert-Lost-His-Mind posts as something ridiculous at best, dangerous at worst. One blogger equated "happy people" with "vacuous". The idea seems to be that "happy people" implies those who are oblivious to the realities of life, in a fantasy of their own creation, and without the ability to think critically. The science, however, suggests just the opposite.

Neuroscience has made a long, intense study of the brain's fear system--one of the oldest, most primitive parts of our brain. Anger and negativity usually stem from the anxiety and/or fear response in the brain, and one thing we know for sure--when the brain thinks its about to be eaten or smashed by a giant boulder, there's no time to stop and think! In many ways, fear/anger and the ability to think rationally and logically are almost mutually exclusive. Those who stopped to weigh the pros and cons of a flight-or-fight decision were eaten, and didn't pass on their afraid-yet-thoughtful genes. Many neuroscientists (and half the US population) believes that it is exactly this fear != rational thought that best explains the outcome of the last US presidential election... but I digress.

Happines is associated most heavily with the left (i.e. logical) side of the brain, while anger is associated with the right (emotional, non-logical) side of the brain. From a Society for Neuroscience article on Bliss and the Brain:

"Furthermore, studies suggest that certain people's ability to see life through rose-colored glasses links to a heightened left-sided brain function. A scrutiny of brain activity indicates that individuals with natural positive dispositions have trumped up activity in the left prefrontal cortex compared with their more negative counterparts.

In other words, happy people are better able to think logically.

And apparently happier = healthier:

"Evidence suggests that the left-siders may better handle stressful events on a biological level. For example, studies show that they have a higher function of cells that help defend the body, known as natural killer cells, compared with individuals who have greater right side activity. Left-sided students who face a stressful exam have a smaller drop in their killer cells than right-siders. Other research indicates that generally left-siders may have lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol."

And while we're dispelling the Happy=Vacuous myth, let's look at a couple more misperceptions:

"Happy people aren't critical."

"Happy people don't get angry."

"Happy people are obedient."

"Happy people can't be a disruptive force for change."

Hmmm... one of the world's leading experts in the art of happiness is the Dalai Lama, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Just about everyone who hears him speak is struck by how, well, happy he is. How he can describe--with laughter--some of the most traumatizing events of his past. Talk about perspective...

But he is quite outspoken with his criticism of China. The thing is, he doesn't believe that criticism requires anger, or that being happy means you can't be a disruptive influence for good. On happiness, he has this to say:

"The fact that there is always a positive side to life is the one thing that gives me a lot of happiness. This world is not perfect. There are problems. But things like happiness and unhappiness are relative. Realizing this gives you hope."

And among the "happy people", there's Mahatma Gandhi, a force for change that included non-violent but oh-most-definitely-disobedient behavior. A few of my favorite Gandhi quotes:

In a gentle way, you can shake the world.

It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings.

But then there's the argument that says "anger" is morally (and intellectually) superior to "happy". The American Psychological Association has this to say on anger:

"People who are easily angered generally have what some psychologists call a low tolerance for frustration, meaning simply that they feel that they should not have to be subjected to frustration, inconvenience, or annoyance. They can't take things in stride, and they're particularly infuriated if the situation seems somehow unjust: for example, being corrected for a minor mistake."

Of course it's still a myth that "happy people" don't get angry. Of course they do. Anger is often an appropriate response. But there's a Grand Canyon between a happy-person-who-gets-angry and an unhappy-angry-person. So yes, we get angry. Happiness is not our only emotion, it is simply the outlook we have chosen to cultivate because it is usually the most effective, thoughtful, healthy, and productive.

And there's this one we hear most often, especially in reference to comment moderation--"if you can't say whatever the hell you want to express your anger, you can't be authentic and honest." While that may be true, here's what the psychologists say:

"Psychologists now say that this is a dangerous myth. Some people use this theory as a license to hurt others. Research has found that "letting it rip" with anger actually escalates anger and aggression and does nothing to help you (or the person you're angry with) resolve the situation.

t's best to find out what it is that triggers your anger, and then to develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge."

And finally, another Ghandi quote:

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

If the scientists are right, I might also add,

Be around the change you want to see in the world.

So, Robert's choice makes sense if he is concerned about the damaging effects of emotional contagion. But... that still leaves one big issue: is "catching" only positive emotions a Good Thing? Does this mean surrounding ourselves with "fake" goodness and avoiding the truth? Does surrounding ourselves with "happy people" mean we shut down critical thinking skills?

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2011-07-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

What is Mindscan?

Comprehensive Cognitive Awareness – TheMindScan Assessment

Transformation begins with our thinking. Based on the Nobel-nominated

Hartman Value Profile, theMindScan assessment is an axiological inventory that

measures a person’s capacity to make value judgments concerning the world

and one’s self. Instead of simply understanding “how” a person behaves, it

objectively measures “why” a person behaves the way they do and provides the

deepest possible understanding of behavior while revealing precisely how to

align your thinking strengths with your "MAP™- Momentum Action Plan"

in order to accelerate successes.

Unlike most other behavioral assessments, MindScan™ doesn’t measure what

individuals think of themselves. Most of the popular assessments

subjectively categorize people by type into a category or bucket of “HOW” they

behave, rather than seeking the underlying truth of “WHY” they behave in certain

ways based on thinking patterns. After all, certain people might behave the exact

same way (“HOW”), for completely different reasons (“WHY”), which means

changing their behavior would call for two completely different approaches.

Instead, the MindScan™ assessment is designed to objectively measure each

person’s thought processes in “3D” (three dimensions):

THE 1ST DIMENSION: Intrinsic Value

- measures of how we value ourselves

- determines our ability to love and be intuitive

THE 2ND DIMENSION: Extrinsic Value

- reflects our economic and social understanding

- measures our capacity for excellence in tasks, projects and processes

THE 3RD DIMENSION: Systemic Value

- reflects the ability to perceive structures, systems of order, rules of engagement, etc.

- measures capacity for strategic vision, long-range planning, implications and

- consequences

Ultimately Actionable

More powerful than the MindScan™

assessment is the resulting 20 page MindScan™

report. Because it literally “shows” the way a person thinks, it provides a clear

understanding of why an individual is not performing at peak performance levels and provides a

foundation for developing a "MAP™- Momentum Action Plan" to accelerate achieving more of your

potential and being the best you can be.

MindScan can be used for:

• discovering your thinking strengths and potential weaknesses

• understanding thinking strengths and potential weaknesses of your partner(s), client(s),

associate(s) and potential employee(s)

• identifying areas where additional training or development may be needed

• building work teams and groups

• measuring individual and group morale and spirit

• determining suitability for roles, promotions and job reallocations

• cut down on training and personnel replacement costs

• preventing accidents and liabilities

Cause and Affect on Your Brain = How Worry Affects your Brain

2011-05-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

How Worry Affects Your Brain

It’s a well known fact among the Mental Science community that chronic stress can actually alter brain anatomy. Stress (depression, fear, etc.) may cause specific areas of the brain to shrink in size. As the brain areas shrink, their functions (brain chemical secretions and electrical impulses) are altered. This anatomical adaptation to stress will ultimately affect how a person thinks, behaves, and reasons.

In other words, changes in the brain due to stress, makes us less able to think of logical solutions to our problems.

In addition to the irrational problem solving capacity produced by stress, the actual brain cells will change according to your thoughts.

On every brain cell (spinal cord cell too) there is a covering called myelin. This myelin covering acts as an insulator for the brain cell’s electrical activity. The more insulation on the brain cell, the stronger the electrical impulse can be relayed through that particular nerve.

In the past 15 years, scientists have observed how the myelin covering changes according to different factors. Specific diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, encephalomyelitis, etc.) or injuries can decrease or dissolve the myelin covering. The diminished covering is what eventually results in a number of disorders or death.

One interesting finding in recent research is how the myelin covering grows or thickens on the brain cell, according to the individuals intensely focused thoughts. You will want to pay close attention to this part of what I’m sharing.

Since our intense thoughts (good or bad) cause an increase of myelin covering, which in turn causes a stronger thought to occur in the individual, this produces stronger POSITIVE or NEGATIVE thoughts. The determining factor is based upon what the person is choosing to emotionally think about most of the time.

Of course, there are many branches of science utilizing these findings and one of them is Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics is the branch of science that studies the elements of life that are smaller than an atom.

Quantum Physicists are observing how thought can actually make subatomic particles appear and disappear right before their eyes. It’s some of this information that my Mental Codes Book and The Progression Video are based. These two pieces of work explain in laymen’s terms how our thoughts are creating—good or bad—our results.

The bottom line is this, “Our thoughts do something to our lives.” If this is so, then, the stronger our thoughts, the stronger will be the effect on our lives. If you don’t change your thinking to have stronger emotions around the correct thoughts, you will produce more myelin and strengthen the negative thoughts instead.

As you strengthen, the negative thoughts, you will end up producing more negative results. Now, we have scientific evidence to this fact.

If you are getting emotional (negative) about the economy , your weight, your relationships, your energy and how it’s affecting your life, you are actually strengthening the negative impact and preventing your ability to come up with logical solutions. Now, we have scientific evidence to this fact as well.

To change your thoughts has been a challenge since the early days of time. There are numerous therapies, drugs, and techniques that work to make desired changes. Although the person feels better (at least temporarily), we find limited, long lasting results. But, there are answers for you.

I will share some of these solutions with you in the coming weeks. Note: I’m not treating you, any condition, or rendering any type of professional advice. I’m simply sharing with you what is working for me and thousands of other people. What you do, or don’t do, with the information is entirely up to you.

Solutions to our current challenges and future will need to come from ourselves. The solution to any challenge always starts with the way we look (think) about it.

Be IDEAL,

Dr Rob and the Team at the Sport of Mind Institute

We have discovered Human Optimization

2011-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

We all want to change something but can't. It's a matter of willpower, right?

Did you know:

98% of us fail at keeping New Year's resolutions to change bad habits.

70% of Americans who pay off credit card debt with a home equity loan end up with the same or higher debt in 2 years.

Americans spend $40 billion a year on diets, but 19 out of 20 lose nothing but their money

The average alcohol or drug abuser who tries to quit is back at it within 4 to 32 days.

Marriage counseling saves fewer than 1 in 5 couples on the brink of divorce.

The statistics go on and on.

So why can't we change?

Maybe it's because we have far less control over our behavior than we think.

Maybe it's because there are powerful sources of influence working against us that shape our choices.

Maybe we can't change because we simply lack the skills!

About Sport of MInd and the IDEAL Plan

2011-03-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

About us:

If you are ready to commit to making the necessary changes to achieve your dream life, we are committed to providing you with all of the research, science and artistic expression to help you Live your IDEAL Life. .

Get ready to discover how to IDentify, and Experience Accelerated Learning. Once you can identify and become aware of your direction and impediments, be willing and open to new technology, accomplishment can be yours every day. Dr Irwin has worked alongside Jim Rohn, Dennis Waitley, Brian Tracy and Zig Zigler amongst many others for more than a decade and has expressed his unique view and interpretation of how to live your IDEAL life through his "Accomplish Workshop".

A credentialed expert and authority on the psychology of performance, Dr Rob Irwin believes there are two elements that can produce an extraordinary quality of life—the science and art of accomplishment. These are principles that, regardless of gender, race, religion, or financial status, create lasting results when acted upon.

He recently joined forces with a leader in the field of performance as well. Dr Jason Richardson has personally been on world wide stages competing as a BMX Cyclist. He accomplishments have been a 15 year career while winning a Gold Medal at the Pan-Am Games and held the title of World Champion. He has MBA in Business and now a Doctorate in Psychology aiming to share his wisdom, skill and education to you and the world.

Their company, Sport of Mind, is committed to providing you the tools to help turn your ultimate dreams into reality—whether it’s achieving financial freedom, taking your career or sport to new heights or connecting with your loved ones at the deepest level.

The strategies you’ll discover will help make you unstoppable toward the life you desire and deserve. Their Accomplishment Workshopwill help you find the source of your power that naturally guides you on purposeful journey of life. Sport of Mind's trainings, seminars, and programs will help you build the emotional muscles you need in order to achieve your highest level of performance.

We know living a fulfilled life is unique to every individual. For this reason our programs are designed and tailored to help people from around the world, from virtually every socio-economic background, from the most successful to the most challenged. It’s the understanding of the psychology and neuroscience that allows us to provide you the most state of the art life technologies available today.

Neurogenises - For those Who Really want to know....

2011-03-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

Scientists once thought that the brain stopped developing after the first few years of life. They thought that connections formed between the brain's nerve cells during an early "critical period" and then were fixed in place as we age. If connections between neurons developed only during the first few years of life, then only young brains would be "plastic" and thus able to form new connections. (To learn more about neurons, click here.) Because of this belief, scientists also thought that if a particular area of the adult brain was damaged, the nerve cells could not form new connections or regenerate, and the functions controlled by that area of the brain would be permanently lost. However, new research on animals and humans has overturned this mistaken old view: today we recognize that the brain continues to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This phenomenon, called neuroplasticity, allows the neurons in the brain to compensate for injury and adjust their activity in response to new situations or changes in their environment.

How does neuroplasticity work? A large amount of research focuses on this question. Scientists are certain that the brain continually adjusts and reorganizes. In fact, while studying monkeys, they found that the neuronal connections in many brain regions appear to be organized differently each time they are examined! While it remains uncertain at this writing (April 2003) whether reorganization in the adult brain involves the formation of new neural connections, existing neural pathways that are inactive or used for other purposes do show the ability to take over and carry out functions lost to degeneration. Understanding the brain's ability to dynamically reorganize itself helps scientists understand how patients sometimes recover brain functions damaged by injury or disease.

Brain Reorganization

Genes are certainly not the only factor determining how our brain develops and forms its inner connections. Conditions in our environment, such as social interactions, challenging experiences and even fresh air can play a crucial role in brain cell survival and the formation of connections. Just as the brain changes in response to environmental conditions, it can also change and rearrange in response to injury or disease. Commonly, these rearrangements involve changes in the connection between linked nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. Brain reorganization takes place by mechanisms such as "axonal sprouting", where undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect the neurons, whose links were severed through damage. Undamaged axons can also sprout nerve endings and connect with other undamaged nerve cells, thus making new links and new neural pathways to accomplish what was a damaged function. For example, although each brain hemisphere has its own tasks, if one brain hemisphere is damaged, the intact hemisphere can sometimes take over some of the functions of the damaged one. Flexible and capable of such adaptation, the brain compensates for damage in effect by reorganizing and forming new connections between intact neurons.

New connections can form at an amazing speed, but in order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity. In one study, researchers damaged a small brain area in several monkeys, which resulted in the loss of particular hand movements. Due to the lack of hand activity, even the neurons surrounding the damaged brain area withered, resulting in further impairment of hand movements. These observations confirm the notion that it is important to provide stimulation to neurons in order for them to remain active and form new connections, promoting rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, this same brain reorganization may sometimes contribute to the symptoms of disease or impairment. For example, people who are deaf sometimes suffer from a continual ringing in their ears, which may be the result of the rewiring of brain cells starved for sound. It is important to stimulate the neurons in just the right way for them to form beneficial new connections. By better understanding how the brain reorganizes itself, we can better learn how this task can be accomplished.

Strategies for Promoting Brain Reorganization

A first key principle of neuroplasticity is this: brain activity promotes brain reorganization. In other words, "brain workouts" help the brain reorganize connections more quickly and stimulate reorganization when the brain is not capable of reorganizing on its own. Even simple brain exercises such as presenting oneself with challenging intellectual environments, interacting in social situations, or getting involved in physical activities will boost the general growth of connections. However, generalized stimulation may not be very helpful for rebuilding a specific damaged area of the brain.

Another way to promote neuronal connections in the brain has been learned from efforts to help stroke patients. Studies show that drugs that increase the availability of the hormone norepinephrine help in the rehabilitation of movement loss. These drugs stimulate or provoke the synapses of the nerve cells, making them more capable of forming new connections. Because they can be costly and have unintended side effects, drugs alone may not be the optimal approach to rehabilitation. However, drugs may well be beneficial when used in conjunction with a third approach: physical or rehabilitation therapy.

Building on the principle that neuronal activity promotes new connections, rehabilitation therapy attempts to stimulate particular neurons that have not been active for some time. Here the goal is to promote selective self-repair and reorganization through specific motor activity. Because brain reorganization generally becomes more difficult as we age (for reasons not yet fully understood), a damaged adult brain needs a specific "neuroplasticity jump-start" to rebuild. For example, practicing a particular movement over and over-referred to in the literatures as “constraint-induced movement-based therapy”-helps your brain form and strengthen the connections necessary for that movement. Thus in Germany, seven patients who had lost the ability to walk was placed on a treadmill with a parachute and harness. They were given as much physical support as possible, but the treadmill forced the movement of their legs. By the end of therapy, this forced movement enabled some of the intact neurons in the damaged area of the brain to form new connections, which in turn enabled three of the patients to walk independently and another three to walk with supervision.

An important aspect of rehabilitation therapy is timing. If a person who has suffered from brain damage does not practice a lost movement, the damaged neurons-as well as surrounding neurons-are starved of stimulation and will be unable to reconnect. However, research on non-human animals indicates that if an injured limb is used immediately after the brain area has been damaged, damage to the brain actually increases. To be successful, rehabilitation must wait a week or two. By the second week, use of the injured limb stimulates damaged connections that would otherwise atrophy without input. Yet, a particular movement can be practiced too much. If practiced millions of times per month over years, for example, the pattern of connections can grow so much that it inhibits or "squeezes out" other patterns of connection, resulting in the inability to perform other movements. In short, rehabilitation therapy can indeed take advantage of the brain's natural flexibility for forming new neural connections; however, this is a delicate process that must be done carefully and under professional guidance.

The Limits of Innate Brain Plasticity

Neuroplasticity enables the brain to compensate for damage, but sometimes an area of the brain is so extensively damaged that its natural ability to reorganize is insufficient to regain the lost function. In the case of Huntington's Disease and other diseases that cause neuronal death, the death of many cells may render the brain unable to reorganize corrective connections. In order to have a chance of repair, a certain (as yet unknown) number of neurons must remain intact. Thus, if a highly specialized brain "circuit" is completely destroyed, the associated mental function may be lost. Currently there is no way of determining with certainty whether a lost function can be recovered. However, there is another source of hope. Recent research (discussed in the next section) has shown that the brain can sometimes generate new neurons, not simply new connections, and that these new neurons can sometimes "migrate" within the brain. This raises the possibility that, under certain conditions, new neurons could migrate to damaged areas, form new connections, and restore some or all lost functions. It is too early to tell for sure: we still have much to learn about neuroplasticity!

Neurons and Neurogenises

Billions of tree-shaped nerve cells make up the human brain. Neurons are produced through a process called neurogenises, which begins during the third week of development in humans. Nerve cells develop at an average rate of 250,000 per minute during the prenatal period, but by birth, the process of neurogenises has largely ceased. (To read more about neurons, click here.)

A widely held belief is that neurons, unlike other cells, cannot reproduce after the first few years of life. This would mean that neurons that are destroyed couldn't be replaced. However, recent research suggests that this belief is not supported by evidence. In 1999, production of new neurons was discovered in the neocortex of adult primates. Also in 1999, researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California discovered neurogenises occurring in the brains of adult humans, including in a 72-year-old adult. In this study, researchers used a chemical marker to identify new neurons and observed neurogenises in the hippocampal region, a brain region that controls certain types of memory.

This research indicates that neurogenises may well continue to occur throughout the human life span, although it occurs less rapidly in adults. Many of the new neurons that form in adults die almost immediately, but evidence suggests that some cells that are able to integrate themselves into the existing web of neural connections. Other researchers have also found definitive evidence that the brain does not stop producing new neurons after the "critical period" of development; the brain has been shown to generate new neurons from stem cells in select regions of the brain.

Research in the area of neurogenises has resulted in an exciting recent discovery bearing on Huntington's Disease. By studying post-mortem brains of people with HD, researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand found evidence suggesting that HD-affected brains produce new neurons throughout the course of the disease. Moreover, there is a correlation between the rate of neurogenises and the severity of the illness. The brains of individuals at the most severe stages of HD showed the most neurogenises. It appears that the brain is attempting to compensate for the neural damage resulting from the disease. Unfortunately, however, brains damaged by HD seem to be unable to generate new neurons quickly enough to replace the dying ones. Another problem may be that the new neurons are unable to migrate to the areas where they are needed.

Neuronal Growth Factors

The discovery of neurogenises in the brain of adult humans, including those suffering from HD, has spurred an investigation of how to influence neural development as well as how to replace dying cells with new ones. In an attempt to increase the production of new neurons, scientists are experimenting with neuronal growth factors. Growth factors have been successful at stimulating stem cells to produce new neurons. (To read more about stem cells, click here.) One possibility is to use the growth factors with a patient's own brain tissue to generate new cells. However, these new lab-produced neurons would need to be transplanted safely and effectively into the brain of the patient, which could prove very difficult. Ideally, the growth factor could be produced directly in the damaged area, stimulating neuronal growth in the damaged area. Two scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, Fred Gage and Mark Tuszynski, experimented with this possibility. They removed skin cells from rats with severed spinal cords and added new genes to the cells, which caused them to produce neuronal growth factors. They let the cells multiply and then implanted the daughter cells into the damaged areas. The rats were able to regrow neurons and regain some of their lost function, a very promising finding.

The future for people with brain damage may likely involve some combination of rehabilitation therapy, drug therapy, and possibly, the transplantation of new brain cells into the damaged brain area. Unfortunately, the use of new neurons and growth factors for treatment is not yet ready for clinical use. Scientists need to learn more about how the process of neurogenises is controlled and how to successfully integrate the new neurons into the existing brain circuitry. As research continues, there is growing hope that science will discover a safe and effective way to guide the process of neuronal growth in order to repair areas of the brain that are damaged by injury or disease.

Future Research

Scientists continue to investigate the workings of neuroplasticity and continue to ask how best to encourage this natural process of reorganization? Studies confirm that an active lifestyle maintains brain function; thus, new research aims to develop lifestyle behaviors and medications that could improve normal brain development as well as repair damaged brains. Complementing this area of research, some scientists are exploring the ability of an especially stimulating environment to boost reorganization and repair damage. Research also continues in the treatment of diseases such as HD and Parkinson's with cell transplantation in conjunction with physical therapy (To read more about cell transplantation, click here.)

Another technique called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) may soon be very helpful for guiding the process of brain reorganization; however, this technique requires more study before it is deemed safe and ready for clinical use. Scientists have used TMS to modify the process of reorganization to enhance the benefits of "rewiring". TMS consists of a wire coil that produces a magnetic field, which surrounds the head and produces an electrical current in nearby regions of the brain. The electrical current is used to stimulate areas of the brain that will benefit from input, and to prevent stimulation of brain regions where the formation of new connections is not beneficial. The ability to focus brain reorganization could bring about more rapid and more successful recoveries from damage to brain areas.

Brain Based Facts

2011-03-08T22:15:00.001-08:00

From Daniel Amen: Amazing Facts....

• Your brain is the most complex, mind-blowing organ in the universe.

• It is estimated to be only about 3 pounds, which is usually around 2 percent of your body’s weight.

• Unbelievably, given that it is the bedrock of your personality, some think even your soul, it is 85% water!

• It is estimated that the brain has 100 billion nerve cells and more connections in it than there are stars in the universe, which is about the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

• There are also trillions of supportive cells in the brain called glia.

• Each neuron is connected to other neurons by up to 40,000 individual connections (called synapses) between cells. Multiplying 100 billion neurons times 40,000 synapses is equivalent to the brain having more connections in it than there are stars in the universe.

• A piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses, all "talking" to one another.

• Information in your brain travels at about 268 miles per hour, unless of course you are drunk, then things really slow down.

• Even though your brain is only about 2% of your body’s weight, about 3 pounds, it uses 20-30% of the calories you consume.

• If you don’t take care of your brain, you lose on average 85,000 brain cells a day. That is what causes aging. With appropriate forethought, however, you can reverse that trend and dramatically slow the aging process.

• On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2000.

• Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

• Your brain is very soft and it is housed in a really hard skull

• Your brain is the consistency of soft butter, tofu, custard or somewhere between egg whites and jello.

• And it is housed in a really hard skull that has many sharp boney ridges.

• Brain injuries matter “¦ they can damage the brain and they can ruin your life.

• The brain uses 20% of the oxygen we breathe and about 20% of the calories we consume.

• When whole body scans are performed on people, the brain is so active, compared to the rest of the body, that it looks like a small, powerful heater, while everything else appears almost ghostlike.

• A neuron’s main job is to generate an electrical signal called an “action potential” which it does if sufficiently excited by other neurons.

• The action potential of a single neuron is like a lightning bolt that may stimulate many other neurons.

• The stimulated neurons can then generate their own signals that travel to and stimulate yet other neurons to which they are connected creating a network of neurons that perform a specific brain function.

• Action potentials travel down nerve cells at about 60 miles per hour. The signals can travel at these high speeds because a part of neurons, called axons, are wrapped and insulated by a special substance called myelin.

• Axons that are not insulated by myelin, either by design or disease, transmit signals 10 times slower.

• Many people have heard that we only use 10 percent of our brains. Nonsense! You may not use every neuron in your brain at the same time, but each is important.

• The brain never turns off or even rests through your entire life. It is very active at night, especially during dreaming.

• Brain development is a fascinating construction tale, where genes and environment collaborate to make us who we are.

• At times during pregnancy, the baby’s brain makes 250,000 new nerve cells per minute.

• Babies are born with 100 billion neurons; however, only a relatively small number of neurons are connected.

• In the first decade of life, a child’s brain forms trillions of connections.

• New research has shown that early experiences do not just create a background for early development and learning, they directly affect the way the brain is wired. In turn, the wiring profoundly affects our patterns of emotion, language, and thought.

• Experiences do not just influence a child’s development; they finish the job of molding and sculpting the brain.

• About three-quarters of the brain develops outside the womb, in response to the physical and social environment. Nature and nurture always work together.

• Brain development is especially rapid during the first year.

• Brain scans show that by twelve months, a baby’s brain resembles that of a normal young adult.

• By age three, a baby’s brain has formed about 1,000 trillion connections””about twice as many as adults have.

• Also, the areas of the brain that develop early, such as vision, are the first areas to become myelinated (wrapped in myelin), which helps that part of the brain become more efficient.

• The “years of promise” between three and 10 are a time of rapid social, intellectual, emotional and physical development. Brain activity in this age group is more than twice that of adults, and although new synapses continue to be formed throughout life, never again will the brain be able to easily master new skills or adapt to setbacks.

• At age 11, the brain begins to prune extra connections at a rapid rate. The circuits that remain are more specific and efficient.

• The brain is one of the best examples of the “use it or lose it” principle. Connections that are used repeatedly in the early years become permanent; while those that are not used are pruned.

• During late adolescence and into the mid 20s, the front third of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex (PFC) or executive brain, continues to develop.

• Even though we think of 18 year olds as adults, their brains are far from finished.

• Myelin continues to be deposited in the PFC until age 25 or 26, making the executive part of the brain work at a higher and more efficient level.

• Were you more mature at 25 than 18? I sure was. It is ironic that the car insurance industry knew about maturity and brain development long before society. Typically, car insurance rates change at 25 because drivers are more thoughtful and get into significantly less accidents.

• The knowledge of brain development into adulthood is critical to disseminate. Early smoking, drug or alcohol abuse, and brain injuries from risky sports all have the potential to disrupt brain development, in some cases permanently.

• After about 25, just as we reach peak development the brain starts slowly shrinking. Some research has suggested that the male brain shrinks faster than the female one. I think it is because men do more stupid things to their brains, such as they have more problems with alcohol, play tackle football and hit soccer balls with their heads.

• In college, 70% of football players and 62% of soccer players get at least one concussion per year.

• There are three distinct areas of the brain, controlling our instincts (brain stem), our emotions (limbic system), and our thoughts (cortex).

• The brain is also divided into the left and right hemispheres, or halves. The left side is often known as the detail oriented, get to the point, speech and happiness center; while the right side is known as being more fretful, more creative, and holistic processing center.

• When it comes to the brain SIZE MATTERS. The stegosaurus brain was about the size of a walnut. The adult human brain weighs about 1,300 to 1,400 grams. The average cat brain weighs only about 30 grams. This is why human curiosity helps invent space travel and cures for cancer, while curiosity requires cats to have nine lives.

• The highly convoluted folds of grey matter on the outside surface of the brain is known as the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is about 2 millimeters thick and has a surface area of about two and a half square feet. This is about the size of three and a half sheets of 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

• In order to wok properly, the brain needs fuel, oxygen, and stimulation. Just like any other living thing, a brain needs fuel to grow, function and repair itself.

• Glucose and oxygen run the engine powered by your brain cells. Unlike other cells in your body, glucose is the only fuel your brain knows how to use. Anything that impairs glucose delivery to brain cells is life threatening.

• Oxygen is required to produce energy, without it the energy powerhouses of neurons called mitochondria will not produce enough energy to keep your brain alive. Because blood delivers glucose and oxygen to your brain, nothing must get in the way of blood flow if the brain is to stay healthy. Unconsciousness will occur after 8-10 seconds after loss of blood supply to the brain.

• The human brain is dependent on proper stimulation to grow and develop in healthy ways throughout childhood and to maintain its functioning into old age.

• When you stimulate neurons in the right way, you make them more efficient; they function better, and you are more likely to have an active, learning brain throughout your life.

• The best sources of stimulation for the brain are physical exercise, mental exercise, and social bonding, which will be discussed in greater detail later on.

Join us to get some answers......

2011-03-08T22:13:00.001-08:00

Questions about NeuroTraining

2011-03-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back to your Routine!
Some of you have asked general and specific questions about Neurofeedback. The most popular question I listed below and for a more detailed inquiry I attached a document for your learning pleasure.

How long are the affects of neurofeedback?

The product of the training is a learned skill that belongs to the client for the duration of their lives. Gaining the skill today does not mean that the skill will be satisfactory for future demands. Future training requirements will be directly proportional to how much demand the client takes on in the future.

Example: a client does the training to improve sleep and after the initial training the sleep issues are resolved and now the client is sleeping well and at the same time the client realize an improvement in his or her golf game. The satisfaction of playing better prompts them to enter golf tournaments, which leads to more success which puts them under more demand (stress) and then they start having sleep problems. This client will benefit from ongoing training to take them to new levels of efficiency that they previously did not have.

On the other hand if a person completes the basic training and their life is improved overall, but their life choices remain relatively static and in a satisfied routine, then they may not realize any need for additional training.

Additional training might be necessary if the client who successfully completed their program is exposed to a traumatic event. A physical or emotional trauma such as a car accident or divorce can cause overwhelming stress to the brain and central nervous system. This trauma can disrupt the new learned way of being calm and focused brain state.

Train Your Brain to Learn Better - Even Without Drugs

2011-03-06T00:26:00.000-08:00

Training Your Brain to Learn Better (Even Without Drugs)

By Maia Szalavitz

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/07/using-brains-to-study-better/#ixzz1Fo21CDWJ
I'm excited to be starting my “new school year” as a blogger here on Healthland — and what better way to begin than with news about boosting your ability to learn, using neuroscience! One of the hottest articles flying around the Web today is Benedict Carey's great New York Times science story headlined "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits."

In it, Carey shows, among other things, why the conventional wisdom about learning — getting into the habit of studying in the same place each time — is wrong. How come? Essentially, making studying monotonous contradicts key aspects of what we know about learning. Novelty is a key part of the connections that ease learning. Studies find that simply switching study rooms helps make new associations and keep them fresh. Carey writes:

The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time, the authors say, regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious. It colors the terms of the Versailles Treaty with the wasted fluorescent glow of the dorm study room, say; or the elements of the Marshall Plan with the jade-curtain shade of the willow tree in the backyard. Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding.

“What we think is happening here is that, when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting,” said Dr. Bjork, the senior author of the two-room experiment.

Throughout the NYT piece, Carey illustrates that, in education as in medicine, we have a big problem moving from research evidence into practice.

Incidentally, here's another study tip based on research evidence about how the brain learns by association. Learning is, to a large extent, "state dependent." What that means is that if you study something while anxious, happy or while experiencing some form of altered consciousness, you will remember it better if you are in that same state again when you are tested for what you've learned.

While I definitely recommend against studying while intoxicated and certainly don't condone test-taking while under the influence, oddly enough, this research (much of which was done with drugs) does suggest that recall may be improved by trying to match your studying and test-taking emotional states. This may account for part of why last-minute cramming sometimes helps — you are anxious both while studying and while taking the test.

Research also finds that while mild to moderate stress increases learning, severe stress can impair memory. Extreme stress can actually cause the higher regions of the brain to shut down, shunting mental energy into areas devoted to aiding the fight-or-flight instinct. So, absolute panic will worsen performance even if you are panicked both while studying and during the test.

Stimulants as mild as caffeine can produce state-dependent learning boosts — so if you drink coffee or soda while studying, drink them before the test, too.

For people who use medication for ADHD, testing and studying should either both be done medicated or unmedicated to maximize state-dependence effects.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/07/using-brains-to-study-better/#ixzz1Fo1fPeEY

Catalyst for Success

2011-03-06T00:12:00.000-08:00

The CATALYST FOR SUCCESS

IDentify and Experience Accelerated Learning

12-week Accelerated Learning for groups, families, organizations, and teams.

Scientifically proven method to make big gains in a short amount of time.

CATALYST FOR SUCCESS consist of 3 fundamental pillars:

(Pillar 1)

Physiology presented with real world application in real world terms.

The Science of Belief - Leading edge neurology

(Pillar 2)

A New BELIEF SYSTEM – setting the scientific principles of Your customized Belief system in motion.

(Pillar 3)

Re-creation of Opportunity – having mastered the 1st and 2nd

pillars, you will have the ability to reinvent your

What CATALYST FOR SUCCESS 12-Week clients receive

• Half-day workshop explaining the science and teaching the and

• Breakout sessions with Dr. Rob and Dr. Jason working to help clients

• find their focus.

• Remote Coaching/ Team Leader - will facilitate 6 TEAM conference calls to offer support and guidance.

Community, It Gives you a Brain High - Time Article

2011-03-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

You may remember the experiment from Psych 101: the one in which people are compelled to doubt their own good judgment and give wrong answers to simple questions, just to go along with the rest of the group. Now, brain research reviewed by the Dana Foundation offers more insight into why people conform: the feeling of fitting in activates brain regions that spur pleasure.

One study published this summer by researchers Chris Frith and Daniel Campbell-Meiklejohn found that people's reward regions lit up strongly when their ratings of pop songs agreed with those of two "experts." From the Dana Foundation:

"Everyone has an opinion on pop music," says Frith. "And we found that activity in the ventral striatum was very high when the individuals and the experts agreed on a song."

Their finding suggests that others' opinions, when shared with your own, are rewarding. "That shared opinion is a reward like food or money," says Campbell-Meiklejohn. "And it has the power to influence behavior."

This could explain that small but extremely satisfactory sensation you feel when proven right — this, after all, is basically realizing that what you thought conforms with reality or at least with the expert view you most believe does so, anyway. (More on Time.com: Special Report: Kids and Mental Health)

The idea that conforming would bring pleasure makes evolutionary sense for a social species. After all, it probably doesn't often promote survival to stand out from others in a small, tight-knit group on which you depend to meet all your fundamental needs.

Obviously, there are times that bucking convention is necessary and beneficial. But determining what allows some individuals to overcome the discomfort of standing out — or even prefer being the rebel or the outsider — is much more challenging for psychologists. (More on Time.com: Why Spamming Your Friends With Cute Kitties Is Good Karma)

Frith and Campbell-Meiklejohn's work shows the biological underpinnings of a long-studied phenomenon: yielding to peer pressure gets you high, even when you aren't saying yes to drugs.

To get a sense of the power of peers, see the video, below, on the famous Asch conformity experiments from the 1950s:

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/11/04/why-we-conform-to-the-group-it-gets-your-brain-high/#ixzz1FnwLmqFn

Article from Time Hearland Series on the Mind

2011-03-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Article from Time Hearland Series on the Mind

New Science of Relationships

People tend to think of "attachment" and "bonding" as the subjects of child psychology, but in fact, these factors are just as important to adult health and happiness. So what defines the healthy adult relationship — is there such a thing as too "clingy" or "dependent?" — and can people change in order to find lasting love?

With studies showing again and again that our relationships are critical to our long-term mental and physical health, researchers are increasingly turning their attention to the nature of adult connections. In their new book Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How it Can Help You Find — and Keep — Love, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and co-author Rachel Heller explore the topic. And just in time for Valentine's Day, they offer a new perspective on how to find the right partner.

(More on Time.com: 5 Little-Known Truths About American Sex Lives)

What are attachment styles and what characterizes them?

There are three major attachment styles: anxious, avoidant and secure. [To find out yours or your partner's style, take this quiz.] Around 20% of people are anxiously attached. Anxious people need to be close; they love to be intimate. They are very preoccupied with relationships, and very sensitive to small cues of threat in a relationship. Let's say their partner is going to the airport — it's anxiety provoking for the relationship. They would start to worry if they didn't hear from their partner soon. It's almost like they have a very sensitive alarm system.

What about avoidant?

About 25% of people are avoidant. Avoidant people want to be in relationships — because we're all programmed to get attached to other people — but something strange happens when they get close to a person. They are uncomfortable with too much closeness. They keep their partners at arm's length and constantly try to negotiate intimacy and closeness. They see it as something that interferes with their independence.

And secure?

They make up 54%, the majority, of the population. Securely attached people are warm and loving and love to be close, but they don't have a sensitive alarm system. They don't get preoccupied with the relationship; they don't mind things so much. They have a talent for being in relationships. If they're going to the airport and you're anxious, they would call you before you even think about calling them.

The avoidant person would hit ignore and think, "Oh, she's calling again," and you end up yelling at each other. You can see what kind of a different life you would have with someone secure.

[By knowing about attachment styles], you actually have way to go about finding the right person.

Isn't there one more style?

There's also disorganized, or anxious/avoidant. That's much more rare. When children have this, it is linked to trauma.

Therapists often tell people that you can't be loved until you are able to love yourself, and suggest that people take time to work on themselves before getting into a relationship. But there's no data to support that, and in fact, the research shows that you need to be loved before you can love. Why do we have this cultural misunderstanding about relationships?

[People say it] because there's a kernel of truth to it, but that's one of the reasons we wrote this book. [In it, we describe] someone we know who is well-rounded and functional in every aspect of life, and clearly very much loves herself and her life. But she went into a relationship with someone who was very avoidant, and then became very anxious to the point that she almost lost her job.

It's funny because one of most amazing things that this theory teaches is that if you are anxious or avoidant, and you meet someone who is secure, there are huge healing powers [in that relationship]. You become more secure. You don't even have to work hard, it just happens. Sometimes, magic can happen. The science breaks it down, it really challenges your perception and ideas and beliefs about relationships in a good way, and you change [in ways] that would be very hard to do on your own. (More on Time.com: Allergic to Valentine's Day Gifts? 5 Last-Minute Alternatives)

You can do [some of that] in therapy but it's so powerful when you do it in a relationship. When we get attached, powerful forces [are involved]. People think about psychological aspects but it's also very much physiological. Your partner starts to control your blood pressure and autonomic nervous system. It has huge implications for physical health.

(More on TIME.com: Does Men's 'Bond' with Porn Spoil Them for Real Sex?)

Anxious people are often stigmatized as clingy and needy and desperate.

It really isn't that. You are only as needy and clingy as your unmet needs. [If your needs are met, you can just relax.]. If kids feel safe, they don't cling to their mothers, they play with their toys. It's the same with adults.

You have a chapter titled "Dependency Is Not a Bad Word" Yet the common wisdom about codependency suggests that caring too much can be a disease.

We stigmatize dependence. Our society is avoidant, in a way. We really put emphasis on independence. But dependence is a biological fact. Once we become attached, we're dependent whether we want to be or not.

I understand why, in the context of addiction, some people say it's a bad thing. It's really only bad because there's no good treatment [for addiction]. In that context, you can see why you sometimes have to withdraw support from the person — but even there, it's problematic. I've seen enough cases where the family withdrew and then something [awful happened to the addict].

And in other areas, it really doesn't hold water — as if you have a disease if you help someone?

Do two avoidant people ever get together?

We looked through the literature. It hardly ever happens, obviously. They can get together, but they tend to lack the glue that keeps people together.

(More on TIME.com: Why Methamphetamine Is Almost as Cuddly as Ecstasy)

You write that avoidant people are overrepresented in the dating pool.

When you go to a therapist and your relationships haven't worked out, they may tell you that you have a pattern of always finding the wrong person. That may be right — some people do get addicted to the highs and lows of tumultuous anxious/avoidant relationships — but [the problem may not be] all about them.

There are some social forces. What happens with someone avoidant is that they tend to stay in relationships less. They are more likely to divorce. They tend to circulate back into the dating pool more often than anxious or secure people.

Anxious attachment sounds stereotypically female: is it more common in women or is this a myth?

The good news is that the majority of men and women are secure. But there are some stereotypes we have about men and women — Mars and Venus. The idea that men don't like to communicate, for example — that's more descriptive of avoidant men. The majority of men can be close and communicate; they want to get married and have kids. They're the silent majority. We don't hear much about them because there's very little drama.

There is a slight excess of men who are avoidant, but a lot of women are avoidant, too. [The same is true with a slight excess of anxious women, but the majority are secure.]

(More on TIME.com: Do Tight Times Make Better Marriages?)

The original tests of attachment were done in very young children, looking at how they responded when they were left alone by their mothers. Does your infant attachment style stay with you into adulthood?

If there is a correlation, it's weak at best, which is good news because it means that we can change our attachment style. Adult attachment styles are stable but plastic. When [researchers] looked at a group over four years, 25% had changed their attachment style. It can happen in several ways, for example when someone anxious or avoidant gets into a relationship with someone secure.

So what can you do to change your attachment style if you are not secure?

First of all, by understanding your relationship from an attachment perspective, you can work to identify insecure patterns and learn how you can change them to become more secure.

We have examples in the book. One couple moved in together. One of them was very avoidant; he had a hard time and got to the point where he was thinking about breaking up. But he was also able to say how he was having hard time letting her in, and to think about how lonely he was before and how he really longed to share his life. A transition occurred when he was able to see his role in what was going on and take step back and not feel like he was being pushed into a corner.

[I also worked with a] 40-year-old woman. She was dating and was sick of it and wanted a man and kids. She started to just say, I want to get married and have kids as soon as possible. She was able to do two things there, express that need and be authentic, which correlates very highly with satisfaction and happy relationships. A lot of people were scared off, but that way she didn't waste her time. And the way she did it, it can come from place of strength, it doesn't have to come from place of weakness.

See more of Healthland's Mind Reading series of author interviews.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/13/mind-reading-how-the-new-science-of-adult-attachment-can-improve-your-love-life/#ixzz1FnrTIROJ

2011-02-23T00:59:00.000-08:00

Amen Clinics scores big with NFL study

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:00 AM PST

As you may know, over the past two years, our research team here at the Amen Clinics has been performing the world’s largest brain imaging study on active and retired professional football players.

All of that hard work has come to fruition. Our study “Impact of Playing Professional American Football on Long Term Brain Function” has been published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.

This study shows a very serious level of brain trauma in a high percentage of players. I am very proud of this study and think it is an important piece in getting the NFL to stop denying that playing professional football causes long-term brain damage.

But I have to admit that it’s the second part of this study that is most exciting to me. Our research team is now conducting a brain rehabilitation study to see if the damaged brains of football players can be rehabilitated.

I am so thrilled to say that our preliminary results are astounding. Many players originally came to see me with dementia, depression, and obesity. But after putting them on our brain healthy program, the same one you will find in my new book The Amen Solution, many have made extraordinary progress.

One of player lost 107 pounds in 7 months and experienced improvement with his dementia.

One player lost 110 pounds and his brain scans showed dramatic brain improvement.

Fred Dryer, famed Los Angeles Ram defensive end and television star of the show Hunter, was part of our NFL study. He wrote to tell us that “over the last few months my overall feeling of clarity and confidence is much improved. With the supplements and certainly with the neurofeedback sessions I have replaced a part of me that over time had slowly slipped away.”

Big Ed White, age 62, a four-time Pro Bowl offensive guard for the Minnesota Vikings and later for the San Diego Chargers, played 17 seasons in the National Football League. When I first met Ed he weighed 365 pounds and scored very poorly on his cognitive testing profile.

All of our players take a test called the Microcog, which measures intellectual functioning in nine different areas, including overall general cognitive functioning, information processing speed, attention, reasoning and memory. He scored very poorly.

After six months, on our brain healthy/weight-loss program, he had lost 40 pounds, and his test scores increased dramatically (see below).

Ed White’s Microcog Results

Before After % Change

General Cognitive Functioning 21 39 90%+

Information Processing 25 58 > 100%+

Reasoning 3 13 > 400%+

Memory 14 66 > 470%+

The numbers are Ed’s percentile rankings, comparing him to other people his age and education level. For example, a ranking of 21 percent means 79 percent of people his age and education scored better than Ed.

Cam Cleeland, 34, is one of our younger retired NFL players. I have blogged about Cam previously, but I want to share his story again for any new readers.

Cam played football at a very high level in high school, in college at the University of Washington, and eight years in the pros as a tight end with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and St. Louis Rams. He volunteered for our study because he was struggling with problems of depression, irritability, low frustration, tolerance, high stress, obsessive thinking, and memory problems.

While playing football in college, he had a concussion and was unconscious for 18 hours. He was diagnosed with a total of eight concussions—three in college and five in the pros. He said his “bell was rung” every week.

Once in his rookie year while playing for Mike Ditka in New Orleans, he was involved in a hazing incident during which other players whacked him on the head with socks filled with coins (not the sign of intelligent life). Cam suffered a concussion and vision problems after the incident. Cam said that the NFL changed its position on hazing after the incident.

Cam’s evaluation showed clear evidence of depression, brain trauma, and cognitive dysfunction. His SPECT scan showed left-sided brain damage (he said he was hit in the left eye during the hazing incident and that he felt better on blocks when he led with the left side of his head). His Microcog (a test of neuropsychological function) showed significant decreases in general cognitive functioning, information processing speed, attention, memory, and spatial processing.

Eight months later we re-assessed Cam, using the same protocol as before. He reported he felt much better and noticed significant improvements in his attention, mental clarity, memory, mood, motivation, and anxiety level. He felt his anger was under greater control and he was getting along better with his small children.

His SPECT scan showed dramatic improvement in the areas of his temporal lobes (memory and mood stability), prefrontal cortex (attention and judgment), and cerebellum (processing speed). His Microcog showed dramatic improvement as well (see the following table).

He feels the difference and is excited to do everything he can to change his brain and change his life. You see, changing your brain can make you smarter and happier! It also made him thinner—Cam has lost 25 pounds since starting the program.

Cam Cleeland’s Microcog Results

Before After % Change

General Cognitive Functioning 13 39 200%+

Information Processing Speed 12 30 150%+

Information Processing Accuracy 27 55 100%+

Attention 34 70 100+%

Memory 30 77 > 150%+

Spatial Processing 5 77 > 1,400%+

The numbers are Cam’s percentile rankings, comparing him to other people his age and education level. For example, the 5 percent in “Spatial Processing” means 95 percent of people his age and education scored better than Cam.

See how another one of our players is doing in this week’s Case of the Week!

Attention CEOs! The secret to boosting your bottom line

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:00 AM PST

If you’re a CEO, a small business owner, or a manager, you know that getting the most out of your employees is critical to your success… especially in tough economic time

Are you spending too much on new employee training due to high employee turnover?

Are your employees calling in sick too often?

Do you think your employees should be more productive than they are?

Have you tried traditional management strategies to fix these problems but haven’t succeeded in achieving lasting improvement?

The problem could be your company’s brain health. Most employers and managers have no clue how important brain health is to the health of their business and their bottom line.

Your brain is the supercomputer that runs everything you do to make your business a success or a failure. Your brain and your employees’ brains help you get and keep new customers, create new product lines, come up with innovative sales and marketing strategies, find creative ways to cut overhead costs, and devise effective management tools.

If you give your collective brains the attention they deserve, you are much more likely to have a smooth-operating, thriving business or organization. Your team at work will be more productive, thoughtful, reliable, and consistent. And your workplace will be filled with less stress, more fun, and more profit.

Want to know how to do it?

I will show you how you can achieve better corporate brain health… and a better bottom line… in a 1-day wellness symposium being offered by The LBL Group.

I’ll be presenting along with Will Marré, the co-founder and former president of the Covey Leadership Center where he translated the concepts of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into powerful leadership courses. He has taught these courses to millions of executives worldwide. Personally, as a CEO myself, I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.

This symposium will take place March 23 from 8:00AM to 12:00PM in Solana Beach, California.

Click here for more information or sign up now at www.healthy-employees-lower-costs.com.

The Amen Solution—now available!

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:00 AM PST

My new book The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off / The Secret to Being Thinner, Smarter, and Happier

has been released! The program in this book is very powerful and life-changing, and I have already seen it work for many people at the Amen Clinics. I know that you and your loved ones can benefit from it too.

Some people have been asking me how it will be different from Change Your Brain, Change Your Body so let me explain.

Ever since Change Your Brain, Change Your Body hit cyberspace and store shelves, people have been calling and emailing our clinics, posting comments on my blog, and talking to me at book signings, speaking engagements, and other events. What the overwhelming majority of them were begging for was a simple step-by-step brain-based program for weight loss.

The Amen Solution is that program.

While Change Your Brain, Change Your Body dealt with overall general health, The Amen Solution focuses on weight loss and helping you get thinner, smarter, and happier… all at the same time!

In this book I will give you the basic steps to boost your brain to become thinner, smarter, and happier at the same time. I will give you a 10-week program to get started. This is the same program we use at the Amen Clinics, and the same program we use with the NFL players in our retired NFL player brain damage and rehabilitation study.

In addition, The Amen Solution profiles “The Amen Solution All-Stars,” real-life people (including several of our NFL players) who have shared their journey to a slimmer shape, greater happiness, and improved brain function. I hope their stories will inspire and motivate you. You will also find “Get Smart to Get Thinner” boxes with thoughtful tips, strategies, insights, and success stories from the everyday people who have been successfully losing weight with this program.

By following The Amen Solution 10-week program you will learn how to say goodbye to emotional overeating, curb cravings and boost willpower. Filled with the most up-to-date research, advice on natural supplements, meal plans, recipes, 200 quick ways to leave your blubber behind, and exercises to optimize your mind to shed those pounds, The Amen Solution is not just a 10-week diet. It is a program to get control of your brain and your body for the rest of your life.

I can’t wait to hear from you about it. Share your successes with me by commenting on my blog.

Order your copy of The Amen Solution today.

Part 7 of The Amen Solution: Know your brain type

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:00 AM PST

This is part 7 of a 10-part series on The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off and the Secret to Being Thinner, Smarter, and Happier

Amen Solution #7: Know your brain type.

After looking at over 60,000 brain SPECT scans over the past 20 years one of the most important lessons we have learned at the Amen Clinics is that problems like being overweight or having ADD or being depressed are not single or simple problems in the brain. They all have multiple types. Through our brain imaging work I have described 6 different types of ADD, 7 different types of anxiety and depression and 5 different types of overeaters. Knowing your specific type of a problem is essential to getting the right help.

I talk about this concept in great detail in the book. For now, the five types of overeaters include:

The “compulsive” overeater … who constantly thinks about food.

The “impulsive” overeater … who has poor impulse control.

The “impulsive-compulsive” overeater … who tends to be both impulsive and compulsive at the same time.

The “sad” overeater, who eats as a way to self-medicate feelings of sadness or depression.

And, the “anxious” overeater, who eats as a way to soothe his or her anxiety.

Understanding the specific type of brain you have is critical to getting the right help and can help target your diets, supplements or medications if needed.

In one study, 42% of “morbidly obese” patients were diagnosed with ADD or attention deficit disorder. These people are typically the impulsive overeaters, and it is virtually impossible to get them to lose weight, even with surgery, without first helping their brains. But for people who are anxious or compulsive, giving them ADD strategies almost always makes them more anxious or more compulsive.

People who are compulsive tend to do better with higher carbohydrate diets, because they tend to calm the brain … while people who are impulsive do better with higher protein diets. This is critical because the wrong diet can make some people mean, angry and out of sorts.

Recently, I was on the Rachael Ray show, and when I said this to Rachael, she told me that she had tried a low-carb diet, and it made her so mean that she wondered why her husband didn’t leave her. I have seen couples have serious marital problems just because one of the partners got their hands on the wrong diet books.

In our clinics we use brain SPECT imaging to help us understand and treat our patients. But a long time ago I realized that not everyone is able to get a scan. My books are now translated into 30 languages and if you read one in Japan or Italy odds are you are not going to get a scan. So based on thousands of scans I developed a series of questionnaires to help people predict what their brain might look like if they could get a scan. Then, based on the answers, I give suggestions on ways to think about helping your brain with certain natural supplements, medications or exercises.

The questionnaires are found in the book and they are used by mental health professionals around the world. Of course, you should always talk to your doctor about any treatment you try.

When Eileen first joined our program she weighed 187 pounds. When she took our questionnaire she discovered that she was a Type 5 Anxious Overeater and used food as a way to soothe her anxiety. She found that our journal helped keep her on track … and especially loved the exercises in it to help her calm her mind.

We are currently working on an online version of the journal that will make it easier than ever to track your calories and brain healthy habits. I’ll let you know when it’s available.

Over about 6 months she lost her anxiety and a whole lot of weight. Since starting our program she has lost 39 pounds and 5 pants sizes.

In the next few weeks you will learn about how using specific supplements can help you become thinner, smarter, and happier and I will give you the tools to help you stop emotional overeating. Plus, I will also show you how to influence your loved ones to be thinner, smarter, and happier too. That is my favorite part.

Make sure you come back. What do you have to lose? Maybe 10, 30, or even 70 pounds? How cool would that be not to have to carry that much fat around anymore.

Order your copy of The Amen Solution today.

Dr. Amen’s new public television show debuts

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:00 AM PST

I am so excited to tell you that my new public television special, The Amen Solution, is making its debut Tuesday, February 22! If you’re in the Los Angeles area, tune in to KCET to catch it. The show will air from 7:00PM-9:00PM PT.

If you aren’t in the Los Angeles area, stay tuned. I’ll keep you informed when it becomes available in other markets.

Dr Amen's wonderful Message

2011-02-23T00:43:00.001-08:00

Brain Power, it takes Practice!

2011-02-21T18:51:00.001-08:00

120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential. From LiteMind
1. Solve puzzles and brainteasers.
2. Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse. Write with both hands simultaneously. Switch hands for knife and fork.
3. Embrace ambiguity. Learn to enjoy things like paradoxes and optical illusions.
4. Learn mind mapping.
5. Block one or more senses. Eat blindfolded, wear earplugs, shower with your eyes closed.
6. Develop comparative tasting. Learn to properly taste wine, chocolate, beer, cheese or anything else.
7. Find intersections between seemingly unrelated topics.
8. Learn to use different keyboard layouts. Try Colemak or Dvorak for a full mind twist!
9. Find novel uses for common objects. How many different uses can you find for a nail? 10? 100?
10. Reverse your assumptions.
11. Learn creativity techniques.
12. Go beyond the first, ‘right’ answer.
13. Transpose reality. Ask "What if?" questions.
14. SCAMPER!
15. Turn pictures or the desktop wallpaper upside down.
16. Become a critical thinker. Learn to spot common fallacies.
17. Learn logic. Solve logic puzzles.
18. Get familiar with the scientific method.
19. Draw. Doodle. You don’t need to be an artist.
20. Think positive.
21. Engage in arts — sculpt, paint, play music — or any other artistic endeavor.
22. Learn to juggle.
23. Eat ‘brain foods’.
24. Be slightly hungry.
25. Exercise!
26. Sit up straight.
27. Drink lots of water.
28. Deep-breathe.
29. Laugh!
30. Vary activities. Get a hobby.
31. Sleep well.
32. Power nap.
33. Listen to music.
34. Conquer procrastination.
35. Go technology-less.
36. Look for brain resources in the web.
37. Change clothes. Go barefoot.
38. Master self-talk.
39. Simplify! Litemind.com 120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power 28 40. Play chess or other board games. Play via Internet (particularly interesting is to play an ongoing game by e-mail).
41. Play ‘brain’ games. Sudoku, crossword puzzles or countless others.
42. Be childish!
43. Play video games.
44. Be humorous! Write or create a joke.
45. Create a List of 100.
46. Have an Idea Quota.
47. Capture every idea. Keep an idea bank.
48. Incubate ideas. Let ideas percolate. Return to them at regular intervals.
49. Engage in ‘theme observation’. Try to spot the color red as many times as possible in a day. Find cars of a particular make. Invent a theme and focus on it.
50. Keep a journal.
51. Learn a foreign language.
52. Eat at different restaurants – ethnic restaurants specially.
53. Learn how to program a computer.
54. Spell long words backwards. !gnignellahC
55. Change your environment. Change the placement of objects or furniture — or go somewhere else.
56. Write! Write a story, poetry, start a blog.
57. Learn sign language.
58. Learn a musical instrument.
59. Visit a museum.
60. Study how the brain works.
61. Learn to speed-read.
62. Find out your learning style.
63. Dump the calendar!
64. Try to mentally estimate the passage of time.
65. "Guesstimate". Are there more leaves in the Amazon rainforest or neuron connections in your brain? (answer).
66. Make friends with math. Fight ‘innumeracy’.
67. Build a Memory Palace.
68. Learn a peg system for memory.
69. Have sex! (sorry, no links for this one!)
70. Memorize people’s names.
71. Meditate. Cultivate mindfulness and an empty mind.
72. Watch movies from different genres.
73. Turn off the TV.
74. Improve your concentration.
75. Get in touch with nature.
76. Do mental math.
77. Have a half-speed day.
78. Change the speed of certain activities. Go either super-slow or super-fast deliberately.
79. Do one thing at a time.
80. Be aware of cognitive biases.
81. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would different people think or solve your problems? How would a fool tackle it?
82. Adopt an attitude of contemplation.
83. Take time for solitude and relaxation.
84. Commit yourself to lifelong learning.
85. Travel abroad. Learn about different lifestyles. Litemind.com 120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power 29 86. Adopt a genius. (Leonardo is excellent company!)
87. Have a network of supportive friends.
88. Get competitive.
89. Don’t stick with only like-minded people. Have people around that disagree with you.
90. Brainstorm!
91. Change your perspective. Short/long-term, individual/collective.
92. Go to the root of the problems.
93. Collect quotes.
94. Change the media you’re working on. Use paper instead of the computer; voice recording instead of writing.
95. Read the classics.
96. Develop your reading skill. Reading effectively is a skill. Master it.
97. Summarize books.
98. Develop self-awareness.
99. Say your problems out loud.
100. Describe one experience in painstaking detail.
101. Learn Braille. You can start learning the floor numbers while going up or down the elevator.
102. Buy a piece of art that disturbs you. Stimulate your senses in thought-provoking ways.
103. Try different perfumes and scents.
104. Mix your senses. How much does the color pink weigh? How does lavender scent sound?
105. Debate! Defend an argument. Try taking the opposite side, too.
106. Use time boxing.
107. Allocate time for brain development.
108. Have your own mental sanctuary.
109. Be curious!
110. Challenge yourself.
111. Develop your visualization skills. Use it at least 5 minutes a day.
112. Take notes of your dreams. Keep a notebook by your bedside and record your dreams first thing in the morning or as you wake up from them.
113. Learn to lucid dream.
114. Keep a lexicon of interesting words. Invent your own words.
115. Find metaphors. Connect abstract and specific concepts.
116. Manage stress.
117. Get random input. Write about a random word in a magazine. Read random sites using StumbleUpon or Wikipedia.
118. Take different routes each day. Change the streets you follow to work, jog or go back home.
119. Install a different operating system on your computer.
120. Improve your vocabulary.
121. Deliver more than what’s expected.

Take Life/Golf Too seriously!

2011-02-16T01:46:00.000-08:00

Don’t Take Golf (Life) so seriously,

You may know about left brain vs right brain theory. Have you ever thought of the ramifications for your golf of trying to play with your Left Brain in control?

The theory says that your Left Brain is better at doing some things and your Right Brain is better at doing other things. Left Brain is good at math, logic, accounting, engineering, etc. Right Brain is good at creativity, imagination, art and music. You may not know that the Left Brain is clumsy and un-athletic while Right Brain is where the "natural athletes" operate best.

Now consider playing golf-

You need good Left Brain ability to gather all the data, figure out what shot to play, what target to hit to, etc. You need good Right Brain ability to actually play the shot, to be athletic over the ball. You must not mix the two! This is a trap that most golfers fall into. This is one of the biggest reasons for inconsistency. Left Brain cannot play a lick, yet most are doing Left Brain things over the ball.
Are you still considering the details of the shot while moving into the shot or over the ball?
Do you change the shot or target while over the ball?
Do you step into your stance very carefully, focussed on aligning your feet very exactly?
Do you check the alignment of your feet, your hips and your shoulders over the ball?
Do you check your grip, your posture over the ball?
Do you instruct yourself to keep your head still over the ball?
Do you carefully align the club face or the putter to the line of the shot, trying to get it exactly right?
Do you pay close attention to how you are going to move the club and then on how you are moving the club in the swing?
Do you have multiple swing keys you are monitoring and controlling while swinging?
Are you making sure you do your pre-shot routine exactly the same every time, trying hard not to leave anything out?

These are all examples of a player operating in a Left Brained way.

The Left Brain is a klutz, yet we try to take control with it and use it to create ART or Artistic like qualities a lot.
- You are judging what you are doing with it.
- You are trying so hard to do it right with your Left Brain.

Here is a simple exercise to highlight the difference between Left Brain and Right Brain operating.
In most other sports, operating in a Right Brain, athletic way is part of playing that sport. You are reacting to a ball or another player and you don't have time to think about how to do it or to be careful about what you are doing. When you do, it usually screws things up. This is why some basketball players play great shots from the floor but when they have all the time in the world without interference to shoot the foul shot, they can struggle.

When you struggle with your golf, do you try to fix your swing mechanically on the course?
Is your Left Brain directing the corrections and then trying to make them work?
After the round, do you run off for a lesson or to the practice tee and work some more in a Left Brained way to perfect your swing, to check your alignment and your fundamentals, to find solutions?
After all this is the model for playing better and learning to play golf isn't it?

Ask yourself HONESTLY are you training yourself to play golf with your Left Brain as if to perfect the science of the game?

Neuroscience recommends that you always finish your practice on the range with shots to different targets using a full mental routine. Then play golf on the course with a full mental routine for every shot, leaving the Left Brain to only be used for Data input, such as calculating distance or reading a putt. Before pulling the trigger, let the right Brain create artistic magic and allow the seing to flow...!

Rob Irwin
www.sportofmind.com

Time Travel, Is it Real?

2011-02-16T01:41:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://www.quantum-self.com/category/quantum-library/mind-stretch%22%3EMind Stretch | Build

Success and Self Growth Mind Power.</a>
Is Time Travel Real?
Is Time Travel Real? What are you doing when you aren’t doing anything at all? If you said “nothing,” then you just passed a test in logic, but flunked a test in neuroscience about time travel.
So what about time travel? When people perform mental tasks–adding numbers, comparing shapes, identifying faces–different areas of their brains become active, and brain scans show these active areas as brightly colored squares on an otherwise dull gray background.
But researchers have recently discovered that when these areas of our brains light up, other areas go dark. This dark network (which comprises regions in the frontal, parietal and medial temporal lobes) is off when we seem to be on, and on when we seem to be off. And this seems to be the time travel connection.
If you climbed into an MRI machine and lay there quietly, waiting for instructions from a technician, the dark network would be as active as a beehive. But the moment your instructions arrived and your task began, the bees would freeze and the network would fall silent. When we appear to be doing nothing, we are clearly doing something. But what? Time travel.

The answer, it seems, is time travel occurs naturally in our brains.
The human body moves forward in time at the rate of one second per second whether we like it or not. But the human mind can move through time in any direction and at any speed it chooses. It seems to be able to trvel forward and backward through time.
Our ability to close our eyes and imagine the pleasures of Super Bowl Sunday or remember the excesses of New Year’s Eve is a fairly recent evolutionary development, and we think our talent for doing this is unparalleled in the animal kingdom.

We are a time travel race, unfettered by chronology and capable of visiting the future or revisiting the past whenever we wish. But if our neural time travel mental machines are damaged by illness, age or accident, we may become trapped in the present. Alzheimer’s disease, for instance, specifically attacks the dark network, stranding many of its victims in an endless now, unable to remember their yesterdays or envision their tomorrows.

Why did evolution design our brains for time travel?
Perhaps it’s because an experience is a terrible thing to waste. Moving around in the world exposes organisms to danger, so as a rule they should have as few experiences as possible and learn as much from each as they can.

Although some of life’s lessons are learned in the moment (“Don’t touch a hot stove”), others become apparent only after the fact (“Now I see why she was upset. I should have said something about her new dress”). Time travel allows us to pay for an experience once, and then have it again and again – learning new lessons with each repetition. When we are busy having experiences–herding children, signing checks, battling traffic–the dark network is silent, but as soon as those experiences are over, the network is awakened, and we begin moving across the landscape of our history to see what we can learn via time travel.

Animals learn by trial and error, and the smarter they are, the fewer trials they need. Traveling backward buys us many trials for the price of one, but traveling forward allows us to dispense with trials entirely. Just as pilots practice flying in flight simulators, the rest of us practice living in life simulators, and our ability to simulate future courses of action and preview their consequences enables us to learn from mistakes without making them.

We don’t need to bake a liver cupcake to find out that it is a stunningly bad idea; simply imagining it is punishment enough. The same is true for insulting the boss and misplacing the children. We may not heed the warnings that prospection provides, but at least we aren’t surprised when we wake up with a hangover or when our waists and our inseams swap sizes.

The dark network allows us to time travel into the future, but not just any future. When we contemplate futures that don’t include us–Will the NASDAQ be up next week? Will Hillary run again?–the dark network is quiet. Only when we move time travel does it come alive.
Perhaps the most startling fact about the dark network isn’t what it does but how often it does it. Neuroscientists refer to it as the brain’s default mode, which is to say that we spend more of our time away from the present than in it.

People typically overestimate how often they are in the moment because they rarely take notice when they take leave. It is only when the environment demands our attention–a dog barks, a child cries, a telephone rings–that our mental time machines switch themselves off and deposit us with a bump in the here and now. We stay just long enough to take a message and then we slip off again to time travel to the land of Elsewhen, our dark networks awash in light.

Belief Matrix - It's IDEAL

2011-02-16T01:35:00.000-08:00

Extraordinary IDEAL Life!

It's right there inside you and always has been. What if your experience of your magnificent extraordinary self is as close as your next breath or your next thought? Are you ready to embrace your extraordinary self and set yourself free? Then let's do it!

All of the achievements you desire are available to you. You just have to know how to make yourself available to them! It doesn't have to take years and intense process work or 30 years of meditating. You are now ready to take a leap into something so remarkable and scientifically proven that we can't even really wrap our brains around it. But it's true. We are being asked to step out of the old limiting conditioning and into a new way of experiencing success – and it is available now.

Most of us have unknowingly taken on limiting & self sabotaging misperceptions about ourselves and the world around us. They undermine the athlete in you and the natural qualities that are natural to us. They deplete our health, energy and capacity for success. These mistaken beliefs usher us to an early retirement.

But what if there was a way to quickly & precisely identify the beliefs
that are not supporting you and then clear them in an instant?

Founder Dr Rob Irwin of the Sport of Mind Institute created the Belief Matrix™ to help you instantly clear beliefs that stop you from living the life you deserve. Using this process, your unsupportive beliefs become clear in an instant leaving you free to outrageously create the life you were meant to live.

Your Subconscious Mind is in Charge 95% of the TIME!

The subconscious acts like your Supreme Ruler. Throughout your life, you've been exposed to messages in the environment through your parents, teachers, friends and even yourself that don’t support your greatest and highest potential. These messages, or beliefs, have been embedded in your subconscious mind, and directly influencing the outcomes of your life. No matter how hard you try, or how much self-help work you do, your life can never look the way you want if your subconscious mind is sabotaging you.

What’s Showing Up in Your Life
Your outer world or the results in your life always reflects your inner reality. That means that if you don’t like the way your life looks, something is going on inside that is blocking your ability to create. Maybe you find that the Law of Attraction doesn't work for you. This is because one or several underlying negative beliefs that you hold about yourself are engaged with Law of Attraction. What you attract is your responsibility. You must become aware of what is embedded in your subconscious mind and realize that it shows up in many ways. Along with the wonderful things in your life, there also might be subtle issues of low grades, social fear, unhealthy relationships, or other things that don’t reflect the life you want.

Clear Negative Beliefs Instantly
The good news is there is a now a way to identify and quickly remove these unsupportive core beliefs so you can have success, health, and future financial freedom and more. Belief Matrix^TM is a process for easily and painlessly determining what limiting beliefs are running your show. Once a belief is identified it can be very relieving and hopeful for you and your future.

Redirect Your Life
Once old limitations have become clear to you, and you start to create a proactive belief, life enhancing and empowering values replace the old patterns. You subconscious mind and conscious mind are congruent and you are in full alignment with what you choose to create.

Instant Relief
Past programming leads us to believe, and through the process of watching thousands of people work this program from the Train Your Brain Seminar the IDEAL 12 Week plan that profound change is completely available, you would think it would take a lifetime of hard work.

We have figured out the exact time requirement on creating your new belief. Why should you struggle? Through the Belief Matrix^TM and the 12 week plan that has the quantum leap effect when you are part of a Community that a huge shift can happen instantly, and a predominant long term powerful belief can become your new I.D. with just minutes a day of intention.

Ready to experience the Awe Behind the Belief Matrix™?Many of our core beliefs are formed between birth and 6 years of age. In these early years, we are not able to clearly discern what is right or true for ourselves. And inadvertently, what we experience or are taught by others in these formative years is imprinted into our subconscious minds. And throughout our lives we may continue to take on the beliefs of other people that are a match for these erroneous beliefs. This is the source of much of our reality creating.

Ninety five percent of our beliefs are held in our subconscious mind
and it is these beliefs that run your life. Your subconscious mind
is the foundation for your personal reality and the life you live.

In every moment, your perception of reality filters through our subconscious beliefs which instantly result in thoughts which are followed by feelings, reactions or actions and eventually results. Some of the beliefs are life-supporting and some are life-restricting. How do you know what is lodged in your subconscious and what you really believe? By what shows up in your life!

Belief Matrix™ Can Change Core Beliefs seemingly Instantly and Effortlessly.Many have “tried everything”--all the techniques and healing therapies, some traditional and some not so traditional without a fundamental understanding of how we create our realities.

We are always attracting based on our thoughts and beliefs. The truth is simple and uncompromising: people will always attract whatever they believe to be true about themselves and the world around them. What many fail to recognize is that the subconscious is a vast part of what they think and project!

A great deal of attention has been placed on becoming aware of what we think; about what we place our attention upon. However, our thoughts are triggered by our beliefs and our beliefs are held on a subconscious level quietly directing our every feeling, reaction and decision. It is these restricting and limiting subconscious beliefs that hold us back from happiness, our full potential, physical health, personal development and spiritual enlightenment. The challenge of identifying and changing these beliefs has proven quite impossible for many.

For those of you who have struggled overcoming these beliefs, Belief Matrix™ can make changing core beliefs quick and effortless. This revolutionary technique expands consciousness, identifies subconscious limiting beliefs clearing them almost instantly. As these beliefs clear, a compelling hope and empowerment become a new experience and your life simply floods in. Life no longer has to be a struggle.

Frequently Asked Questions

- What can I expect in a Train Your Brain to Create Your Identity 12 week plan?
You will start by joining us in a full day seminar. There you will understand how New Discoveries in Neuroscience can prove how your life got stuck and how you can free yourself.

- Do you ask yourself which area(s) of your life you feel stuck. This may be around relationships, finances, health, personal fulfillment, self esteem etc. Unsupportive beliefs are quickly identified and then verified with "irrational feedback" from the world you see before you. By aligning with Dr Rob and the Community you can process the beliefs that are instantly going to release and be replaced with more supportive beliefs.

- Will I feel different after a 12 week plan?
Everyone has their own personal experience however here’s what some of the Community Graduates are saying:

Testimonials

“What a dynamic experience! To the Irwin’s, heartfelt thanks for sharing your expertise and passion. It is an honor to work with you.” –DawnMarie

"Dr. Rob's Train Your Brain Seminar was a most worthwhile seminar, loaded with useful information and exercises. The subsequent 90 day team support structure to change our beliefs created a great framework to achieve goals. In fact, by working on changing my underlying beliefs, I achieved a goal that resonated with my deepest desire." Best, Clarke Paulley

"The last 2 days I was on a carpenter clean up job. Part of my new belief and goal is too live at my ideal weight and in be in better physical shape with the weight I carry at 228lbs my back and knees are feeling it just like yesterday. Normally i would complain and make excuses of how bad my life is, but today I am grateful for the work I received because it is now in alignment with what i want. Being at peace is a new default because I used to operate from fear and anxiety. Holding everything like it's life or death. I am fortunate to know Dr. Rob and have him in my life. He has made a difference in how I hold my context. I have more of a window of choice now than I had before. So I can go to fear or to peace that is the beauty about choice and now i am creating the results upon my choice. So empowering! Have a great day folks”. Life will be much better. Walter Suico

Follow Up with IDEAL (Identify, Experience and Learn) Conscious Mastery Community
At the end of a 12 week plan, you are invited to one of the most powerful tools in the universe. A community of Graduates to continue to build your supportive environment that will continue to support you in your happier and healthier life. You become the Master of your reality.

Whether you seek an alternative psychology, maximum performance, emotional healing or spiritual awakening the Belief Matrix™ and Create Your Identity has something for you.

Belief Matrix™ sessions can be via a one on one format as well. This can be in person or by phone. Telephone is very effective, and possibly more effective because of the lack of distraction your Ego is placing on you to get to the source of the Predominant negative belief. When you are ready for long lasting change that is fun and easy schedule a session or participate in an upcoming full day seminar, please contact me via my email or my phone, information listed below?

Thank you
Dr Rob

*Dr Rob has for many years been blessed with the perseverance of how to help people’s life more fulfilling. In this pursuit he received his masters in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Sports Psychology. Once the foundation was laid he dove into the research and science of the booming industry of Neuroscience. Here he learned about the brain and the mind and created a traditional way to deliver the technology in a very "layman like" terms that even a 6 year old could understand. Now 6 years later of “Beta Testing” he has honed the message and found what is to believed as the “magic bullet” for you to simply Identify the blockages, Experience the process of change and Learn the model for your own sustainability. Only, in your experience with Dr Rob, will you be able to understand the insights available to you that becomes your benefit.

Copyright Sport of Mind 1996-2011

Free Train Your Brain Seminar

2011-01-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

What do an NFL Football Player, Gold Medalist and a Millionaire have in common?

Come find out Thursday Evening February 3^rd 2011 from 6:30 to 8:30pm

At this Free event you will have a chance to hear 3 very unique stories from Top Elite Performers and what they found to be the Magic Bullet that they used to keep the Mental Edge over their competitors.

One thing we know they had in common, was the wisdom to know that

"Just a fraction of an advantage" can win you a Super Bowl Ring, Cross the Finish Line first or Close the Deal of a life time.

These three Super Achievers sought after Brain Fitness Psychologist Dr. Robert C. Irwin. A local Clinical Psychologist who has researched, studied and Beta Tested Neruoscience and how it relates to performance or results in your Life, into a 1 hour Seminar.

Dr Rob, Tyrone Hopson, Dr Jason Richardson and Kelly Mikules are converging to bring you the incredible secrets so that you can use them...

Call Now to reserve Seat!

Wednesday February 2nd, 2011

6:30 to 8:30

Thursday, Feb. 2 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Athletes Edge

1211 Liberty Way

Vista, CA 92081

Watch Dr Rob in Action

Sport of Mind and ONI"s Fresh Fit W8 Loss Challenge - Schedule

2011-01-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Optimal Nutrition Inc.’s

Fresh Fit Weight Loss Challenge (more than just weight loss, but a transformation program!!!)

10 weeks (10 meetings)

Pre/Post measurement, (3 weigh-ins)

Start Date: Jan 10th

San Diego,

· This Monday Night sessions generally last between 1- 2, we are going to be adamant about starting on time/ending on time and attendance.

· You are allowed to miss up to 2 classes, please email me in advance the dates of the classes you cannot make, Irene@optimalnuritioninc.com, if you miss more than 2 you will be disqualified from the grand prize.

Week 1

6PM

Fresh Fit Weight Loss Challenge Kick off!

TYB Workshop with Dr. Rob Irwin from Sport of Mind Institute

Introduction of the team of experts

Location: ONI Kitchen

Week 2

6PM

Vision Board Exercise with Michelle & Irene

Location: ONI Kitchen

Week 3

6PM

Grocery tour with Heather Fleming

Location: Jimbos in Carmel Valley or Whole foods La Jolla

Week 4

6PM

3D workout with Rehab United

Recovery/stretching

Location: RU training facility Carmel Valley

Week 5

6pm

Cooking Class with Executive Chef – Fri Reyes (Dr. Rob Irwin- Check In/Weigh In #2)

Location: ONI Kitchen

Week 6

7pm

Nutrition class with Justin Robinson

Location: RU Kearny Mesa

Week 7

Time: TBD

Kickboxing class with Boxing club

Location: Boxing Club UTC

Week 8 *TBD

6PM

Grocery Tour Part II/Cooking Class/Kundalini Breathing Class/ Living Water Rejuvenation

Location: Whole Foods In La Jolla/ Jimbos in Carmel Valley /ONI Kitchen

Week 9

6PM

Last Chance work out with Rehab United

Tuesday- Friday last weigh-ins

Location: RU facility Kearny Mesa

Week 10

One final group meeting- finale party! Final check in with Dr. Rob

Announce the winner!

The participants will be:

· Receiving accountability journals via email

· Support from the ONI team/Coaches- with daily emails & phone calls (if needed)

· Access to community of Fresh Fit participants

Outside Fitness Access:

Boxing Club UTC has offered a 1- month free membership with Fresh Fit Challengers

& If they are already members they are going to get 2 free personal training workouts.

Rehab United: Weekly Bootcamps & one free class

Free Fit 4 Life Events:

Zumba In the Park, Del Mar Beach

Get on Board! Sup Love. Indio Board, 10 AM Mission Beach

Outside Nutrition:

Janet Kline- One on One-nutrition consultations

(www.liveitoptimal.com)

Ciara Mumford

Cleansing, detoxing, fasting, specialists

Living Water Rejuvenation Center

(www.livingwaterrejuvenation.com)

The IDEAL Network

2011-01-01T23:08:00.000-08:00

Dear IDEAL Network,

New Year's is a time for charting a new path and envisioning our highest goals for the year ahead. What a perfect time to Graduate from your first 12 week plan and create intentions about the next 12 week Plan you embark upon.

Before we share, I would like to get you started with a very brief recap of what we have been through over the past 12 weeks…

As the IDEALer’s, you were handpicked and chosen to be in this IDEAL Plan because we see you as having special gifts. You are the connectors of the world; leaders in your field. We want to thank you for reaching out and helping, guiding, sharing, asking and mentoring those in your IDEAL Community and beyond.

The Journey, The Stories, The Connections, The Successes that sprouted out of the IDEAL Plan brings tears of joy and happiness. Thank you for trusting the process, writing out your beliefs and Goals when you didn’t feel like it, and reaching out for help when you felt stuck. I have personally learned so much about myself and the true potential of the “IDEAL Plan” with you being the proof of process.

IDEAL Recap:
(Identify, Experience, and Learn)

THE 3 PILLARS OF IDEAL PLAN
1) The Science of Belief - based on cutting edge development in evidence based science of neurology /physiology presented to you with
real world application in real world terminology.

2) Creation of Your Plan – setting the scientific principles of your customized Belief system in motion.

3) Recreation of Opportunity – having mastered the 1st and 2nd pillars, you will have the foresight and ability to reinvent
yoUR//I.D.entity over and over again AND teach it to future generations.

THE PLAN

Train Your Brain Seminar:
- The Biology of Belief and Goals; 95% of the results in your life happen - Automatically

Neurofeedback:
- Identified, Experienced and Learn to quiet the mind through Brain Efficiency Training.

Integrated Healing:
- Quickly identified a deeper and more personal belief with tools to create your IDEAL life.

Daily Email Encoding:
- Daily entrainment of Beliefs and Goals with the collaboration of a supportive community.

Team Calls:
- Discussion, Lectures, Testimonials, Cohesion, Fellowship

Team Socials:
- Support, Learn, Grow, share

Graduate Community:
- A Sustainable Network with multiple choices to Forever - Create yoUR//IDeal life

Below, I share our intentions for 2011. But first, we'd love for you to share your intentions and how we at Sport of Mind can best support you in making them a reality. At the beginning, during our Launch and Kick-off, we asked you to share your experiences with us along the way so that we can receive feedback on how it felt to be a participant in the IDEAL Plan. So Far, we have received incredible amount of feedback that has helped better define and refine the program. We are asking for a bit more this last time.

Please answer the following questions 1-5 listed below by Clicking Here and Post a “comment” under this Blog Article.

Posting a comment is very important to us here at Sport of Mind Institute

1) I would like to hear some of the “wins” you have witnessed over the last year as a result of participating in the 12 Week Plan?

2) What was your favorite part of being in a Supportive Community?

3) What would you like to see as an improvement to the 12 Week Plan and the Community, in reference to the Team Serving You better in the future?

4) What would you like to see happen after your 12 Week plan is over?

5) What are your Intentions for 2011?

Our intention 2011, is that we broaden The Sport of Mind Network considerably, reaching many times the number of people as we currently do, while deepening our empowerment of people's awareness of Life's possibilities when utilizing The IDEAL Plan.

I envision us reaching thousands of people by the end of the year while building off of the new IDEAL Network. I'm particularly excited to have a platform for people to showcase their own offerings, courses, lessons, events, ideas, and insights so we have a MasterMind type feel to move beyond focusing just on our own limited individual perspectives.

In 2011, we'll also go much deeper. We will create additional Programs that are more intensive like a 2-4 Day Destination Retreat or Summit along with a 12 Week Plan for the IDEAL Network.

Our Intention is to expand into web radio and more online video, as well as a monthly membership/network program for year around trainings.

I see this as the year to lay the groundwork for years to come. This is a chance for us to come together and do incredible things on a very large scale. We'll look at ways to create synergy and transformation in schools, sports and corporations.

Thank you for playing with us here at the Sport of Mind Institute in 2010 and years forward.

                    Belief = What is held to be True or real
         Believe = To think of something as True
                                                                   True = Agreeing with Fact, not false
                           Live = out loud and to UR True Identity,

Dr Rob and Dr Jason

www.sportofmind.com