2021-02
2021-02
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast episode #108 with Kelly Roman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fisher Wallace Laboratories[i], an FDA-regulated manufacturer of wearable medical devices for the treatment of insomnia, anxiety and depression, as well as wellness devices for sleep and stress management (Circadia®).
Watch the interview on YouTube here.
Fisher Wallace has over 70,000 patients and 10,000 subscribers using their devices and has continued to run three sizable clinical trials during the pandemic, investigating how neurostimulation is a strong contender as a treatment for anxiety and depression compared to drug use.
Welcome to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast. My name is Andrea Samadi, and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately to take your results to the next level. I can’t tell you how excited I am to speak with Kelly Roman today, as we have been on the topic of mental health and well-being on this podcast for the past few months, because this is an area that most people are interested in these days. There’s a serious need here.
When I was covering the most important brain-health strategies, after watching the Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention Documentary[ii] last year, it became clear that sleep was one of the top 5 health staples that we should all be aware of. I covered this last December with a review of these top 5 health staples[iii] where getting a good quality sleep was a staple that is shown as an Alzheimer’s prevention strategy.
When I was first introduced to Kelly Roman, and saw that the company he co-founded, Fisher Wallace Labs has created wearable devices to help improve sleep, while also treating anxiety and depression, I wanted to learn more. If you take one look at their website, you can see their appearance on the TV Show, the Drs. where a patient shares that she has been wearing the device for just a week, and is already sleeping better. The more I began to research this company, and their wearable devices, the more excited I became.
I started to think up what questions I would ask our guest, and wondered:
If these devices are helping people to improve sleep, and reduce anxiety and depression, what else could they possibly do?
Could a wearable device help to improve someone’s mood and consequently help someone who struggles with addiction to stay sober?
The questions could go on…let’s see what Kelly Roman, the co-founder of Fisher Wallace Laboratories has to say.
--------Interview starts here----------------------------
Welcome Kelly, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I’ve got to say that my mind was going 100 miles an hour when I was creating your questions. An FDA-regulated manufacturer of wearable medical devices for the treatment of insomnia, anxiety and depression, as well as wellness devices for sleep and stress management—we can go in so many directions here. But I’ve got to start with sleep--
Q1: We’ve created a clear case on this podcast over the past 6 months for the importance of getting a good night sleep as it’s one of the top 5 health staples that we should all be aware of for Alzheimer’s Prevention. Can you explain what you are focused on at Fisher Wallace (wearable home use vs other forms- Electro Convulsive Therapy/Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) how do these devices work, and how does this improve someone’s sleep?
Q2: Kelly, my husband is a volunteer for the Maricopa Sheriff’s office here in Phoenix, he’s a commander for one volunteer units, and the stories I hear from those working in police/fire these days, it’s extremely stressful, and he lived in New Jersey, covering New York City for work, (where you live) and can deal with high stress situations. I saw a presentation you did for Brainstorm Health in 2019[iv] where you combined your technology with VR to help treat those with anxiety, insomnia or depression. Can you explain what the device is that I saw you present with VR, and how could it help people, like those in policing to increase their focus while reducing stress?
Q3: We know that anxiety and depression are at an all-time high these days, with the effects of the Pandemic, and how life has changed for many of us. How does your device help your body to release dopamine, serotonin and fall into a state of deep relaxation, with no drugs required?
Q4: What is the research saying about treatment like wearable devices for depression or anxiety vs drug use? I watched your interview with Luke Storey[v] where you give an incredible overview of the hurdles that you had to overcome with these “blockbuster anti-depressant drugs” like Prozac. What is the research showing now about these drugs and what they are doing to the body?
Q5: When we connected on LinkedIn, I had to check to see who we have in common. When I saw that we have Aneesh Chaudhry, who I launched the year with his interview on overcoming addiction[vi]—I had to wonder- Could a wearable device help to improve someone’s mood and consequently help someone who struggles with addiction to stay sober?
Q6: What is your 10-year vision for where these devices are going? Do you think we are moving towards where health care will cover them so that we could be prescribed them for lower cost?
Q7: Can this device help improve heart rate variability? (the measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat).
Kelly Roman, Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, and for opening up my mind to the power behind wearable devices vs taking drugs for anxiety, insomnia or depression.
For people who want to learn more, they can go to https://www.fisherwallace.com/ and find you on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyroman/
Any final thoughts for our listeners about this technology and how it is innovating the future of mental health?
STAY TUNED: for a follow-up to this episode after I have tested out the device for sleep.
RESOURCES:
Luke Storey Podcast https://www.lukestorey.com/lifestylistpodcast/treating-depression-anxiety-and-insomnia-naturally-with-kelly-roman-188
The Doctors Review of The Fisher Wallace Stimulator (Brain Stimulator) Published on YouTube Sept. 18, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gSHAUmGqrHU
Electroconvulsive Therapy: A History of Controversy, but Also of Help (Jan.12, 2017) https://theconversation.com/electroconvulsive-therapy-a-history-of-controversy-but-also-of-help-70938
Electroconvulsive Therapy The University of Vermont Medical Center https://www.uvmhealth.org/medcenter/wellness-resources/health-library/ty1541
How the Fisher Wallace Stimulator Works https://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/how-it-works
New Technologies for the Treatment of Mental Health with Chip Fisher TEDxBeaconStreet Published on YouTube Jan.4, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIjkLvt8f1A
Home Use Brain Stimulators vs Drug Use https://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/scientific-evidence-homepage-opioid-withdrawal
The Effectiveness of Cranial Electrical Stimulation (CES) for the Treatment of Pain, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD (Feb. 2018) Investigators: Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD, Ian Cook, MD, Isomi M Miake-Lye, PhD, Selene Mak, PhDc, Marika Suttorp Booth, MS, Roberta Shanman, MLS, and Jessica M Beroes, BS. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493132/
Mark Powers, Baylor, Director of Trauma Research https://www.bswhealth.med/research/Pages/institutes-and-centers/trauma-research-center/mark-powers.aspx
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip Explained Published on YouTube August 30, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsX-7hS94Yo
Phoenix House Pilot Study https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0315/7737/files/Phoenix_House_Pilot_Study_Poster.pdf?315
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.fisherwallace.com/
[ii] Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention Documentary https://www.drperlmutter.com/alzheimers-the-science-of-prevention-2020-air-dates/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL BONUS Episode “Deep Dive into the Top 5 Health Staples” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
[iv] Brainstorm Health 2019: Treating Insomnia, Anxiety and Depression Using VR and Neurostimulation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIX_PklkrCI&list=PLS8YLn_6PU1lLLTFbHlK3WD1tAkmgCjqz&index=27&t=0s&fbclid=IwAR2HvJ0wlDPBp4bttb_lp7agHRc4ioSyqxqORlaPfjgu8j5u9YGBuyeLGzM
[v] Luke Storey Podcast https://www.lukestorey.com/lifestylistpodcast/treating-depression-anxiety-and-insomnia-naturally-with-kelly-roman-188
[vi] Neuroscience Meets SEL Episode #102 Aneesh Chaudhry on “Mental Health, Well-Being and Meditation: Overcoming Addiction Using Your Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/aneesh-choudhry-on-mental-health-well-being-and-meditation-overcoming-addictionusing-your-brain/
Saturday Feb 13, 2021
Saturday Feb 13, 2021
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast episode #107 with Jessica Minahan[i], the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students[ii] In this much needed book, based on a collaboration dating back nearly a decade, the authors Jessica Minahan, a behavioral analyst and Nancy Rappaport, a child psychiatrist—reveal their systematic approach for deciphering causes and patterns of difficult behaviors and how to match them with proven strategies for getting students back on track to learn.
Watch the interview on YouTube here.
My name is Andrea Samadi, and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If you have ever heard my story of where my career began, you would know why I would be so interested to speak with Jessica about the strategies in The Behavior Code. My first job out of The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education, was a behavioral class. I felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of resources to manage and teach my students and this was one of the catalysts that drew me towards social and emotional learning in the late 1990s. If only I had read this book back then, I wouldn’t have struggled so much.
Let me tell you more about Jessica:
She is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally. Since 2000 she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems. She specializes in training staff and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning Autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs.
She is a blogger on The Huffington Post[iii], the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students,[iv] with Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors [v](Harvard Education Press, 2014).]
She holds a Bachelor in Science in Intensive Special Education from Boston University and a dual master’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Wheelock College. She has a certificate of graduate study (CGS) in teaching children with Autism from the University of Albany and received her BCBA training from Northeastern University in Boston. She is sought-after internationally to speak on subjects ranging from effective interventions for students with anxiety to supporting hard-to-reach students in full-inclusion public school settings.
How did I come across Jessica’s work?
A couple of Saturday mornings ago, I was at my desk getting caught up from the week, and an email came in from Greg Wolcott, who I mention often on the podcast. He’s an assistant superintendent from Chicago who has not only been a guest a couple of times on the podcast, but is a huge supporter. He often brainstorms ideas, topics, and guest speakers with me, and this time, when he sent me Jessica’s name, and told me that he was on a webinar with her, and that I should take a look at her work, I knew I needed to speak with her the minute I saw the title of her book.
If you are a current teacher, former teacher, or thinking about being a teacher, I am sure that you would want to know “what is the behavior code?” As a parent I am still trying to figure this out, and my girls are not teenagers yet! So I emailed Jessica that second, asked her if she would come on the podcast, and within hours we had the interview set up.
Let’s hear what Jessica has to say about the Behavior Code.
--------------------This is where the interview begins-----------
Welcome Jessica, thank you so much for taking the time out of a busy schedule (where I know you’ve been working hard presenting on the weekends) to speak with me about your book The Behavior Code.
Before we get to the questions, I wanted to read one of the reviews that you have in the beginning of the book. We haven’t met until now, so you wouldn’t possibly know my story of my first job out of teacher’s college being a behavioral class, where I wished I had some strategies, any strategies, to manage my class that was out of control, but this review could have been written by me and I think it will give you some insight into the passion that I have for your work before I begin the questions.
The review says….
“The Behavior Code needs to be read by all teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents!/From cover to cover I felt (the authors) were speaking to me, an elementary teacher (I was a middle-school teacher) and a mom (I wasn’t a mom back then, but I am now). I felt they knew me, and knew those students who kept me awake at night. ( I still wonder what happened to those students who used to keep me up at night, over 20 years later). Teachers, this book is written by authors who KNOW what our jobs are like.” — Lorna d’Entremont, Special Needs Book Review
Jessica, I’ve heard you say that when you show up at a school to help teachers, it’s usually after an incident has happened, and teachers or school admin are looking for an immediate solution. I know you can’t solve everyone school’s behavior problems, but what is your vision with the Behavior Code?
Q1: When I left teaching, in the late 1990s, my close friends would say that I was the least likely out of anyone to quit anything. I broke my contract, felt burnt out, after one year of teaching behavioral students. There were no strategies at all in my teacher training programs to help me to deal with challenging behavior, and it’s been just recently that I have come across books like Dr. Lori Desautels” Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline[vi] where I started to see that there were strategies out there to help turn around even the most challenging students. Why do you think there is this gap in our teacher training programs, that “creates teachers who are undertrained and overwhelmed?” (Jessica Minahan, on Unrestrained Podcast Episode #18)[vii].
My thoughts: Unless you have stood in a classroom, in front of students, it’s not easy to really understand the job of an educator. Even sitting in the back of the classroom, as a parent volunteer, you can get a glimpse of what the day-to-day life is like in today’s schools.
Q2: When I was teaching, I remember thinking in my head “what’s wrong with these kids?” showing that I was missing some really important training. What should all teachers know about behavior, and can you explain how we can turn around even the most challenging student behavior?
Q3: What is the process of figuring out the underlying cause behind a behavior? What are some patterns and causes of challenging behavior?
Q4: How do social and emotional skills tie into behavior control? In Ch 1 of your book you mention an incident with a student name Alyssa who blows up at another student, and you had a chart showing the SEL skills that were missing, that need to be taught. How can teachers assess the strategies you outline a situation like this in real-time, to prevent more disruption, or is the key just to keep our calm until we can get more information? What is the best way to deal with explosive situations while they are happening?
Q5: I know that you go into depth on your FAIR Intervention Plan that you describe in chapter 2 on the podcast I heard you on recently. I will put a link to this podcast in the show notes[viii] so you don’t have to explain it again, but can you briefly explain why replacement behavior is the first step toward desired behavior, and what would the FAIR PLAN look like in practice, maybe with a student with Anxiety-Related behavior, since anxiety is at an all-time high these days?
Q6: If you had met me 20 years ago when I was a new teacher, with a room full of behavioral students, and I shared with you that I was thinking of leaving teaching, not only leaving teaching, but thinking of moving to another country, it was such a stressful experience. What would you have said to me? What would you say to teachers these days who are feeling the stress and pressure of Covid19, whether they are teaching in the classroom or online?
Q7: I just presented at a virtual conference on the topic of stress, learning and the brain[ix], as this topic is something I would like to bring more awareness to for our teachers in the classroom, or parents who might be homeschooling their children, or helping them on a different level than they’ve ever had to before. What calming strategies do you think would help a stressed teacher, or even a parent stressed out in the workplace, and then they have to come home and find new strategies to help their children who are also stressed with the way the world is today?
Jessica, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, to share your research and years of work around a topic that I am deeply invested in. If people want to learn more about your books, articles, radio and podcasts, they can go to
https://jessicaminahan.com/publications/
They can follow you on social media:
https://twitter.com/jessica_minahan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-minahan-64a8782/
https://www.facebook.com/TheBehaviorCode
https://www.websudoku.com/
RESOURCES:
The Behavior Code Book and Companion Guide. You will learn:
*Tools that can be understood and used immediately*How anxiety-related behaviors impact students and easy to implement strategies that are really effective!*Case studies that are springboards to creating effective intervention support plans.*Progress monitoring tools that measure if the interventions are effective!*Clearly outlined components of a transition and how to support all students be successful with the numerous transitions they incur in the school day.*The IEP goals and objectives included in the book are fantastic templates*Protocols for unsafe behaviors*Comprehensive list of helpful apps
Treating Explosive Kids by Ross Green and J. Stuart Ablon, https://www.stuartablon.com/treating-explosive-kids
REFERENCES:
[i] https://jessicaminahan.com/about-jessica-minahan/
[ii][ii] The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (April 1, 2012) https://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Code-Practical-Understanding-Challenging/dp/1612501362
[iii] 5 Tips for Preventing Dependency in Anxious Students (Feb.2017) by Jessica Minahan https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-tips-for-preventing-dependency-in-anxious-students_b_58b4a421e4b0e5fdf61975f0
[iv] The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (April 1, 2012) https://jessicaminahan.com/the-behavior-code/
[v] The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors https://jessicaminahan.com/the-behavior-code-companion/
[vi] Lori L Desautels, Ph.D Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline (Sept. 18, 2020) http://revelationsineducation.com/the-book/connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/
[vii] Cracking the Behavior Code (Unrestrained Podcast Episode #18) with Terry Vittone https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/Unrestrained-Episode-18-Guest-Jessica-Minahan
[viii] Cracking the Behavior Code (Unrestrained Podcast Episode #18) with Terry Vittone https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/Unrestrained-Episode-18-Guest-Jessica-Minahan
[ix] Neuroscience Meets SEL: 12 Brain-Aligned Strategies to Reduce Stress and Increase Learning by Andrea Samadi https://twitter.com/andreasamadi/status/1359096620848058371/photo/2
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast episode #106. This episode is a deep dive into Dr. Carolyn Leaf's NEW book that is coming out March 2, 2021 and App "Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess." Stay tuned for the interview that will be released on March 1, 2021.
My name is Andrea Samadi, and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain.
This week we are going to take a deep dive into the work of Dr. Carolyn Leaf[i], as we did record a bonus interview with her this week, but this episode will be released on March 1st, one day before the release of her new book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress and Toxic Thinking.[ii]
This book is timely and important, backed by clinical research and illustrated with compelling case studies, where Dr. Leaf provides a scientifically proven five-step plan to find and eliminate the root of anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts in your life so you can experience dramatically improved mental and physical health. This 5 step plan will build a healthy new and automated neural network in 63 days, the length of time to properly build a new habit.
Dr. Leaf told me “I truly believe that mental mess is something we all experience often and that it isn’t something we should be ashamed of. She mentions that “this is my profession, and I still have to clean up my mind daily. The events and circumstances of life aren’t going anywhere; people make a lot of decisions every day that affect us all, suffering of some sort for you and your loved ones is inevitable. That said, I wholeheartedly believe that although the events and circumstances can’t be controlled, we can control our reactions to these events and circumstances. This is mind-management in action!” Which to me is exactly what self-regulation is all about.
Dr. Leaf leverages the strategies she has developed working with patients over the last 38 years (which to me is shocking since she doesn’t look a day over 35, but she was doing research in the 1980s that complements the work that Dr. Daniel Amen was doing back then) and she’s taken her years of research to teach her readers how to foster and cultivate the power of their own thinking and direct their own brain changes. Mind-management, when done correctly, helps facilitate talk between the conscious, the subconscious, and the nonconscious mind. This, in turn, gets brainwaves flowing in a healthy way, optimizing brain function. This is done by implementing the Neurocycle, a simple, clinically researched mind-management tool for personal use to address anxiety, depression, toxic thinking, inability to concentrate, irritability, exhaustion and burnout before they take over your mind.
Last week I was speaking with my good friend Nancy, who asked me what book I was currently reading, and I shared with her that I was reading Dr. Leaf’s book to prepare for her interview, and that her book was coming out on March 2nd so it wasn’t out just yet. My friend went over to Amazon, read the title description, and told me “I need this book NOW” so I decided to release a deep dive into Dr. Leaf’s work so we can all prepare for the release of this important book, become familiar with her research and get a head start at Cleaning Up our Mental Mess.
I’ll share the back story to how I came across Dr. Leaf’s work when I release her bonus episode next month, but I will share that I don’t believe in accidents, or that things happen by chance or luck. I believe that we are all faced with multiple opportunities to learn and grow, that we can easily miss it if we are not aware. I first heard Dr. Leaf speak on Dr. Daniel and Tana Amen’s Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast where she shares the story of her work and research that began 38 years ago in her home country, South Africa. Most of her work in her early days was focused on the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health and the formation of memory. During her early years in clinical practice, she worked with thousands of underprivileged teachers and students in South Africa, and the US, where she developed a theory of how we think, build memory and learn, helping to transform the lives of thousands of individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Learning Disabilities (ADD, ADHD) autism, dementia and mental ill-health issues like anxiety and depression. She has helped thousands of students and adults learn how to detox and grown their brain to succeed in all areas of their lives, including school, university and the workplace.
To get our brains thinking, over the next month, I ask that you if you haven’t learned about Dr. Leaf, that you begin taking a look at her work, and start to implement her 5-step process to clean up you mental mess. I have just started this process and have downloaded her SWITCH app[iii] where you can begin to unpack your own worries in a simple 5 step process, where Dr. Leaf guides you through each step. I grabbed a journal for this process to keep my notes in one place.
I started with a 21-day program:
STEP 1: Gather Awareness (of what’s bothering you). We’ve all heard of the importance of knowing our emotions, or when we name what’s bothering us, we can tame it[iv]. What about those worries that we name, and they don’t go away? I’ve had the same worry on my mind since 2016. Each year I write it out, acknowledge it’s there, and work on strategies for solving it, but it’s now 2021 and this particular worry has not budged. It’s even getting worse as the years go on! I’m only on day 3 of using this app, but can already see how this process is more helpful than anything else I have ever tried in the past to eliminate fears and worries. With this case, acknowledging this fear, knowing what it is, and moving forward despite it being there, hasn’t helped me. It’s always there is the back of my mind. I’m sure you will know what I mean if there’s something that you’ve been worrying about.
STEP 2: Reflect and Analyze: Answer, Ask and Discuss Some Questions to Find the Root Cause of Your Emotions or What’s Bothering You.
This is how we pull thoughts from our non-conscious mind to our conscious mind, where it becomes weaker. It’s no longer suppressed but acknowledged. Use your mind to ask yourself questions, and it will be interesting to see what comes up. This process takes time, reflection and daily effort. Our emotions are unique signals to learn how to cope with challenges, but over time, they will damage our brain with consistent worry.
STEP 3: Write out what you discover from step 2. Begin to capture what’s bothering you and see if you can come up with root causes, or why you think this worry is on your mind. Learn to write in pictures, add color, shapes. Learn how to write in a metacog formula.[v]
STEP 4: Recheck and Edit What You Have Written Down. Re-read what you have written and see what comes up. Can you add more to your answer to help make more sense of it? Dig deeper, look for patterns, triggers and keep looking for the root cause of the problem.
STEP 5: Practice and Apply Through Active Reach. Look at what you have written and see if you can come up with an action statement to practice what you have learned from your introspection. You will read out your daily Aha Moment 7x a day to remind yourself what you are re-shaping.
Example: I am worrying about xyz because I am afraid of xyz…but this hasn’t happened, and most likely will not happen, so this worry is wasting my time. If it happens one day, I will deal with this problem then, but not wasting the mental energy worrying about something that I cannot control. I can control my reaction to my worry.
Already, after just 3 days of working with my top worry in the SWITCH app (that will have a name change soon to match the book) I can see how this 5-step process is taking me closer to solving something I have been worrying about for years. I started by writing out all the things I was worrying about, and these days there’s a lot of them. Dr. Leaf says that your worries are like branches on a tree, with emotions attached to them, and that these worries can kill you. We go into detail on the damage that our worries can do to our brain, life and results in our interview. So in my journal, I wrote out my worries like branches on a tree, and the trunk she says is the perspective of the thought. I begin to look at my worries from a different angle or perspective. Right here you should notice a shift in energy about the problem. I started to see mine differently here looking at it from a distance. Then the roots of the tree are the origin story, or root of why I am worrying about this problem, which is what we want to uncover. This activity will give you an incredible amount of self-awareness.
If you have something like this on your mind, I highly suggest taking the time to upload the app on your phone, grab a journal and begin the work to eliminate and clean up your mental mess.
Next, to prepare for the release of Dr. Leaf’s book, and learn more, I suggest:
Listen to Dr. Leaf on Dr. Amen and Tana Amen’s Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast[vi] to learn more about her work, research and beginning story.
Listen to Dr. Leaf speaking with Ed Mylett https://drleaf.com/blogs/news/how-to-deal-with-the-death-of-a-dream-tips-for-building-self-confidence-common-mindsets-of-the-most-successful-people-interview-with-ed-mylett
Take a look at her book Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace and Life (August 7, 2018)[vii]
Pre-order a copy of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess[viii] If you are human, and have a brain, you will have noticed, like I have, that it can use all the help possible these days.
You will gain access to exclusive pre-order bonuses like a workbook, bonus chapters and more: https://www.cleaningupyourmentalmess.com/
Sign up to join her free text program and receive mental health care tips.
Just text DRLEAF to 1 (833) 285 3747
Register for her FREE NeuroCycle workshop (Feb 27th!): https://neurocycle.eventbrite.com
You will learn:
What happens when we don’t use our minds properly
Mind-management and why we need it
How the 5 steps can help reduce anxiety and depression by up to 81% according to clinical studies
Why mind-management is the solution to cleaning up your mental mess
How the science can help us transition from being aware of toxic thoughts, to catching and managing them in their early stages
How our thoughts physically affect ourselves and others
How to capitalize on directed neuroplasticity using the Neurocycle
To apply mind-management to unwire toxic habits and trauma
How to leverage the lessons in the book for their daily lifestyle, including connection, brain-building, sleep, diet, exercise, people-pleasing, toxic perfectionism, overthinking, toxic emails and texts
Why mindfulness is not enough and how strategic mind-management through the 5 steps can take a reader beyond mindfulness
I hope you have found this overview of Dr. Leaf’s work helpful as a starting point. Her interview will be released on March 2nd and you will have access to the book and can keep working on a deeper level, but at least you will have had a head start.
Have a wonderful weekend and see you next week!
REMEMBER: The interview with Dr. Leaf will be released on March 1st, 2021.
RESOURCES:
[i] Dr. Caroline Leaf https://www.cleaningupyourmentalmess.com/
[ii] Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress and Toxic Thinking by Dr. Caroline Leaf AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW (March 2, 2021) https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Your-Mental-Mess-Scientifically/dp/0801093457
[iii] The Switch App by Dr. Caroline Leaf https://theswitch.app/?_ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIktxZ0g5ZCIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJhbmRyZWEuc2FtYWRpQGNveC5uZXQifQ%3D%3D
[iv] Dr. Dan Siegel “Name it to Tame it” YouTube Published Dec. 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch/ZcDLzppD4Jc
[v] Metacognitive Map https://drleaf.com/pages/research-publications
[vi] The 5-Step Process to Managing Trauma with Dr. Caroline Leaf on The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast Published on YouTube May 22, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_sHPAvOXh4&t=2661s
[vii] Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace and Life by Dr. Caroline Leaf (August 7, 2018) https://www.amazon.com/Think-Learn-Succeed-Understanding-Workplace/dp/0801093279
[viii] Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf (March 2, 2021) https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Your-Mental-Mess-Scientifically/dp/0801093457