It’s very disheartening to learn that trauma can damage your brain in lasting ways. It gets worse. Trauma can also change your genes so that the damage is passed on to future generations. I find it comforting to remind myself…
Neuroplasticity has become a buzzword in psychology and scientific circles, as well as outside of them, promising that you can “rewire” your brain to improve everything from health and mental well-being to quality of life. There’s a lot of conflicting,…
(The following is adapted from The Theory & Practice of Well-Being by Lee LaMee.) I think all human beings have one fundamental goal in common. We all want to find some level of happiness, contentment, and peace. Is that too…
Over the years, we’ve all heard of the many benefits of exercise, which include toning up, losing weight, building muscle, heart health, having more stamina, etc. These alone are more than enough good reasons for anyone to start moving their…
If you Google “power of thoughts,” you get a lot of results including words like “consciousness,” “swami,” “manifest,” and “unleash.” To me, these words suggest a basis not rooted securely in science and more rooted in marketing hype. I like…
I know you’ve seen the fitness trackers everybody is wearing. You may even use one. One of the benefits of the increasingly popular devices — besides helping people realize how much they move (or don’t move), is that they allow…
There is a clear link between your dietary choices and your health. What you put in your mouth can have significant implications for your brain and mental health specifically. Research analyses looking at multiple studies support that there is a definite…
Like a thick velvety headband, the somatosensory cortex arcs across the top of the brain from just above one ear to the other. I fell in love with the brain as an undergraduate student and pursued a career in neuroscience, but…
Studies have undeniably proven that meditation changes your brain. No doubt about that. Early research and all the media hype may have given you the impression that meditation and mindfulness are good for improving everything in everybody. While they can…
Your brain automatically hangs onto the bad. A snarky comment from a colleague, someone breaking in front of you in line, or a small criticism from your spouse may stay with you all day — or longer. These little, seemingly…
Does being poor impact your brain, or are people with decreased cognitive ability poor? Some people may have strong opinions on the above question. Probably broadly along political partisan lines. But the best place to answer this question is with…
I’m going to be celebrating another trip around the sun soon. So, I’m writing this to remind and inspire me — and hopefully some of you — that getting older is not all downhill. While I will concede that I…
Tragically, another school mass shooting just occurred in the U.S. It’s natural for mental health experts to assist the youngsters and their families to help deal with the horrific experience. However, research from similar traumatic events has demonstrated that rushing…