Winner of the 2014 Pen and Quill Award IACT/ IMDHA The latest revelations from neuroscience can transform the work you do, as a coach, hypnotist, or therapist, in ways that make measurable changes in the brain. This book will teach you how to integrate and utilize the research to explain and empower changes in habituated patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. This book makes neuroscience practical. You will learn the neural mechanisms underlying common problems and how to transform them using techniques drawn from hypnosis, mindfulness, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Keeping the brain in mind will make your sessions more exciting and dynamic for both you and your clients. From the Foreword by Lincoln C. Bickford M.D. Ph.D. Keeping the Brain in Mind is that rare gem of a book which seamlessly and accessibly delivers deep theoretical understanding with savvy practical guidance on how to apply it. And it does so with a spirit of curiosity and wonder towards this marvelous instrument, the brain-mind, through which we experience our world. It is a textbook, manual, and mental playground all-in-one. After many years studying the brain as a neuroscientist and learning to work with the mind as a psychiatrist and meditator, it is a refreshing surprise to read something that teaches me equally about both, and which brings new insights into their interplay. In particular, the authors present a series of intuitive and plausible models for how the brain and mind co-create one another, can be understood as metaphors for one another, and can be used to reshape one another bidirectionally in feedback loops for positive change. I'm not sure exactly where their 'inside scoop' is, but Shawn and Melissa have managed to identify most of the developments in neuroscience that I've found most interesting over the years -- such as neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation, and mirror neurons -- plus a whole lot more. Either they don't sleep and spend nights poring over the neuroscience literature, or they have an uncanny radar for sorting the wheat from the chaff! They home in on those discoveries that can provide handles by which to understand the most efficient neural avenues to effect change and explain them in straightforward lay terms, they elucidate plausible mechanisms by which many 'old standard' NLP patterns -- including the coaching pattern, swish, and fast-phobia cure -- operate on the brain, and they suggest several new technical approaches. They then also flip these neural principles around, translating them into metaphors by which to help clients consolidate and makes sense of their gains and inspire ongoing self-discovery. I would recommend this book even to expert scientists and therapists, expecting that it will reshape, rewire, reconsolidate, and re-enrich understandings and enthusiasm for our fascinating field; it certainly has for me!

Keep your brain young, healthy, and sharp with this science-driven guide to protecting your mind from decline by neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Throughout our life, we look for ways to keep our minds sharp and effortlessly productive. Now, globetrotting neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta offers “the book all of us need, young and old” (Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker) with insights from top scientists all over the world, whose cutting-edge research can help you heighten and protect brain function and maintain cognitive health at any age. Keep Sharp debunks common myths about aging and mental decline, explores whether there’s a “best” diet or exercise regimen for the brain, and explains whether it’s healthier to play video games that test memory and processing speed, or to engage in more social interaction. Discover what we can learn from “super-brained” people who are in their eighties and nineties with no signs of slowing down—and whether there are truly any benefits to drugs, supplements, and vitamins. Dr. Gupta also addresses brain disease, particularly Alzheimer’s, answers all your questions about the signs and symptoms, and shows how to ward against it and stay healthy while caring for a partner in cognitive decline. He likewise provides you with a personalized twelve-week program featuring practical strategies to strengthen your brain every day. Keep Sharp is the “must-read owner’s manual” (Arianna Huffington) you’ll need to keep your brain young and healthy regardless of your age!

"The ultimate user's guide to the brain...highly intelligent, straightforward, and important." --Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D. As Seen in Time magazine and on the Today Show "Guy McKhann and Marilyn Albert are to middle-aged people and seniors what Dr. Spock is to babies and their parents. Keep Your Brain Young is must reading for anyone over fifty; it should be on your bedside table." ----Judy Woodruff, CNN, and Al Hunt, The Wall Street Journal "I highly recommend this readable, informal, and entertaining guide to achieving and maintaining optimum brain functioning as we age. . . . A single, reliable, comprehensive guide to the changes we all can expect as we enter the second half of life." ----Richard Restak, M.D., coauthor of The Longevity Strategy Your brain controls and powers virtually every aspect of your life ---- and like the rest of your body, it changes with age. In Keep Your Brain Young, two of the world's leading brain doctors guide you through the changes you may encounter as you get older and as your brain matures. Based on state-of-the-art research and supplemented with dramatic case histories, this comprehensive resource shows you the latest techniques for maintaining memory, managing stress, and coping with sleep disorders and depression, offering prescriptive exercises you can put into action right away. You'll also learn how to enhance your mental and physical functioning while reducing the risk for serious diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Read Keep Your Brain Young and gain the knowledge and confidence you need to manage the aging process, take care of your brain, and stay active and alert for many years to come.

A balanced, scientific, and practical approach to monitoring and maintaining your brain's agility and mental health. How do you expand your brain's skills? How do you keep your brain working at its best as it ages? Bookshelves are full of writing by charismatic authors claiming they have found the answer, whether they are neuroscientists, psychologists, or mystics. The Brain Fitness Book looks at the well-established science and recent scientific revelations, and offers a well-balanced, clear, and colorful practical guide to keeping your brain fit. First, it shows you how your brain works--explaining how memories are stored and recalled, for instance, and how different parts of your brain have different functions. It then gives you practical advice and a whole range of exercises to improve memory and mental agility and keep your brain working to its maximum potential. The book includes mental exercises and activities, featuring challenges from logic puzzles and visual reasoning to language learning and sensory exercises, stimulating as many parts of the brain as possible. As well as mental stimulation, the book highlights the role and importance of sleep, a healthy diet, and physical exercise. An agile, healthy brain is not only less prone to age-related decline, it can also conquer stress, anxiety, and the risk of depression. Keep challenging your mind in new ways with The Brain Fitness Book and maintain your brain.

Originally published by Viking Penguin, 2014.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

You can train your brain and live smarter, longer! That's the message in this fully illustrated guide to mental fitness. Clinical research suggests that a program of mental exercises can help to increase brain power and even halt or reduce the effects of Alzheimer's disease. This illustrated guide features puzzles, word and number patterns, logic skills, cognitive reasoning exercises, nutritional advice, and much more, all designed to help readers keep their minds in tip-top shape. There are tips and techniques that anyone can use to optimize their thinking, along with self-administered tests that measure progress. It's like a gym for the mind!

Citing the intellectual impairment and mood swings associated with an aging brain, a leading professor of integrative medicine outlines an easy-to-follow protocol for building brain cells and improving brain capacity in spite of age, profiling beneficial hormone therapies and current medications for treating cognitive decline.

Protect and Preserve Your Most Valuable Asset No matter your age, the way your brain works is of utmost importance to the quality of your life. It is the essence of who God made you to be and affects how you interpret the world around you. Discover new ways to enhance your brain's function by focusing on these four areas: Physical activity—getting regular exercise to help promote mental fitness Nutrition—understanding the importance of a healthy diet on cognitive performance Intellectually stimulating activities—keeping your mind flexed and nimble Spiritual and social connections—staying engaged with God and others As you apply the wisdom found in this helpful guide, you will ensure improved mental acuity now and in the future, placing you on the path to a happier, more fulfilling life. Start sharpening your skills today and experience the amazing benefits of better brain health.

Everyone wants a healthy brain--one that continues to function at high levels throughout life. Your Mind at Its Best helps readers achieve that by collecting the most important information and most current research on gaining and maintaining optimal brain health. In 40 easy-to-understand chapters, readers will discover a wide variety of tips and tricks to keep their minds sharp. Synthesizing science and self-help, Your Mind at Its Best makes fascinating neurological discoveries understandable and immediately applicable to readers of any age.