Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

From TED.com: “Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.” Vulnerability, connection, empathy, shame… all wrapped up in a warm, funny, research-based talk. I love it! …

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Your busy brain’s magic moment

Brain too busy to meditate? That’s actually a potential advantage when it comes to rewiring your brain, developing better attention, decreasing stress, and improving your relationships — because the moment you realize you’ve been distracted is the magic moment. From one of my favorite meditation teachers, Sharon Salzburg.  Sharon posted this on her Facebook page, and I thought I’d share it here as …

TED Video: Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome

From TED.com: “Sebastian Seung is mapping a massively ambitious new model of the brain that focuses on the connections between each neuron. He calls it our “connectome,” and it’s as individual as our genome — and understanding it could open a new way to understand our brains and our minds.” DISCLAIMER: I am many things, but I am not a …

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Four Ways to Respond During An Argument

For better relationships, what you want to create in your body and your brain is a sense of greater safety — that way, fight, flight, or playing dead aren’t your only choices when things get stressful between you and your significant other. Here’s how to give your brain a fighting chance in an argument. From your nervous system’s point of …

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12 Tips for Mindful Resolutions, Healthier Relationships, and a Rewired Brain

How do you make changes in how you do your relationships? What psychologists know is that making changes — and keeping resolutions — needs to be broken down into small, achievable, and measurable steps. The same rules apply to rewiring your brain for healthier relationships. Here are twelve tips for getting there. From my perspective, having a full, authentic life is …

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Nine Ways That a Meditating Brain Creates Better Relationships

It’s never too late to have a (brain that’s wired as if it had a) happy childhood1 When I first learned about these benefits of mindfulness meditation, I was stunned (and at first, skeptical) that something so simple could make such inroads with the challenges of finding and creating healthy relationships. But take a look at these benefits! Therapists get …

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Change Your Brain, Change the World

Have you heard the one about the monk, the neuroscientist, and the tax-evading poet? The Dalai Lama was in Washington, DC a few days ago, meeting with world-class neuroscientists, national leaders and policy-makers on education, and advanced contemplatives, one of whom has been dubbed the Happiest Man in the World. And I got to be there. Admittedly, I attended with an …

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Fire That Judge: Moving Your Brain Towards Love

Can firing the judge in your brain improve your chances at love? Being judgmental isn’t a relationship-enhancer. And still, most of us step into that trap, doing damage to our relationships on a stubbornly regular basis. Knock that judge out with a one-two punch — using the latest neuroscientific findings about the brain and judgments. We all know that being …