The neuroscience of change is based on two factors – our thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are an awareness created by the electrical impulses in our brain, usually stimulated by the sensory input from our external environment or other thoughts, and emotions are the result of the experiences created by our thoughts.

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As a psychology student at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, I was full of angst. My homeland was racially divided, with haves and have-nots hating each other across manicured green belts that separated the suburbs from the shantytowns. Language, cultural, and economic disparities made connecting difficult. I raged about it. I pontificated. I did a whole lot of blaming. In a conversation with Cape Town’s Theosophical Society chairlady, I let rip about who needed to change, what institutions were at fault, which people in power should do things differently. Self- righteously I ranted. Rosemary drank tea. For twenty minutes she listened. When I ran out of steam she said: ‘You know, lovey, there’s only one person in this world you can change, . . . and that’s yourself. The best thing you can do is live the way you believe is right. Then maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll influence the person next to you.’

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The self-help world is abuzz with The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer promoting the importance of focus to get what you want. It is true that if you focus on what you want for an extended period of time, and do the necessary work, it usually shows up. But why does it work better for some people and not for others? It works better for those who understand that the “power of intention” is actually The Power of Clarity.

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Today, one in five Americans suffers from a mental health issue. This is a staggering statistic. There are a myriad of pharmaceutical products prescribed for these maladies, which carry with them a myriad of unpleasant side effects. Cannabis is a safe, effective, and inexpensive alternative that could provide the relief. There are currently 40 states (31 medical and 9 recreational), in which patients have been liberated to experiment with this new form of medicine. Many people have found phenomenal results.

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain contusion, and concussions have become a huge socioeconomic burden worldwide. It is the leading cause of disability in people under 40 years of age, and at least 10 million severe TBIs result in death or hospitalization annually worldwide. Approximately 1.7 million Americans sustain a TBI each year, leading to more than 1.4 million emergency department visits, 275 thousand hospital admissions, and 50 thousand deaths, which contribute to one-third of all injury-related deaths. In Summit County, with all of our outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, soccer, football, rugby, and lacrosse, we see a tremendous number of brain injuries. Our household is one of the 1.7 million Americans, as we have had our fair share.

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“Your brain is the command and control center of your body. If you want a better body, the first place to ALWAYS start is by having a better brain.” ~Daniel Amen, MD

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Can our emotions and behavior affect our risk of getting or recovering from cancer?

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We tend to describe love in terms of human relationships; maternal love, brotherly love, being in love – when it is so much more than that. The energy of love has also been described as that which heals all. I believe a better way to define love is as: “the energy that sustains life”, all of life – both animate and inanimate. When matter is observed as its smallest components, (with the help of an electron microscope) we find atoms composed of protons, neutrons and electrons, etc. But when we try to find the “substance” of physical matter, science tells us that it is made up of mostly empty space. In fact, it is 99.9% empty space, made up of vibrating particles that are hard to pin down. We call it energy!

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So why not create the thoughts to experience the life you want! From the time you wake up till the time you go to sleep, everything you experience starts out as a thought. Your entire life unfolds through the thoughts you have. You have thoughts before you take action and you will always have thoughts after that action. As you become conscious, you begin thinking about the experiences you plan to have that day, maybe starting with the bathroom, the shower, breakfast, and getting dressed. Your thoughts create the feelings you experience. When you experience unhappiness, it is because the thought generates a chemical in your brain that evokes unhappy feelings in your body. When you experience happiness, it is because your body generates the specific chemical that evokes that emotion. The important question to ask is: “Who is deciding to think these thoughts?” The obvious answer is us, but sometimes it’s not so obvious when outside circumstances take charge of our life.

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Do you believe your thoughts have something to do with your life? At first glance you may say, “Of course,” but when you react in anger, fear, frustration, and blame to the circumstances in your life, your behavior might be saying something else.

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Chinese medicine is a system of healing that often takes the patient on a journey of self-discovery. The physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of each individual are examined together in this natural approach to medicine. After 25 years of practicing acupuncture, I have witnessed many instances where illness or physical pain resolve when a patient’s emotional issues are simultaneously addressed with the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

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Imagery: the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively.

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Today, many children struggle with their social skills and have a hard time regulating their emotions. Meanwhile, their stress levels are increasing rapidly from the perpetual distractions of the digital age, high pressure to achieve, economic hardship, and emotional struggles (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Ultimately, any one of these factors can hamper a student’s ability to learn (Tatum, 2009).

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Neurofeedback, also known as electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback is like training for your brain that utilizes concepts of operant conditioning to support neuro-emotional regulation. Translated this means your brain learns to progressively regulate its over activated and under activated regions and brain wave states. The form of Neurofeedback we utilize has two different systems each specializing in addressing two major aspects of brain function: amplitude which works with brainwave frequency and states (picture a volume nob), and coherence which has to do with how well messages are passed within and between regions of the brain. During training, sensors are placed on the scalp and connected to sensitive electronics and computer software that detect, amplify, and record specific brain activity. Resulting information is fed back to the trainee instantaneously.

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Is your child stressed, angry, or anxious, and you don’t know how to help?
Is your child having trouble concentrating or has low grades, and you are not sure what to do?
Is your relationship with your child suffering due to his or her behavior?

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Do you have a clear direction of where you want to go in your life? Are you on the road that will lead you there, or do you feel like you’re driving without a map?

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Horses, running free and unencumbered across an open prairie, fill us with feelings of awe, wonderment and pride in our western heritage. I wonder, is it stirring some deep primordial memory about the relationship of humans and horses over the millennia or are we just appreciating the beauty of such a spectacle? Maybe both, but who can tell?

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