Psychoeducation from the research experts

“How Our Relationships Shape Us by Dr. Dan Siegel” - Interpersonal Neurobiology pioneer and internationally renowned neuropsychiatrist Daniel Siegel, MD, weaves an engaging and educational story of the evolution and development of humans, relationships, and social connection. Want to better understand relationships? This engaging 1 1/2 hour talk is especially helpful in understanding what attachment theory and neuroscience can teach us about our parenting, romantic, family & community connections.

“The Power of Vulnerability” Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, 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. This is a TedTalk to share.

“Why We Sleep - Talks at Google” Professor Matthew Walker, Director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab and author of “Why We Sleep” describes sleep (or a lack of it) and its relationship to our health, mood, learning, and appetite. He shares research that will fascinate you and guide you in taking impactful steps toward consistently improved quality and quantity of sleep. As Dr. Walker says, you can learn to make sleep your superpower!

“The Happiness Track - Talks at Google” Emma Seppälä, Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education debunks the outmoded attitudes that shape our modern approach to success to show that finding happiness and fulfillment may, in fact, be the most productive thing we can do to thrive professionally. Filled with practical advice on how to apply these scientific findings to our daily lives, "The Happiness Track" is a paradigm-shifting guide to fast tracking our success and creating the anxiety-free life we want.

“The Polyvagal Theory: The New Science of Safety & Trauma” - In this 30-minute humorous and engaging talk, Seth Porges, son of neuroscience-power-couple Steven Porges and Sue Carter, skillfully explains how our autonomic nervous system colors our day-to-day and moment-to-moment experiences in its constant, evolutionary role of navigating safety and threat. This video is hugely helpful in understanding the body’s role and response during traumatic experiences; it colorfully illustrates how the polyvagal theory is relevant in daily life, including a scientific explanation of how conflict and anxiety are coded in our bodies, why strong intimate relationships feel so good, and why we tend to have digestive problems when we are chronically stressed.

Books

“The Healing Power of the Breath: Simple Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety, Enhance Concentration, & Balance Your Emotions" by Richard Brown, MD & Patricia Gerbarg, MD (2012) Drs. Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg provide a drug-free alternative that works through a range of simple breathing techniques drawn from yoga, Buddhist meditation, the Chinese practice of qigong, Orthodox Christian monks, and other sources. These methods have been scientifically shown to be effective in alleviating specific stress and mood challenges such as anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many others. The authors explain how breathing practices activate communication pathways between the mind and the body, positively impacting the brain and calming the stress response.

“Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, & Lead” by Brene Brown (2015) Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.

“Hold Me Tight: 7 Conversations for a Lifetime of Love” by Sue Johnson, PhD - (2008) Dr. Sue Johnson, creator of the Emotionally Focused Therapy (the science-based couples therapy approach that supports an 85% success rate), teaches that the way to save and enrich a relationship is to reestablish safe emotional connection and preserve the attachment bond. This book will teach you to focus on key moments in a relationship -- from "Recognizing the Demon Dialogue" to "Revisiting a Rocky Moment" -- and uses them as touch points for seven healing conversations.

“The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind & Body in the Healing of Trauma” by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD (2014) Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. 

“Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress & Recover from Trauma" by Elizabeth Stanley, PhD (2019) Stress is our internal response to an experience that our brain perceives as threatening or challenging. Trauma is our response to an experience in which we feel powerless or lacking agency. Until now, researchers have treated these conditions as different, but they actually lie along a continuum. Dr. Elizabeth Stanley explains the significance of this continuum, how it affects our resilience in the face of challenge, and why an event that's stressful for one person can be traumatizing for another. This groundbreaking book examines the cultural norms that impede resilience in America, especially our collective tendency to disconnect stress from its potentially extreme consequences and override our need to recover. It explains the science of how to direct our attention to perform under stress and recover from trauma.

“Own Your Self: The Surprising Path beyond Depression, Anxiety & Fatigue to Reclaiming Your Authenticity, Vitality, & Freedom” by Kelly Brogan, MD (2019) Psychiatrist Kelly Brogan shows us that we don't have to medicate our mental, emotional, and physical pain away-that the best way out is through. She explodes the mistaken belief that our symptoms-from mood changes to irritability to fogginess and fatigue-are evidence that we are sick or broken. Then she charts a new path to get real, get well, and get free. Our experiences, Dr. Brogan argues, aren't problems or pathologies; they reflect what we need to accept, acknowledge, and transform in order to truly become who we are. Own Your Self is a journey of healing, and also something more: a journey of coming home to ourselves.

“Rewriting the Rules: An Anti Self-Help Guide to Love, Sex & Relationships” by Meg John Barker (2018) Barker shares a friendly guide through the complicated - and often contradictory - advice that's given about sex and gender, monogamy and conflict, break-up and commitment. This book considers how the rules are being ‘rewritten’ in various ways; it provides practical journaling prompts and exercises that give you the power to find an approach that best fits your situation.

“The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall-Health” by Emeran Mayer, MD - (2018) Dr. Emeran Mayer offers a cutting-edge view into the full impact of how the brain, gut, and microbiome—the community of microorganisms that lives inside the digestive tract—communicate. When this communication system is out of balance, major health problems can crop up, including digestive disorders, obesity, depression, anxiety, food sensitivities, allergies, and fatigue.

“The Pocketguide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe” by Steven Porges, PhD (2017) Are you looking for a scientific explanation of what role the body plays in mental health & wellness? Look no further. Stephen Porges’s breakthrough insights in this book outline the autonomic nervous system, rewriting our collective understanding of trauma, anxiety, depression, autism and other mental health issues. Constructs and concepts embedded in polyvagal theory are explained conversationally in The Pocket Guide and includes an introductory chapter which discusses the science and the scientific culture in which polyvagal theory was originally developed. The perspective placed an emphasis on the important link between psychological experiences and physical manifestations in the body.

Videos, Meditations and other RESOURCES

“The Healthy Mind Platter” Renowned neuroscientist and international speaker Dr. Dan Siegel’s Seven daily essential mental activities to optimize brain matter and create well-being.

“Learn Coherent Breathing with Richard Brown, MD” Learn my favorite breathing technique guided by Richard Brown, MD, a leading expert on using breathing to improve health, concentration, and balance emotions. Trust me, this breathing technique will transform your life. (I will never sit tense and aggravated in rush hour traffic ever again!)

“Self-Compassion Guided Meditations/Exercises” Kristen Neff, PhD provides self-compassion guided meditations and exercises to support you when you are experiencing a difficult time.

"Strala Yoga on Youtube" - Slow down. Soften. Feel. Respond. Everyone is welcome. This Youtube channel has 100’s of free videos ranging from 3 minutes - 1 hour, with moving meditations for every mood. Strala Yoga combines the movement and healing wisdom of tai chi with the practice forms of yoga, tai chi, qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as a way to help people release stress, heal, and move more easily through all kinds of challenge. Strala’s mission is “to bring harmony and ease into our bodies and minds, to accomplish far more in our lives and for this world, by softly embodying the changes we want to see around us”.

“Your Brain On Yoga” Why do so many people recommend yoga for health and wellbeing? This infographic by Julie Bond illustrates from a neuroscience lens what happens in your brain when you practice yoga.

“Guided Meditations by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center” - New to mindfulness meditation? UCLA provides free guided meditations for an introduction into mindfulness that are available to download. Also available in Spanish.

Podcasts

“Unlocking Us” with Brene Brown - Do you love Brene Brown as much as I do? This podcast features conversations that unlock the deeply human part of who we are, so that we can live, love, parent, and lead with more courage and heart. Get your tissues ready, this one is good.

“The One You Feed: Practical Wisdom for a Better Life” - The One You Feed podcast uses the parable of two wolves at battle within us as a jumping-off point for meaningful discussions about how to live skilfully amidst life’s inherent challenges. These conversations center around offering listeners powerful but practical tools that they can use in their daily lives so that they suffer less and live with more joy, love, peace and fulfillment. 

“The Doctor’s Farmacy” - Dr. Mark Hyman believes we all deserve vibrant health and happiness - and we can get there using the power of real food. Dr. Hyman is an internationally recognized leader and advocate in the field of Functional Medicine and the foundering director of The UltraWellness Center. These conversations will empower you to rethink chronic disease, healthcare, and what it means to be in control of your health and wellbeing. This podcast covers deep conversations about the critical issues of our time in the space of health, wellness, food and politics.

“Conversations with Alanis” - Did you know Alanis Morissette has a podcast? Sharing honest reflection and humor from her own journey with healing and wholeness and recovery, each conversation features a highly reputable teacher, author or leader from different philosophies and of different psychological/neurobiological/developmental models and backgrounds. These conversations are rich, lively and deeply thoughtful.

“Relationship Alive!" - Neil Sattin says this podcast was born out of wanting to not only discover more about how to have the best relationships, but also his desire to share that information with as wide an audience as possible. These conversations tackle many specific and common relationship issues with a wide range of experts.