Reclaim Your Brain summary

Imagine a company that’s headed by an exhausted and overworked CEO, who can’t be fired or replaced. How could the company ensure the CEO stays awake? How about hiring a mariachi band to play in their office all night? That would definitely stimulate them!

That’s sort of how various factors stimulate different brain regions. A person with ADHD, for example, has an underactive prefrontal cortex. It needs to be stimulated, just like the CEO needs to be stimulated by the mariachi band to stay awake. That’s why people with ADHD seek out certain kinds of unusual stimulation.

Have you ever craved alcohol when you felt overwhelmed, knowing it would calm you down? This impulse might seem benign, but it could over time turn into a debilitating addiction.

Addictions often result from brain imbalances. The author had a client named Jill who suffered from an overactive limbic system that left her constantly anxious and stressed. To cope, she smoked marijuana.

You might be wondering: How can I rebalance my brain on my own? The good news is that you don’t always need drugs, but can balance your brain with mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a state in which you are conscious of your thoughts, your emotions and your place in the world – without judging yourself. You can practice mindfulness by taking the time to meditate.

When was the last time you received an unexpected phone call and immediately assumed the worst? This isn’t unusual, as the human brain is hardwired to be more sensitive to negative stimuli.

The brain is divided into two hemispheres, each specializing in different tasks. The left hemisphere oversees logic and language, while the right hemisphere is more responsible for sensory experiences, such as looking at a photograph.

We all tell ourselves stories about who we are and what the world around us is like. Unfortunately, these stories are often negative and inaccurate.

Negative thinking has a big impact on how we view ourselves. The author had a client named Carl who struggled with issues of self-esteem and had problems with his job as an accountant. No matter how hard he tried, he was constantly disorganized, losing documents or forgetting to charge clients on time.

If your personal life plays out like a narrative essay, with beginning, middle and end, then relationships represent dramatic plot points in your overall story.

You and your partner have to play the right roles in this story if you want to be happy. People naturally play roles with their partner, which is fine – as long as the roles aren’t based on inferior or superior statuses.