| Every wonder how it is that some people can be so | | | | by the time we are adults, our high creativity remains |
| happy all the time or why it is that you feel as if its | | | | in only 2 percent of the population. |
| so challenging to lift your spirits even though there | | | | It is right hemisphere activity that is exactly what is |
| are some many great things about your life? Well, | | | | needed to help boost an overall sense of well-being |
| new research shows that our brain is wired to help | | | | and due to most of our educational conditioning of |
| us survive danger, but it is also wired for us to enjoy | | | | our brain it becomes harder and harder to so while |
| feelings of happiness and joy. Wellness research | | | | easier and easier to constantly be analyzing, judge |
| suggests that joy is not only fun, it quite literally is | | | | and think critically which is what spurs on many |
| another type of survival strategy by keeping the | | | | negative emotions such as worry, stress, fear and |
| body resilient with a stronger immune system. | | | | psychological discomfort. |
| In order to better understand how this works, we | | | | So we do here at BrainHarmony with our cutting |
| must start with the basics. The Human brain has two | | | | edge neurofeedback technology, is focus on helping |
| hemispheres and according to anthropologists, our | | | | our clients achieve higher levels of activity throughout |
| brain architecture has changed very little since its | | | | their brain, including the right hemisphere to ultimately |
| initial evolutionary advancements. | | | | boost performance, creativity and well-being. By |
| The left lobe of our brain has survival circuits that | | | | balancing the whole brain and bringing the left and |
| assist with defensive, dominate, win-lose, fight or | | | | right hemispheres of the brain into greater |
| flight responses. For example, win-lose circuits | | | | homeostasis, a new and more balanced conditioning |
| generate negative emotions such as fear, sadness, | | | | response can take shape. Most clients report |
| anger, bitterness and loss, all necessary to avert | | | | experiencing less stress and more positive emotions |
| danger, and all very unpleasant feelings. The right lobe | | | | after brain training and minor adjustments to lifestyle |
| of our brain's survival circuits assist help generate | | | | and diet. |
| feelings like creativity, joy, wonder, calmness and | | | | GREEN TEA ON THE BRAIN |
| win-win sensations. It generates positive emotions | | | | An easy addition to your diet to help position your |
| that give us a sense of well being and help make us | | | | brain for success is green tea. Scientists have found |
| happy. | | | | a chemical called EGCG found in green tea, it |
| We are in the middle of transitioning from being a | | | | effectively prevents and destroys various protein |
| survival-focused species to a quality-of-life-focused | | | | structures known as amyloids. These structures have |
| species, everything from running water and electricity | | | | been linked with the development of fatal brain |
| to art and entertainment. It is easy to see where our | | | | disorders like Dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and |
| technology and civilization have made it easy for us | | | | Huntington diseases. Medical researchers for decades |
| to survive. Quality of life is overtaking basic survival | | | | have been trying to figure out how best to prevent |
| as the biggest concern for most people and the | | | | amyloids plaques (i.e. tightly packed sheets of |
| necessary "human skill set" is beginning to shift from | | | | proteins that infiltrate the brain) from forming. |
| mere survival to a healthy joy-filled life. | | | | Because of their immense stability and complex |
| HOW DO WE SHIFT OUR BRAIN FROM STRESS TO | | | | composition, these amyloids are difficult to dissolve. |
| JOY? | | | | However, a fruitful and telling study from the |
| Most of us now have much less use for savage | | | | University of San Francisco found that the |
| survival skills but the real question is how do we | | | | polyphenols in green tea can boost availability of the |
| overcome left brain oriented thought patterns and | | | | important brain substance dopamine in the areas |
| strong primal survival circuits? Psychologist Roger | | | | where it's needed most. Dopamine is a signaling |
| Sperry, who was 1981's Nobel Prize Winner, | | | | substance in brain circuits that are crucial to creating |
| conducted what are sometimes called the "split-brain" | | | | positive mood states. Keep this in mind during the |
| experiments. In essence, he states that modern | | | | holidays and the New Year, a well balanced brain is |
| society favors left brain activity and behaviors over | | | | more apt to feelings of joy and contentment and |
| right brain responses due to basic societal measuring | | | | becomes easier to avoid unwanted hyper-critical |
| factors. Experiments show that most children rank | | | | thoughts and the negative emotions that follow. So |
| highly creative (right brain) before entering school but | | | | this holiday season, make it a point to engage in |
| because our educational systems place a higher value | | | | positive thinking surrounded by friends and family and |
| on left brain skills such as mathematics, logic and | | | | give your brain some help with green tea and your |
| language for practical application than it does drawing | | | | mind a rest so that you experience the full beauty of |
| and imagination, only ten percent of these same | | | | the holidays. |
| children rank highly creative by age 7. Most surprising, | | | | |