GOOD BRAIN BAD BRAIN YOUR BRAIN

Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain

AUTHOR

Coach Michaelene Conner

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

This book looks at how the brain carefully deliberates or seemingly goes with our instincts. Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain sheds a light on how the mind’s black box is really a finely tuned blend of both hidden perceptions and emotions. Conner provides the reader brainy change strategies that gives one the capability to understand and take control of the thought process when in a relationship, improving a business outcome, raising a family or simply being a healthier person.

CATEGORY

Neuroscience and the management of the brain

AUDIENCE

Primary: The 90% of Americans that have not changed their behavioral practices and unwanted habits. Conner believes most individuals intellectually want to commit to get fit or change unwanted habits. Yet, few will do it…few will sustain it…and few will survive the newness long enough to make a difference in their lives.

Changing the behavior of people isn’t just the biggest challenge in today’s turbulent world. The central issue is never a lack of information, strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The Core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people in a world of profound upheaval. Conventional wisdom says that crisis is a powerful motivator for change but in actuality these good intentions fail to promote the actions needed for change to occur. Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain provides insights into “why” change is so incredibly difficult for people. We will explore the neuroscience and change psychology of how our brains are wired to resist change so tenaciously and why we fight even what we know to be in our own vital interests. The reader will learn how the cumulative weight of experience makes it harder to achieve brain change and what happens if you don’t work at mental rejuvenation. Mastering the ability to retrain the brain for change isn’t just a crucial strategy for business it’s a necessity for health and it’s possibly the one thing that’s most worth learning. Each chapter will illustrate how the brain talks to you, spelling out how brain fitness often begins declining around our 30th year and what you can do to maintain brain performance. Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain points to the need for knowing the facts, developing the capability and skills needed to change throughout life.

The book is written in a conversational format and is easily understood by those who have never had exposure to neuroscience or the subject of change management. The message is solidly rooted in the voice of transformation, neurologically accurate, providing the reader a modern day template for today’s world. The chapters aren’t written in sequence so the reader can pick and choose what and how to approach reading this book. Finally, Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain is an indispensable resource for anyone who needs to get control of their life and implement new thinking.

UNIQUE ANGLES

In this book, the author:

. Presents the case that in today’s ever-fluctuating world, its not enough to recognize the need for change.

. Shows the reader how the brain approaches the process of thought from an understandable and scientific perspective.

. Presents what distinguishes resilient thinkers from those who suffer from the disruption of daily life.

. Deciphers the mental landscape of brain change as it relates to readiness of change.

. Illustrates why the disruption connected with change is difficult to assimilate.

. Presents the key strategies required to retrain the brain for health and high performance.

. Shows what elements are key in changing ones mindset during human transition.

. Deciphers how and why beliefs, behaviors and assumptions become deeply imbedded in our neuro pathways.

. Makes understandable how the brain perceives and becomes resistant to change.

. Illustrates in today’s world the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t work anymore.

. Presents in each chapter a way to genuinely embrace the need for change in contemporary terms.

 READER BENEFITS

. The reader will learn how to assimilate change without displaying dysfunctional behavior.

. The reader will understand the value of a clear vision of what they want to achieve and how that is connected to a well-structured approach to managing ambiguity.

. The reader will learn to recognize any action or feeling that diverts mental resources away from the brains ability to concentrate and focus.

. The reader will learn how to engage brain change rather than defend against it.

. The reader will be able to identify most relevant issues when faced with confusing information.

. The reader will learn how to consider all critical information when making decisions.

. The reader will learn how to see the hidden dangers in opportunities or recognize the opportunities with unfavorable circumstances.

. The reader will develop a higher level of productivity, become physically and emotionally healthier, able to achieve more of their objectives, and rebound from the demands of life even stronger than before.

COMPETING WORKS

There are numerous brilliantly written books surrounding the topics of change management, neuroscience and the brain, yet there are no books on the market today that address the day-to-day transactions of the human brain from the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep. No one has addressed the problems of how to avoid succumbing to the monotony of living life.

PROPOSED BACK COVER COPY

Human existence has reached a point in its evolution where the forces of affecting day-to-day and long-range activities has become so complex and turbulent that the ability to retrain and manage the brain is now a critical skill for survival, not to mention an important aspect for brain growth and performance.

Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain helps the reader to view brain change as an unfolding process which does not occur as a discrete event. The brain’s neuro pathways are the orchestration of numerous variables that operate how we think, feel, and act, for example, individual personalities or how we think about unique opportunities verses risk. The process of brain transformation is too complex to lend itself to a set of regimented steps that are rigidly adhered to every time you need to make a decision. Each situation is a unique blend of interactions, environmental possibilities, constraints, and skills. The numbers of variable these factors create make it impossible for the brain to establish rules. The key is a flexible mindset and resilient thinking allowing the brain to bounce back quickly.

Conner helps the reader to demystify the brain strategies necessary for an agile mind. She reminds us that the study of the brain is still in its infancy representing many decades of neurological research. We should not lose sight of the reality that retraining the brain is the orchestration of complex ingrained beliefs since birth. Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain is an objective format for dealing with some very subjective aspects of decision-making and any attempt to significantly change the brains belief system is no different than any other endeavor in life. Conner will demonstrate in every chapter that the quality of brain change is in direct proportion to ones investment. She will demonstrate to the reader that the complexity of the brain cannot be adequately addressed with a quick fix/Band-Aid mentality. Everyone has decisions to make in life. What distinguishes winners from losers is the capacity to understand and implement alternative thinking and actions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

WELLBEING COACH Michaelene Conner                                                                    

Cognitive Behavioral Change, Food and Kitchen Coach

and Personal Trainer/Exercise Specialist

A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT ME

This chapter will give the reader a broad sketch about the author’s background and the motivation for writing Good Brain Bad Brain Your Brain. The author will provide a brief orientation surrounding the challenge of developing a resilient consciously responsible mind and body for optimal gains in today’s global society.

INTRODUCTION

The Messy Business of Thinking

The introduction talks about the brain’s overall health and how it is connected to your physical wholeness. The reader will be introduced to the mindset necessary fot retraining a healthy brain and the strategies critical for its transformation.

CHAPTER ONE

21ST CENTURY MIND GAMES

The Secrets to Training the Brain

This chapter sets the stage for the intellectual journey the reader is about to take. The author talks about the science of mind and body systematic connections that create automatic habits that lead to physical actions. The reader will be emerged in the science of how the brain interacts with the body and how outside stimulants affect the brain’s mental resources and the foundation for brain transformation.  

CHAPTER TWO

BRAIN STRAIN

Cross Training Your Memory

This Chapter talks about the cognitive and neuroscientific mechanisms of memory, how memories are formed and how they shape everything that our brain does. The reader is then taken through the physiology of where memory resides, the sequencing of working memory, how to strengthen and cross train working memory, recharge your brain’s memory, the factors that create brain strain, and ends with how to beef up your mental performance.

CHAPTER THREE

FRAME OF REFERENCE [FOR]

While Dealing with the Slipperiness of Perceptions

This chapter talks about how each individual’s view of reality creates a mental record that biases beliefs, ideas, behaviors and assumptions personally and professionally when making decisions. The reader will begin to understand that a small wrinkle in the status quo may be perceived as complete transformation by others. A person’s frame of reference allows their brain to discount new information that is inconsistent with their belief system. FOR are the mechanisms people use to interpret and react to their perception of reality providing an unconscious, psychological security. At this point the reader will be presented with some re-framing techniques they can use to raise the brain’s place of consciousness.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE MIND OF RESISTANCE

When Thinking Won’t Shift

This Chapter defines resistance as those overt and covert actions people take to obstruct the need to change. The reader will learn that resistance is caused by a “disruption” of the status quo and is a natural part of the change process and can be thought of as positive or negative; positive because it signals that change has begun and negative because if resistance isn’t managed the ability to change thinking may fail. The reader will become painfully aware the brain has a tendency to control and define how our lives should play out seeking like- minded people that reinforce our beliefs and discount all information in sharp opposition or unpredictable outcomes.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE BRAIN’S NEED FOR PATIENCE AND TIME

This chapter emphasizes that practice isn’t something you do when you have time. The reader will learn that patience is key to reaching any goal. And the cornerstone of patience is taking the time to acquire the necessary information and skills needed to overcome obstacles. This chapter asks the reader to think of patience as a prerequisite allowing new thinking to take root while old unwanted patterns of behavior weaken.

CHAPTER SIX

TECHNO STRESS

Technology: Is it Enriching Your Reality or Replacing it

This chapter provides the reader a broader perspective of the brain’s reliance on technological devices inducing a near-constant state of stimulation. The author points to the technological illusion of multitasking and how the brain when overloaded, flips your body’s internal switch in an attempt to absorb large amounts of information. Technological stress is then categorized as just another modern day brain addiction overriding the brain’s natural rhythm and blurring life’s boundaries. The continual, unrelieved build up of stress in the brain is discussed in terms of being a behavioral and physical problem. 

CHAPTER SEVEN

TECHNOLOGICAL ADDICTION

Teen, Parents, and the New Family

This chapter challenges the premise of technological addiction. The author asks the reader to question whether they are addicted to their technological devices or could it be they just don’t set boundaries. This chapter ponders why we should consider separating our digital lives from our actual life.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE HUNGER BRAIN

Forging a New Relationship with Food

This chapter discusses todays toxic food environment, how our brains are tampered with and what can be done to shift forge a new relationship with food. The author will share scientific findings from thought leaders, researchers and scientists on the new reality of consumption in an obese world. Alternative actions to food cues that lead to new behaviors are discussed.

CHAPTER NINE

EUPHORIC ALCOHOL’S EFFECT ON THE BRAIN

To Drink or Not To Drink

This chapter talks about the medicinal properties of alcohol as an energy source, psychoactive drug and toxin to the body. The reader will be presented with the historical perspective of alcohol and its effects on the mind and body.

CHAPTER TEN

HOW THE HEART DECIDES

Not All Love is Created Equal

This chapter discusses the law of attraction and the brain’s neuroplasticity when it comes to falling in love. The author discusses the virtue of love itself over the ages, the science of love, and the newest insights from mental health professionals. The reader will learn the reality of love.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE PERPETUATING CYCLE OF STRESS

Problems = Stress and Stress = Problems

This chapter targets the causes of stress in the brain and how it is manifested mentally and physically. The reader will learn that positive or negative stress is no more than a mental disruption in one’s expectations. The author will discuss the cycle perpetuating cycle of stress, the types of stress, and the brain’s pliability and capability to rebound from daily stressors.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE BRAIN’S CONTROL OVER CHANGE INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence Correlates to an Individual’s Brain Capacity

This chapter talks about IQ, EQ, and the factors of general intelligence. The reader will learn the concept of synergistic thinking and how to use factual and conceptual information to produce a new and deeper understanding of real life solutions.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE BRAIN AND ITS HABITS

The Preprogramming of Autopilot

This chapter introduces the premise that everyone’s journey has it’s own blueprint of wanted and unwanted habits. The reader will be given the responsibility to choose what matters most in an uncertain world. The author explores the how the brain’s past experiences create future habits and how to break free from these unwanted ingrained patterns of behavior.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE RECOVERY PROCESS

Mind and Body Performance

This chapter discusses how to reclaim mental and physical resources. The reader will gain an in-depth look at the brain’s capacity to manage and recover from day-to-day life. The author discusses factors that determine the quality of recovery from the simple need for sleep and that of simple having quiet time to reflect on life choices and decisions.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

SLEEP LOSS AND THE BRAIN

The New Normal

This chapter discusses the need for sleep, the why and how we sleep, sleep facts, and the effect of sleep on various populations. The author will touch on the causes and effects of insomnia, napping and the scientific findings on the amount of sleep necessary to ensure mind and body balance.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE CONCLUSION

Your Brain All Wrapped Up

This chapter is a discussion on cognitive behavior, mental transformation, and life satisfaction. The reader will leave with the knowledge that life is a flexible target requiring a flexible mindset. The author asks the reader to take control of the brain by consciously correcting those inborn behavioral patterns and tendencies that interfere with health and life satisfaction. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

YOUR BRAIN PLAN

Coach Conner’s Final Words

This chapter talks about the readers job to exercise trial and correction in order find the right mind and body balance. The author discusses the need for a conscious mind able and willing to learn the actions, patterns and mental attitude required to change thinking and life circumstances. The reader leaves with the assurance the brain is not fixed in its anatomical functionality or structure but rather malleable and adaptable. The author leaves the reader with a general way of thinking in order to customize his or her own plan.

REFERENCES

Represents an amazing list of books, articles, and websites used to collate this scientific and validated knowledge base.