Change your mind, change your brain: Smithsonian conference

Mediator Stephanie West Allen and psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz are offering a program in the use of neuroplasticity (the way our brains change in response to the focus of our thoughts) at the Smithsonian on Saturday, March 1, 2008

The science of neuroplasticity demonstrates that our brains are always changing, meaning that we can resculpt our brains in productive ways. This seminar teaches you how to achieve control of your brain so you can meet goals, create life-changing habits, and realize your full potential.

The morning session focuses on the brain and its role in how we think, decide, and act; how the amygdala (reflexive brain) and the frontal cortex (reflective brain) work in decision making; how people affect each other’s mirror neurons; and the difference between the mind and the brain, a distinction critical for self-mastery.

Now, if only my mind could convince my brain that I really DO want the stuff that is good for me instead of the stuff that makes me feel good. But then who's the I and who's the me? The trouble is, I'm really both. And I'm the one that wants both - I just don't want to choose, but I must.