Can we remove the automatic negative thoughts from the brain (overcoming the default system)?

What is Patt’s personal story behind her book, Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain?

What led Patt to do her 18 months of research to write this book?

Did Patt’s negative thoughts go away during her meditation retreat?

What is left when we overcome our negative thoughts?

How was it for Patt to come back to “normal” reality after her retreat?

What brainwave state is best for decision-making?

How did Patt choose to study at the California Institute of Integral Studies?

How does meditation affect the immune and endocrine systems?

Can feeling gratitude, empathy and love change one’s brainwaves?

What programs are available for teenagers?

What are some practical exercises someone can do to bring on the calm, alpha state?

Are there some states of meditation that are deeper than others?

Where does Patt offer workshops to teach this work?

What are the spiritual implications of this work?

Can we take the effects of this work with us when we die?

What brainwave state are we working in when we rewire the brain?

How do the companion CD’s assist with the rewiring of the brain?

What is the “Face it, Embrace it, Erase it” process and what techniques are involved?

How does brain rewiring actually work?

What if someone is not aware of the issue that is causing problems?

What role does past conditioning play in rewiring the brain?

What is the best time of day to learn?

Is it possible to stop using stress for energy?

For all of us this is usually an intense time of year. I am always fascinated by the effects of this intensity on me and those around me. I am especially interested in what happens to our brain-mind with all the rush and busyness.

The busier our life, the busier and more chaotic becomes our mind. If we do not take moments out to daily quiet our mind, the intensity builds and our mind speeds up and goes even faster and becomes even more intense. Because of this busyness you may notice that you feel more anxious, have trouble focusing, and have difficulty sleeping which may lead to one more glass of wine to calm you down. You may also notice that you become more negative and reactive about situations and people as the mental default system in the brain takes over your mind. (The mental default system is a network of brain regions that is active when the individual is not focused on the outside world. It is like a wandering mind.)

Our brain-mind is amazing. The default network can be activated and we can have the most traumatic and negative events happening in our life and at the same time we can have the wisest and most appreciative experiences when we are centered and calm. How do these two opposites function in us? What researchers tell is that the human brain-mind records these two events in the same area of the brain. But whether you access the positive or negative state depends which quality of mind you choose. This is the true secret that can change our life. The only thing that can change the brain and rewire it is what we choose. Obviously, we want to choose the positive thoughts. That choice for the positive takes a clear mind. It is the choice not to have the wandering default mind that leads us down a negative path. A clear mind is one that is aware when we have many negative thoughts. One practical way to cut through the negative default system is to focus on gratitude and appreciation. Interrupt the negative pattern by saying, “I am thankful for . . . my health, my friends, the blue sky, etc.” – focus gratitude on whatever is happening right now where you are. The positive choice of gratitude will bring us into a state of peace and tranquility.

At this time of year, as there are blessings of merriment, joy and peace for our family, friends, and the world, remember to choose your self.  Take a moment to quiet your self, bring in the beauty of nature and spend time by yourself having a cup a tea and just appreciating all that you are. This self-reflection will bring tranquility to your mind.

So, have a very peace filled and tranquil holiday with yourself and all your loved ones.

Patt

In 2012 I will be giving a workshop on the West Coast in the San Francisco Bay Area February 24, 25, and 26.

On the East Coast I will be giving another workshop at the Kripalu Center in Stockbridge MA on March 25,26,27,28th. See my website for more information on this four day workshop.

San Francisco Bay Area Workshop Description:
As life gets more frantic, demanding and chaotic it impacts us at a deeper level than we realize.  Our challenge is to stop and center our self in order to find an inner mental program that will keep us content and healthy. It is this stopping and looking within that is the intent of this workshop.
In the workshop we will focus on a deep indulging of our self to be more inner and learn to navigate and recharge our life.  We will do this through inner practices that will train the mind and rewire the brain.

Specifically in this workshop you will learn how to:
·      Use the brain frequencies to awaken our consciousness by identifying the voice in our head and what it is really saying to you.
·      Learn skills to increase your energy by managing your mind and opening your heart.
·      Identify the four basic things you cannot change but want to change and how that can reduce stress.
·      Find and remove the fundamental obstacle that has determined the course of your life so that you can discover your true purpose in life.

To get more information about attending this workshop contact Anne Griswold in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her number is 408-887-8404. Her email is: anneg9989@aol.com.

Patt also reminds us that the brain is the hardware and the mind is the software and we can choose to change our programming by consciously choosing to not buy into the cultural expectations of the stressful holiday season.

• Her story getting started with meditation
• The 6-month meditation retreat where she overcome deep fear and anxiety in order to find “home base” and how the Buddha’s words, “Change the unwholesome thought to the wholesome” became her mantra
• How she dropped into the “gap” between thoughts, heartbeats and breaths for months and then came out
• How she learned to distinguish between ordinary reality and expanded consciousness
• How to use the body as a vehicle to channel the wisdom gleaned from meditation
• How Patt uses an EEG machine to teach people how the brain can rewire itself.

According to the latest brain research, making a decision does not come from our thinking, rational, conscious brain that is in the cortex at the crown of our head. Actually, we just rationalize our decisions from the cortex by using our fast beta brain waves. The basic function of the cortex is used to carry out, strategize, rationalize, and plan for the decisions you make.  What is interesting is that more than half the decisions we make are made deep inside the brain in the limbic system in the emotional brain that is run by slower theta brain waves. This area of the brain is also where the subconscious mind resides. The key question is, how do we by pass the cortex and find the real area of the brain that gives us the true answers to our questions and make the key decisions for our success in life?

One way to slow down your brain waves to make decisions as wells as get incredible insight for your life is to use my Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain CD’s. On the fourth track of the CD is the theta meditation. It is called the Wisdom Meditation, which is designed to help you make decisions and gain insight and “wisdom” for your life. For example, two of my clients used the wisdom meditation to create an incredible and fun way to activate your intuition and make decisions. Kathleen and Erin were inspired to create a set of “oracle” type cards to help people make practical decisions and trust their intuition. The theta wisdom meditations guided them every step of the way in the development of the cards. When they didn’t know what to do next on the project they stopped what they were doing and used the wisdom meditation CD track to guide them to ask questions. By going into the theta mind state it sharpened their intuition and understanding as to what to do next with the project. The result of this work together was a fun new approach that lets you make your decisions so much easier and find out lots about your inner world.

They call their intuition and decision process: Guiding Signs 101. It is a box set of cards with an interpretive manual based on road sign images, like Stop and Go, Exit, Road Crossing, School, No Turn, etc. These wonderfully creative cards are guidance cards for a smooth ride on your life’s journey.  I highly recommend them because they really develop the power of our own intuitive decision making ability. We know that the power to make the small and large decisions of our lives comes from inside of us not outside.  A fun anonyomous quote I found is, “If you go within you won’t have to go without.”  These cards and the process for using them are an easy way to accesses those intuitive decisions and confirm the direction you need to take.  All the cards are road signs images that we see every day while in our cars.  You can use these creative cards to train your brain to make those quick insights and wise choices with the red light and green light cards!  Just click the link below and get a set of cards and feel what it is like to be conscious of that subconscious place of theta brain waves. You will discover your own wisdom.

44 brilliant imagery cards and a 136-page comprehensive guidebook.

In the comprehensive guidebook you will find poems, daily inquiries, and deeper meanings for each of the 44 road sign cards to help you along your life journey. Just play and have fun with the cards or let them take you deeper. Explore alone or with a group of friends.
Buy Now

I am proud to be an affiliate of this wonderful product.

• What has been Patt’s intention behind publishing the book Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain?
• Why is happiness so important?
• Why is important to be aware of our automatic thoughts?
• What are the physical parts of the brain and how do they operate with the mind?
• What is neuroplasticity? Can the way I think really change my brain?
• How does meditation evolve the mind and the brain?
• How did the Dalai Lama become free of negative feelings?
• How do the Companion CD’s that come with the book help listeners rewire their brains, relieve suffering and change their lives?
• What are the brain wave states?

• The 4 brain wave states and how to recognize them within yourself
• Suggestions for people without a meditation practice
• What resources can be found on Patt’s website, HealRewireYourBrain.com
• How to use mind training and Patt’s CD’s to treat insomnia
• How the brain state affects the endocrine system
• How mineral supplements affect the mind
• How meditation can help women with issues related to self-image
• Patt’s personal history of recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• How to use meditation to release fear

• What have the shamans of Peru been saying about the importance of being able to calm the mind?
• What is science telling us about the development of pre-frontal lobe of the brain?
• How does meditation combined with attention and intention affect our stream of thoughts?
• Is there a shortcut to overcoming negative thoughts?
• How does pain in the body relate to pain in the brain?

When you think about it, stress is a mysterious thing: You can’t see it or touch it, but you definitely know it’s there. And its enigmatic nature just might be preventing us from fully realizing the damage stress can do to our minds, bodies, and spirits. Read more…