Jennifer W. (jeniferj) reviewed Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Dr. Amen demonstrates in this book how the way we think and act may be affected by physiological issues in the brain. We know this is true in severe cases as demonstrated by studies involving patients who have sustained severe brain trauma, like Phineas Gage and research done by Dr. Oliver Sacks. Dr. Amen is suggesting that more subtle issues, previously thought of as purely psychological, may also have origins in the physicality of the brain. He uses a scanning procedure called SPECT to take pictures of the brain activity to see normal and abnormal patterns that can help explain things like depression, ADD, OCD, temper and aggression, etc.
The book includes "prescriptions" for helping normalize each part of the brain--not drugs per se, though those are included, but other things you can do, such as diet, exercise, and techniques.
The impact of head trauma is also discussed in detail in this book and I think the results of this are amazing. Dr. Amen has many stories of patients who were told by doctors, after a minor head trauma, that they had recovered completely. However, their personality changed drastically after the incident "without explanation." Dr. Amen's SPECT studies showed the reason, though; sections of the brain that cannot function normally due to the damage.
I think one of the great things about this book is it can help people with psychological problems understand that their conditions are not the result of weak wills, poor upbringing, bad character, or insubstantial phychological issues. They are the real result of physcial problems, just like any other disease. This realization may help people get beyond the stigma of mental problems and accept help they may not have gotten otherwise. This is an important thing to accept if you're going to get help and work through your issues to become the person you really are.
Besides helping me understand myself better, what things like the MBTI and now Amen's book do for me is help me realize that all those awful, selfish, egotistical, annoying, frustrating people out there probably CAN'T HELP the way they are. They aren't neccessarily CHOOSING to be jerks or to make life miserable for other people, they just can't help it. And that helps me be more tolerant and, if I'm quick enough, helps me learn techniques for dealing with them more effectively.
The book includes "prescriptions" for helping normalize each part of the brain--not drugs per se, though those are included, but other things you can do, such as diet, exercise, and techniques.
The impact of head trauma is also discussed in detail in this book and I think the results of this are amazing. Dr. Amen has many stories of patients who were told by doctors, after a minor head trauma, that they had recovered completely. However, their personality changed drastically after the incident "without explanation." Dr. Amen's SPECT studies showed the reason, though; sections of the brain that cannot function normally due to the damage.
I think one of the great things about this book is it can help people with psychological problems understand that their conditions are not the result of weak wills, poor upbringing, bad character, or insubstantial phychological issues. They are the real result of physcial problems, just like any other disease. This realization may help people get beyond the stigma of mental problems and accept help they may not have gotten otherwise. This is an important thing to accept if you're going to get help and work through your issues to become the person you really are.
Besides helping me understand myself better, what things like the MBTI and now Amen's book do for me is help me realize that all those awful, selfish, egotistical, annoying, frustrating people out there probably CAN'T HELP the way they are. They aren't neccessarily CHOOSING to be jerks or to make life miserable for other people, they just can't help it. And that helps me be more tolerant and, if I'm quick enough, helps me learn techniques for dealing with them more effectively.
