Dr. Amen's ANT's

I reviewed the book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., in my October 24 post. Today I'd like to focus on one of Dr. Amen's ANT's that he mentions in the book. ANT is his acronym for Automatic Negative Thought. We all have them, and we need to learn to talk back to them.

ANT's go by other names, too. Maybe you've heard them called Negative Self-Talk. In the coaching community, I've heard them called "The Itty Bitty Sh%#ty Committee in Your Head." I love that one...it's a bit longer, but equally memorable! :-)

For this post, I'd like to talk about the ANT that Dr. Amen calls "Fortune Telling." I'll use a little fiction here to convey the idea. Let's suppose there's a woman sitting in a coffee shop waiting to meet a guy she's been corresponding with by email for six weeks. He looks normal in his photo, and there have been no red flags in his daily emails. In fact, he seems to be quite funny and bright.

But as she waits for him to arrive, she gets nervous, and she starts into a downward spiral of Fortune Telling.... Maybe he used someone else's photo. Maybe he's a knuckle-dragging neanderthal male chauvinist pig! Maybe he lied about not owning any reptiles. Who knows what else he'll lie about?? Yikes! That scuzzy guy who just walked in must be him! Thank goodness this place has a back door. I'm outta here!

As you can guess, this woman isn't going to meet many men with her negative predictions for the future!

Check in with yourself. Are you harboring negative predictions for the future? Dr. Amen suggests countering the ANT's with thoughts of the opposite. So our fictional friend might try.... Maybe he's even better-looking in person! In six weeks' worth of emails, he always sounded like a good, honest guy. That's why I agreed to meet him here in the first place. Wow! Here he comes now. I'm glad I got up the nerve to do this!

You get the idea.... :-)

As I mentioned in the book review (10/24 post), be sure to check out Dr. Amen's site at http://www.amenclinics.com to see some amazing functional brain scans!

How do YOU keep the Fortune-Telling ANT's at bay? Please stop by the comments section and let us know!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. 'Looking for some reasonably priced holiday gifts? Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com or 610-385-3766 to inquire about my two products, The Whispering Heart: A Guided Journal for Body, Mind, and Spirit, and Food for Thought: Delicious Quotes on the Law of Attraction [gift-boxed in a pastel Chinese take-out box; includes two fortune cookies; NO ANT's! :-) ].

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Removing Creative Brain Blocks: A Book Review

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

Any of the problems listed in the subtitle above can put your creativity out of reach. It's extremely frustrating. You know you have been able to use your creativity in the past, but now you have lost access to that "file" in your brain. This book/audiobook can help.

So, you might ask, how can Dr. Amen deliver on the huge promise that the full title implies? All of these problems can have strong roots in the structure, function, and/or chemical imbalances in the brain. Injuries, such as concussions, or intruders, such as cysts or toxic substances, also play a major role.

Dr. Amen is a clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist. He's an expert on
ADD and the relationship between the brain and the body, and these topics are addressed as well.

The book discusses the use of functional brain scans, medication, therapy, and self-help tips...all potentially helpful to a brain in trouble...that is, a brain that may be getting you into trouble in your work and relationships. Rare among the cases discussed are those that require surgery, such as a cyst in the brain.

To benefit from this book:

*You don't necessarily need a functional brain scan.
*You don't necessarily need to travel to one of Dr. Amen's clinics.
*It's very unlikely that you'll need surgery.
*You won't necessarily need medication...but keep an open mind about the possibility.
*You may not need therapy...but again, don't dismiss the possibility too quickly.
*You might not need a coach, if you're able to benefit from the self-help tips on your own and/or are seeing improvement from one of the other avenues. However, a coach can help with related lifestyle changes. She can also help you decide if you need more help than she can offer, such as therapy and/or evaluation by a psychiatrist.

Amazing functional brain scans can be seen at http://www.amenclinics.com/!

When looking at these scans, keep in mind that they are functional, not structural. The "holes" you'll see on the surface scans are areas where the activity of those parts of the brain was not enough to register on the scan. Prepare to be amazed!

To your creativity,
Susan

P.S. to local folks: email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for info on my Nov. 8 workshop where we'll be making collage crafts for holidays or any days!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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