The Mel Robbins Podcast You Can Change Your Brain: Neuroscientist Explains How to Rewire Your Mind & Stop Negative Thoughts
How Your Mind Powers Your Brain and Can Rewire Your Life
Your mind is an energy force that drives your brain and body, rather than the brain operating independently. Dr. Caroline Leaf explains that the mind acts like the programming and power source for the brain, much like a charged cell phone needs software and energy to function. This means your thoughts and mental activity shape your brain's neural networks through a process called neuroplasticity.
You can manage your mind to stop negative thought cycles, heal trauma, and build resilience by consciously changing your mental programming daily. Dr. Leaf's five-step Neurocycle process — gather awareness, reflect, write/mindstorm, recheck, and active reach — helps you break free from negative spirals and rewire your brain for healthier responses.
This understanding empowers you to transform trauma, anxiety, and depression by consciously reconceptualizing your experiences rather than being locked into limiting labels or fixed brain conditions.
Mind Powers Brain Function
- The brain is purely physical and depends entirely on the mind to function.
- The mind is an energy force that drives all cognitive and physiological processes.
Mind Converts Energy to Thought
- Your unique electromagnetic mind field converts external energy (language, ideas) into neural patterns in your brain.
- This explains how thoughts shape physiological and psychological function.
