Change Your Brain Every Day

Mental Illness affects us all, and the rate of mental illness continues to skyrocket despite the widespread use of prescription medications. But as Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen illustrate, we’re on the cusp of a revolution in psychiatry that will change mental health care forever. In this first episode of a series based on Dr. Amen’s upcoming PBS special, the Amens describe the reason for this exciting new revolution, and how it’s likely to play out.

Our society has developed a habit of using different terms to delineate between the organ that occupies our heads, and the collection of thoughts we experience moment to moment. But are these really separate entities, or are they manifestations of the same thing? In the last episode in a series with author and psychotherapist Dr. Earl Henslin, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen explain why it’s crucial for us to understand that the way we think about the organ between our ears shapes how we take care of it.

Dr. Earl Henslin, author, psychotherapist, and board member of The End Mental Illness Now Foundation, found himself on the other side of the desk when he brought his own mother in to scan her brain. She had often been angry and detached, and both Dr. Henslin and Dr. Amen were horrified to see her scans showed signs of early dementia. What happened next changed not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her. In this episode, Dr. Earl Henslin tells the story of his mother’s transformation.

Thirty years of brain SPECT imaging has clearly shown us that disfunction in different parts of the brain require different types of treatment. One of the most often affected areas is the brain’s frontal lobes, which are responsible for things like forethought, judgement, and impulse control. In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen are joined by Dr. Earl Henslin for a discussion on how to identify if you have frontal lobe problems (and other common areas of the brain), and what you can do to treat them.

When psychotherapist and author Dr. Earl Henslin first considered using SPECT imagery to help diagnose his patients, he was concerned that the scans would eliminate the need for other types of testing, possibly hurting the bottom line of his practice. But when a family member in need had their brain scanned, what they found changed Dr. Henslin’s method of practice forever. In the first episode of a series about the brain and psychotherapy, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen are joined by Dr. Henslin to discuss his introduction to brain imaging.

In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen answer some more of your questions. This episode features info on employment, new learning, dopamine and psychosis, antidepressants, and auto-immune diseases. Visit the brainwarriorswaypodcast.com to submit your own questions!

Every time you get behind the wheel and strap on your seatbelt there lies the possibility of disaster occurring, and the subsequent trauma that can result from being involved in an auto accident exists in many different forms. In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen share some of the various ways auto accidents can leave long term effects of trauma on the brain, as well as some of the things you can do to put your brain in a healing environment.

Did you know automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among young people? In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, the second of a series on the brain and driving, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen take a closer look at what makes driving a car so potentially dangerous. They then dive into some of the major strategies we can examine in order to make the roads a safer place for everyone.

Whether travelling, commuting to work, or just running errands, many people spend a considerable amount of their lives in their cars. The inherent danger on the road is high because many people’s personalities change once the key is in the ignition. In this first episode of a series on brain function and driving, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen discuss how the brain factors in to the experience of driving an automobile.

In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen dive into the mail bag to answer some listener questions. Daniel and Tana discuss such topics as treating schizophrenia, suggestions for clearing brain fog, and the effects of ADD medications on specific brain types. Visit brainwarriorswaypodcast.com to submit your own questions!