Many of our habits don't serve us very well. Most of them were set in place a long time ago, in response to what we were facing, or simply as a result of the brain's tendency to go for what feels easy or enjoyable in the moment. .

Many Habits Don't Serve Us Well

So much of our lives are lived on autopilot. Sure, there are moments when we consciously pay attention to what we're doing. But paying attention expends mental energy and is tiring for the brain. Sooner or later, we revert back to what comes habitually to us—because habits don't require any mental exertion at all.

Habits Don't Require Mental Exertion

If we want to take greater charge of our lives, we need to reverse-engineer our habits. Instead of letting the unconscious decide our future, we need to reflect on what we want, then consciously create powerful habits that lead to this desired future.

Reverse-engineer Your Habits

Since this process does take mental energy initially, here are five research-backed hacks you can use to make your brain work for you—rather than opting for the easy way out.<ol><li>Take Changes One at a Time</li><li>Consistency Is Key</li><li>Cues And Rewads</li><li>Make It Difficult</li><li>Whypower vs. Willpower</li></ol>

5 Research Backed Hacks To Create New Habits

When we set out to bring positive change often try to change everything at once. But we know from Roy Baumeister's research<a href="https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Baumeister%20et%20al.%20(1998).pdf"> </a>that willpower is a depleting resource . That's why Pick the habit that's causing you the most misery, or the one that’s the greatest obstacle to your growth. Or, if you’re a first-timer in building habits, choose one that you're ready to change—but just one. You're not trying to prove yourself to anyone. Then move on to the next hack.

Take Changes One at a Time

Next promise yourself that you'll be consistent with the change<a href="https://www.happify.com/hd/the-one-thing-you-may-not-know-about-change"> </a>. Christine Carter, Ph.D. says that you may want to have a BTN (Best to Nothing) for your habit. A BTN is a mini version of the habit that you’ll still engage in even if circumstances beyond your control prevent you from doing the full thing. For example, if your habit is a 30-minute workout every day before work, but unexpected events happen you still need to do your BTN—in this case, maybe it’s 50 jumping jacks, or running up and down the stairs a few times—so your brain still knows that exercise happens before work.

Consistency Is Key

Think of habits like creating footprints on dewy grass. The more consistently you walk in the same footsteps, the more visible they'll become.

Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit , has found that habit formation follows three key steps. <ol><li>First there's the cue that reminds you of the habit. </li><li>Then there's the positive habit that typically replaces a negative one. </li><li>And finally, there's the reward that signals to your brain that it was an enjoyable process and that you'd want to do it again. </li></ol>For example place your floss beside your toothpaste (cue), then floss after brushing (habit), and finally, rinse with your favorite minty-fresh mouthwash (reward). Skip any of these steps, and your habit formation is a long and painful ride!

Cues And Rewads

Now that you’re immersed in your new habit, use your environment to your advantage. Changing a habit is difficult for the simple reason that it happens outside of conscious awareness. You can make the process easier for yourself by making it difficult to engage in a bad habit you’re trying to let go of. For example, if you’re trying to stop eating unhealthy snacks, remove them from your kitchen completely or replace them with healthy alternatives.

Make It Difficult

Despite all the hacks above, there may be days when you really are drained and have no energy to work on your new habit. No reason to lose heart! You can tap into a higher source of energy that bypasses willpower—your why power. Unlike willpower, whypower connects you to the bigger reason you want to change your habit. For example, the difference it'll make to those you care about, or the benefits it'll have on others or perhaps the world in some way.

Whypower vs. Willpower

Remember, you will engage in habits regardless. So why not engage in positive ones that help you pursue a well-lived life? These habits will free up your mental energy to be present with the people around you and the things that matter to you

Conclusion

Positive habits help us live life on our terms. Here are 5 hacks that can help you create those habits.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

problemsolving

Problem Solving

meditation

Meditation

5 Hacks to Create Powerful Habits

If you can’t see yourself winning even in your imagination, then you're already setting yourself up for failure. Doubt isn't just hesitation; it’s self-sabotage disguised as logic. You’re using creativity in a counterproductive way. You're not just thinking negatively; you're manifesting failure.And persistent negative thoughts don’t just stain your spirit—they shape your behavior. They lead you to unconsciously act in ways that sabotage your progress again and again, creating a self-fulfilling cycle of failure. Before you know it, you’re trapped in a loop of mediocrity

Not being able to see yourself winning

Imagine yourself winning. At first, it might feel ridiculous. Your mind will resist it, clinging to its comfort zone of doubt. It will say something like, “What good will this do?”That’s your logical mind talking. Am I right?Do it anyway. Visualize success. Write it down. Speak it into existence. Say it out loud: “I WILL succeed.”

How do you break free?

Now take it further. Imagine it so vividly that you can see every tiny detail—the way it feels, the way it looks, the way success tastes in your mouth. And then ask yourself: What is the deeper feeling I’m chasing?Is it financial independence? Is it self-sufficiency? Is it self-confidence?Now, sit with that feeling. Let it consume you.And then ask: How do I make this real? What can I do today and every day to turn this vision into reality?

Lean into your Vision

Because thoughts shape actions. When you start reinforcing positive visualization, you naturally begin making choices that align with success—effortlessly, instinctively. And suddenly, what once seemed impossible feels inevitable.

Why does this work?

Try this guided manifestation meditation in the description below. It’s transformed the way I manifest success.<a href="https://youtu.be/2ENDYXqYxSI?si=YRidio6GkBSay-w3">Guided Meditation for Manifestation</a>

Guided Meditation for Manifestation

I am a little busy you guys. I have so many breakthroughs to share. As I get more time, I will share some of the biggest epiphanies of my life. Hope you guys are healthy.May this year bring you passion, obsession and healing all wrapped in one.

How are you guys?

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

career

Career

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

writing

Reading & Writing

Victory Starts as a Thought

“This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”﻿

To begin our journey through The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer first introduces us to understanding that we are not the voice we constantly hear inside our head, we (Self) are the one that hears that voice. This voice is used to recreate the world in our minds because we have the ability to control our mind, whereas we can’t control the world around us. Since we can’t control it, we internally verbalize it, complain about it and then decide what to do about it, making us feel more empowered. Learn to know who’s watching that voice and you’ll be well on your way to true personal growth.

The Voice Inside Your Head

“Who am I”

The inner roommate constantly narrating your life, also known as your psyche, is not consciousness. Becoming aware of that voice and understanding that you can have control over that voice is what brings us to awareness. And consciousness is pure awareness. Awareness not only of the outer world, but of your thoughts, feelings and emotions as well. If you were sitting in a room filled with objects and one by one those objects disappeared and everything is now gone, you are the one noticing that everything is gone. That center is the true self that can set you free.

The Idea Of Consciousness

Energy is the basic building block of all matter. Everything from the movements we make to reading this message requires it. Just as everything that happens in the physical world requires it. At any moment you’re able to tap into that energy if you open yourself to it and allow it to flow through you. Most of us restrict that flow by blocking our hearts and minds based on our past experiences; I.e. We smell something we don’t like and we close off the experience of that moment. It’s that simple. If we learn to stay open that energy is allowed to flow through us and keep us in a higher state.

The Energy Within

Two types of experiences can cause blockages in the heart, 1. Pushing it away because it bothers you. 2. Clinging to it because you don’t want it to go away. Either way, you’re not allowing the energy to flow through and a blockage occurs. These are called Samskaras and will control your life if you let them. Every time a Samskara is triggered, it opens and releases the energy that is trapped, causing flashes of what you experienced, good or bad, when the original event took place. The way to rid yourself of this happening is to allow it to come to your consciousness, and then Let It Go!

Let It Go

Change is constant and we can look at it as a chance for personal growth or we can fear what that change will bring. Keeping that fear inside forces you to try and keep it protected from stimulation. And the more you resist the changes happening all around you the more you feel like you’re struggling with life. That is the cause of all the dialogues in your head. You’re either trying to determine how to prevent life from happening around you, or figuring out what to do about it because life did happen. Singer states; “fear is the cause of every problem… anger jealousy and possessiveness.”

BECOMING FREE

The alternative to living a life of fear is accepting that you can’t control it. In order to fully live your life, you must release these fear blockages from your body to allow that energy the release it so desperately desires. The way you do this is just to Let It Go. When it rears its ugly head, your conscious self notices the disturbance appear and instead of focusing on it…you release it and let it go! Every time! If you don’t, it will act as a magnet and suck you back to its debilitating energy. Causing you anxiety or fear and preventing you from living the life you deserve. LET IT GO

Becoming Free (continued)

Imagine a thorn has embedded itself in your arm. Your choice is to protect that arm from harm and don’t allow anything to touch it or disturb it, or accept the temporary pain and remove it. If you decide on choice A your life now revolves around that decision. Every choice you make is dependent on how your arm will feel. How you sleep, where you go, who can touch you etc… Now imagine that thorn is a fear locked inside you. You can spend your life trying to protect it and keep it from being agitated, or you can release it and move on! The choice is yours. Just Let it Go

Remove Your Body’s Thorn

Pain is how your body tells you something is wrong externally and fear is how the psyche tells you something is wrong internally. Anxiety, jealousy, self-consciousness, insecurity…all fears causing internal pain. To combat this we try to mask these fears by making external changes. If we’re lonely, we try to find a relationship. If we’re insecure, we make changes to the way we look. These help in the moment but don’t fix what’s truly causing the pain inside. To truly be free of pain and fear we must fix internally what causes the issues so you no longer have to devote your life to your psyche.

Is The Pain Worth It

We have trained our mind to try and perform the impossible task of constantly changing the external environment to suit the needs of our psyche so we feel safe. We can’t control the weather. We can’t control traffic patterns. We can’t control other peoples reactions or moods or temperaments. But we can control our own reactions to these stimuli. To have a healthy psyche, you need to stop asking it to change the world for you. Stop asking your mind to make the world around you “safe”. Singer states, “The truth is, everything will be okay as soon as you’re okay with everything!”

The Impossible Task

Earlier we spoke about fear being the psyche telling us something is wrong. Its foundation is built upon our fears and determines our behaviors to help avoid the pain these fears bring. If we are doing anything to avoid the pain, then like the thorn in our arm, we are letting pain run our lives. To be free we must view this pain as a temporary shift in our energy flow, nothing to be scared of, but it must be confronted and released. We must determine individually that this pain we have stored is no longer able to control our lives. It is just a feeling, and that feeling will pass. Let It Go

Pain = Freedom

Wise beings do not want to remain a slave to the fear of pain. They permit the world to be what it is instead of being afraid of it…Let go and give room for the pain to pass through you. It’s just energy. Just see it as energy and let it go.”

All of our past experiences gets formed into a wall surrounding our psyche and creates the boundaries of our “safe place”. If something tests those boundaries we do our best to move away from them and get back to our comfort zone. Essentially these act as a prison to our awareness and since we try to avoid them, we have no clue what is outside of them. The secret to tearing down these walls is to stop defending them when life tries to penetrate them. Our walls are decorated with memories from the past and dreams of the future. True freedom is on the other side of the walls. Tear them down!

Removing The Walls

The universe we live in is infinite just as our soul is infinite. The only reason it seems finite is because of the walls we construct in our minds. But if we allow it to expand everywhere, we allow ourselves the freedom to experience all that life has to offer. If we continually push those boundaries it’s how we free ourselves from our self-imposed limitations and escape the psyches influence. Our choices are simple… continue the struggle of keeping our lives “safe” or decide that we’re done decorating our walls and tear them down to freedom.

Beyond The Walls

At a very young age, our psyche is built upon mental images of what we deem right and wrong. It then clings to these things and creates a foundation that follows us through life. When an external stimuli comes into our consciousness we use that foundation as protection from pain or as acceptance of love. This controls who we are and what we show the outside world as “Me”. True Self is none of that. Self is the one that observes all these things and can be free if we allow this foundation to crack and release the preconceived notions of how the world SHOULD be and accept it for how it IS.

Clinging: A False Solidity

Happiness is a choice we must make every day regardless of what influences us in this world. Easier said than done of course but in order to truly be happy we must make the decision that nothing will have the power to take our happiness away! Lost your job….be happy! Someone close to you passed…be happy! Life is going to happen regardless of how we feel about it, and we have the choice to make those feelings happy ones. “You gain nothing by being bothered by life’s events. It doesn’t change the world; you just suffer. There’s always going to be something that can bother you, if you let it.”

Don’t Worry Be Happy

Our spiritual journey should be one that is based off eliminating stress, problems and fears. These occur when we resist life as it’s presented to us. If we allow it to flow, we are simply present. We must learn to control our willpower. This power can be directed towards the physical, mental or emotional realms and it’s how we try to manipulate the world to please our psyche. Our willpower is typically used to either resist our past, or events in the future…and what a waste of energy both are! The past can’t be changed and the future hasn’t happened yet! So why waste energy on either?

The Path Of Least Resistance

It is not life’s events that are causing problems or stress. It is your resistance to life’s events that is causing this experience

The time between birth and when we die should be viewed as a truly wonderful gift. For that short time in relativity, why waste it in stress and worry? There are good times and bad throughout that journey and many events that will take place. We can harp on them and let them control our lives. Or we can allow the events to unfold, allow our hearts and minds to stay open to all that life has to offer, and really appreciate this gift we have been given! And we all know death is inevitable, but “the beauty of embracing deep truths is that you don’t have to change your life..just how you live it!”

The Gift Of Life And Embracing Death

The chapters of this book are nothing but mirrors for seeing your "self" from different angles. And though the journey we are about to embark on is an inner one, it will draw upon every aspect of your life. The only requirement asked of you is the willingness to honestly look at yourself in the most natural, intuitive manner. Remember, if we are seeking the root of "self," what we are actually seeking is you. As you read through these pages, you will find that you know much more than you thought you did about some very deep subjects. The fact is, you already know how to find yourself; you have just gotten distracted and disoriented. Once refocused, you will realize that you not only have the ability to find yourself, you have the ability to free yourself. Whether you choose to do so or not is entirely up to you. But upon completion of your journey through these chapters, there will be no more confusion, no more lack of empowerment, and no more blaming others. You will know exactly what must be done. And should you choose to devote yourself to the ongoing journey of self-realization, you will develop a tremendous sense of respect for who you really are. It is only then that you will come to appreciate the full depth of meaning in the advice: "This above all: to thine own self be true." ---- Introduction

philosophy

Philosophy

books

Books

Michael A. Singer is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Michael A. Singer has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Michael A. Singer's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul

The Great Pyramid is not just an ancient structure but a symbolic guide to a fulfilling life.Each stone and measurement carries meaning related to personal growth and universal truths.Example: Just as the pyramid stands firm on a solid base, our lives should be built on strong foundational values.Key Tip: Approach life with a mindset of discovery - hidden wisdom is all around us.

Introduction to the Great Pyramid's Symbolism

The five-pointed star represents spiritual, mental, financial, psychological, and social aspects of life.Each point of the star must be balanced to create harmony in life.Example: Someone excelling in their career (financial) but neglecting their mental health may feel unfulfilled.Key Tip: Regularly assess these five areas and make adjustments where needed.

The Five-Pointed Star: A Model for Holistic Living

True spirituality isn’t about rituals alone but about aligning with higher consciousness.The book suggests self-reflection, prayer, and acts of kindness to elevate spiritual awareness.Example: Instead of worrying about material success, a person who trusts in divine timing finds peace.Key Tip: Practice daily gratitude - it raises your spiritual awareness and attracts positive energy.

Spiritual Development: Connecting with the Divine

Learning should never stop; mental stagnation leads to a dull life.Reading, engaging in meaningful conversations, and seeking new experiences sharpen the mind.Example: A person who reads widely can navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and creativity.Key Tip: Dedicate time each day to learning something new - whether a book, a podcast, or a skill.

Mental Expansion: Cultivating Knowledge and Wisdom

Financial stability allows freedom, but obsession with wealth leads to emptiness.Thor encourages responsible spending, wise investments, and avoiding debt traps.Example: A person who lives within their means and saves regularly will have security in uncertain times.Key Tip: Use the “50-30-20 rule” (50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings/investments) for financial balance.

Financial Wisdom: Managing Resources Effectively

Managing emotions is crucial to a peaceful and happy life.The book encourages mindfulness, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.Example: Instead of reacting in anger, someone who practices deep breathing and reflection will handle conflicts better.Key Tip: Observe your emotions like a neutral third party instead of identifying with them.

Psychological Balance: Achieving Emotional Well-being

Strong relationships contribute to overall happiness.Respect, communication, and selflessness are key to maintaining good relationships.Example: A person who actively listens and supports their friends builds a strong, loyal social circle.Key Tip: Always seek to give value in relationships rather than just take.

Social Harmony: Building Meaningful Relationships

Silence allows for deep thinking and better decision-making.Avoiding constant noise (social media, unnecessary drama) leads to a clearer mind.Example: A person who meditates daily can maintain inner peace even in stressful situations.Key Tip: Spend at least 10 minutes a day in complete silence to reconnect with yourself.

The Role of Silence: Embracing Stillness for Clarity

Selfishness creates isolation, while generosity attracts meaningful connections.The book highlights how giving, whether time or resources, leads to inner fulfillment.Example: Someone who volunteers regularly often feels a deeper sense of purpose.Key Tip: Practice small daily acts of kindness without expecting anything in return.

Overcoming Selfishness: The Path to True Happiness

The book urges readers to develop adaptability and foresight.By studying past patterns, one can better navigate future uncertainties.Example: A person who learns financial discipline today won’t struggle during economic downturns.Key Tip: Observe how nature, history, and wise mentors prepare for challenges and do the same.

Preparing for Future Challenges: Insights from Ancient Wisdom

This is more than just a book - it’s a guide to living with purpose, balance, and wisdom. Valiant Thor's timeless philosophy urges us to align our lives with five essential aspects:<ul><li>Spiritual depth for inner peace</li><li>Mental growth for resilience</li><li>Financial responsibility for stability</li><li>Psychological well-being for fulfillment</li><li>Social harmony for connection</li></ul>Success is not just about wealth or status but about finding balance and fulfillment in all aspects of life.Embrace silence, self-reflection, and generosity to shape a better future. Seek balance and enlightenment today to outwit tomorrow.

Conclusion: Mastering Today for a Better Tomorrow

Outwitting Tomorrow is a plan whereby you master the future instead of allowing the future to master you. For if you are mastered, you are merely a puppet of Fate: but if you are the master, you will travel the bright Upward Path that Destiny has prepared for you.

This book is insightful. I particularly enjoyed its discussions on applying principles derived from the Great Pyramid's symbolism to various aspects of life, including spiritual, mental, financial, psychological, and social dimensions.

Join renowned thinker Valiant Thor (whose life has been the subject of many books and films such as "The Stranger at the Pentagon") as he examines the symbols of the Great Pyramid at Giza through story, metaphor, and direct teaching, revealing how they might help us in today's world. This book is perfect for today's Westerner, who understands the basic principles of Christianity, yet wants to expand their knowledge into more galaxial realms. "Outwitting Tomorrow" is inspired writing - a timely, practical prescription for survival and growth through the cataclysmic events aligning for this planet, as prophesied of old. The author's mastery becomes apparent due to the complete absence of authoritarian rules. Instead, he focuses on how to expand one's perspective in an intuitive, life-affirming, self-loving way. Each uplifting suggestion has its own innate value, potentially showering the reader in positive outcomes.

Valiant Thor

Frank E. Stranges

Outwitting Tomorrow: Secrets for Living from the Great Pyramid

Advice can be heard; others can offer it to you, and you can read it in a book. But lessons take a practical form in your life—they come in the shape of pain, suffering, or sacrifices. That’s why they are called "lessons."

Lessons Are Practical

Many people do not benefit from advice, while very few can escape learning from lessons. Few take advantage of advice, and few fail to learn from lessons.

Learn From Advice

Lessons often come painfully. They may appear as an emotional experience, a financial loss, a great disappointment, the loss of an opportunity, or even the deprivation of sustenance. These experiences are painful, and some can even be destructive.

Lessons Are Painful

It is, therefore, surprising to find someone who benefits from a piece of advice despite its ease and equally surprising to see someone who does not benefit from a lesson despite its harshness!

Advice And Lessons

What you fail to learn as advice will come to you as a painful, harsh lesson. The more you heed advice, the fewer life lessons you’ll have to endure. The more you neglect lessons, the more you will suffer. None of us escapes both, but the wise are those who listen to advice before they are struck by a lesson.

Don't Neglect Lessons

Lessons are not necessarily the result of mistakes you have made. Sometimes, they are meant to correct your life’s course, redirect you to a path you wouldn’t have chosen through mere advice, or prepare you for something great ahead.

Lessons Are Not Your Mistakes

Because lessons put them through a tough experience—they feel what they have endured, remember their struggles, and recognize how their lives were before. On the other hand, advice comes detached from context, making it easy to overlook because it does not feel like part of their experience.

Why do people learn from lessons but not from advice?

Some Life Lessons Cannot Be Heard, No Matter How Many Times They Are Told—They Come as Lessons, Not Just Advice!

Sweet Advices or Harsh Lessons?

Believe Big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.

<ul><li>Success starts with thinking big—your mind is your greatest asset.</li><li>Small thinking leads to small results; big thinking creates big opportunities.</li></ul> <ul><li>If you believe you can, your mind finds ways to make it happen.</li></ul>

Think Big, Win Big

Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it

<ul><li>People fail not because they lack talent, but because they make excuses.</li><li>Excuses like "I’m not smart enough" or "I don’t have the time" hold you back.</li><li>Instead of making excuses, focus on solutions and take action.</li></ul>

Excuses Are Dream Killers

The person who believes they can succeed will

<ul><li>Fear disappears when you take action—waiting makes it grow stronger.</li><li>Confidence isn’t something you’re born with; it’s built through action.</li><li>Do what you fear, and the fear will fade.</li></ul>

Action Cures Fear

Go first class in everything you do. Expect the best, and you get the best.

<ul><li>Speak positively about yourself and your future.</li><li>Avoid self-limiting words like "I can’t" or "It’s impossible."</li><li>What you say to yourself daily creates the life you live.</li></ul>

Your Words Shape Your Reality

Big thinkers are specialists in creating positive, forward-looking, optimistic pictures in their minds and in others’ minds.

<ul><li>Your environment influences your mindset—choose people who inspire growth.</li><li>Avoid negative and small-minded individuals who limit your potential.</li><li>Success is contagious—be around those who aim high.</li></ul>

Surround Yourself with Big Thinkers

Look at things as they can be, not as they are.

<ul><li>See yourself succeeding before it happens—visualization builds belief.</li><li>Champions mentally rehearse their success before they achieve it.</li><li>Picture your goals clearly, and your mind will guide you toward them.</li></ul>

The Power of Visualization

Success is determined not so much by the size of one’s brain as by the size of one’s thinking.

<ul><li>Thinking big is the first step, but action is what turns dreams into reality.</li><li>Every great success started with someone daring to believe in something bigger.</li><li>Don’t settle—think big, act boldly, and watch your life transform.</li></ul>

Final Thoughts: Dream Big, Act Bigger

Those who believe they can move mountains, do. Those who believe they can’t, cannot. Belief triggers the power to do

The timeless and practical advice in The Magic of Thinking Big clearly demonstrates how you can: <ul><li>Sell more</li><li>Manage better</li><li>Lead fearlessly</li><li>Earn more</li><li>Enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life </li><li>With applicable and easy-to-implement insights, you’ll discover:</li><li>Why believing you can succeed is essential</li><li>How to quit making excuses</li><li>The means to overcoming fear and finding confidence</li><li>How to develop and use creative thinking and dreaming</li><li>Why making (and getting) the most of your attitudes is critical</li><li>How to think right towards others</li><li>The best ways to make “action” a habit</li><li>How to find victory in defeat</li><li>Goals for growth, and</li><li>How to think like a leader</li></ul>  "Believe Big,” says Schwartz. “The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier -- certainly no more difficult - than small ideas and small plans."

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

David Joseph Schwartz PhD (March 23, 1927 – December 6, 1987) was an American motivational writer and coach, best known for authoring The Magic of Thinking Big in 1959.He was a professor at Georgia State University and also began his own work as a self-help coach and life strategist. Later, he founded his own consultancy firm focusing on leadership development called 'Creative Educational Services Inc'.He became well known through his motivational publications and self-help books, especially for The Magic of Thinking Big, published in 1959.

David J. Schwartz

The Magic of Thinking Big

Trauma impacts the brain's structure and function, particularly in areas related to memory, emotion, and self-regulation. The body holds onto this trauma in ways that can lead to long-term physical and psychological consequences.

Trauma Affects the Body and Brain:

Traditional talk therapies can be insufficient for trauma recovery. Van der Kolk emphasizes the role of the body in healing trauma, noting that somatic (body-based) experiences are key in overcoming trauma’s grip

The Importance of the Body in Healing

Traumatized individuals often experience fragmented or dissociative memories. The traumatic events might not be processed as coherent narratives, and these disjointed memories can resurface unpredictably.

Trauma and Memory

The brain is capable of change throughout life, a process called neuroplasticity. Trauma can alter brain functioning, but therapeutic interventions can help rewire the brain and promote recovery.

Neuroplasticity

Trauma activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, which can become stuck in a heightened state. This dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system leads to chronic stress, anxiety, and hypervigilance.

The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System:

Healthy, supportive relationships play a critical role in healing trauma. Building trust and connection with others is a central element in therapeutic recovery.

The Power of Relationships

Van der Kolk advocates for trauma-informed therapies, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), yoga, and neurofeedback. These methods help individuals reconnect with their bodies and regulate their emotions.

The Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Approaches

Traumatized people often feel disconnected from their bodies, experiencing a lack of agency, control, or safety. Reconnecting with the body through movement, mindfulness, and other practices is essential for healing.

Disconnection from the Body

Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes how childhood trauma profoundly impacts brain development and emotional regulation. Traumatic experiences in early life can lead to dysregulated stress responses, difficulty forming secure relationships, and persistent feelings of fear and helplessness. Children exposed to trauma often struggle with emotional numbing, hypervigilance, and trouble processing emotions, which can affect their ability to function in adulthood. Van der Kolk highlights the importance of early intervention and therapeutic approaches like trauma-focused therapy and mindfulness.

The Impact of Childhood Trauma

Van der Kolk emphasizes that while trauma has far-reaching effects, healing is possible. By understanding the relationship between mind, brain, and body, trauma survivors can learn to reestablish a sense of safety, control, and connection.

Hope for Healing

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk examines how trauma reshapes the brain and body. It discusses the impact of trauma on memory and emotions and highlights healing methods like EMDR, yoga, and neurofeedback, focusing on the importance of body-centered recovery.

#1 New York Times bestseller “Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” —Alexander McFarlane, Director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller   Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Bessel A. Van der Kolk is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Bessel A. Van der Kolk has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Bessel A. Van der Kolk's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Bessel A. Van der Kolk

The Body Keeps the Score

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