Taming Your Amygdala

Anxiety shows up in a lot of different ways and can permeate every aspect of your life. The good news is that although it can feel confusing and overwhelming - as if things will never get better - it is possible to retrain your brain and put yourself back in the driver's seat. In Taming Your Amygdala, clinical psychologist Dr. Catherine Pittman offers scientific insight, clear explanations, and simple brain-based strategies to help you overcome excessive worry, anxiety, and fear. Based on the principles of neuroscience and cognitive behavioral therapy, the tools in this workbook will teach you the "language of the amygdala" so you can: - Understand how and why your brain gets "hijacked" by anxiety and fear - Identify and cope with anxiety triggers and stuck points - Develop new, adaptive coping skills to prevent and reduce anxious thoughts and feelings - Live your life to the fullest, breaking free of the limits of chronic anxiety, paralyzing worry, or debilitating panic

"A chronic sense of unease. Nagging what-ifs. Worry about what other people think. Paralyzing phobias. Full-blown panic attacks. Anxiety shows up in a lot of different ways and can permeate every aspect of your life. The good news is that although it can feel confusing and overwhelming -- as if things will never get better -- it is possible to retrain your brain and put yourself back in the driver's seat. In Taming Your Amygdala, clinical psychologist Dr. Catherine Pittman offers scientific insight, clear explanations, and simple brain-based strategies to help you overcome excessive worry, anxiety, and fear. Based on the principles of neuroscience and cognitive behavioral therapy, the tools in this workbook will teach you the 'language of the amygdala' so you can: Understand how and why your brain gets 'hijacked' by anxiety and fear; Identify and cope with anxiety triggers and stuck points; Develop new, adaptive coping skills to prevent and reduce anxious thoughts and feelings; Live your life to the fullest, breaking free of the limits of chronic anxiety, paralyzing worry, or debilitating panic." -- From back cover.

Do you ever wonder what is happening inside your brain when you feel anxious, panicked, and worried? In Rewire Your Anxious Brain, psychologist Catherine Pittman and author Elizabeth Karle offer a unique, evidence-based solution to overcoming anxiety based in cutting-edge neuroscience and research. In the book, you will learn how the amygdala and cortex (both important parts of the brain) are essential players in the neuropsychology of anxiety. The amygdala acts as a primal response, and oftentimes, when this part of the brain processes fear, you may not even understand why you are afraid. By comparison, the cortex is the center of “worry.” That is, obsessing, ruminating, and dwelling on things that may or may not happen. In the book, Pittman and Karle make it simple by offering specific examples of how to manage fear by tapping into both of these pathways in the brain. As you read, you’ll gain a greater understanding how anxiety is created in the brain, and as a result, you will feel empowered and motivated to overcome it. The brain is a powerful tool, and the more you work to change the way you respond to fear, the more resilient you will become. Using the practical self-assessments and proven-effective techniques in this book, you will learn to literally “rewire” the brain processes that lie at the root of your fears.

Taming the Anxious Mind deconstructs the complex treatment of anxiety and stress disorders into a user-friendly and action-oriented guidebook. Parables, infographics, charts, and illustrations supplement the material and creates a more digestible approach to psychological content.

FINALLY, THE BREAKTHROUGH BOOK THAT PUTS YOU BACK IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE Most of us have met our Outer Child once too often. The self-sabotaging, bungling, and impulsive part of the personality. This misguided, hidden nemesis—the devil on your shoulder—blows your diet, overspends, and ruins your love life. A menacing older sibling to your emotionally needy Inner Child, your Outer Child acts out and fulfills your legitimate childlike needs and wants in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in counterproductive ways: It goes for immediate gratification and the quick fix in spite of your best-laid plans. Food, attention, emotional release—your Outer Child usually gets what it wants, and your Adult self can feel powerless to stop it. Now, in a revolutionary rethinking of the link between emotion and behavior, veteran psychotherapist and theoretician Susan Anderson offers a three-step, paradigm-shifting program to tame your Outer Child’s destructive behavior. This dynamic, transformational set of strategies—action steps that act like physical therapy for the brain—calms your Inner Child, strengthens your Adult Self and releases you from the self-blame and shame that are the root of Outer Child issues, and paves new neural pathways that can lead to more productive behavior. Discover • the common Outer Child personality types, including the Drama Queen; the Master of Disguise; My Way or No Way; and Love the Getting, not the Having • proven techniques to resolve underlying sources of self-sabotage • insights that will allow you to stop blaming your supposed “lack of willpower” for your problems • key strategies for healing the painful issues of your past • mental exercises that effectively deal with Outer Child challenges around food, procrastination, love, debt, depression, and more As your head, heart, and behavior come together and learn to help, not hurt, one another, your strong Adult Self, contented Inner child, and tamed Outer child will become a reality. The result is happiness and fulfillment, self-mastery, and self-love. From the Hardcover edition.

A take-anywhere toolkit to short-circuit anxiety and rewire your brain for lasting calm. Do you struggle with anxiety? Has it taken over your life or affected your relationships? Do you feel like chronic worry and rumination are holding you back from being your best, achieving your goals, or just enjoying your day-to-day life? Get a crash course in neuroscience with this slimmed down guide—full of the actionable tools you need to face anxiety head on. In this practical yet powerful guide, psychologist and neuroscience expert Catherine Pittman—author of Rewire Your Anxious Brain—introduces 50 new ways to work with your brain’s neural connections to find lasting, effective relief from your worst anxiety symptoms. The chapters of this book can be used in any order, as needed, to give you the information you need to act now, whether you’re at home or on the go. Also included are quick skills to help you soothe an anxious or stressed-out brain through physical movement, identify what you care about, and banish toxic thinking before it leads to rumination. The brain is a powerful tool, and the more you work to change the way you respond to fear, the more resilient you will become. Using the practical and proven-effective techniques in this book, you will literally “rewire” the brain processes at the root of your fears!

How to rewire your brain to improve virtually every aspect of your life-based on the latest research in neuroscience and psychology on neuroplasticity and evidence-based practices Not long ago, it was thought that the brain you were born with was the brain you would die with, and that the brain cells you had at birth were the most you would ever possess. Your brain was thought to be “hardwired” to function in predetermined ways. It turns out that's not true. Your brain is not hardwired, it's "softwired" by experience. This book shows you how you can rewire parts of the brain to feel more positive about your life, remain calm during stressful times, and improve your social relationships. Written by a leader in the field of Brain-Based Therapy, it teaches you how to activate the parts of your brain that have been underactivated and calm down those areas that have been hyperactivated so that you feel positive about your life and remain calm during stressful times. You will also learn to improve your memory, boost your mood, have better relationships, and get a good night sleep. Reveals how cutting-edge developments in neuroscience, and evidence-based practices can be used to improve your everyday life Other titles by Dr. Arden include: Brain-Based Therapy-Adult, Brain-Based Therapy-Child, Improving Your Memory For Dummies and Heal Your Anxiety Workbook Dr. Arden is a leader in integrating the new developments in neuroscience with psychotherapy and Director of Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente for the Northern California Region Explaining exciting new developments in neuroscience and their applications to daily living, Rewire Your Brain will guide you through the process of changing your brain so you can change your life and be free of self-imposed limitations.

""True leadership means freeing yourself from fear and charting a purpose-filled path. This book helps readers unlock their potential for growth by saying goodbye to their 'crocodiles' and fostering a supportive environment"--Provided by publisher"--