Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of being taught by Dr. Siegel of the Mindsight Institute. I began my undergraduate degree as a Neuroscience major before switching to Psychology, and I earned a Minor in Cognitive Science. So, I have a deep passion and desire to understand the links between the brain and mind in order to assist children in healing. In our conference, Dr. Siegel discussed that a healthy mental state is indicative of integration of the pre-frontal cortex. Therefore, it is imperative that we as parents, educators, therapists, and society in general encourage our children to “grow their brains” or increase the integration of the pre-frontal cortex (the area that supports self-regulation, empathy, social conscience, etc).
Here are the 7 key components of the growing the brain:
- Adequate Sleep
- Proper nutrition (especially those Omega 3’s)
- Physical Activity
- Novel experiences
- Focus of attention
- Safety
- Mindful Awareness
The conference was so wonderful, and I am so excited to bring these techniques into helping my clients that are abuse survivors, suffer from anxiety, have difficulty regulating their own behaviors and emotions, and just generally desire to be more empathetic and socially conscience. I would encourage all of you to read Dr. Siegel’s “Whole Brain Child”. It will impact you.