HUMANIST SECULAR SCIENCE STARS: SCHWARTZ & GLADDING: 1-3-22

ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY
HUMANIST SECULAR SCIENCE STARS
SCHWARTZ & GLADDING
January 3, 2022

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YOU ARE NOT YOUR BRAIN:
The 4-step solution for changing
bad habits, ending unhealthy thinking
and taking control of your life
by Jeffrey Schwartz and Rebecca Gladding.
Avery/Penguin Group, 2011
(362 pages)

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"deceptive brain message;"

"Wise Advocate"

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BOOK OUTLINE
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note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages

INTRODUCTION (xi-xx)

PART 1 — A SENSE OF SELF (1-99)

1) YOU ARE NOT YOUR BRAIN (3-29)

Summary = (28-29)

2) USING YOUR MIND TO CHANGE YOUR BRAIN — The power of Self-directed neuroplasticity and meaningful goals (30-59)

note = Finding the time (57=59)

3) WHY HABITS ARE SO HARD TO BREAK (60-72)

Summary = (71-72)

4) WHY THESE SENSATIONS FEEL SO REAL — The biology of deceptive brain messages (73-81)

Summary = (80-81)

5) A NEW SENSE OF SELF — Overcoming your deceptive brain messages with the four steps (82-99)

Summary = (99)

PART 2 — THE SKILLS (101-294)

6) IGNORING, MINIMIZING, AND NEGLECTING — How deceptive brain messages distort your view of yourself (103-124)

7) MOVING FORWARD WITH THE FOUR STEPS — Tips and recommendations (125-143)

Summary = (143)

8) YOU CAN'T CHANGE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE — The power of awareness and STEP 1: RELABEL (144-)

note = Sample questions to ask yourself before acting or avoiding (177)

Summary = (178)

9) CHANGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO DECEPTIVE BRAIN MESSAGES WITH STEP 2: REFRAME (179-199)

10) REFRAMING YOUR THINKING ERRORS (200-237)

Summary = (236-237)

11) THE POWER IS IN THE FOCUS: STEP 3: REFOCUS (238-273)

Summary = (272-273)

12) PROGRESSIVE MINDFULNESS AND STEP 4: REVALUE (274-294)

PART 3 — APPLYING THE FOUR STEPS TO YOUR LIFE (295-345)

13) WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? IS THIS A TRUE EMOTION OR AN EMOTIONAL SENSATION? (297-308)

14) USING THE FOUR STEPS TO HELP YOU MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR LIFE (309-334)

15) PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER (335-345)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (347-349)

RECOMMENDED READING (351)

INDEX (353-362)

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AUTHOR NOTES, SUMMARY,
AND BOOK DESCRIPTION
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AUTHOR NOTES = Jeffrey M. Schwartz M. D. is a psychiatrist and researcher in neuroplasticity and its connection to obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is a believer in mind/body dualism and feels that science and religion should not be separated. Dr. Schwartz coined the term Brain Lock to describe obsessive-compulsive behavior and the treatment plan he formulated and wrote about in his book Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior. In his book Schwartz claims that obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) are a result of a bio-chemical imbalance where brain functions will get "locked" in an obsessive-compulsive pattern and that OCD can be self-treated by following four steps. His book outlines these steps as Relabel, Reattribute, Refocus and Revalue. His other books include The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force and You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life. – Bowker Author Biography.

SUMMARY = Two neuroscience experts explain how their Four Step Method can help break free of unhealthy thoughts and actions-and change bad habits for good. The book is the one readers of Jeffrey Schwartz's bestseller book, Brain Lock, have been asking for.

BOOK DESCRIPTION = The key to getting the life you want is to make your brain work for you, and Schwartz and Gladding supply the necessary tools in their Four Step Method. This book not only breaks down why we were plagued by habits that are not in line with our ultimate goals but also provides the guidance and support for change. While scientifically founded in cutting-edge brain research, this easy-to-follow program will teach you how to find your loving, smart inner guide and lead a more fulfilling and empowered life.

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EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEW
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PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW = Using research based on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, U.C.L.A. psychiatrists Schwartz (The Mind and the Brain) and Gladding have developed a program that helps patients literally change the brain pathways that lead to unhealthy behavior-from obsessively checking e-mail to self-hatred to drug addiction. Aspects of their common-sense scientific approach include: understanding how the brain works; understanding what constitutes a "deceptive brain message;" acting as one's own Wise Advocate by analyzing the effects of any choice and picking the one likely to lead to a positive result; setting and prioritizing goals, and more. Success depends on the patient's innate ability to reason and focus on healthy alternatives to the preferred or automatic behavior.

Changing one's "willpower" can essentially change the brain, the authors argue, and the methods will work as long as the desire to change is there. Though Schwartz and Gladding add a fascinating self-actualizing component of choice and control, readers may have trouble grasping the more science-heavy passages, such as why addiction happens at the cellular level or neuroscience theory.

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RECOMMENDATION: You may print this pdf version and read it and edit it by adding or deleting ideas. Then, you can read your edited version of these ideas according to a reinforcement schedule. This strategy can help you take advantage of the power of the spaced-repetition method of memorization. Such deep introspection can strengthen your willpower and increase your self-esteem by changing your adaptable self-identity.

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