This episode of the Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan podcast explores neuroscience principles to rewire the brain for success. John Assaraf explains the roles of the brain's "Einstein" and "Frankenstein's Monster" parts - one envisioning positive future outcomes, the other triggering stress responses. He discusses how our subconscious patterns drive automatic thoughts and behaviors, yet can be reshaped through understanding triggers and deliberately practicing small positive changes.
Assaraf provides practical techniques like controlled breathing exercises to induce relaxation and manage anxiety. The conversation also covers developing empowering habits by identifying rewards that reinforce desired behaviors and tapping into emotional motivation through visualization exercises. Listeners will gain insights into consciously building habits and mindsets to overcome self-limiting patterns.
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John Assaraf explains the brain has an "Einstein" part for imagining a positive future and a "Frankenstein's Monster" part that triggers stress responses. Our subconscious mind drives automatic thoughts, negative or positive. Neuroplasticity allows rewiring neural pathways to develop empowering habits and mindsets.
Assaraf states our brains rapidly recall negative experiences. Replacing each negative thought with three positive ones improves our mindset. Actors demonstrate how emotions can be flipped on demand to gain control over negative patterns.
Assaraf likens beliefs, habits, self-image, and self-worth to "neuromuscles" that can be developed. Making small, gradual changes in thinking and behavior builds these "neuromuscles." Dedicated practices like self-talk and emotional awareness reinforce positive thought patterns.
The "Frankenstein's Monster" brain part is an early warning system to protect from harm, Assaraf explains. However, focusing on negative possibilities causes present stress and anxiety.
Assaraf introduces "take six, calm the circuit" breathing technique: six slow breaths through nose. This calms the stress response by allowing the "Einstein brain" to re-engage. Mindfully observing thoughts prevents negative patterns.
Assaraf states habits have triggers and rewards reinforcing them. Recognizing triggers allows inserting new behaviors to form new habits, like placing water by the coffee maker.
Visualizing goals activates brain's reward centers, enhancing motivation, Assaraf notes. Start small, like one healthier meal daily, and emotionally connect with achieving results to build empowering patterns.
1-Page Summary
John Assaraf delves into the fascinating realm of the human brain and the subconscious mind, explaining how they shape our existence through neural circuits, subconscious patterns, and the potential for transformation through neuroplasticity.
Assaraf describes the brain as having two metaphorical parts: the "Einstein" part that is capable of imagining a positive future, and the "Frankenstein's Monster," an early warning detection system that triggers stress responses. The "Frankenstein" component is located in the right prefrontal cortex and amygdala and activates during situations that may involve danger or negative social outcomes like embarrassment, rejection, or disappointment.
Assaraf, with a long history in studying the conscious and subconscious mind, explains that thoughts bubble up from our subconscious mind as either negative (red bubbles) or positive (blue bubbles). Our brains tend to recall negative or traumatic experiences more rapidly than positive ones. By recognizing negative thoughts and intentionally focusing on positive ones, we can shift our perspective. Assaraf advises that for every negative thought, replacing it with three positive thoughts can significantly improve our positive to negative thought ratio, reducing the frequency of automatic negative thoughts.
In managing emotions, Assaraf suggests that we can flip our emotions on demand, similar to how an actor changes emotions for a scene, allowing us to gain control over habitual negative emotional patterns.
Assaraf highlights the brain's ability to rewire itself - neuroplasticity - and how it can be utilized to upgrade our mental "software." He likens beliefs, habits, self-image, and self-worth to "neuromuscles" that can be developed and strengthened through methods s ...
The Science of the Brain and Subconscious Mind
John Assaraf and Heather Monahan discuss how to manage stress and anxiety by understanding the brain's stress responses and applying breathing techniques to shift to a state of relaxation.
Assaraf explains that the part of our brain, which he refers to as "Frankenstein's Monster," triggers stress responses and acts as an early warning detection mechanism. He emphasizes that these signals aim to protect us from emotional, mental, physical, or financial harm, much like the automatic protective response of jumping back onto the sidewalk when a car is heard, demonstrating the evolutionary purpose behind stress. However, Assaraf warns that focusing on negative possibilities and staying in a future-oriented mindset can cause present stress and anxiety.
Assaraf suggests that stress responses, while initially protective, can become problematic if they turn into automatic subconscious processes and create a loop of negative emotional patterns. To interrupt these patterns, he introduces the "take six, calm the circuit" breathing technique. This involves taking six slow, deep breaths through the nose, filling the diaphragm and lungs, and then exhaling slowly through the lips as if blowing through a straw. Assaraf explains that this technique helps calm the sympathetic nervous system by redirecting bl ...
Techniques For Managing Stress and Anxiety
John Assaraf delves into the process of habit formation and how to create empowering habits and mindsets for positive change.
Assaraf points out that discipline itself is a habit, and we can make changes easier by developing new habits.
Every habit has a trigger and a reward that reinforces the behavior. Assaraf emphasizes that to change a habit, one must first be aware of what triggers the behavior, as most behavior is automatic and habitual. By recognizing the triggers, one can insert new behaviors to form new habits. He suggests tactics such as placing a glass of water near the coffee maker to ensure drinking water before coffee or placing running shoes in a usual spot to encourage exercise. Stopping adverse habits, like eating sugar, can also be achieved through a replacement strategy—swapping out sugary foods for those high in protein and fiber with stevia, for example, which satisfies the same craving.
By taking small actions, such as stretching for a minute daily or choosing a healthier meal once a day, and visualizing making healthier decisions, neural pathways begin to form around these empowering habits. Assaraf suggests starting with simple, easily achievable habits to ensure consistency and to avoid overwhelming the brain, which builds empowering patterns over time. He also notes that setting goals activates the brai ...
Strategies For Developing Empowering Habits and Mindsets
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