Author: This Is Your Brain producer
Some 6 million Americans suffer from active PTSD at any given moment, and nearly half of us will be exposed to major trauma at some point in our lives. Dr. Shaili Jain, a Stanford University psychiatrist and PTSD specialist, explains why silence plays such a large role in the aftermath of trauma, why some people recover quickly and others don’t, and why men experience more trauma but women are more likely to develop PTSD. Plus… mitigating trauma with the help of “man’s best friend.” Phil Stieg: Hello I’ like to welcome Dr. Shaili Jain, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences…
Superstitions, fairy tales, and talismans are more than silly remnants of our early human history — they are bridges to the unconscious mind. Psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, talks about just how complicated the unconscious is, and how rituals and fairy tales actually make us more sophisticated managers of our conscious mind. Phil Stieg: Hello. I’d like to welcome to Professor Daniel Lieberman. He specializes in clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences and has recently and has recently written a book, “Spellbound Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind”. Let’s learn how our conscious mind communicates…
With the left hemisphere of her brain ravaged by a hemorrhage, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor made a surprising discovery. The brain bleed had not only deprived her of language, it had also wiped away memory of past trauma. What Dr. Taylor learned about brain cells after a stroke has implications for identity, spirituality, and insight. Find out why you’re a better lie detector without your left hemisphere, and why shouting at a stroke survivor is not the best strategy. Plus – the “Singing Brain Banker”. Phil Stieg: Hello, I’d like to welcome Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroscientist and author of The…
We all work on important tasks while we sleep – consolidating memories, building immunity, and managing weight, just for starters – but some of us do a whole lot more. From walking and talking to driving and committing crimes, sleep disorders can be disruptive, dangerous, and downright deadly. British neurologist and sleep expert Guy Leschziner explains how different parts of the brain can be in different stages of sleep at the same time, how the most common sleep disorder is actually several different problems, and why poor sleep may cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences. Plus – how some animals sleep…
Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point’s Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you’re about to do something great. Plus… why Ted Lasso wants us all to be a little more like goldfish.Phil Stieg: Hello, and welcome to Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of performance psychology for the United…
Did you ever notice when you see a close up of Julia Roberts smiling on the big screen, you have an urge to smile back? That’s an effect of your brain’s “Mirror Rule” according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University. Watching movies in a theater stimulates the signals in our brains more than almost any other activity. Dr. Zacks investigates the various ways your brain is being manipulated while you are watching movies – including how propaganda movies embed into your memory more powerfully than books or any other medium. Plus – how “the talkies” changed us! Phil Stieg:…