Have you ever felt like you were meant to do something?
I guess you could say it’s a calling, or maybe just an instinct.
For me, it came in the summer of 2005 . . .
. . . the three people I was closest to were all touched by some kind of negative neuroplasticity – their brains were sick.
My mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, my father had just had viral encephalitis, and my dear partner had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
I had always been very interested in the brain because I knew that it was key to everything, from happiness to health and relationships, but now I was getting a first-hand glimpse of just how critical the brain really was.
That was almost 10 years ago. Both Christine and my mother have passed on now, but the Reverend just celebrated his 90th birthday this week (Happy Birthday, Dad).
So every year, when I sit down to think about developing the brain series, I remember how I felt back then.
And I think about how important it is for everyone – practitioners and clients – to know the best techniques to keep the brain healthy and strong, because the brain affects almost everything you do.
And that’s why the New Brain Science webinar series is so near and dear to my heart.
Beyond that, our goal is to put together a series that doesn’t just present the information, it helps you learn how you can apply it – to your life, and with the people you work with.
It’s about so much more than helping “sick brains;” it’s about keeping the brain we each have, whether it’s healthy or not, in the best shape possible.
What’s especially encouraging (comforting, even) is that there are so many effective ways to do it.
I am so proud of the 2014 New Brain Science series, and I was moved by the record number of people who attended each webinar.
It’s the kind of series I hoped to put together after that telling summer, back in 2005. And I hope it touched your life as much as it did mine.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the brain series, here’s the link. Even though the sale is over, you can still purchase it to get in on the action.
And if you were able to be part of the series, what touched you the most? What technique or idea will have the biggest impact on your practice or your life? Please let us know in the comments section below.
both LG and LiteOn makes a great performing dvd burner, they also feature those anti-shock mount`
‘The Wounded Healer’ works best every time.
I salute you for making good out of your stress filled life events.
Glad you did not only keep this valuable knowledge to yourself, in your country but that you are willing to share it with the rest of the world.
Keep up the good work.
Gene
Dear Ruth,
Thank you very much and I really appreciate your openness for sharing your personal story. I find it very touching. It is really encouraging to see how you gave meaning to difficult moments in your own life.
It is my second time following NICABM Webinar series and I find them very helpful.
I find it very useful to take the gold membership this time, so I can follow the series on my own pace.
with respect and gratitude,
Iriola
Thank you so much for sharing your story and developing this presentation. It has been like a feast, reminding me of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday that she describes as “food for the soul.” I have been hungry for more knowledge on the mind-body connection and how I can support my clients with a framework for change.
Thank you, Thank you!!
Ruth I just ordered a copy of the brain series for a family friend who recently partnered in a new counseling office in northern Michigan as a gift. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me. I am sure he will make good use of all the materials in his new endeavor. My thanks to you and your staff for such an informative series. Learned a lot and enjoyed it more than I can express.
Jettie MacRitchie
Ruth, this is the second webinar I have taken with NICABM, and I have really enjoyed both of them. The presentations have been very interesting, stimulating and cutting edge; the format so convenient. The speakers have been exceptional and you have compiled a great program each time; thank you for your efforts! I also appreciate your engaging,friendly style and your willingness to share openly. I lost my partner to cancer in 2009, and felt a bond when you shared your loss. Thank you again, and take good care. Deb
Thank you so much, Ruth, for the stimulation that the two Webinar series (the 2013 Trauma series and 2014 New Brain series) have provided to me. As a gold member in both cases, I could really fully appreciate your dedication to this worthy endeavor. In particular, congratulations for the quality and pertinence of your guests, as well as the excellence of the supporting texts. Your recent message about “Summer 2005” touched a chord for me as my own family context has some similarities with yours, and indeed this has been also one of my personal motivations in studying these critically important topics. This is a new and exciting field of research for me (my own specialty being molecular structural biology) and I hope shortly to be able to get back to you with a number of relevant comments and questions.
Very best regards,
Monique Erard, PhD
Deep gratitude for sharing your personal story which touches the most vulnerable part we all have in common, it seems… Even though I managed to follow only Dr. Helen Fisher’s seminar, I learned quite a lot and really appreciated the talkback, it is definitely worth repeating.
Keep up the great work. Love and blessings xxx
I am deeply grateful – yes, I learned to be more vocal about my gratitude during your series to each speaker and commenter. Each person contributed a piece of the puzzle I am working on to lift my life and, hopefully, others. Thank you and may you all find happiness and peace.
The biggest take away for me came from Bruce Lipton — thoughts are powerful!!
Thank you for a great series, Ruth – and for sharing your story here.
Regards, Deri
Thank you very much for sharing your story. it is always inspiring to see how wonderful things come from pain and loss.
I would like participants who speak Spanish to check EL VIAJE DE LUIS. It is a great new book about a father who refused to let his 12 year old son live a limited life after having an accident and being death for 20 minutes. The book is about how the father created a plan to rehabilitate Luis’ brain and body. When Luis left the hospital, he couldn’t talk, moved the left side of his body and was blind. Just Fourteen months later, Luis was completely recuperated… going to school, walking, running, playing music, talking… Fourteen months later, he was living a normal life. The book also has 90 pages about the medical studies, resources and where to find the material that his father, José Manuel Gil, used to rehabilitate Luis.
When we talk about travel, immediately think of remote places, landscapes to discover, in perhaps intense emotions. But the chronicle of a journey can also be the testimony of a complex personal experience. This is the journey of Louis; since his accident which nearly cost him his life, until his miraculous recovery and integration into daily life.
However, the journey of this 12 year old can also be the trip of anyone. It is the realization of life recovered, a touching story told to inspire, help and give strength to those who are faced with a dire situation. A firsthand guide, written by a strong father with all his emotions, but also their useful rationality, that motivated this miracle explained by science. Therapies and scientific knowledge described here will also endeavor to keep your brain in good shape and want to delay the aging intellectual, decreasing the likelihood of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke or other ailments . This book is a passionate defense of courage. If one person, furnish him momentum, confidence and strength necessary to get ahead, then it will be worth it.
However, the journey of this 12 year old can also be the trip of anyone. It is the realization of life recovered, a touching story told to inspire, help and give strength to those who are faced with a dire situation. A firsthand guide, written by a strong father with all his emotions, but also their useful rationality, that motivated this miracle explained by science.
Therapies and scientific knowledge described here will also endeavor to keep your brain in good shape and want to delay the aging intellectual, decreasing the likelihood of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke or other ailments.
What stands out for me is the question comment period. I find the three of you very insightful. Thank you for making the series available to those who ha ve limited funds and in a more elaborate form to those able to get the gold..
Hello Ruth,
Many thanks for sharing your story with us – it is remarkable that you were so strong.
Now you have been able to help so many others, and continue to do so by further developing the Brain Series.
I have read through most of the Webinars – and have been encouraged to continue. All the information received has been most educational. I especially liked learning about the three operating systems of the Brain. Everything – our emotions, decisions etc. etc. is controlled by this amazing organ and what is great is that when we exercise and eat healthily we improve our brain function too. I want to strive for a “High Performance Brain”!! I will read through again Dr. Goleman’s “Why Concentration Can Make Your Brain More Powerful” – so much to learn there.
I lost my brother (age 61) to brain cancer in August last year and my mum who had Alzheimer’s for some years passed away on 10th February – so it has been an emotional year for me.
Keep well, Susan
Dear Ruth, thanks for the Brain webinar series. I particularly enjoyed Dr Rick Hanson and his practical approach to hardwiring happiness by taking in the good. Understanding the evolutionary reasons behind our behavior has removed the ‘blame’ toward myself and others both personally and in my professional work. I also appreciated Ricks humility and self disclosure. The practical approach to taking in the good was particularly helpful and I have already experienced the benefits of this practice.
As a parent I was also very impressed by Dr Dan Siegel’s research and very lucid explanation for why adolescents behave and think the way they do. I wish I had known about him earlier when my now 19 year old daughter was entering puberty…..I may have dealt with what I perceived as her ‘defiance’ somewhat differently. (I also might have had more sleep and developed less grey hair!!) It is so common for us adults to label adolescents negatively, but this stage of life as explained by Dan now makes perfect sense.
I also love the discussions you have with Kelly and Ron at the end of each webinar. They are so articulate in their explanations and analysis of what’s been presented.
My only criticism is that with the time zone conversion, the Webinars air here in Brisbane at an inconvenient time. On the plus side, this forced me to buy the Gold Membership which I am so glad I did.
Thank you so much. This series has been truly life changing for me and will have flow on effects to both those immediately around me and to my clients.
Carmen 🙂
Dear Ruth:
I have listened to the entire series, some more than once, and not yet printed the pdf’s but intend to do so in order to study for the ceu’s. Even without the added motivation of the ceu’s, this was a spectacular series. Much of my clinical work is with addicts who have significant relapse histories. The brain information I share with them is enhanced by much of what is in this series. It reduces shame when they realize addiction is a brain disease. Thank you for all the work you put into delivering this excellent series.
Thank you too for sharing some of your own personal history. The best teachers do that.
Namaste, Sandra
I have been so moved by the “Brain” series and have shared my new knowledge and enthusiasm with our Sangha ( small Buddhist community). I cannot thank you enough for the diversity and equanimity of the presenters. I take each lesson into my life with much gratitude and love.
Deep bows to all!
Goodness, this seems to be the day for Canadians to comment so let me add my thanks and admiration for this fabulous series and the other recent ones which I have been privileged to view on my computer. Presenters always have interesting and expansive ideas and the commentators add considerable value to our understanding of the topic. Great facilitation by you, Ruth and thanks for sharing your personal story too. Tough dealing with brain disorders in our loved ones.
Many happy returns to your Dad. Now, off to the library to search out some of the books mentioned in the series: no doubt some will end up on my bookshelf too.
Dear Ruth,
Thank you very much for sharing such a personal story, I am sorry about the loss of your loved ones, I am in a state of true admiration about how you decided to overcome a perhaps some of the most sad events of your life. On the other hand “Happy 90 Birthday” to your Dad!.
I enjoy the webinars, a no tangible aspect of the series for me, it is your facilitator skills, in my case I love to observe the facilitators at Scientific Conferences and in my opinion you are leading the way, CONGRATULATIONS Ruth!.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for the generosity of NICABM in making all of this cutting edge knowledge so available and for being the organization that for the first time is bringing an inter professional team to work and collaborate towards common goals in such an exemplary way.
Dear Ruth,
Thank you for sharing your story, it is always inspiring and amazing to me to see how such wonderful things come from such pain and loss.
The series was fantastic and I have learned so much. I love the science behind the series and that it was presented in a way that someone with out medical background can understand. I have found books that these wonderful speakers have published to be tools that I can recommend to those clients that are unsure of why I ask them to try something out and how I know it will change their lives.
Thank you to everyone who participated in creating this series and sharing such great information.
Cindy
Ruth,
What an inspirational story! Thank you for sharing your pain, humanness and wisdom and modeling what brain science teaches.
FOREVER GRATEFUL, is what I can say about this Webinar. DR.RUTH, my heart and Universal Love goes out to you. I have gained so much personal brain power and understanding from your incredible SPEAKERS and their insights into the world of our BRAIN. Many of the concepts, I believe, we intuitively knew and now with MRI’S and such we can verify this.
I was able to borrow the money for the GOLD and as a gold panner, this was the best gold to find. My life has been a life of COMPLEX TRAUMA. From pre birth, the brain wired into a Survival Brain. I have spent it trying to undo my brain perception and how I react. I have just had my second heart attack (2 weeks ago)due to my inability to control my stress. Many other symptoms but stress has been my biggest bane. Meditation and focus tasks are what will make the biggest difference as well as teaching my brain what happiness is not what it believes it is . My frontal cortex did not develop properly and now I have instructions on how to improve THAT . EXERCISE. If nothing else sticks to me, that, stood out. I know from past experience that I have felt more PRESENT, A PART OF AND WAY MORE FOCUSED. Understanding what is best for the brain health is Priceless to me. I must say that it also increases my disappointment in the Mental Health system. SPECIFICALLY THE DSM4. EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS NOT A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE. I DON’T HAVE DOWN SYNDROME NOR DO I HAVE DEMENTIA. I HAVE NOT SUFFERED A STROKE YET I AM TREATED AS IF I HAVE SOMETHING OF A HEALTH ISSUE. I HAVE HAD HEALTH ISSUES DUE TO AN OVER ACTIVE ADRENAL SYSTEM.
My hope is that we address how the children and their brain development is being programmed. If we take care of them at the root then we can save their future. Without bonding, the rest of life is very challenging. I am 55yrs young and when I recover, and I am determined , to implement these awesome tools. DR. RUTH, what you have given many of us who have found it difficult to navigate this incredibly complex world , is a priceless gift of POSSIBILITIES. I am educating myself and my therapist as well as the people in my life. Even the so called NORMIES., or is the politically correct term Average. Amazing what titles do to people, hey.
Many, many, Universal Blessings to everyone.
Ps.I am looking forward to Dr. Kelly. (Bonus) I found her to be extremely helpful and easy to understand. All your presenters, are a wealth of information and awesome in Their own right.
Dear Ruth,
Firstly I would love to thank you from the bottom of my heart for producing this series and I look forward to your next one and I will have no hesitation to sign on as a gold member again. Reason being…..not much of this training in the United Arab Emirates! And having the series online has made it so accessible and as a GM (oh, isn’t it nice to say that) I can watch over and over again.
I can’t really say which one has been the most helpful…..all of them are so precious in their own rights and I am watching over and over again to absorb all of the information, and there is a lot to take in. This is a fantastic and fascinating area of study and we can never stop learning! I am implementing the learning by adding the concepts into my sessions with clients and they love it!
So, well done and thank you again for your dedication.
Warmest regards, Sandra
Dear Ruth,
Your personal journey that motivated, inspired and gave you all that is required to put together this brilliant & very comprehensive series, is what touched me most.
One is filled with appreciation for what you have done over these past years.
I am humbled by the presenters, yourself included.
The understanding, & knowledge of the topics dealt with, in the series, will continue to deepen & integrate, as I complete and review the material.
It has increased my ability to be compassionate in more ways than I realise at this point.
This series, the excellent presenters, the way its done, is how humans can be, when the Heart and the Mind function as one system.
Thank you, with gratitude, Kwen
To have my 15 year old son watch Dan Seigal on Brainstorm and his hand model brain is a tool I never knew existed.
Boys like TOOLS.
Mind sight tools… We can all relate and apply with ease..
Thank you!
I LOVE being a Gold Member!
It makes me FEEL smart!!!
Many thanks, Ruth, for all your hard work to get the series going and thanks to you with your dialogue,the speakers are well grounded . Everyone listening to it, can follow them. I was able to share most of the webinars with my husband, great bonding experience apart from the new learning.
You are a great example with your personal story,how loss can turn to helping others in a very creative way.
Hope you keep a good balance in your life now, so we can enjoy your series for a long time.
I am retired, it is not easy to go to conferences and reading is much more stimulating after seeing the presenters. Great way to keep up with developments in the mental health field. Many thanks, Kati
Ruth, this series has been one of the most valuable seminars I have experienced. I pass on the info to my marketing clients and use it for raising my granddaughter. Thanks for sharing your story. <amy times we are called to help others by the tragedies we suffer.
I just received my copy of Brainstorm! I ordered it right after I listened to the last webinar in the series. I listened to all the webinars in this series and learned something from all of them. I also purchased several books by Rick Hanson. I gained many insights and helpful information to use in my own life and with everyone I am connected to. I am raising my teenage granddaughter so am very anxious to read Brainstorm. I’m so glad you were compelled to put this series together 9 years after your rough year of loosing your partner and your mother’s illness. Thank you for putting this program together, Ruth, I am very grateful. Happy 90th Birthday to your Dad!
Thank You Ruth. This series has helped me in so many ways. Cannot afford to be a Gold Member, yet I plug in when I am able. I suffered a TIA nearly three years ago and the lingering effects have left me bewildered and confused. Thanks to Rick Hanson I am slowly regaining my “happiness button” that somehow got switched off. My appetite and sense of smell and taste were also affected.
But the biggest lingering effect has to be ‘brain fog’. A cancer and chemo survivor told me to try medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil. Although only temporary, it staves off nearly all of the inability to ‘think straight’, and I find it to be a Godsend. The neurologists can find nothing wrong. yet I know my brain is not right. It is awful to feel this way…and with the help I have found here my suffering has become tolerable, and up until now, not extinct. Thanks Again for the series.
Thank you Ruth. The series is wonderful, challenging and provacative. Sometimes I just say “huh?” and sometimes it’s more of an “aha!” Thank you also for sharing your personal story. With love for you and your family, Lisa Macy/
Without going back to reveiw my notes, I can’t say exactly which information has been most helpful — but I do mention this series and the overall message to almost every client. Thanks so much for introducing us to the leaders in this critical new field, and for this quick method of scanning the big picture.
Dear Ruth,
I want to thank you so much for the Brain Series that you put together each year. I was even able to enroll in a couple at the Gold Membership level until I lost my job which gave me the funds to enroll in programs like this one. In addition to the learnings I received I was also able to earn CEU’s for my profession. Since being unemployed it has been difficult to earn CEU’s for my profession last year because of the cost. I currently live on a fixed income which makes it difficult to enroll each year, so I take in the free programs when available. Listening to the masters in brain science has helped me with understanding how to apply this information in my life and help others.
Thank you again for having the creative powers to develop this program.
Dave Shirley
PS: I doubt you read all these emails that post comments. However these are my thoughts on the matter.
Dave, thanks for your comment. I read all of them.
Ruth
Ruth, Thank you so much for all the work you’ve done on the brain and all the on-line techniques
you’ve learned to share the knowledge with us. And I most especially appreciate the personal
motivations behind this work that you shared today. It’s inspiring for those of us who have
suffered many losses to see the way you’ve been able to (presumably) move past the grief and
begin a new chapter of work helpful to people all around the world.
Ruth, Thank you for sharing your story. I do love and benefit greatly from the wonderful series. Like you, I chose to focus on a specific area of my profession following the death of my husband to Alzheimer’s disease in 2010. After 38 years of doing psychotherapy (with him, I might add) I have chosen to focus on loss, grief, and end of life issues.
I am truly sorry for the pain and losses you have experienced and I admire how you are “using” them as a springboard to helping others understand the brain with all its complexities. I am hoping next year’s series will have a speaker or two addressing specifically the brain during the caregiving of a beloved and the grief following a death. We all grieve in our lives and we all carry grief with us through life as we walk through losses. Our culture, being as death phobic as it is, has not supported or educated people well in terms of this normal human experience that we all share. Hopefully the grief community is helping to make changes in this area. Thank you again for these webinars. They are outstanding.
Ruth, I made a discovery after I made an attempt to create a video about something we’d incorporated into out lives or practice…mine was about *gratitude before sleep*. Here’s another
aha that it might help to share.
NLP teaches that one’s body posture and where the eyes focus changes our brain chemistry–for example– you cannot cry if you’re looking skyward. Try this one: When you are about to fall asleep,
SMILE. You may discover that when you awaken, you’ll feel happy. What a simple habit! What you go to sleep feeling gets wired in. Smiles encourage oxytocin.
Yes, Ruth, I agree with Bernadine.. without the heart, the brain has little meaningful purpose. Thank you for sharing your story. Your work and your communications have been very helpful to me. I, too have lost 3 important people in a small period of time (last year) and it has certainly given me lots of questions. Through reading and studying and learning via websites and articles and information such as your own, it has helped me create a better balance in order to have been able to deal with all of this grief. Thank you again for all you do ~
Ruth – thank you for sharing your story – much as I love the wonderful academic understanding that you bring to us in the series – it is the human story that is so essential to deepen our connections in this healing work – without the heart, feeling it’s way through life,f the brain has little meaningful purpose. B