Our brain, Our life, and Humanity are in

OUR hands.

TEEN BRAIN, BRILLIANT &

INSANE!

For 25,000 years we’ve been mistaken about what it means to be

HUMAN!

HUMAN NATURE is really a matter of

HUMAN HABIT!

OUR BRAINS ARE NEUTRAL - JUST

WAITING TO BE WIRED

THE GREAT EQUALIZER

HEAD = brain gym

BRAIN = muscle groups

NEUROPLASTICITY

 Circuitry

BRAIN ADAPTS TO LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES Congenital

Deficits Intentional Training

Illness Trauma

CONGENITAL DEFICITS

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA

war zones violence

Abuse

disasters

INJURY

Harlem Children’s Zone 11, 000 students

Spend 10 or more hours a day at the school

Immersion program in the school’s culture achievement & intellectual growth where it’s “cool” to be smart

There’s an unquestioned belief that students can and will succeed

ESSENTIAL BASIC BRAIN FACTS

OUR THREE BRAINS IN ONE

THE NEUROCHEMICAL IN CHARGE

HOW TO TAKE CONTROL

3 PART HUMAN BRAIN

Reptilian Brain

Animal Brain

Human Brain

REPTILIAN BRAIN

breathing

body temperature

elimination instinctive sexual

behavior territory, mates,

food is acquired by force

ANIMAL (MAMMALIAN) BRAIN = REPTILIAN BRAIN + Emotions

and Memory

Survival and Expansion

Human (Prefrontal Cortex) Brain offers EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING• analyze conflicting thoughts

• distinguish between good & bad, better &

best

• make long-term plans• anticipate future consequences & outcomes of actions

• work towards defined goals• manage emotions and negotiate differences for mutually beneficial outcome

BEING HUMAN

Why Do We Repeat Destructive Behavior?

Extreme RiskCrueltyViolence Substance Abuse

DOPAMINE

BFF or Worst Nightmare

SURVIVAL

DANGER

NOVELTY

FEAR ANXIETY

EXPANSION

DOPAMINE Heroin, Amphetamines, Cocaine, Alcohol

invincibility paranoia loss of reality ADDICTION

SURVIVALCONSUMING for

DOPAMINE

Fatty Foods

Sugary Foods and Beverages

Caffeine

Alcohol

“Fatty and Sugary Foods Addictive as Cocaine in

Growing Body of Science” Bloomberg News

Fatty foods and snacks, and drinks sweetened with sugar and high

fructose corn syrup

HIJACK the brain in ways that resemble

addictions to COCAINE, NICOTINE

Alcohol and other drugs

SURVIVAL

SEX FOR DOPAMINE

PORN

RAPE

SEXUAL ABUSE

SURVIVAL OPTIONALFEAR EXCITEMENT NOVELTY

FOR DOPAMINE

Aggression

Competition

Risky Behavior Porn

Gambling

VIOLENT MEDIA

Ringtones

WORRY!

focused on

Video Game, Film or Television

BRAINS TURN OFF

STARTLE

RESPONSE

INVOLUNTARY !

60 SECONDS

minds are focused

highly suggestible

alpha state

on automatic

BLANK SLATE

8,000 murders seen on TV by average child by age 12

200,000 violent acts, incl. 40,000 murders, seen on TV by age 18

  Percentage of most popular video games featuring

aggression or violence as the primary themes? 80%

8 -18 yr. olds using, computers, cell phones, televisions, and other electronic devices an average of 7 1/2 HOURS daily consuming media (Kaiser

Family Foundation)

Teens need 9+ hours of sleep. Without it – Lack of focus Behavior problems Health (weight & skin), and relationship issues

MORE FEAR =

MORE DOPAMINE =

LESS INTELLIGENT THINKING =

  LESS HUMANE CULURE 

U.S. MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERSDIRECTLY RELATED TO DOPAMINE LEVELS

SIX-FOLD INCREASE FROM 1955 TO 1987

DOUBLED FROM 1987 TO 2000 UP 75% 2000 – 2013    

DOPAMINE RELATED

ILLNESSES

OCD 1%

SCHIZOPHRENIA/PARANOIA 1.1%

BI-POLAR DISORDER 2.6%

AUTISM SPECTRUM 2.6% OF ALL MALE

CHILDREN

ADHD 10% OF CHILD/ADULT POPULATION National Institute Of

Health

TEEN BRAINS Brain maturity occurs 20-25

Fear, Anxiety and Reward functions in the Animal Brain develop

before Executive functions in the Human Brain (Prefrontal Cortex)

Rewards last longer

CONSEQUENCES OF MARIJUANA USEImpairs cognitive functions

Impairs coordination and balance

Increases heart rate

Impairs memory and learning skills

Sleep impairment

Addiction

Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis

Increases risk of schizophrenia in vulnerable

individuals

May increase risk of anxiety, depression, and a

-motivational syndrome

Daily consumption of cannabis in teens have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain due to decreased serotonin and increased dopamine, both involved with mood control, anxiety and stress. G. Gobbi, Research Institute, McGill University Health Centre

The risks of depression, attempted suicide(x7), use of illegal drugs (x18), and dependence on social welfare increased, while completion of high school or college decreased relative to dose, with daily cannabis users showing the strongest effects. F. Silins, University of New South Wales

cannabis

Individuals who are daily users of cannabis before age 17 are over 60% less likely to complete high school or obtain a degree compared to those who have never used the drug. The Lancet Journal of Psychiatry

WE are writing the software that

Wires Our Brains

INTENTIONALLY or

ACCIDENTALLY

Thoughts

Emotions

Behavior

ACCIDENTAL BRAIN WIRING

OUTSIDE

Circumstances  Others Media

INTENTIONAL BRAIN WIRING

INSIDE 

Who Owns Your Brain?

Re-wire ourselves & humanity 

  with

DELIBERATE

CHOICE Thoughts and Actions

Random Self-Talk

80% Random Self-Talk

Negative

If only. . . I’m such a jerk . . . LIFE IS HARD .

. . Why is everyone always against me . . . I never get a break . . .

Who can you trust? . . .

95% of Random Self-Talk

Re-Cycled

NEUROPLASTCITYOUR BRAINS ARE JUST

WAITING TO BE WIRED FOR HIGHER INTELLECTUAL

EXCELLENCE

REPETITION

looking for dopamine in all the right places Food

Exercise

GOAL: DOPAMINE + OXYTOCINHuman Connection

ServiceAccomplishment

THE QUESTION

“What is my best choice for the

good of everyone?”

BCGE

Our brain, Our life, and Humanity are in

OUR hands.