This Is Your Brain on Joy: A Revolutionary Program for Balancing Mood, Restoring Brain Health, and Nurturing Spiritual Growth

by Earl Henslin

Overview

“This Is Your Brain on Joy is a thoughtful, practical, life-changing book that will help you take advantage of the latest neuroscience research—combined with biblical insights—to bring more joy and love into your life.”
—from the Foreword by Daniel G. Amen, MD
Author and speaker for the PBS special Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

What does your brain have to do with experiencing joy?

A lot more than most of us realize.

In this breakthrough book, Dr. Earl Henslin reveals how the study of brain imaging turned his practice of psychotherapy upside down—with remarkably positive results.

He shares answers to puzzling questions, such as

• Why isn’t my faith in God enough to erase my blue moods?

• Why haven’t I been able to conquer my anger? Pray away my fear and worry?

• Why can’t I find freedom from secret obsessions and addictions?

Using the Brain System Checklist, Dr. Henslin explains what happens to the 5 Mood Centers in the brain when any of those areas are out of balance. This is great news, especially for those tortured by the fear that something is fundamentally wrong with them when the problem actually lies between their ears.

Read this practical, easy-to-understand, and often entertaining book, and you’ll know exactly how to nourish your mind, balance your brain, and help others do the same. After all, the capacity for joy is a terrible thing to waste.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785298373
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	06/26/2011
Pages:	258
Sales rank:	507,376
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Earl Henslin is a licensed counselor and author of six books and numerous professional articles. For the past fourteen years, working closely with brain imaging research pioneer, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Henslin has been integrating brain imaging in patient treatment.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dr. Daniel G. Amen, MD viii

Acknowledgments x

Section 1 Healthy Brain, Happy Life

Chapter 1 My First Hug and Other Joyful Brain Matters 3

Chapter 2 The Ah-Ha Moment 11

Chapter 3 A Head Trip to a Happier Life 19

Chapter 4 Testing, Testing ... All Brains Need a Little Help Sometimes 30

Chapter 5 Joy Boosters: The Science Behind Pleasure Prescriptions 43

Section 2 Raising Your Joy Quota in the 5 Mood Centers

Chapter 6 The Prefrontal Cortex: The Presidential Control Center 67

Chapter 7 The Cingulate Gyrus: The Circular Gerbil Wheel 95

Chapter 8 The Basal Ganglia: The Basement of Giant Fears 118

Chapter 9 The Deep Limbic System: The Depressed Low-Mood Space 140

Chapter 10 The Temporal Lobes: The Temper Lofts 172

Section 3 Joy Everlasting

Chapter 11 An Apostle on Joy: The Real Secret 195

Appendix A The Day I Had My Head Examined 217

Appendix B Common Questions About SPECT Scans 224

Appendix C A Different Kind of Diamond Head: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 228

Index 237

Notes 241

About the Author 243