Train Your Brain

Life at times can feel like an obstacle course, leaving us with painful and unbearable emotions. This is especially true when we experience difficult and traumatic events whilst we are growing up or as an adult. Whilst pain and suffering are often unavoidable in such circumstances, how we manage our reactions to these difficulties can make a significant difference to the extent of our suffering. In the face of these problems, we might tell ourselves to 'pull ourselves together' and 'get on with it', or we may see our difficulties as a sign of weakness, launching into self-attack. These responses may be common in our society, but they are unlikely to help us learn and recover from setbacks, and may even deepen or prolong our suffering.

In Train your Brain we introduce a different approach to responding to difficult emotions. Turning towards our emotions with curiosity gives us insight into our suffering, which can help us respond to these obstacles more skilfully. An important and hopeful message from neuro sciences is that our brain remains plastic throughout our lifetime. So, no matter how bruised, scarred or broken we might feel from our path through life, or whatever age we are, our brain is able to recover and learn new ways to respond to the difficulties we face. We hope that the ideas in this book can help you better understand yourself and how your brain works, and together with the exercises, assist you in navigating life for both joy and success.