Entries by doctoralex

How Sleep Deprivation Impairs your Mind, Moods, Memory and Impulses

by Dr. Alex Dimitriu Pioneering sleep scientist William Dement once called sleep deprivation “the most common brain impairment.” The research is proving him right. Authors of the latest sleep study, just published (April 2021) in the journal Nature Communications, find that “persistent” sleep deprivation during the midlife years – 50s, 60s, up to age 70 […]

Mind Optimization Part 26: Believe in Magic

If you think you are the top of the food chain, the only way left is down. Belief in something greater than ourselves pulls us in a positive direction and reminds us that we don’t have it all figured out. Miracles surround us. We just have to notice them more. This video is the last […]

Mind Optimization Part 25: The Power of Habits & Snow

We are creatures of habit. This makes us efficient, but can also get us stuck in maladaptive patterns. It’s important to be able to change things up, and good for the brain as well. This video is part twenty-five of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 24: Sitting with Feelings

Society rewards our thoughts more than our feelings. The answer is not to avoid feelings, but to learn how to reconnect with them again, for true balance. This can be foreign, and scary at first. This video is part twenty-four of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 23: The Boogey Man

It’s hard to confront scary or shameful parts of ourselves. The alternative to work and confrontation is avoidance. Then the problems continue. Good therapy is like a personal trainer who pushes you through these hard spots. The outcome is good, and often a cure. This video is part twenty-three of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation […]

Mind Optimization Part 22: Resisting Reality

Human suffering is the result of resisting reality. Yes, we must fight, but at some point, there is nothing more that can be done. Ongoing dissatisfaction, resistance, then serves no purpose other than to make us suffer. This video is part twenty-two of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March […]

Mind Optimization Part 21: Practice when it’s Easy

Your best chance to practice is when it’s easy, and this prepares you for times when it’s hard. See everyday situations where you can easily exert change, and bigger changes will follow. This video is part twenty-one of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 20: Bootcamp & Fractals

Small changes can lead to big changes. Snowflakes can become avalanches. You have to start somewhere small, to make something big happen. This video is part twenty of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 19: Fractal Psychology

Everything in nature is fractal, where the same pattern repeats on different scales, from micro to macro. The same patterns present in nature – trees, ferns, are certainly also present in us, and our psychology. This video is part nineteen of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 18: Slowing Down

Many people tend to think of things as black and white. Slowing down does not mean stopping. Most of us drive through life too fast and slowing down a little, can help a lot. This video is part eighteen of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 17: Darwin vs Buddha

Our Darwinian drive helps us survive and succeed and our Buddhist drive lets us enjoy. Like the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, there is always a balance between getting things done and enjoying the fruits of our labor. This video is part seventeen of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food […]

Mind Optimization Part 16: Popping Out

A major goal of therapy is to develop an external observing ego – or more simply, the awareness that things are happening, not happening to you. This video is part sixteen of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by SOUL Food Salon in March 2019.

Mind Optimization Part 15: Levels of Change

Change is hard. Most people don’t even understand there may be something wrong. For those that do, they still have to acknowledge the problem, make a decision to address it, and do the work of making the change. This is where guidance and coaching pay off. This video is part fifteen of twenty-six excerpts from […]

Mind Optimization Part 14: Giving Your Best

It’s hard to figure out what worked and what didn’t if you didn’t give it your best. Whether it’s a relationship, a career, or any therapeutic intervention – give it your best. So you know what worked, and what didn’t. Otherwise, there will always be doubt. This video is part fourteen of twenty-six excerpts from […]

Mind Optimization Part 13: PubMed vs Yelp

It’s easy to find scary stuff on the internet. Most people having a “normal” experience say nothing, and the outliers will go on to write the best and worst outcomes. Stay rooted in science rather than anecdotes. Having negative expectations can hurt. This video is part thirteen of twenty-six excerpts from a presentation hosted by […]

Enable Dark Mode