Many people think that studying the brain is something that should best be left to the professionals. However, people like Dr. Daniel Siegel think otherwise. Dr. Daniel Siegel is one of the creators of a theoretical framework called Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB). In short, interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) is a theory about the mind, the brain, and our relationships with others that draws together all of the sciences. It uses psychology, neuroscience, physics, anthropology, and more to explain how our mind develops and how it can be directed to improve our lives. The overarching point of IPNB is to help people gain the understanding of how to change their mindset to change their physiology to improve their lives.

One of the best lessons of IPNB is what is called the hand model of the brain. The basic idea is this: if you can understand what is happening in your brain at a given point, you can focus your attention to be able to change what your brain is actually doing. Practice this enough, you can actually change the structure of your brain.

The hand model of the brain is most useful for curbing temper outbursts or halting panic attacks before they happen. In other words, the hand model of the brain is a great way to arrest our sympathetic nervous system when it is taking over and activating our parasympathetic nervous system so we can maintain control of our behavior. When we're able to stop and say something like "I'm feeling sympathetic nervous system taking over", we gain more presence and the ability to refocus those strong feelings. In a sense we're "naming it to tame it," as Dr. Siegel says. So how do we refocus our attention when our sympathetic nervous system is taking over? There are a number of things we can do, but here are just a few:

1) Change your temperature. The cooler the better. Putting a towel soaked in ice water over your face activates what is called the "the diving reflex." Heart rate drops, respiration slows, and oxygen is redistributed to the heart and brain. I also recommend carrying around a bottle with cold water.

2) Use a grounding exercise to arrest the cyclical thinking. Grounding exercises help us get out of the past or the future and into the present moment in time. In other words, get out of your mind and into your senses!

3) Practice deep breathing (aka diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing). Use this worksheet to learn how to use deep breathing to slow down your heart rate and stop panic attacks before they happen. In fact, cultivating a daily practice of deep breathing has been linked to a number of benefits, including increases in overall self-control and willpower throughout the day. Read more here.

Check out the video below of Dr. Daniel Siegel explaining the hand model of the brain to parents so that they can teach it to their children. While this is a video for parents, I think it's an extremely useful explanation of the hand model of the brain and can help to "name it to tame it" when we're experiencing difficult emotions.

Why do you think it's important to understand your brain?

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