MENTAL HEALTH Part 1: A Brief History of Mental Health Care in the

Twentieth Century
In the early twentieth century, the prevailing concept in psychiatry was the demented mind, while drugs that
changed ones mental state (including alcohol) were largely viewed as mind-altering substances [1]. Asylums,
largely state-run institutions where people with mental health issues were locked away, were commonplace [2].
Lobotomies, in which a mini icepick was shoved up the nose into the brain, were performed up to the 1950s
[3]. In fact, Egas Moniz, who invented this procedure, received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1949 for his
work, before the practice when into disrepute in the mid-1950s [4].

From the 1930s to the 1950s the prevailing concept in psychiatry was the disordered mind [5]. Of the non-
physical treatments available to those suffering from issue of the mind, psychoanalysis, invented by Sigmund
Freud, prevailed in the 1930s [6]; psychotherapy, based on classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov) [7] and operant
conditioning (B. F. Skinner) [8] prevailed in the 1940s, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) [9] has
dominated the field since the 1950s.

The arrival of the first anti-psychotic (or neuroleptic) Chlorpromazine in the mid-twentieth century marked a
revolution mental health care [10]. There was a shift in mental health care from state-run asylums to the private
sector as patients were able to be restrained by the administration of these neuroleptics, which acted as
chemical straitjackets or chemical lobotomies [11]. At first these medications were predominantly seen as
tranquilizers: temporary measures to calm patients down in order to introduce more long-term treatments
[12]. In the 1970s-1980s, these drugs began to be seen as chemical cures, and the concept that mental
disorders were the result of chemical imbalances started to take hold [13], despite the lack of physical
evidence to support the chemical imbalance theory [14]. SSRIs such as Prozac [15] exploded into the public
consciousness with the introduction of second generation neuroleptics in the 1990s [16].

It was during this time that Dr. Leaf began researching the mind and the brain. Based on her findings, both
during her studies and in her practice, she noticed that mind-action is actually the predominant element in
mental wellbeing [17]. Dr. Leaf pioneered mind-directed therapy that involved family and/or caregivers in the
context of the patients life and needs [18]. The patient was highly involved in taking responsibility for their
intervention and recovery. Dr. Leaf applied this successfully in many situations, and in the development of
her 21 day brain detox program[19]. Her approach is similar to the scientifically researched and successful
Open Dialogue Therapy, which is currently becoming very popular for the treatment of mental health [20].
Through her work, which continues to this day, Dr. Leaf noticed that mental ill-health is not just a biological
imbalance that could be cured by medication; it is a disorder of the mind that can be caused by a traumatic
thought life [21]. In other words, mental ill-health is a thought disorder based in the mind, which changes the
brain physiologically. Consequently, Dr. Leaf developed the Switch On Your Brain with the 5-step Learning
Process [22] from over three decades of study, clinical practice and research [23]. This learning process,
based on her Geodesic Learning Theory [24], has been shown not only to be effective in mental health care,
but also treating physical damage to the brain that occurs in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), learning disabilities
and to improve learning techniques in both schools and the corporate world [25]. The groundbreaking
discoveries of neuroplasticity [26] (i.e. the brain can change) and neurogenesis [27] (new nerve cells are
continually produced) in 1990s further support Dr. Leafs work, showing how the brain is a complex, living
organ and not merely part of a biological machine.

In todays scientific community, the prevailing concept that chemical imbalances form the basis mental illness
is being challenged. David Anderson, a prominent geneticist involved in psychiatric research, has eloquently
stated [28] that the chemical imbalance concept promotes the erroneous idea that the brain consists of a bag
of chemical soup. Taking drugs like Prozac have been shown to be ineffective in a great number of scientific
articles [29]. As Anderson notes, taking psychiatric drugs to fix mental health issues is like performing an oil
change on a car by pouring oil all over the engine: it does more harm than good. In the her ground-breaking
book, The Myth of the Chemical Cure [30], Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, a prominent British psychiatrist at University
College London, stated that psychiatric drugs actually create abnormal brain states instead of counteracting
them, and that the concept of chemical imbalance rather reflects successful marketing by the dominant
pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis from Stanford University [31] documenting 193 brain
imaging studies on the whole-brain images of nearly 16,000 people turned the dominant brain disease model
of psychiatry on its head. The study essentially found that the brains of people with different diagnoses such as
schizophrenia, depression and addiction showed similar gray-matter loss. This finding challenges the disease
model, which proposes that the different diagnoses have different brain pathologies. Even Tom Insel, a
psychiatrist, the Director of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) and a proponent of the disease
model of mental health, has admitted to the failure of the present day paradigm of the chemical imbalance
concept in successfully treating mental illness. [32] His views were supported by Kenneth Kendler, one of the
worlds foremost experts on chemical imbalances, who noted in 2005 that we have hunted for big simple
neurochemical explanations for psychiatric disorders and have not found them. [33]

It is obvious that the disease model of mental health, with its accompanying concept of chemical imbalance
and drug use, is not succeeding, as we have more individuals suffering from mental health issues than ever
before in human history. Although there has been a 400% increase in anti-depressant use alone since the
1990s, with a similar rise in the use of neuroleptics, more and more people are being locked away in mental
health institutions and more and more adults and children are being put on dangerous, mind-altering
substances [34]. It is high time for a change.

References and links:

MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health is of great concern in our nation as the number of people diagnosed with depression approaches
20% in our country. The U.S. spends $42 billion a year on anxiety disorders alone and one in four middle-aged
adults take prescription drugs to fight the effects of panic, anxiety and depression. What is driving the
epidemic? Is it out of our control or do we play a role in the way our minds interpret reality?

Dr. Caroline Leaf joins Q Commons on September 24th to speak on "Why Thoughts Matter." She is a cognitive
neuroscientist who develops processes to help people change their thinking and behavior: if your thinking is
toxic, your communication and actions can be toxic too. Her presentation at Q Commons will delve more
deeply into how our responses to the issues and people around us can be traced back to our thought
processes. Join in on this important dialogue in your city or via the online broadcast.
See also Q-ideas
TOXIC CHOICES - 'POISON IN THE PASTA!'
Written by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Like an expert chef, we can choose to put only tasty thoughts (Phillipians 4:8) and feelings into our cells.
Perhaps when we recognize that putting toxic thoughts into our brains is like putting poison into our pasta, we
will understand why God exhorts us to control our thought life; putting healthy thoughts into our minds is akin to
that dash of fresh basil on top of the simmering bed of rich, luscious lasagna. Moment by moment, each and
every day, as we think, choose and wire thoughts into our brains, we are poisoning or strengthening our
immune system, body and mind, which will, whether we want it to or not, have an impact on our spiritual
development!

The fact of the matter is that when we meditate on good things, and not on toxic, poisonous things, we
increase the gamma waves in our brains, which means we increase our attention, memory and learning
capacities. Research has shown that with healthy thinking we build up portions of our brain that produce
happiness, just as healthy, fresh ingredients can make a pasta so much more delicious. Moreover, science
also shows that meditating on good things, like what the bible teaches or a good classic, improves moods in a
far superior way than antidepressants, and with no poisonous side effects! In truth, when it comes to aging,
research has shown that older people with healthy attitudes and NOT toxic poisonous ones lived seven and a
half years longer! Now that is my kind of pasta!

Additionally, the thoughts we put into our brains have powerful genetic effects on the production of healing
proteins in our bodies, just as the ingredients we use in a pasta dish will affect our health. What you think, feel,
and believe constantly changes the genetic expression and chemical composition of your body on a moment-
by-moment basis. High stress levels the result of poisonous toxic thoughts- suck biochemical resources
away from cell repair and kill brain cells, as would a dish of poisonous, bitter pasta. With over 1400 chemical
reactions and more than thirty hormones shifting chaotically in response to toxic thinking, what was good can
become really, really bada poisonous concoction, indeed!

The expert chef understands that he can control the quality and ingredients of his food, and he understands
that what he makes will not just affect himself but those individuals who are relying on his expertise, and are
looking forward to a good meal. The same can be applied to our brains: when you begin to understand that
with every feeling and thought you are performing epigenetic and genetic engineering on your DNA, you
realize you actually have a degree of leverage over your mental and physical health that can make a critical
difference to your lifeand the lives of those around you.

When you bring your thoughts into captivity to Christ Jesus and choose life, you intervene consciously with
positive emotions, thoughts and prayers. Besides making you feel good, these healthy ingredients benefit
your body, modulating your gene expression towards a better life, mentally, physically and spiritually. This
peak is different for everyone and we shouldnt compare ourselves. Random life situations and events are
generally beyond our control, but we can control our reactions, which are thoughts, to these situations. So, no
matter how sick or how many problems we currently have, we have the ability to CHOOSE our thoughts with
their embedded feelings, and select those that support peak mental, spiritual and physical vitality.

Bon apptit, and remember: no more poison in the pasta!

Watch this VIDEO on toxic choices (28.31mins)

ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO TALK TO GOD

Written by Dr Caroline Leaf

Clearly, twittering, instagramming and facebooking every moment of the day is taking
us away from enjoying the moment, let alone impacting communication with those
who we are in relationship with.

And what about our relationship with God?

Randi Zuckerberg, sister of the Facebook founder, Mark, in her 2013 book on the perils
of technology and social media, warned that just because you can document every
moment, doesn't mean that you should. This is an extremely wise statement
emphasizing the danger of the 120% increase in exposure and literal addiction to
multiple forms of technology in the last 10 years. This has resulted in a new kind of
busy that I call milkshake multi-tasking, which is affecting peoples introspection, self-
reflection, self-regulation, clarity of thinking and interactive mindfullness. I wrote about
this in a blog titled

This milkshake-multitasking-busy is taking us away from a fundamental design factor

that God has placed within in us: be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). One
of the things I have been emphasizing in all the conference and preaching
engagements I have been doing over the last few months is the need to develop an
ongoing conversation with God; a constant internal dialogue with the Holy Spirit; a
literal disciplined lifestyle of praying continuously. Did you know that God designed
our brains to actually do this? We are designed to direct our rest; to switch off to the
external and switch on to the internal. Our brain works more efficiently with our
intellectual functioning moving onto a higher level with more wisdom and peace, when
we direct our rest and set up an internal dialogue with God. God has designed the
brain in such a way that the intrinsic activity in the nonconscious parts of our minds is
where most of the mind-action takes place, and it is always dominant, 24 hours, every
day. The nonconscious mind has all the roots of the words and actions of what we say
and do. And we choose with our minds what we say and do. An ongoing conversation
with God will help bring order to our introspection and self-reflection; an ongoing
conversation with technology will bring chaos, which is exactly what research is
confirming.

My question to you is whether your ongoing conversation is with God or technology?

Multitasking Is A Myth!
Written by Dr. Caroline Leaf

And now I have your attention because I am sure you use the word 'multitasking' often as you go

through your day! However, the truth is that it is actually impossible to multitask - we don't do

multiple things at once; we actually shift between different tasks quickly. If we do this well then we

are doing busy well - this is what I spoke about in my last blog. But, if we are doing busy badly, we

are doing what I call milkshake multitasking. We cause literal neurochemical chaos in our brain,

which, in turn, causes literal brain damage.

Milkshake multitasking switches confusion on in our mind and brain!

In this blog I want to encourage you to really become aware of how you are doing busy because time

is the most expensive commodity of all: once spent, it is gone forever, never to be found again. And

when we milkshake multitask, we lose time forever. Lets look at a very obvious example of where we

can lose focus and intentional directing of our thinking:

Picture this: you are working on an email, then suddenly your phone flashes multiple times and you

get distracted from your focus on the important email you need to finish and you see you have a

text; and a message on facebook; and a like on your instagram photo (and its just too tempting not

to have a look at the comments); and a missed call and vm. By the time you have chaotically jumped

between these distractions, and remember you have to finish the email, you find you have lost your

train of thought and now its going to take you another 15 valuable minutes to try and recoup...and

the next tweet has popped up on your screen... and someone has walked into your office to hand you

another pile of things that have to be done yesterday...and...you get the picture!

Lets see how this could have been done: instead of jumping haphazardly between the above tasks,

get disciplined and focused closure per task. This means you would say to yourself something like:
Lord help me remember where I was in this email and what should I respond to first - or shall I

finish this email then look? then intentionally and purposefully - and quickly - direct your attention

in a deeply intellectual way to each task. Discipline yourself to listen to the leading of the Holy

Spirit. Watch how your efficiency and peace will improve.

See my new book Switch on your Brain for more information here.

In my next blog I will ask you the question: Are you a social media enthusiast or an addict?

AN UPDATE FROM DR. CAROLINE LEAF

HOW TO EAT - Tip no 10 (of 12-tips) from Dr Leaf's Christian Retailing Book
of the Year - 2017: THINK AND EAT YOURSELF SMART.

Our fast-paced modern lifestyles have produced the mindset of I am too busy to sit
down to a home cooked meal. If you value your health and your relationships, begin
changing this mindset. A home-cooked family meal has more benefits than just
bodily health!

Although modern technology has made our lives easier in many respects for us to
work all the time. Do not fall into the trap of living under an unnecessary sense of
urgency, which can put you in chronic toxic stress and make you ill (Hurry Sickness)l
and give you terrible indigestion. Remember the gut-brain connection!

Eat less from a box, eat less in front of a box: avoid the TV, reading or listening to
the radio while eating. You will pay less attention to how you are eating, and how
much you are eating. See the VIDEO on Toxic Food Schedules and TV (27.30mins)

The joy of preparing a meal and sharing it with people is incredibly powerful, and
incredibly therapeutic. Do not view cooking as a task; see it as a fun activity.

Eat slower. If we eat too fast we will eat more, since it takes up to 20 minutes for our
body and brain to signal satiation and for us to realize we are no longer hungry. Make
sure that most of your meals last more than twenty minutes. And remember, the first
two bites of any food are the most flavorful, so take time to enjoy them!

Hara hachi bu! Take this Okinawan saying to heart: stop eating when you are 80% full.
80% is not a strict calculation per seit just means that if you feel quite full, you have
eaten too much. It is based on calorie restriction, and, paired with fasting, it can help
maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Okinawans live in one of the seven identified blue
zonesareas that have the highest life expectancy, and thus their advice is worth
taking to heart. The key is eating less, which will be different for everyone. We have
somewhat adapted this saying in our house: only seconds for salad, or you will make a
hara hachi boo boo.

Avoid snacking, as your body will not have time to digest your previous meals, and
you may end up eating too much. Generally, eat when you are hungry, which requires
that you learn to listen to your bodys demands again. Limiting your food intake to
three meals a day is a good start.

Let your mind, not your eyes, be your guideit is not a good idea to decide visually
how much to eat, since we have a tendency to finish what is on the plate rather than
stop when full. Put less food on your plate, or use a smaller plate.

Be aware of habits you may have developed over time, such as eating when you
are sad or excited (but not hungry), coming home and opening the fridge or pantry
door (even if you are not hungry).

If you overeat, you will carry on eatingthe more you eat the less able you are to
judge how much you have eaten.

Prepare and eat meals together as a family. Not only will this help you health wise,
but has added benefits for our children: research shows that family time over meals is
associated with lower drug and alcohol abuse, less depression and suicide risk, and
even better grades in school. Moreover, good company is associated with positive
emotions, which aid digestion, and promote mental wellbeing.

Do not eat in your car, and on the run. Making your eating habits as deliberative as
your thinking habits. Your posture is important to digestion, whether you are at the
table or going about your daily tasks. Pay attention to the way you sit and stand.

Whoever cooks should not cleandivide the tasks, and the work will be finished in a
shorter amount of time. You can even draw lots; it certainly make mealtime fun.

For more tips to beat it and Think and Eat Yourself Smart, get the BOOK

Or get the ONLINE/APP '63-days to Think and Eat Yourself Smart.'

Mental Health News, August 2017

Michelle Carter, 17, texted her boyfriend Conrad Roy, 18, to kill himself, and he did.
That is the story we have all been told, filtered through the lens of the media. Yet, as is
often the case, there is a large and dreadful disparity between what actually happened
and what we are told happened, as Harved-trained psychiatrist and mental health
advocate Dr. Peter Breggin points out in his recent blog. Breggin, who is involved in
the case as a medical witness, shows how both Michelle and Conrad were victims of
the pharmaceutical industry, which currently dominates the world of mental health.
These young teenagers were on high doses of brain-disabling drugs, which clouded
their perceptions and judgement, resulting in a tragedy that has rocked their
community, and, through prolific news coverage of the case, the world.

Michelle and Conrads story highlights the adverse effect that drugs can have on
children, adolescents and adults. Indeed, while writing my new book on learning and
the brain, in addition to my years in clinical practice, I have dealt with a number of
cases involving individuals diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder), depression and other mental health challenges, and have read copious
amounts of literature on the subject, which has only increased my antipathy towards
the current overuse of psychotropic drugs and the dangers these medications can
cause. These drugs create, rather than cure, chemical imbalances in the brain, are
difficult to come off and can have terrible side-effects, including suicide and
homicide.

Unfortunately, there is little scientific evidence for these labels. For instance, a recent
article in Disability and Society noted that the very idea of ADHD, which includes vague
operational definitions such as often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat, is
subjective and defined by what society currently deems as normal or abnormal.
Similarly, Sami Timimi, a British child psychologist and mental health advocate, shows
how these "ADHD" symptoms are often used as explanations in a game of
semantics,supported by unscientific, circular reasoning.

Michelle and Conrads story ought to serve as a warning of the dangers of

psychotropic drug use and its denial of the complex nature of everyday life. Yet,
thankfully, individuals like Peter Breggin and Sami Timini continue to fight for the right
of people everywhere. They are part of a paradigm shift that is happening in the world
of mental health, one that focuses on the person and the a community, giving
individuals the freedom to participate in their own recovery while placing emphasis on
the power of love and compassion.

In my own experience as a clinical practioner, my focus and goal was to facilitate deep
thinking, learning and self-regulation through mind techniques in a community-based
environment. My research, alongside many other clinicians using similar approaches,
has repeatedly shown that transforming the mind works wonders. There is indeed
much to hope for!

Blessings, Caroline
 AN UPDATE FROM DR. CAROLINE LEAF
Questions and Answers

Dr Caroline Leaf has appeared on many TV shows and has done many radio interviews.
Here are some common questions and answers:

Questions:

1) Please would you share about the relationship you, as a COMMUNICATION

PATHOLOGIST AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENTIST, see between SPIRITUALITY
and SCIENCE?

Its a simple relationship: God made everything and science is a description of the
everything. We see in all scientific research how we as humans are truly fearfully and
wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and how magnificently God has created this earth -
so I see God in everything and science as a way of understanding this. The research in
Quantum Physics and neuroscience and quantum biology is showing that the effect of
the mind on the brain and body is very real. When I do my research, my spirituality and
connection with God deepens.

Click here for more on Quantum Biology.

2) How did you personally come to see faith and science as compatible?

There is no conflict because God created science. When people dont understand
something, they fear it. We will find God in science as much as we will find science in
God. My scientific research has been informed by my spiritual walk, so it made perfect
sense 30 years ago when I began my undergraduate research to show that how we use
our mind would impact and change So essentially I was showing scientifically that
when we capture our thoughts we can change them; that we have free will and that
when we intentionally direct our attention, we will change our brain. The mind and the
brain are separate and the mind uses the brain as a physical substrate, so the brain is
dependent on the mind. This is totally scriptural, which we see in so many scriptures
like Deut. 30:19; Phillipians 4:8; Romans 12:2 and so on.

Click here for General Q&A on faith and science.

3) Please tell us a bit about your work, that is thirty years of research! What have
been your main pursuits and/or findings?
I set out to study the science of thought and memory formation specifically to show
that when we direct our attention, we learn and change our behaviors, and as a result
our brain would change. I worked with different populations such as traumatic brain
Injury, learning disabled, cerebral palsy, stroke and heart heart attack victims, autism,
and of course toxic thinking, attitude and emotional issues. I also did 25 years of work
in education, training underprivileged teachers and students in some of the worst
areas of South Africa, many of whom were starving, abused and had suffered
numerous indignities at the hands of the then apartheid Government. I saw extreme
changes in educational results and behavior once popped understood how to think
and use their mind. I am currently entering into a series of clinical trials with
endocrinologists and neurosurgeons showing the power of the mind in physical
healing. All my programs and books are based on my research and clinical application
and experience over the past 30 years. My research showed that when we intentionally
and deliberately direct or mind, we stimulate neuroplasticity in the brain and improve
our functioning between 35-75%.

Click here for more on Dr Caroline Leaf

Click here to read more on Dr Caroline Leaf's research

4) How does our mind change our brain and body?

As we think we generate a quantum signal through the physical substrate of the brain
influencing genetic expression, which in turn produces amino proteins. Our thinking is
literally built in to physical protein structures in our brains and the physical thoughts
influence every one of the 75-100 trillion cells of the body.

Read more about the Mind changing the Brain

Want to eliminate those toxic thoughts and renew your mind?

Dr. Leaf's Research

The Switch On Your Brain with the 5-Step Learning Process is comprised of five extremely

important steps. In fact, the system will not work properly unless all five steps are used correctly,

because each is designed to take advantage of a particular brain process - all collectively moving

toward the goal of learning.

Each of the five steps plays a vital role in the building of memory, which is all the learning process

ultimately is. Research shows that true mastery of new information and skills is based on
strengthening the connections between the nerve cells in the brain, as well as ensuring that the

branches (or dendrites) that actually store the information are firmly attached.

The "easy-come, easy-go" neuronal connections that come from rote learning and cramming for

exams are quickly reversed, which, put simply, means they are forgotten. Maintaining improvement

and creating memory banks of knowledge that can be used wisely require the slow, steady work that

forms new strong connections.

The Switch On Your Brain with the 5-Step Learning Process does exactly that. Each step is

meticulously designed to stimulate the correct chemical and electrical flow through the brain in the

most efficient way possible to guarantee great memories and, therefore, great learning.

As knowledge is developing and skills are building in the non-conscious networks of the mind (the

Metacognitive arena of the mind), it is not uncommon for the learner to feel that they are not

making progress, but are simply continuing to "plug away" until the breakthrough comes. Shortcut

methods don't allow lasting memory and understanding to develop; it is the persistence of sustained

thinking practice that solidifies the learning. This is because our thoughts can actually change the

structure of the brain! Research has shown that the mental practice that comes from thinking

deeply until an understanding is reached leads to actual physical changes in the brain. In fact, the

mental practice of thinking is so powerful that researchers have taught people to play the piano

through their imagination as effectively as someone learning the traditional way with an actual

piano!

Captured within the Switch On Your Brain with the Switch On Your Brain with the 5-Step Learning

Process system is the same "thinking-to-understanding" mental process which will forever change

the way you learn and will stretch your potential to untold horizons. This approach is solidly based

on the latest scientific research on the neurological and neurophysiological functioning of the brain.

It draws on the neuroplastic (ability to change) character of the brain and is designed to take best
advantage of the symphony of electrochemical reactions and actions occurring in the brain at a rate

of 400 billion per second. One of the most exciting facts about the "plastic" brain is that the brain is

never quite the same with every new piece of information we learn. This means that the brain can

keep getting better and better with the mental practice provided by the Switch On Your Brain with

the 5-Step Learning Process.

THE METACOGNITIVE-MAP
THE TOOL OF THE SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN WITH THE 5-STEP LEARNING
PROCESS

The Metacognitive-Map is a "brain-friendly" way of writing that looks like the branching of a tree

and its leaves. Its pattern and shape are dictated by the pattern and shape of the actual neural

network of the memory you are building as you analyze and understand information. It is very

important to write, because writing reinforces the changes of the brain synapses at a microscopic

level. As you think (step 2) you create changes in your brain; as you write in the Metacognitive-

Map friendly format, you reinforce and strengthen those connections. You literally grow your

brain at will! It is interesting to note that, just by looking at a Metacognitive-Map, you stimulate

your brain to process information from detail to big picture and from big picture to detail, which is

vital to building strong memory. This only happens when both sides of the brain work together at

the same time.There is so much happening in your brain as you create a Metacognitive-Map that

even reading about it can seem overwhelming, but it is truly fascinating!

As you use the tool of Metacognitive-Mapping, the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and

occipital lobe all work together to integrate and apply the information. More neurotransmitters

(serotonin, dopamine, nor epinephrine and acetylcholine, glutamate) are released from the

brainstem, traveling up through the limbic system (in the middle of the brain) into the cortex where

the memory trees (or neurons) are found. The outer front part of the frontal lobe (otherwise known

as the prefrontal lobe or PFC) becomes very active, keeping the information active in the neurons or

"in mind" as it monitors and manipulates the contents of your short-term memory. The PFC works
with other areas in the frontal lobe as well as the other lobes of the brain to make decisions, shift

between the different bits of information, analyze, and so on. And, of course, a positive attitude

ensures that genes are switched on for protein synthesis and that good memories can be formed.

Because of the science behind them, Metacognitive-Maps work for anyone and everyone, since

they go much further than summarizing, note taking, or brainstorming. They allow you to extract,

store, and later recall 100% of the information you need for exams, presentations, and the

application of skills. When the two sides of your brain work together simultaneously, you reach an

important and deep environment of learning. The hemispheres of your brain do not work together,

however, when you simply read linear script. English is not the only language to embrace a linear

script, or straight lines in written form. Linear script can be from left to right, right to left, or even

up and down in some languages. However, reading from the center outwards is the big picture to a

detailed way of reading, which is your right hemisphere's way of processing. Your eyes will also be

reading from the outer branches inward towards the center, moving from detail to big picture,

which is your left hemisphere's ways of processing. So, this act of creating a Metacognitive-Map

stimulates the corpus callosum to perform its natural function, which is to get both sides of the

brain working together to integrate information across the hemispheres of the brain. That is why the

Metacog is almost literally the "tool" that switches on the brain.

THE PROBLEM

There is a pandemic problem in learning and education worldwide, which can be summarized as

follows: knowledge and information is increasing by the second, but the skill of how to manage this

knowledge has been left behind. Consequently, there is an ever-increasing gap between the "what"

(the knowledge and information) and the "how" (the management of this knowledge and

information). In other words: people do not know "how to think and learn."
THE SOLUTION

Dr. Leafs Switch On Your Brain with the 5-Step Learning Process is a scientifically researched

and proven program that attempts to deal with this problem by providing learners with the skills

necessary to achieve the status of innovative and effective life-long learners. As such, it is at the

cutting edge of brain and learning research because it teaches people how to think, learn, and

manage knowledge.

THE METACOGNITIVE-MAPPING APPROACH

Dr. Leafs initial research involved patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and students and

adults with learning and emotional learning difficulties. She invented and developed a new

technique called Metacognitive-Mapping Therapy using The Metacognitive-Map as a tool,

based on a more deeply intellectual thinking pattern, that produced almost immediate

improved focus, concentration, understanding, shifting efficiency, and overall effectiveness. There

were even positive emotional changes specifically in self-motivation and self-esteem. They

continued to improve in cognitive and emotional functioning. Her peer-reviewed published journal

articles, The Mind-mapping Approach (1993) and An Alternative Non-Traditional

Approach to Learning (1998), summarize Dr. Leafs initial research.

GEODESIC LEARNING
Dr. Leaf then proceeded to deeply examine the science of thought. She invented, developed,

researched and applied a model of Geodesic Learning based on The Geodesic Information

Processing Theory. The theory was based on physiology of the learning process and was

demonstrated to improve academic performanceby a conservative measure of 35-75%.

Basically The Geodesic Information Processing Theory describes the science of

thought stating that there are three levels: (1) Nonconscious metacognitive level;

(2) Conscious cognitive level; and (3) Symbolic output level. The Nonconscious metacognitive

level, where 90-99% of the action in your mind is, operates at 400 billion actions per second 24

hours a day and drives the Conscious cognitive level. The Conscious cognitive level, where up to 10%
of the mind action is, operates at 2000 actions per second when we are awake drives the Symbolic

output level. Finally the Symbolic output level incorporates the 5 senses, with which you receive

information from the outside world, and the means by which you express yourself, through speech

or writing for example. Thoughts cycle through the 3 levels from Nonconscious metacognitive to

Conscious cognitive to Symbolic output and vice versa. As thoughts cycle through the 3 levels they

change and change the thoughts connected to them in a dynamic interrelationship.

The Geodesic Information Processing Theory is explained in Dr. Leafs peer-reviewed

journal article, The Development of a Model for Geodesic Learning(1997).

The Mind Changes the Brain

Written by Dr. Caroline Leaf

The Mind Changes the Brain

Materialists believe that the mind emerges from the brain and that the mind (soul) is an artifact of

the brain. Like the Sadducees of Jesus time, they only believe what they can see, feel and touch

(Matthew 22:23-31, Acts 23:8). This has been the prevailing paradigm in the western scientific

world since Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution became the dominant scientific dogma. Recently,

however, there has been growing dissent in the area of neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry

because the result of adherence to the materialists philosophy in the lives of patients, where the

rubber meets the road, has been devastating [1]. Interestingly the discovery of the baffling area of

quantum physics at the beginning of the last century [2] marked the beginning the crumbling of

materialist philosophy. Denial of the power of the mind, and by extension the spirit, in the

treatment of patients with mental and even physical disorders, has led to poor treatment outcomes

in many cases. The materialist position, therefore, is becoming increasing untenable.

Alternatively the Bible presents the view of the spirit, soul and the body as separate, but intimately

integrated entities (Genesis 2:7, Matthew 26:41, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). Each of us is a

spirit, having a soul (mind) and living in a body. Life is actually a spiritual force. The mind has the

power of intellect, emotions and free will [3], and, if enabled by the spirit and, empowered by the

Holy Spirit, can make good choices that can positively change the body, which includes the brain.
The materialist view, however, in denying the existence of the spirit and soul, has held to the pre-

eminence of the body. This mindset contributed to the view that the brain could not really be

changed once we reached adolescence and that all we could hope for in many psychiatric and

neurological conditions was compensation and reliance on medication rather than a total cure. This

was the prevailing view in the 1980s when Dr. Caroline Leaf started in research and clinical practice

as a communication pathologist treating patients with various mental and neurological conditions

in clinical and educational settings and research settings. Because of her belief in the biblical view,

she set out to help patients, who the medical community had given up on, with remarkable results

[4]. She also was able help transform destitute students in deprived schools even to international

notice [5]. At the time clinicians and educationalists like her, who believed in the power of the mind

to change the brain, were scoffed at. However, as the Sanhedrin discovered, when faced with the

walking man who was once crippled (Act 4:14), it was difficult to deny her results.

Fortunately certain discoveries have led credence to the biblical view, Dr Leaf's research included. It

was discovered that the brain continually changes in response to mental and sensory signals

throughout the human life span [6]. This process has now been termed neuroplasticity. It was

once thought that, as adults, we had the full complement of nerve cells (neurons) and that we

basically lost neurons until we died. Now we know scientifically that we continue to produce

neurons in certain areas of the brain constantly, a process known as neurogenesis [7]. The growing

medical specialties of psychoneuroimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology [8] are bringing to

light the intimate relationship between the mind, the brain and the immune and endocrine systems.

Remarkably the eye-opening science of epigenetics is showing how our choices can profoundly

influence, not just our own genes and those that we are in relationship with, but the genes of

multiple generations of our descendants [9]. There is thankfully now a growing opposition to the

materialist view even among mainstream scientists. In response to the growing evidence of the

mind being able to change the brain, materialist have held the view that it is the brain that changes

the brain [10]- this is akin to a computer reprogramming and redesigning itself.

Thankfully, in the face of growing recent evidence, the materialist view is losing some of its pre-

eminence. There is growing dissent among a populace that is seeking answers to gnawing questions
and cures to intractable mental and physical disorders [11]. Surveys show that the majority of lay

people globally do not see themselves as biological automata, but as thinking human beings with the

ability to think and choose making biological change [12]. Furthermore, the crisis in the education,

over-labeling and over-medication of our children is crying out for a change of direction. It is time

to return to what the Creator says about the nature of man in the Bible- He knows what we are made

of and how we are made (Psalm 103:14). The Mind definitely changes the Brain.