Change Your Brain: Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman | Rich Roll Podcast

I just can't believe I live in a world where I can access so much knowledge for free.

The part where he mentions that he wants to be adopted by a more functional family even at 45 yrs really hits home. Really delineates how no matter how old and independent you are, you still need love and support.

A fascinating life story! I think the whole world needs to hear this. And teachers especially. One right mentor can change the world. One irresponsible parent can cause detrimental effects on the life of a child.

A young woman from Memphis, Tn, struggling to find her purpose, sits out in her car at 10:35pm on 4/27/21 and types Mental Health Podcasts in the Youtube search bar. Thank you Lord for leading me here.

Who else became an instant fan of Dr. Andrew Huberman?

"Neuroplasticity is TRIGGERED by deep focus, but neuroplasticity OCCURS during deep rest and sleep". This is the most incredibly valuable information.

36 minutes in and this is already the best YouTube video I’ve seen. Thank you.

I've always been the person who puts off tasks because they don't "feel like it." I'd heard the advice before that "you're never gonna feel like it" and "motivation comes from action." But it never really clicked until I listened to this podcast. Now, when I see a task that needs doing, I don't give myself the space to whine about it in my head. I get up and fold my laundry right away, then give myself an internal pat on the back. "Nice. Good job not letting that basket of clean laundry wait. Look at your closet! It's so neat now." It feels a bit like I'm parenting my inner sulky teenager, but it's working for me.

My life is so similar to this guy that it’s blowing my mind. Even down to the parental dynamics. I was a skateboarder who did poorly in high school but I actually got into drugs. Once I got clean, I focused my entire life on going back to school to get a degree in neuroscience. I graduated with honors but now can’t find a job in the field. I’ve literally been sitting in my house on unemployment for weeks wallowing in self pity and playing video games all day. I’m only 24 minutes in, but this conversation is really inspiring me to continue progressing.

My notes for the podcast (incomplete) 1. There are two main components in your control for when you want to change something in your life - focus and dopamine reward systems. 1.1. Dopamine centres are activated when you know you're on the right path and are progressing toward your goals. 1.2. Focus is developed through a sense of urgency and a sense of necessity 1.2.1. Urgency is developed when that internal metronome senses that your internal state is lacking with respect to the 'beat' of the external world. So the metronome is ramped it and now there is a tangible sense of urgency in your brain. 1.2.2. A sense of necessity is when your brain believes that either due to fear or desire it is essential to your evolutionary motives of survival and reproduction that you do something. 1.2.3. Something to be remembered also is that any activity that requires concentration comes through the release of norepinephrine(a form of adrenaline) that makes you feel a certain way - agitated, nervous, excited etc. depending on your perception of that sensation. Going through this gateway and treading on is essential to really accessing the dopamine centres which will further motivate you. 2. There is also a third component of behaviour change that is actually the second, coming in after activating concentration and before activation of dopamine systems. Since dopamine systems reward being on the right path and progressing on the right path, it's logical to actually have a path in the first place, which is the second component. The second component is the actual behaviour in question, and it in turn has 3 sub-components - 2.1 Duration of behaviour 2.2. Path of behaviour - meaning the actual thing that must be done 2.3. Outcome of behaviour - meaning the endgame of the behaviour.

+ 36:39 Neuroplasticity, Acetocoline + 38:44 Agitation, Frustration, Neuraadraline + 40:08 : Plasticity in adult brain. + 45:27 : Early stages of hard work feels like agitation and stress, And Dopamine + 54:13 seeing agitation as a means to the end , an entry point to a reward, and celebrating mini milestones and small victories internally. + 1:00:17 Dopamine is all mental and internal so self rewarding myself by saying "Tm doing good" it'll help me push through. + 1:01:17 : [IMP] infinite amount of energy, goals inside goals. + 1:08:55 : 🔥Adrenaline responce, Behaviour to shift sensation, perception, feelings. + 1:11:48 the holy grail of neuroscience is that behavior is first. Then thoughts, feelings and perceptions. + 1:16:40 if you're struggling with motivation use breathing techniques to induce adrenaline. + 1:34:23 + Learn Yoga Nindra To Fall Asleep

I just love how the brain is discussing itself

Albert Einstein said, "If you can't explain it simply enough, you haven't understood it well enough".Dr Andrew brings such simplicity to explaining the workings of the brain. It's actually a hacker's guide into our own brain. You are doing great service to humanity Dr Andrew.

I just finish the whole video and I am grateful. Everybody should listen to this at least once.

“Place yourself in discomfort to move you into action.”

"Recognize agitation, stress and confusion as an entry point to where you want to go." TOTAL GAME CHANGER!!!!!

I remember walking with my dad one very cold night. I was about 9 years old and a very skinny girl. I was walking, doubled over shivering and in pain. My father held my hand and said “right, we’re going to step this out. He made me stand up straight, chest out and count while marching, 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4 , 1,2,3,4. We did it until my body became warm. We faced the cold head on. Not only did he teach me how to fix this in future, but it taught me how to face all hardships and fear the same way. Stand straight, head up, chin out and step it out. Don’t cower to fear, look at it and walk towards it. Didn’t realise it until I was about 25 and has stayed with me ever since. I am now 65. 😃

*Recommendations:* - Act even when stressed. Stress is a necessary gate to go through to achieve a focused, productive state. - Create micro-goals on the fly and reward yourself mentally when they're achieved - To increase adrenaline, use tummo breathing or take an ice bath - To decrease adrenaline or rest, do two inhales followed by an exhale, look at the horizon, practice yoga nidra or hypnosis, take a walk, jog or go for a bike ride - To reduce anxiety related to specific well-defined trauma, use EMDR *Summary* (this summary is a draft. It is not very organized. ): In order to learn or perform well we need to be alert -- stress isn't a bad thing! -- and focused. We also need a reward so we don't quit. Biochemically, norepinephrine is responsible for alertness, acetylcoline for focus and dopamine for reward. Norepinephrine leads to quitting at high levels. Dopamine down-regulates it. It is internal, not external, rewards that propel us down long paths of success and high performance. That's because they can occur more consistently, which regulates levels of norepinephrine. Sensation, perception, feeling, thought, behavior. Run that backwards! Start with behavior, that will change your thoughts, feelings and perception. Mood follows action. Thoughts appear like pop-ups. You can't stop them from coming. You can introduce new thoughts, though. If adrenaline too low, use tummo breathing or ice bath to amp it up. If adrenaline too high, use physiological sigh: two inhales followed by one exhale. Some people try to use the vagus nerve as a connection between the mind and the body, but it's very slow. Vagus nerve calming is what you experience when you eat a carb-rich meal or when you've had a long day and you put your feet up to relax. It takes minutes to hours to kick in. Mental focus follows visual focus. Focused vision turns on the norepinephrine circuit, while panoramic vision turns it off. In order to rest a little bit, look at the horizon. Yoga nidra. Hypnosis creates a state of deep relaxation and focus at the same time, allowing for changes in the brain that change the behavior to something more desirable. Generate optic flow by walking, running or cycling To reduce anxiety related to specific well-defined trauma, use EMDR. Lateral eye movements reduce activity in the amygdala. Gratitude involves serotonin system. We are the only species that has neuroplasticity our whole lives.

Notes: * Our reward systems are designed to optimize progression of our species, not for making best decision for us. * Its 2020, brain and mind are interchangeable. :p * Sensation, Perception, Feelings, Thoughts, Behavior/Action * Goal of nervous system: take perceptions of the outside world, merge with perceptions of inside world( Interoception), to act appropriately. * Impatience: internal pulses are faster than outside environment * Overwhelmed: internal pulses are slower than outside environment * Emotions: Internal state controlled by nervous system to match environment * Meditation: Help to look at internal state closely * Neuroplasticity: modify brain according to experience * -- triggered by intense focus but occurs during deep sleep and rest. (see Norepinephrine) * duration - path - outcome(DPO); takes work; agitation and frustration * Long term success: don't attach dopamine to external rewards * DPO -> break to digestible chunks -> internally reward at each chunk completion -> get infinite energy * David Goggins: Modify brain by placing self into discomfort and using that propeller to move * Normal Flow: Feel -> Thought -> Behavior. but to control Feeling, go opposite and start from Behavior (Possibly linked to subconscious) * Autonomic Nervous System * Time Perception * Spending/Conserving Norepinephrine * Focus: from agitation and from calm (two path); can be controlled by breath * Reset Norepinephrine from other than sleep: -- de-focusing through eyes (looking at horizon) -- yoga nidra (de-focus w/o sleeping) -- hypnosis ( focus and relaxation at the same time) -- lateral (side) movement of eyes * Addiction: might help by dilating ones sense of time, not locked to one space-time regime * Genetic changes on recovered patients ( Possibly linked to subconscious) * Biomarker: avoid relapse, detect early if one is diverting to bad decisions. (cool AI project Idea) * Controlling autonomic nervous sustem * Stubborn: brain rewarding for things that supports our beliefs. -- solution: decrease sense of urgency, be calm and listen to others. * Regulation from individual level * Internal Validation rather than from someone else. * Huberman Lab Instagram

This man entered flow state with this conversation. The joy on his face as he talks about what he loves is beautiful