Your Brain Is Always Listening: Tame the Hidden Dragons That Control Your Happiness, Habits, and Hang-Ups

by MD Amen

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen equips you with powerful weapons to battle the inner dragons that are breathing fire on your brain, driving unhealthy behaviors, and robbing you of joy and contentment.

Your brain is always listening and responding to these hidden influences and unless you recognize and deal with them, they can steal your happiness, spoil your relationships, and sabotage your health. This book will teach you to tame the:

• Dragons from the Past that ignite your most painful emotions;
• Negative Thought Dragons that attack you, fueling anxiety and depression;
• They and Them Dragons, people in your life whose own dragons do battle with yours;
• Bad Habit Dragons that increase the chances you’ll be overweight, overwhelmed, and an underachiever;
• Addicted Dragons that make you lose control of your health, wealth, and relationships; and
• Scheming Dragons, advertisers and social media sites that steal your attention.

Dr. Daniel Amen shows you how to recognize harmful dragons and gives you the weapons to vanquish them. With these practical tools, you can stop feeling sad, mad, nervous, or out of control and start being happier, calmer, and more in control of your own destiny.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496438201
Publisher:	Tyndale House Publishers
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	284,034
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: Your Brain Is Always Listening to Hidden Dragons 1

Your Brain: A Very Brief Primer 11

Section 1 Tame The Dragons From The Past: Your History Is Not Your Destiny 15

Abandoned, Invisible, or Insignificant Dragons 18

Inferior or Flawed Dragons 22

Anxious Dragons 26

Wounded Dragons 31

Should and Shaming Dragons 37

Special, Spoiled, or Entitled Dragons 41

Responsible Dragons 44

Angry Dragons 47

Judgmental Dragons 51

Death Dragons 56

Grief and Loss Dragons 59

Hopeless and Helpless Dragons 68

Ancestral Dragons 72

Section 2 Quiet The They, Them, And Other Dragons: Don't Let Their Dragons Pick Fights with Yours 79

Parent Dragons 81

Sibling and Birth Order Dragons 83

Children Dragons 85

Teacher and Coach Dragons 87

Friends, Popular Kids, Bullies, and Mean Girt Dragons 88

Former, Current, and Prospective Lover Dragons 90

Internet Troll Dragons 92

Section 3 Tame The Thoughts That Fuel Your Dragons: How Challenging 100 of Your Worst Thoughts Can Heal Your LIFE 97

All-or-Nothing ANTs 102

Less-Than ANTs 105

Just-the-Bad ANTs 107

Guilt-Beating ANTs 109

Labeling ANTs 112

Fortune-Telling ANTs 114

Mind-Reading ANTs 117

If-Only and I'll-Be-Happy-When ANTs 119

Blaming ANTs 121

Section 4 Eliminate Bad Habit Dragons: Identify the Automatic Behaviors That Ruin Your Life 133

Saying Yes, When You Should Say No Bad Habit Dragons 139

Automatic No or Arguing Bad Habit Dragons 141

Interrupting, No-Filter Bad Habit Dragons 144

Trouble with the Truth Bad Habit Dragons 147

Distracted, Obsessive, Multitasking Bad Habit Dragons 150

Procrastinating (I'll Do It Tomorrow) Bad Habit Dragons 152

Disorganized Bad Habit Dragons 155

Let's Have A Problem Bad Habit Dragons 158

Overeating Bad Habit Dragons 161

Oblivious Bad Habit Dragons 165

Section 5 Outfox The Scheming Dragons: The Impact of Advertisers, Food Companies, Gadgets, News, and Social Media 169

Food Pusher Dragons 174

Substance and Toxin Pusher Dragons 178

Digital Dragons 184

Contact Sports Dragons 189

Holiday Dragons 191

Section 6 Addicted Dragon Recovery Program: A New 12-Step Brain-Based Model 195

Section 7 The Dragon Tamer: Is Yours Healthy, Weak, or Overcontrolling? 247

Final Thoughts 263

About Daniel G. Amen, MD 267

Gratitude and Appreciation 269

Resources 271

Notes 275

What People are Saying About This

David Perlmutter

Your Brain Is Always Listening blesses us with powerful, helpful strategies developed not only from Dr. Amen’s decades of professional experience but also from his own recent emotional challenges. These are strategies that help us explore the deepest reaches of what underlie our moment-to-moment perceptions of the world around us and, perhaps more importantly, help us contextualize these influences and reframe how our past affects our present. This is fundamental and empowering information that we all need to embrace.

Maria Menounos

This book is needed now more than ever! Dr. Amen has written a powerful, user-friendly guide for anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, or loss that will help them take control of their emotions, moods, and life. Get this book today if you want to start feeling better now.

Stephen Arterburn

Dr. Amen is our most popular guest on New Life Live! He has helped me overcome the dragons that were attacking me and my brain. Your Brain Is Always Listing will help you conquer the dragons before they eat up your life.

Dave Asprey

In this book, Dr. Amen brilliantly explains why you keep doing things you don’t like and exactly how to make your brain behave so it can bring you joy, peace, and fun. Read this book. Your brain is worth it!

Tom Ferry

Dr. Daniel Amen continues to support each of us with our brain health. Once again in Your Brain Is Always Listening, he brings us new, practical skills to support ourselves and the ones we love!

Earl R. Henslin

I have been associated with Dr. Amen for close to 30 years and have had the opportunity to utilize SPECT brain imaging to help so many individuals, couples, families, businesses, and ministries. Your Brain Is Always Listening will help you learn principles of applied neuroscience that will assist you in finding the answers you are searching for to change your brain and your life. Experienced medical and clinical psychology professionals will gain new insights into how applied neuroscience helps transform lives. Dr. Amen has 30-plus years of brain-imaging experience that has been foundational in changing how we look at symptoms and the practical steps to take to help transform lives. Learn new insights in bringing about the desired changes in your life from a pioneer in neuroscience!

Mark Hyman

In Your Brain Is Always Listening, Dr. Amen introduces a new 12-step brain-based recovery program that addresses the missing link to breaking any addiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with an addiction or has had trouble breaking bad habits.

Caroline Leaf

I have been a longtime fan of Dr. Amen’s amazing work on the brain and recently had the honor of interviewing him on my podcast, which was a hit! He is incredibly knowledgeable, wise, and compassionate, which is exactly how I would describe his new book, Your Brain Is Always Listening. In a way that is both understanding and enlightening, Dr. Amen describes the many thought dragons that haunt us all and explains how changing our habits and finding true, lasting success and happiness is not only possible but achievable. I absolutely loved this book. It helped me, and I know it will help you too! I highly recommend it!

Uma Naidoo

In my opinion, Dr. Daniel Amen is an undisputed leader in psychiatry by bringing forth the unique integration of neuroscience, brain imaging, and lifestyle and dietary factors as an evidence-based solution for mental illness. He has done so his entire career, and we are fortunate to have such a giant in our field. Dr. Amen’s empathic brilliance shines through in all that he writes, does, and teaches. I highly recommend his new book, Your Brain Is Always Listening, and suggest you pick up a copy today.

Shawn Stevenson

Dr. Amen’s research into brain health and overall mental wellness is unmatched. In our rapidly changing world, it’s easy to overlook how much our health, happiness, and success are controlled by the function of our brain and our associated inner dialogue. We can slay the dragons that limit us. But we need the right tools to do it. Everyone needs to get Your Brain Is Always Listening into their hands.