Review: Ready to Outsmart My Lizard Brain
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2012
All my life, I've had an interest in learning what makes people tick. More specifically, in what makes ME tick. (My husband has been known to roll his eyes and say: "Maggie, you're over-thinking again...") It's not surprising that the title of this book caught my eye, because I've heard of the "lizard brain" phrase coined by Seth Godin. It's such a perfect term.I just had to take a peek inside T. Sebastian's book on taming that lizard brain. Right away I liked his introduction: "Our programming is often not rational, or I could say "helpful", and we really don't like it most of the time. No one enjoys being reactive or compulsive. It's like being in prison."I also was won over by his promise that we wouldn't be using force to battle ingrained habits and conditioning, but rather, "dissolving the offending energy", and that because the brain has neuroplasticity, it can be changed.Okay, T. Sebastian, I thought, you've got me hooked.I skim-read the rest of the sample and that was enough to encourage me to download the book. As the author promises, he presents his ideas in a succinct manner: the reader can understand the concepts and implement strategies without getting bogged down in psycho-babble. (The author didn't say that: I did. I think it's fairly accurate.) When someone writes a book about how you can take control of your life, and puts it like THIS, I'm hooked: "Think of it this way. Your life is like a car and you're riding along in this car with a bunch of kids. Some of the kids can get  upset or needy, and they all want to drive the car. Do you let them? The mature and sane response would be to completely take over the situation and get it under control. We need to learn how not to allow the kids to drive the car."Well, I definitely didn't want the kids driving my mental car, so I read on. The book is an easy (and entertaining) read, and is divided into logical sections. It opens with an introduction to the concept of the lizard brain, and an overview of how it can be changed, then goes on to explain how it's possible to change the way we respond to our experience of the world by looking at what is REALLY happening. (Three exercises are provided here to help 'shock' readers out of habitual defensive brain strategies.) Part 3 guides you through new ways of relating to the world and how to watch for 'avoidance' reactions, and Part 4 provides still more exercises for 'feeling the experience through' so it can be fully resolved. This is followed by a look at the emotions and turmoil we may experience.The book is interesting, useful, and it's plain that there is a lot of research behind the outwardly simple explanations and techniques. Best of all is the provision for ongoing support and interaction with others for those who are eager to explore the topic further: there's a link to a private member site where you can take part in Q&A;, and ask for further advice or help if you need it."Remember," says the author, "your lizard brain is incredibly resourceful and will direct you into all types of avoidance... if you are not wary." Okay, T. Sebastian... I'm now wary. :-) But seriously... there's a lot of good information here!