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The Guest
Brant Cortright, Ph.D., is the author of The Neurogenesis Diet and Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life and a brain health coach. He is a Professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. As a licensed clinical psychologist he maintains a private practice in San Francisco that focuses on an integral/holistic and neuroscience-informed approach to brain health and depth psychotherapy. He specializes in depression, stress and anxiety, career and meaning, as well as relationship and intimacy issues.
He has authored two previous books, Integral Psychology and Psychotherapy and Spirit (both published by SUNY Press.) He speaks and gives workshops around the US, Europe and Asia.
The Episode
Our episode today is all about creating a lifestyle that creates new brain cells and gets people away from depression by holistic means.
We discuss psychedelic usage, finding a therapist to help treat depression, and meditation and heart opening.
Brant leaves us with the advice, “It's never too early to have a lifestyle that is anti-Alzheimer’s and pro-brain health. Alzheimer’s is a lifestyle disease and is almost entirely avoidable.”
Topics Covered
- How Brant became interested in neuroscience
- What brought Brant into the world of out of body experiences
- Advice for those that want to elevate their own consciousness
- Ways in which someone will know if they are ready to go on a psychedelic journey
- Tips for choosing a good therapist
- Types of meditation for feeling better in general
- An explanation on heart opening
- Neurogenesis and Alzheimer’s
- Why optimists live longer than pessimists
- How people can reduce their anxiety in this hyper connected day and age
- Best diet for brain health
- Brant’s psychological approaches to depression
- Supplement recommendations for brain health
Quotes From The Episode
You can operate at a higher level than ever before believed possible. At any age you can be smarter, remember more, be more vibrant, alive, free of depression and resistant to stress. When you increase your rate of neurogenesis the farther reaches of the brain’s potential is unknown.
A low rate of neurogenesis is associated with anxiety, depression, stress, cognitive decline and memory problems. A high rate of neurogenesis is associated with the opposite.
It's really all about having your consciousness working at a higher level.
The psyche is something you can trust.
You need to find a therapist where you can feel safe with them, and they won’t be scared or anxious.
Neurogenesis comes down to lifelong learning.
Traveling to other countries is a fabulous way to expose yourself to new stimuli.
We need to be able to take a break from stress and reset our nervous systems.
Neuroscience is too important to leave to the neuroscientists and we can all start to learn this stuff.
Resources
"The Neurogenesis Diet and Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life" by Brant Cortright
Integral Psychology by Brant Cortright
"Psychotherapy and Spirit" by Brant Cortright
