What will I learn about: Recognize that your dark thoughts and anxieties do not define your true self, but are simply deceptive brain messages that you can choose to ignore?

Recognize that your dark thoughts and anxieties do not define your true self, but are simply deceptive brain messages that you can choose to ignore.

What will I learn about: how giving in to unhealthy behaviors provides temporary relief but ultimately 'feeds the monster,' wiring your brain to strengthen bad habits?

Discover how giving in to unhealthy behaviors provides temporary relief but ultimately 'feeds the monster,' wiring your brain to strengthen bad habits.

What will I learn about: Learn to harness the power of self-directed neuroplasticity to physically rewire your brain's connections by consciously focusing your attention?

Learn to harness the power of self-directed neuroplasticity to physically rewire your brain's connections by consciously focusing your attention.

What will I learn about: the Four Steps method to relabel, reframe, refocus, and revalue deceptive brain messages so you can break the cycle of destructive habits?

Master the Four Steps method to relabel, reframe, refocus, and revalue deceptive brain messages so you can break the cycle of destructive habits.

What will I learn about: why trying to completely stop negative thoughts is impossible, and find out how to discount them instead by focusing on what genuinely matters to you?

Understand why trying to completely stop negative thoughts is impossible, and find out how to discount them instead by focusing on what genuinely matters to you.

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You Are Not Your Brain

The Four-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life

Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Rebecca Gladding

★ 4.5 / 5(334 ratings)

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Categories:

Personal Development Psychology Mindfulness & Happiness

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why your own brain seems to work against you by sending deceptive messages like "I'm not good enough"?
💡What if you could physically rewire your brain's neural pathways to silence negative thoughts and reclaim your focus?
💡Are you curious about the specific technique that allows you to distinguish your true self from your brain's harmful biological impulses?

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Key Takeaways from You Are Not Your Brain

✓Recognize that your dark thoughts and anxieties do not define your true self, but are simply deceptive brain messages that you can choose to ignore.
✓Discover how giving in to unhealthy behaviors provides temporary relief but ultimately 'feeds the monster,' wiring your brain to strengthen bad habits.
✓Learn to harness the power of self-directed neuroplasticity to physically rewire your brain's connections by consciously focusing your attention.
✓Master the Four Steps method to relabel, reframe, refocus, and revalue deceptive brain messages so you can break the cycle of destructive habits.
✓Understand why trying to completely stop negative thoughts is impossible, and find out how to discount them instead by focusing on what genuinely matters to you.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from You Are Not Your Brain

Mind Map

You Are Not Your Brain

The Problem: Deceptive Brain Messages+

The Solution: Self-Directed Neuroplasticity+

The Four Steps Program+

Actionable Strategies+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7

Why do unhealthy habits feel so difficult to quit, according to the text?

A. They are permanently encoded into our DNA from childhood trauma.
B. They provide temporary relief from distressing sensations, wiring the brain to crave that relief.
C. They are the result of the brain's inability to process positive emotions.
D. They stem from a lack of willpower to ignore our biological destiny.

Question 2 of 7

What does the term 'self-directed neuroplasticity' refer to?

A. The brain's natural tendency to deteriorate over time without mental exercise.
B. The process of using medication to alter chemical imbalances in the brain.
C. The mind's ability to change the brain's wiring by constructively focusing attention.
D. The automatic, subconscious process where the brain heals itself during sleep.

Question 3 of 7

Which two scientific concepts explain how we create and strengthen new brain circuits through focused attention?

A. Hebb's law and the quantum Zeno effect.
B. The placebo effect and cognitive dissonance.
C. Pavlovian conditioning and the butterfly effect.
D. Maslow's hierarchy and the neuroplasticity principle.

Question 4 of 7

What is the primary goal of the 'Relabel' step in the Four Steps program?

A. To permanently delete negative thoughts from your memory.
B. To figure out the deep childhood root causes of your deceptive thoughts.
C. To identify deceptive brain messages and call them what they really are without judgment.
D. To distract yourself immediately so you don't feel uncomfortable sensations.

Question 5 of 7

In the context of the 'Reframe' step, what does it mean to 'catastrophize'?

A. Classifying all information in extreme black-or-white terms.
B. Blowing current experiences out of proportion or predicting something bad will happen.
C. Blaming others for the deceptive messages generated by your brain.
D. Using physical actions to forcefully stop a panic attack.

Question 6 of 7

When practicing the 'Refocus' step, how should you handle deceptive thoughts and sensations?

A. Try to forcefully push them out of your mind so you can concentrate.
B. Allow them to be present while you direct your attention to a productive activity.
C. Write them down in a journal and analyze why they are happening.
D. Meditate on the deceptive thoughts until they transform into positive ones.

Question 7 of 7

How does the 'Revalue' step suggest you treat yourself when dealing with deceptive brain messages?

A. With strict discipline and zero tolerance for negative thoughts.
B. By viewing your situation from the compassionate perspective you would use to comfort a friend.
C. By rewarding yourself with a temporary fix whenever you successfully ignore a bad thought.
D. By accepting that your deceptive messages represent your true, authentic self.

You Are Not Your Brain — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Your brain delivers false signals, yet you are not defined by them.
3Brain wiring makes habits difficult to change and triggers intense, uncomfortable sensations.
4Your mind’s capacity to reshape the brain, known as self-directed neuroplasticity, allows you to rewire your brain to help you.
5There are Four Steps to break links between unhealthy thoughts and ingrained habits.
6Step 1: Relabel by spotting your deceptive brain messages and naming them for what they are.
7Step 2: Reframe your deceptive thoughts by shifting your perspective and viewing them as false, alien intruders.
8Step 3: Refocus by directing your attention toward a healthy, constructive activity while the deceptive brain messages still persist.
9Step 4: Revaluing urges you to nurture your friendly, healthy side and recognize that your uncomfortable sensations are actually produced by deceptive brain messages.

You Are Not Your Brain Summary & Overview

You Are Not Your Brain explores our deceptive brain messages which program us to have harmful thoughts such as “I’m not good enough.” And it tells us how we can change this detrimental wiring by challenging these brain messages and focusing our attention elsewhere. In doing so, we can rewire our brain to make it work for us, not against us.

Who Should Listen to You Are Not Your Brain?

Anyone who wants to deal with their negative thoughts effectively
Anyone whose brain could use some rewiring
Anyone who is interested in the practical implications of neuropsychology

About the Author: Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Rebecca Gladding

Jeffrey M. Schwartz is a medical doctor and research psychiatrist at the UCLA School of Medicine. His research focuses on the field of self-directed neuroplasticity and its application to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Rebecca Gladding is a medical doctor and was a clinical instructor and attending psychiatrist at UCLA. Her expertise lies in mindfulness, anxiety and depression.