Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger’s program I got a copy of Dr. Earl Henslin’s This is your Brain on Joy:A Revolutionary Program for Balancing Mood, Restoring Brain Health, and Nuturing Spirituality (Thomas Nelson, 2009) and I am quite glad I did! This is a really interesting book to read.
The basic premise is that the healthier your brain is, the healthier you are and the less healthy your brain is, the less healthy you are, especially in regards to one’s emotional, mental and spiritual health. These are connected because whereas stronger brain health allows for stronger mental, emotional, and spiritual (and realtional) health, weaker brain health leads to a significant breakdown in one’s mental, emotional, and spiritual (and relational) health. The health and state of your brain has direct correlations with the health of the rest of your person.
One blurb is: [I've editied this with brackets [ ] to clarify some points for this review].
In this book, Dr. Henslin couples recent scientific studies [about brain health] with findings from his own clinical practice [counseling], [that allows him to] offer specific therapies [nutritional, supplemental, medicinal (if needed)] for specific problems [each area of the brain that is having a problem can be treated in a specific way to bring it back to health]. Most doctors and therapists have only a broad based approach, but This is your Brain on Joy [reveals that] what [often thought to be some emotional, mental or physical problem] is likely a brain problem for many who suffer from various spiritual, relational, emotional, and physical aliments, includding addictions, ADD/ADHD, eating disorders, and or phobias.
What makes this so interesting is that we can now realize that what might often be confused as demon posession/oppression, spiritual laziness/apathy/lethargy, lack of ability to focus, social awkwardness, just plain stupid, etc, may actually be a simple problem a malnutritioned brain.
Here’s how it works. If you picture your brain like a house of sorts, the brain is sectioned in types of rooms and each section has it’s own unique function that when all are healthy and balanced allow for overall brain health, which in turn allows for a strong sense of overall wellbeing in those people with healthy brains.
So, for example, the pre-frontal cortex (that’s the front part of your brain) is in two parts, the happy side (left) and the ruminating side (less happy)(right). Those with less activity on the left side are the more melancholy folks we meet in life. The Eyores and Puddleglums. While they may be thoughtful and appreciative of things, they are not always happy people and can tend to seem moe negative, unlike the more “happy-go-lucky-like-to-laugh-a-lot-and-have-a-lot-of-fun” folks who have more activity on the left side of their pre-frontal cortext. The thing of it is, while the left side folks are viewed as the more desireables in life, especially among the single ladies who want the spontaneous and fun boyfriend, both are in some degree unhealthy – there is need for a balance. It reveals that no brain is perfect, no not one, each has there weaknesses.
So how is the balance attained? Well, before I get to that, the first five chapters of the book (the first section) Henslin discusses all these facets of how the brain works and how that is connected to a person’s overall sense of health and well-being. He also offers various nutritional, supplemental, and if necessary, medicinal suggestions that can help a person attain the best brain balance possible.
How do they do this? How can they know what parts of the brain is/are having a problem? This is where the science comes in. Dr Henslin works with Dr. Daniel Amen, of the Amen Clinics. Amen has developed a way to scan the outer and inner workings of the brain so as to determine where the least or most activity is going on, creating what are called SPECT (single photon emission computerized tomography) images. With these images it can be inferred as to why a person is (for example) depressed, or showing ADD symptoms and the like. The possible reason a person may be dealing with deep level depression is because the deep limbic system in the brain is too active. The what? The deep limbic system, that deep place in the brain, when too active, sparks feelings of sadness and despair, even hoplessness. Decrease activity there and likely the person will be able to come out of his or her deep level depression. Likely, that is with nutritional, supplemental, and (temproray) medicial help. Combined with counseling and the person could be well on their way back to a normal life in not too long. Well, it’s not a magic wand… but being sure a brain is well nurished is going to be key to a person’s overall health and well being.
So, before you cast out that demon of depression, be sure this person lives on an healthy diet (right fats, right carbs, low sugar), has good supplements (especially a good dosage of Omega-3’s fats (fish oil) – everybody should be working to increase Omega-3 fats into their diets (i.e., high potency fish oil), everybody), and getting some exercise. If after all this and some heavy duty counseling and the Holy Spirit’s leading among the counsel of several others, well, then, only then, might something deeper like a spiritual problem be considered.
The second section, Dr Heslin talks about each area of the brain and things one can be doing to promote health inthat area to obtain an overall sense of health and well being. At the end of each chapter he offers suggestions in the areas of supplements, nutrition (mood balancing foods), music, movies (you’d be surpised how movies can help a person’s mood, especially happy/fun ones – watching your favorite movie can be as good (and valuable) as spending time in prayer or Bible reading if needed – I know that sounds really unspiritual but it is true), exercise, reading, and of course some scriptures to consider and prayers to pray for the spiritually inclined. This is how the balance can be achieved (or, at least, worked towards).
So to reiterate what might often be confused as demon posession/oppression, spiritual laziness/apathy/lethargy, lack of ability to focus, social awkwardness, just plain stupid, etc, may actually be a simple problem of the brain. And often this problem can be corrected with appropriate nutrition, supplements, and or meds, if needed, a solid exercise program and the like.
Get the brain book – think about it.
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