Surrendering to Mindfulness: Using Your Brain to Your Advantage

Chris Niebauer is a tenured professor at Slippery Rock University, where he teaches courses on mindfulness, consciousness, left- and right-brain differences, and AI. He received his PhD in cognitive neuropsychology, specializing in the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the human brain. Chris is also the author of No Self No Problem, which explores the connection between neuropsychology and Buddhism.

In this episode…

Many people are at war with their minds and struggle to reduce negative thoughts. They allow their consciousness to control them, becoming enslaved by their thoughts and leading to anxiety. There's a way to overcome this toxic pattern, but it's not what you may expect.

Contemporary neuropsychological methods teach us to combat these thoughts through cognitive behavioral therapy and other repetitive behaviors and thought patterns. After suffering from severe neurosis that overtook his daily life, neuropsychological researcher Chris Niebauer, PhD discovered traditional Eastern schools of thought that taught him that you can't think your way out of a mental crisis. This leads to overthinking, which can send you further into a spiral. Instead, you must be mindful of the moment and only focus on the task at hand. This requires utilizing the right side of your brain, which is more relaxed.

In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel welcome Chris Niebauer, PhD, who talks about how to retrain your brain to remain mindful. Chris shares his definition of consciousness, how AI impacts neurology and neuroscience, and how the left brain manifests happiness and self-acceptance.