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Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning
Review of Daniel J Siegel MD's Mindsight: Become the Captain of Your Own Mind
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- [00:03]
Andrea Samadhi
Welcome Back to season 14 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we connect the science based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well being, achievement, productivity and results using what I saw as the missing link since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school, the Application Practical Neuroscience I'm Andrea Samadhi and seven years ago launched this podcast with a question that I've never truly asked myself before. And that is if productivity and results matter to us, and they do now more than ever, how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? And most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, our results or our well being. About a decade ago I became fascinated by the Mind, Brain results connection and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. And that's why I've made it my mission to bring you the world's top experts so together we can explore the intersection of science and social and emotional learning. We'll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use for predictable science backed results. And as we kick off season 14, I've been revisiting past episodes and reflecting on the incredible insights that our guests shared since we first launched in 2019. So as we dive into this review of our past conversations, know that this review isn't just for you, it's for me as well. I've learned that slowing down helps us to uncover even more wisdom and I'm excited for us to walk this path together. For Today's episode number 371, we continue our journey into the mind with the next interview review. Just a reminder, this review series began back with episode 366 where in part three we discovered an important lesson. If we don't like our results or what we see on the outside, we need to shift our mindset and look within. True change always begins on the Inside. On episode 369, we learned how to rewire our brain with Dr. Dawson Church and his Bliss Brain Meditations. And then Last week, episode 371 with John Medina's Brain Rules. We reviewed how important this understanding of neuroscience is especially connected to education, teaching and learning. Which brings us to Today's review, episode 371, where we revisit a very early episode with Clinical professor of Psychiatry from UCLA school of medicine, Dr. Daniel J. Siegel. He's from episode 28 that was recorded back in November of 2019. And as we take this journey deeper into the mind, Dr. Dan Siegel offers the perfect place to begin. He's got this incredible ability to bridge cutting edge neuroscience and practical wisdom. Dr. Daniel Siegel is well known for his books, trainings and courses that bridge cutting edge neuroscience with mindfulness and therapy. A reminder of his background. He's a clinical professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and he's the Executive Director of the mindsight Institute where you can find his courses, his workshops, books and tools to help anyone understand and apply what can sometimes be complicated scientific concepts and make them easy to understand and applicable to our daily lives. At the end of the interview, I let Dr. Siegel know that I'd been practicing his Wheel of Awareness meditation and ended up reviewing what I Learned on episode 60 where we explored the science behind a meditation practice. You can watch the whole interview by clicking on the link in the resource section in the show notes and learn all about Dr. Siegel's work that encompasses schools with resiliency, brain science, and helping our next generation to understand how to apply these important strategies. Whether it's in our classrooms or workplaces of the future. Today, we'll continue to explore within we'll sharpen our mindset and learn about what Dr. Siegel calls mindsight. So in clip one you can click on the link and watch clip one video in the show notes, Dr. Siegel unpacks the concept of mindsight and he helps to clarify the difference between the mind and the brain. When I asked him to explain this distinction, and I knew this wasn't an easy question as I'd already listened to him answer it many times over the years and I still wasn't sure I fully grasped it. In fact, I even tried to tackle it myself back on episode 23, I understanding your brain and your mind for increased results. But revisiting this topic now, I can see this concept requires a much deeper reflection. So I asked Dr. Siegel if we could look at his definition of the mind, one he's been studying for years and many in his scientific and educational circles agree on. He describes the mind as an embodied and and relational process since it's in the body and it's in our relationships with one another that regulates the flow of energy and information. And I wanted to hear him expand on this again, especially around why relationships are so critical for our health and well being and creating what he calls an integrated brain, which he equates with a healthy brain. Now his answer helped me to understand the importance of implementing mindsight into our daily life.
- [06:35]
Dr. Daniel J. Siegel
He said the word mind doesn't really have a formal definition actually in the field of education or psychotherapy or even in Various, you know, fields that study it, like psychology. However, if you just take the idea that you have a subjective experience, a feeling of being alive that gets put under the general word mind, and then you even have consciousness that allows you to know you're having a subjective experience. And then you even have information processing that isn't necessarily in consciousness. Basically what school is all about, learning to process information. And when you see too that the mind is also kind of a self organizing process, it's a complex system that is having a way that it regulates its own becoming, you come to realize that if you could teach about the mind is what we call mind sight, you would have a very different outcome for students.
- [07:26]
Andrea Samadhi
So my key tip from clip one with Dr. Dan Siegel is understanding and applying mindsight, which is the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It's how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings and then next how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves and empathy for others. And if we could bring the concept of mindsight, focusing our attention on the internal world into education or teaching and learning anything, the outcomes for students would be profoundly different. They would not only learn academic content or whatever skill we're teaching, but also how to understand their own subjective experiences and expand their consciousness. So just as we've seen that true change begins by going within, Dr. Siegel shows us that teaching and learning follow the same principle, mindsight, going within to understand ourselves first and then extending this understanding to others. Cultivating empathy invites us to go deeper with ourselves through self study. And Dr. Siegel reminds us that clarity emerges when we're willing to take that deeper dive. He describes mindsight as the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It's how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings and how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves and then empathy for others. And importantly, Dr. Siegel explains that mindsight is more than simply observing. It equips us with the tools to monitor our inner world with clarity and depth and also to modify it with strength and intention. While mindfulness centers on awareness, Mindsight adds an empowering, action oriented dimension, the ability to change the structure and function of the brain itself. With mindsight, we can literally alter the course of our lives by integrating areas of the brain that were previously disconnected from when we monitor our inner world. And we can shift from chaos towards harmony, moving our mind towards health. That's the true power of mindsight and it's A way of awakening the mind to the fact that you aren't a passive participant of life. You become an active participant, the captain of your own ship, he says. This way you become the author of your own story of your life. Which brings us Back to episode 366 where we looked at the question, what do you really want to do with your life? Do you really believe that what you want is possible? Dan Siegel, with his research grounded in science, would say it most definitely is possible with the use of mindsight. I highly recommend Dr. Siegel's book Mindsight that Walks Us step by step through how to implement this concept into our daily life. In the front of the book you can see some well known author reviews, starting with Dr. John Rady, who will be featuring soon. He said Mindsight is a seminal piece on bringing neuroscience to everyday life, helping us to understand what can go awry in the mind so that armed with that knowledge, we'll be better able to change the book. Mindsight is a wonderful journey from the mind, through the brain and the body and then back again and then another testimonial. Clarice Kestenbaum said that mindsight is a remarkable exploration into the synergistic workings of the mind and the brain. So it's so important we understand how the mind and the brain work. And another testimonial, Natalie Goldberg, said this exciting book reveals the secrets of the mind that we've sought in Eastern, Eastern and Western thought for 2,000 years. And that question is, how do we see the mind and learn to tame it for a happier and healthier life? And finally, Diane Ackerman points out that in the earlier book, the Developing Mind, Dan Siegel brilliantly revealed how relationships sculpt and are sculpted by the brain. Now mindsight, she says, is the perfect for follow up. A daring plan of action for a wiser and kinder life. Now our tip one, our practical application of how to apply Mindsight to our life. Begin by setting aside a few quiet minutes each day to practice this important skill that Dr. Siegel calls mindsight. Are you aware of your own thoughts and feelings? Can you name the emotions that you feel? This will help you to understand your own inner world. Next, you can extend this concept to others. Are you aware of the thoughts and feelings of those around you? Can you tell how someone else is feeling? Can you apply what you see with this practice that will increase insight into ourselves while also increasing empathy for others. This is a good start for implementing mindsight into our daily life. Dr. Siegel believes this will cause integration in the brain and actually change its structure and function, leading us towards improved health and well being. And if you want to take mindsight skills to the next level, I highly recommend Dr. Siegel's Wheel of Awareness meditation. You can listen to my review of this meditation from episode 60 that I can tell you took some practice before I was able to explain what I felt. During this meditation, Dr. Siegel narrates us through each part of our body, improving our self awareness. But in segment four, he asks us to think about others and extend our thoughts to them, which is the second part of mindsight. This I think was the most important part of the meditation. As I began to focus well being and intention on not only myself but those close to me and then those in different parts of the world. This meditation has remained one of my favorite practices and I had no idea that this practice was actually causing integration in my brain and setting me up for improved health and well being. In his book the Science and practice of presence, Dr. Siegel explains that there are research based elements of mind training that should include three focused attention, open awareness and kind intention towards others. And his Wheel of Awareness practice involves all three of these pillars. And profound changes happen with the body when you do mind training. He also explains that a three pillar meditation practice like his Wheel of Awareness changes the structure and function of the brain in these fascinating ways. And there are six ways that he lists. He says there's an integration of structure and function of the brain and integration leads you towards wellbeing. There's a reduction of the stress hormone cortisol. There's an enhancement of immune function. There's an improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, a reduction in inflammation via epigenetic changes. And an optimization of telomerase which is fascinating because it repairs and maintains the ends of chromosomes and actually slows aging. So who wouldn't want these benefits? The science is clear and proves that implementing a daily meditation practice practice improves your physical and mental health with many more benefits that we'll explore further on later episodes. Moving on to our clip number two that you can find in the show notes. In clip two, I asked Dr. Siegel about emotional intelligence, how to have emotional intelligence.
- [15:40]
Dr. Daniel J. Siegel
Now interesting about the word emotion is when you look at the science of that, there isn't actually accepted definition on what emotion is. So in this textbook I wrote called the Developing Mind, which I'm now revising into its third edition with the help of 18 interns in that book define emotion as a shift in what we call integration. It's complex, but it ties all the sciences together about Emotion. And one of the things that's integrated together is the feeling of emotion and the construction of meaning. And so if you want school to be meaningful, then it needs to focus on emotion because emotion and meaning are woven from the same cloth, both mentally and relationally as well as in the brain.
- [16:26]
Andrea Samadhi
So a practical application for making emotions stick. Begin your class or your workday with an emotional check in. Take one minute to name how you're feeling, even if you do this in your head yourself and invite your students or your colleagues to do the same. This simple practice strengthens emotional awareness and it ties the learning experience to meaning, making it more impactful. Also, see if you can become an expert at feeling the emotions of others. Can you feel the shift in a room when emotions are stirred with your audience? When you're presenting or in the classroom, when you say something that you hope to spark an emotional connection with? Watch for your audience to move in some way. Do they sit up straighter or shift in their chairs? Do they move in any way? This is an important skill to notice and foster and it can become very valuable when used at the right moment to make something stick. Finally, do you model emotion regulation? And we covered this on our last episode 370 with Dr. John Medina who shared that children build resilience not in calm moments, but in how parents or caregivers or even teachers respond when emotions run high. These moments define our parenting and teaching styles and shape a child's long term emotional health. So once we understand how our emotional brain works, how to calm our brain in seconds, with this understanding we can learn to better manage our own emotions and stay self regulated and help co regulate others. So as we wrap up episode 371 we reviewed two clips from our interview with Dr. Dan Siegel. We learned in clip number one that understanding and applying Mindsight, which is the way we focus our attention on our internal world, it's how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings and how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves and empathy for others. And once we understand our own internal world, Mindsight encourages us to turn our attention to the inner world of others. And this is how we cultivate true empathy. And when we monitor our inner world, we can shift it from chaos towards harmony, moving our mind toward health. And that's the true power of mindsight. Mindsight also causes integration in the brain and actually changes its structure and function, leading us towards improved health and well being. And it's a way of awakening the mind to the fact that you aren't a passive participant of life, but you can become the active participant, the captain of your own ship. That way you become the odd author of your own story of your life. And how do we apply this? Tip Number one A way to begin this practice is to set aside a few quiet moments each day to practice mindsight and ask yourself, Are you aware of your own thoughts and feelings? Can you name the emotions that you feel? And next, extend this concept to others. Are you aware of the thoughts and feelings of those around you? With practice, you strengthen your ability to feel your own emotions and then feel empathy for others. And this practice can be further Strengthened by implementing Dr. Siegel's Wheel of Awareness. The goal Once you understand your own inner world, it's much easier to understand someone else's. And this is when you can show true empathy for one another. Once you've mastered this, you can go beyond mindfulness. Because mindsight is not only about being in the present moment, but being able to modify what's happening in your present moment with this understanding and understanding. And applying Dr. Siegel's mindsight brings us back to episode 366 where we started this review. If we don't like what's happening in our external world, whether it's our job, our relationships, our results, or any area of our life, we must first look inward. Our circumstances mirror the beliefs and thoughts we hold within. As James Allen reminds us in the book as a man thinketh, our outer world is always a reflection of our inner state. And then we looked at clip 2 and what we learned was that emotions and meaning are inseparable. They're woven from the same cloth. To make learning memorable and impactful, teaching must engage the emotions of those we're teaching alongside with the content, which means students must have an understanding of what their emotions are. And a tip for this is to encourage our students to name what they feel, labeling emotions like I'm frustrated or I feel good here and not so so good here, helping them to manage and understand those feelings, making learning more focused and meaningful. We'll review this interview at a later date, but Yale center for Emotional Intelligence founder Mark Brackett and his book Permission to Feel can help us to further explore this area on understanding the emotions we feel. And if we all understand how our emotional brain works and how to calm it with time and practice, this becomes a habit. And the goal? Once we understand our emotions and how to improve our self regulation, we can avoid upsets that happen when our emotions run hot and we next learn to co regulate those around us. An important brain tip that we learned from Dr. John Medina I hope you found these two video clip reminders from Dr. Dan Siegel's interview. And as helpful and meaningful as I have, it always blows my mind when I revisit something that I did many years ago and find immense value with something that I might have missed or not fully understood at the time. Implementing this skill mindsight, takes practice and it's something I'm still working on myself today. We'll see you next week for part two of our review with Dr. Dan Siegel.
- [22:49]
Podcast Announcer
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