Notes from Gabija's talk

1. Dr. Gabija Toleikyte
Neuroscience of Self Change

2. Warm up

3. What brought you here?

4. Neuroscience of Self Change
• Brain
• Personality
• Habits
• Break
• 5 brain activity based
steps to create a lasting
change
• Pub discussions

5. Slides

6. Me
• Neuroscientist
• PhD – University College London, UK
• MSc – Helsinki University, FI
• BSc – VU, LT
• Business and career coach at
SuperG Coaching
• Applied neuroscience seminars for
companies, schools, universities,
public
• Neuroscience in schools
• Lecturer at Middlesex University

7. Brain
Fixed Live
Photo by Robert
Ludlow

8. Parts of the brain
Book “Neuroscience” Purves et al, 2004

9. Human brain

10. Phineas Gage (1823-60)
http://onlinestorybank.com/2014/03/the-strange-case-of-mr-phineas-gage/

11. Prefrontal cortex
• Execu&ve func&ons:
reasoning, planning,
decision making, cri1cal
thinking, problem solving.
• Personality: sense of self,
values, self-control,
mo1va1on.

12. Prefrontal cortex suppression
• Inability to control
emotions
• Impulsivity, lack of
inhibition
• Frustration, easily
provoked aggression
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of energy

13. Neurons
• Brain contains over 86 billion of neurons.
• Brain cells which contain information.
• Neurons communicate with one another via small
electrical currents (nerve impulse) and chemical signals
(neurotransmitters).

14. Neural networks
• Neurons are connected into neural networks to convey
specific tasks.
• Each thought, action or feeling is created by the activation
of a certain neural network/group of networks.

15. Brain “highways”
• Actions/thoughs/feelings
which we repeat most often
form brain “highways” where
informations flows faster and
more acqurately.
• These networks define our
default thoughts, emotional
profile and personality.

16. Brain plasticity
• Our brain is changing
every day!
• New neurons
(neurogenesis)
• Death of unused neurons
(apoptosis)
• New connections between
neurons
• Changed power of old
connections

17. Brain plasticity and age
• Neurogenesis happens
though all of our life,
thus, to there is never too
late to learn and change.
• Neurogenesis is more
active when we are
encountering new
information.
• Physically and mentally
active life reduces a risk
of neurodegenerative
diseases.

18. Why do we usually do things the same way?

19. Habits
• Majority of things we do
• Personal, group, society
• Saving energy
• Can focus on other things
• Known outcome
• Safety/comfort

20. Habit loop

21. Junk food habit loop

22. Junk food habit loop

23. Smoking habit loop

24. Phone checking habit loop

25. Procrastination

26. Habit loop of procrastination
Doing anything
but task
Temporary
emotional relief

27. Cues
• Time of day
• Place (e.g. office, home, pub)
• Emotional / mental state (e.g. tired, stressed, sad)
• Person / people
• Proceeding action

28. Habits triggered by place

29. Office

35. Habits triggered by emotional state

36. What do you do when you feel
unpleasant emotions?

42. Rewards
• Physiological needs (thurst, hunger)
• Change in emotional state
• Psychological

43. 6 human needs
1. Safety / security
2. Variety
3. Significance
4. Love / connection
5. Growth
6. Contribution beyond yourself

44. Changing habit

45. What is the habit you would like to
change?

46. What is your trigger?

47. What is your reward?

48. What other action could give the same
reward?

49. Changing habits
• If you want your brain to change, create that into a habit.
• Get aware of your existing habits: cue, routine, reward.
• Maintain the same cue and reward and change routine.

50. Break

51. Can we change?

52. In order for us to change our brain needs
to change first

53. Triune Brain Model (McLean, 1990)
Mammal
brain
Lizard
brain
Human
brain

54. Difference between brain areas
• Lizard brain – staying alive: breathing, heartbeat,
digestion.
• Mammal brain (limbic system) – safety:
emotions, connection, memory, habits
• Human brain (neocortex) – change: higher
cognitive functions, learning, decision making,
colaboration

55. Lizard brain
• Allows us to stay alive
• Breathing
• Heartbeat
• Digestion
• Always active (day and
night)
• Small energy
consumption per cell

56. Mammal brain
• Active most of the time
• Allows us to be on
“autopilot”
• Emotions, habits, skills
• Medium energy
consumption per cell

57. Human brain
• Active when we are making decisions, changing habits,
learning, controlling emotions.
• Very expensive for the brain energy wise!
• Active sporadically only when needed.

58. Brain and Energy
• When we are tired or
stressed there is not
enough energy for Human
Brain, hence we revert to
old habits – automatic,
less energy consumption.
• In that state we cannot
make best decions or learn
new habits.

59. Changing Habits #1
• At the start of change reduce the mental load and take
lots of quality breaks.
• Do the actions desired in the morning or after the break.

60. How could I implement more quality rest
during my day?

61. Too much novelty creates anxiety
• Novelty activates amygdala.
• Amygdala evokes an
instinctive fear and anxiety
which pushes us to act old
way.
• Amygdala deactivates large
chunks of neocortex, thus,
we cannot evaluate the
situation rationally.

62. Brain in depressed-like state

63. Changing Habits #2
• Implement a change in small bits maintaining majority of
elements unaltered – feeling of familiarity.

64. What are the steps in creating this
change?

65. Pleasure or pain?
• We naturally avoid situations where we experience pain
and seek the ones we experience pleasure.

66. Pain and pleasure centers in the brain

67. Parasympathetic nervous system
• Release of dopamin –
pleasure and motivation.
• Release of oxytocin –
dilation of blood vesicles
– more oxygen and
glucose to neocortex.
• Intelectually, emotionally
and perceptually best
state, most creative and
best decision making.

68. Changing Habits #3
• Regularly rewarded yourself for doing the actions new
way (+ reimforcement), make the process fun.
• Get clear on the benefits of this change.

69. What are the benefits of this change?

70. Sympathetic nervous system
• Activated by stress and
threat
• Adrenalin and noradrenalin
– contraction of blood
vesicles, lack of oxygen
and glucose for neocortex.
• Tunel vision/thinking,
rejecting new ideas,
blocked creativity.
• Cortisol – weakened
immune system and
reduced neurogenesis.

71. Changing Habits #4
• Manage Brain Stress Response - get aware of triggers
and avoid them, stress reduction activities, support,
reduce negative self talk.
• Get clear on the drawback of staying where you are.

72. What helps me to reduce stress?

73. What am I loosing now and in future if I
don’t change?

74. How long it takes to make a new habit?

75. Changing Habits #5
• To create a system where change is being supported and
awarded for 1-3 month.
• To create a suppot system: social accountability, personal
coaching.

76. How could I make it consistent for 1
month?

77. Summary
• Our brain can change, however, that requires energy,
attention and effort. To create a lasting change we need to
create it into a habit (trigger, routine, reward).
• Stress and exhaustion push us to act in old ways.
• Implement a change in small steps maintaining majority of
elements unaltered.
• Reward yourself and make process pleasant.
• Manage stress response.
• Changing habits take time (1-3 months) since new neural
networks need to be formed.

78. Neuroscience of Successful Relationships
• 26th of NOV, SAT,1-4PM,
LONDON
• Male and Female Brain
• Developmental stages of Men
• Communication in relationships
• Embracing differences
• Understanding the other
persons
• Languages of Love
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/
neuroscience-of-successful-
relationships-
tickets-28886996785

79. Individual consultation
• Want to create a lasting change
• Want to create better emotional wellbeing
• Want to achieve more
• Career change
• Improve relationships
• http://supergcoaching.com/testimonials/

80. Thank you!
www.facebook.com/supergcoaching/
supergabija@gmail.com
twitter.com/supergabija
www.supergcoaching.com
www.mybrainduringtheday.com
www.linkedin.com/in/PhD-Gabija-Toleikyte