because when we understand each other better, we can love each other better.
and this, I believe, is what we are here on earth to do.
Welcome to my website! Whatever brings you here, I am so happy you are visiting. Clearly, you are looking for answers, seeking insight and understanding. You have concerns, but you also have hope. This is already a beginning, a wonderful place from which to move forward.
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My Approach
Neuropsychology is the field of science focused on “brain-behavior relationships,” understanding how the structure and chemistry of the brain impacts our feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. As a clinical neuropsychologist, I am trained to identify and address problems with these higher-level brain processes. But more importantly, my job is to help you better understand yourself, how your particular mind works – to discover, accept, and nurture your true, unique self. Mine is a positive, whole person approach. It goes beyond a diagnosis to a deeper understanding, so that happiness is possible.
My particular approach is informed by the wisdom literature of ancient faiths around the world – Buddhist, Taoist, Jewish, Native American, Christian, and others. I have found that the deep insights of these overlap, both with each other and with what we have learned from modern brain science. These insights provide powerful tools for healing, and I am guided by them in my work with my clients and in my life.
One of the biggest challenges for many of us is that we are subject to a constant stream of thoughts – worry thoughts, angry thoughts, self-doubting thoughts. We live in an imaginary and often painful world that our minds create, and this causes us distress and distracts us from what is going on around us. We are worrying about what will happen in the future, regretting what happened in the past, imagining what someone else is thinking or doing or how they will react, and so on. As a result, we are not paying attention to what is going on right here, right now. We are not really available to enjoy our life, be truly present for the people we love, or to take care of ourselves.
But this continuous soundtrack of our mind can be quieted, can be changed. And this is such a relief! We can learn how to become more aware of our patterns of thinking and reacting, to let go of what we’re imagining or regretting, and turn our attention to the present moment, to our direct experience. We can learn not to hurry through life, to focus more fully on our tasks, on our work, and to be present for those we care about, most importantly ourselves. This is where you have to begin – healing your relationship with yourself, and cultivating your own wellbeing.
Executive Dysfunction & Anxiety
One reason I believe it is important to redefine ADHD is that what it really describes is executive function – attention and impulse control are processes in the Executive system – the control of input on the one hand and output on the other. And, as I’ve discussed elsewhere (ThinkPrint), the Executive system depends on…
Emotion and Executive Function
The most important thing to understand about your brain, when working toward wellbeing, is that the brain prioritizes emotion. There are five processing systems in the brain. Sensory (input), Motor (output or response), Affective (motivation), Executive (control), and Cognitive (understanding). The Affective system is the boss system. It runs the show. The Affective system puts…
ADHD: Mindfulness as Medicine
How do we use mindfulness to treat ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)? First, we understand that the ability to pay attention and control our impulses depends on our emotional state. Another way of saying this is that the Emotional (motivation) system drives the Executive (control) system. As we see in the ThinkPrint slider, there are 5…