Overview

1. Mini-Lecture: Overview of Module 4, Group Project "Reveal" and Study Tips!

Lecture with Running Transcript

Lecture - Audio Only

The Brain and The Nervous System

2. Lecture: The Nervous System, the Brain and How Emotions Work

To know how emotions and stress work, we need to understand the brain. This lecture is a bit long (40:40) but it's VERY important because it explains the basics of the BRAIN and the NERVOUS SYSTEM that we will keep referring back to A LOT. You'll also want to know this stuff for your own LIFE (as well as quizzes and the midterm and group project, of course...basically for everything this quarter). I use a powerpoint of images from your textbook, so you can follow along with your textbook as you listen.

Lecture with Running Transcript

Lecture - Audio Only

3. The "Triune Brain" (2 short vides, 3 and 6 minutes) - Thinking of the Brain in 3 major parts is helpful and used by many neuroscientists, even though it isn't completely accurate. These two videos discuss it. The first one has super cute kids :)

The Triune Brain in 3 minutes

Triune Brain Theory, Critiqued

Stress

4. Lecture: The Biology of Stress

Lecture with Running Transcript

Lecture - Audio Only

5. The Health Impacts of Stress:

These two short videos (5 min each) by TED-Ed explain very well how stress impacts our physical body, and out brain's functioning. Good stuff to know...

How Stress Effects the Body's Health

Stress and the Brain

6. It's Not Stress, but how we THINK about stress:

Here is Health Psychologist Kelly McGonigal brilliantly admitting that she's been making a mistake for 10 years, and revealing that perhaps the most important aspect of stress is how we think about stress. Check it out! Super important. (You don't HAVE to watch the whole thing...she gets her point across in the first few minutes, then further strengthens it).

It's How You Frame Stress that Matters

Trauma:

7. Lecture on Trauma

Lecture with Running Transcript

Lecture - Audio Only

8. Three Short Videos on Trauma:

To give you a sense about how trauma is a body-based phenomenon, here is one of the leading healers of trauma working with a US veteran who experienced severe trauma in combat, and was subsequently diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and Turret's syndrome, due to his head and body developing a mysterious twitch response.

Dr. Peter Levine working with Ray, a combat veteran

Here is Dr. Emma Gray, a psychologist, giving a very succinct description of one of the most important things to understand about how humans react to stress and trauma: the phenomena of dissociation.

Psychologist Dr. Emma Gray on Dissociation

Lastly, here is perhaps the world's foremost expert on trauma, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, discussing trauma, the body and the ancient Indian practice of yoga as a way of healing trauma.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk on Trauma and Yoga

Completely OPTIONAL Video: Ray's Story.

If you were intrigued by Dr. Levine's work with Ray, the combat veteran, here is a longer and more complete film that puts together his work with Ray over many years. This is only if you are interested.

Longer Story of Ray's Healing, with video clips over years and commentary by Dr. Levine.

ALSO OPTIONAL:

Feeling stressed by the Group Project and all your other life and work?? Here's a very simple technique to help you soothe your nervous system. Give it a try! (just 4 minutes) And also...as you're doing it, don't forget to consider reframing the study-related stress as maybe not a bad thing, but as something, like a push-up, helping you to grow stronger.

2:1 Breathing Technique