“And what saved me was walking into this magic shop one time and meeting this woman, Ruth, who was there, who was this radiant individual, and after we spoke for a period of time, she said to me, I like you very much. I'm here for another six weeks, and if you show up every day, I think I could teach you something that could help you. Now, I was 12 years old, and frankly, I had no self awareness or insight whatsoever. But what I did have was this sense that she cared. And as I said, she created this environment of psychological safety where I felt comfortable. I felt I could trust her. And as a result, and this was before the concept of mindfulness or mind training. Was used at all, or the concept of neuroplasticity she taught me a technique of mindfulness. Now, the interesting thing is, and I think many people don't appreciate, is that when you grow up in these traumatic environments, in the sense that it's chaotic, it's unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen. This activates your sympathetic nervous system, this flight, fight, or fear response. And in many ways, it's as similar to what a veteran experiences in war. You never know what's going to happen. So your muscles are always tense, you're always looking around, you can't stay focused. And this was my situation.” So says Dr. Jim Doty, neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, and the director of Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Jim is also a bestselling author—his first book, Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart, tells his improbable life story: Jim had a tough start in life. He wandered into a magic shop where he met the shop owner’s mother, Ruth, who offered to spend six weeks teaching him mindfulness and meditation—these weren’t really things at the time—and ultimately how to manifest. After a rollercoaster of a life, including manifesting the list of things he wanted as a tween, he found himself back at the bottom again, and began to attend to making real meaning with his life. This ushered in his last chapter, where he has become much more than a neurosurgeon: He is one of the leading figures in the globe drawing connections between the brain, compassion and care, and how love shows up in the world. We caught up when Jim was in Ryad, in the middle of the night for him—thank you Jim!—launching a new AI-enabled mental health app called Happi.ai, which isn’t therapy but is a friend in your pocket. Our conversation begins there before we dive into his newest book, Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everythin. If you think of Manifestation as woo-woo, Jim explains why it’s actually not—and the underlying brain mechanisms that are activated when you focus attention and intention. MORE FROM JAMES DOTY, M.D.: Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everything Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart Jim’s App: Happi.ai Jim’s Website To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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