Healthy Brain Happy Body

Most clinicians think of slow-paced breathing when they think of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. But what if breathing isn’t always the best tool? In this episode, Saul Rosenthal talks with Dr. Fred Shaffer delving deeper into the tips for HRV training he describes in his NRBS webinar . Fred explains how slow-paced muscle contraction can improve HRV, discusses the situations in which it...

Over the past several months, the Healthy Brain Happy Body Creativity Series has explored creativity through conversations with neuroscientists, musicians, performers, artists, clinicians, and researchers. While these guests came from very different backgrounds, many described remarkably similar experiences: flow, absorption, uncertainty, connection, vulnerability, and the feeling of entering a di...

In the second part of this conversation, Dr. Mari Swingle and Dr. Saul Rosenthal turn to one of the defining questions of modern life: What happens to creativity in a world dominated by screens? Drawing from her research on excessive technology use and “interactive screen addiction,” Dr. Swingle explains how digital media can “piggyback and hijack” the same brain systems involved in creativity and...

Dr. Mari Swingle joins Healthy Brain Happy Body for the first of a two-part conversation on creativity, neurophysiology, and the brain states that support artistic expression. Known for her pioneering work on technology addiction and brain health, Dr. Swingle also has a lifelong background in the arts as a painter and singer. In this episode, she explores creativity not simply as talent, but as a...

In Part 2 of this conversation, Dr. Saul Rosenthal and Penijean Gracefire continue their exploration of creativity through the lens of neuroscience, neurofeedback, and human adaptation. The discussion expands into questions about peak performance, executive function, aging, artistic identity, and the role of neurotechnology in enhancing creativity. Penijean explains why she considers the executive...

In this episode of Healthy Brain Happy Body , Dr. Saul Rosenthal continues the podcast’s creativity series with neurotechnology designer and neural frequency analyst Penijean Gracefire . Penijean explores creativity not as a single talent or trait, but as a process of “world-building.” The brain attempts to organize experience, construct meaning, and communicate internal reality to others. Drawing...

This episode's guide is David Ims , who just presented a webinar to the NRBS about concussion management with the XLNTBrain system. Concussions are common, often underdiagnosed, and notoriously difficult to assess. The conversation explores the limits of symptom reporting, the role of cognitive testing, and how adding neurophysiological data like QEEG may help clinicians and patients make more inf...

How does voice work move from technique… into transformation? In Part 2 of this conversation, Dr. Saul Rosenthal continues his discussion with Daniel Pinals. Daniele is a singing coach , performer, and licensed mental health counselor . The discussion explores how voice, therapy, and the nervous system intersect in real, lived experience. Daniel describes how vocal training and psychotherapy share...

What does it really mean to “find your voice”? In this episode, Dr. Saul Rosenthal sits down with Daniel Pinals, a singing coach , performer, and licensed mental health counselor , to explore the surprising intersection of voice, trauma, and creativity . Daniel shares her journey from musical theater to clinical work, and how voice lessons often become something more than technical training. For m...

This episode continues the conversation with Kimaya Lakamas , a neuroscientist, singer-songwriter, and doctoral student at the MIT Media Lab, about the challenge of translating music research into real-world therapeutic use. They explore what early research suggests about music’s short-term effects on stress and anxiety, why emotional regulation through music must remain deeply individualized, and...

This episode's guide is Kimaya Lakamas , a neuroscientist, singer-songwriter, and doctoral student at the MIT Media Lab, about the path that brought her from performing music to studying its effects on physiology, emotion, and psychological well-being. Together they explore how live music affects the body, why people respond so differently to the same piece of music, and what it might take to deve...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! In the second part of the conversation with psychologist, musician, and neuroscientist Dr. Barbara Minton , the focus shifts from the making of Calm the Storm to the deeper questions underneath it: what creativity really is, how music interacts with the nervous system, and why li...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! In this special episode of Healthy Brain Happy Body , Dr. Saul Rosenthal speaks with Dr. Jeff Carmen , developer of the pIR HEG neurofeedback system, about his recent NRBS webinar . Dr. Carmen discusses his way of understanding conditions like migraines, anxiety, emotional pain,...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! This episode's guide is Dr. Barbara Mitten — psychologist, musician, and neuroscientist — about the long path that led her to combine creativity, neurofeedback, and clinical care in a new way. Her new music project is Calm the Storm , created in collaboration with guitarist Pepin...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! Today is the second part of my interview with Alice Flaherty, MD, PhD , neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of numerous books and studies including The Midnight Disease:...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! Today’s guide is Alice Flaherty, MD, PhD neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of numerous books and studies including The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's B...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! This episode's guide is Dr. Simone Luchini , a post-doctoral researcher at the Paris Brain Institute . He studied at Penn State in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Laboratory . He recently published a study showing that neurofeedback can enhance creative thinking . Please...

Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. watch the video versions of our podcasts and Subscribe there as well! This episode's guide is Dr. Simone Luchini , a post-doctoral researcher at the Paris Brain Institute . He studied at Penn State in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Laboratory . He recently published a study showing that neurofeedback can enhance creative thinking . Please...

Check out the video version of Happy Brain Healthy Body at https://www.youtube.com/@nrbsofficial1393/podcasts We continue our series on creativity with the second part of my chat with Dr. Rex Jung , neuropsychologist and expert in creativity. He has worked as an Assistant Research Professor of Psychology at the University of New Mexico and a research scientist at the Mind Research Network. His res...

We're doing a few new things. First, we are now on YouTube! Check out the video version of our interviews at https://www.youtube.com/@nrbsofficial1393/podcasts We're also going to start putting multi-episode series, so we can dig deeper into topics. This episode kicks off our episode about creativity. Guests include neuroscientists, clinicians, researchers, and performers. We'll start with some ep...

This episode is from 2022. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this podcast, join NRBS for our free webinars and continuing eduction series . Today’s guide is Dr. Catherine Pittman, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at at Saint Mary’s College. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and traumatic brain injury recovery. She is also...

This episode is from 2022. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this podcast, join NRBS for our free webinars and continuing eduction series . Today’s guide is Dr. Catherine Pittman, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at at Saint Mary’s College. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and traumatic brain injury recovery. She is also...

This is an episode from 2022. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this podcast, join NRBS for our free webinars and continuing eduction series . Today’s guide is Ruth Cohn . Ruth is a psychotherapist who has been practicing neurofeedback since 2009. She has studied the dynamics of trauma and neglect, and worked with survivors; their intimate partners and families since...

This is an episode from 2022. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this podcast, join NRBS for our free webinars and continuing eduction series . Today’s guide is Ruth Cohn . Ruth is a psychotherapist who has been practicing neurofeedback since 2009. She has studied the dynamics of trauma and neglect, and worked with survivors; their intimate partners and families since...

This is an archive episode from 2023. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this podcast, join NRBS for our free webinars and continuing eduction series . This episode's guide is Jay Gunkelman, world renowned expert on understanding and interpreting the EEG. After decades in the field, he continues to have significant impact on neurofeedback and Neuromodulation. Jay is w...