Episode #24
The Neuroscience of an Anxious Generation
The Surgeon General recently labeled the youth mental health disaster as the defining public health crisis of our lifetime. Dr. Bill Stixrud and Dr. Christine Abrahams came together to discuss the defining disaster of our generation and how Transcendental Meditation can be the solution so many concerned parents and educators have been seeking. In this episode: Why is young adult mental health now twice as bad as adolescence? What does sleep deprivation have to do with this? What does chronic stress do to a developing brain? Does childhood anxiety automatically lead to a risk of recurrence in adulthood? What does youth anxiety/depression do to the pleasure scale? Why are so many kids so afraid of launching that they purposely sabotage their academic momentum? How are parents responding? The lack of play + adult versus child-led play What are the catalysts to this mental health crisis? What are the primary emotions experienced in school? What is intrinsic motivation and how does it impact neurocircuitry? What is a self-driven child and how do they show up? A sense of control is key to mental health How does TM support this mental health crisis? How does TM support “the most nervous person you’ve ever met?” How does this adolescent stress impact the parents? How is calm contagious? Bios: Dr. Bill Stixrud William R. Stixrud, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of The Stixrud Group, a lifespan neuropsychology practice. For four decades, he was also a faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Stixrud has authored numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to the adolescent brain, stress and sleep deprivation, and Transcendental Meditation. Furthermore, he is the co-author, with Ned Johnson, of the nationally best-selling book, The Self-Driven Child. He and Mr. Johnson have also co-authored an acclaimed second book, What Do You Say? Talking with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home, as well as a new third book, The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child – A Workbook. He is also a long-time practitioner and proponent of Transcendental Meditation, and he plays and sings in the Maryland-based rock band Close Enough. Dr Christine Abrahams Christine is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey who provides individual counseling to adolescents and adults for over 20 years. She also coaches parents and adolescents nationally. In addition, she is a certified Transcendental Meditation Teacher, a certified Havening Techniques practitioner and a SPACE (Supporting Parents of Anxious Childhood Emotions) provider, and a certified Consciousness Advisor professional, offering Technologies of Consciousness to help clients reach their next level of evolution. Christine learned TM in 2019 and became a TM teacher and now is the director of the Cape Coral TM center in Southwest Florida. She loves teaching and bringing such relief to her students. For more information, please go to wholelifehealing.net , inspireinstitute.net and https://us.tm.org/centers/cape-coral .
