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Wayfinding : the science and mystery of how humans navigate the world / by O'Connor, M. R.,1982-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."At once far flung and intimate, a fascinating look at how finding our way make us human. In this compelling narrative, O'Connor seeks out neuroscientists, anthropologists and master navigators to understand how navigation ultimately gave us our humanity. Biologists have been trying to solve the mystery of how organisms have the ability to migrate and orient with such precision -- especially since our own adventurous ancestors spread across the world without maps or instruments. O'Connor goes to the Arctic, the Australian bush and the South Pacific to talk to masters of their environment who seek to preserve their traditions at a time when anyone can use a GPS to navigate. O'Connor explores the neurological basis of spatial orientation within the hippocampus. Without it, people inhabit a dream state, becoming amnesiacs incapable of finding their way, recalling the past, or imagining the future. Studies have shown that the more we exercise our cognitive mapping skills, the greater the grey matter and health of our hippocampus. O'Connor talks to scientists studying how atrophy in the hippocampus is associated with afflictions such as impaired memory, dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, depression and PTSD. Wayfinding is a captivating book that charts how our species' profound capacity for exploration, memory and storytelling results in topophilia, the love of place"--
Subjects: Orientation (Physiology); Space perception.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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How to be animal : a new history of what it means to be human / by Challenger, Melanie,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."What makes us human, and why are we so sure we're different from other animals? Humans are the most inquisitive, emotional, imaginative, aggressive and baffling animals on the planet. But how well do we really know ourselves? How to Be Animal rewrites the remarkable human story and argues that at the heart of our psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. Most of our effects on the planet are the consequences of technological improvements and advances in our understanding of natural mechanisms. But why did this cognitive and technological edge come about in the first place and what kind of being has it made us? In How to Be Animal, Challenger brilliantly argues that this dizzying trajectory is the result of a singular characteristic of our species: the struggle with being an animal. Using a combination of memoir, historical texts, interweaving interviews and cultural and environmental history, How to Be Animal is lively and thought-provoking, bursting with ideas. This is a book for anyone who has ever contemplated what humans are and what makes our species so simultaneously brilliant and awful. Even more so, it is a book that asks tantalizing philosophical questions, such as whether and how human life matters. How to Be Animal is a tough-minded but ultimately sympathetic portrait of humanity. It exposes human beings as extraordinary animals defined by a profound struggle. In the third millennium, the way humans respond to being an animal among animals is the greatest and most inspiring challenge we face."--
Subjects: Human beings; Human-animal relationships.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Heal your nervous system : the 5-stage plan to reverse nervous system dysregulation / by Passaler, Linnea,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Heal your anxiety, burnout, feelings of overwhelm, and chronic physical symptoms by healing your dysregulated nervous system with this straightforward 5-stage roadmap. Drawing upon the latest scientific research in neurobiology, chronic stress, trauma, and sensitivity, Heal Your Nervous System will guide you to rebuilding a thriving nervous system. Dr. Linnea Passaler has helped thousands globally in her digital health program address a wide range of symptoms associated with nervous system dysregulation-from mental symptoms including anxiety, burnout, and brain fog, to physical symptoms, such as digestive issues, chronic inflammation, and fatigue. Now, Dr. Passaler presents her 5-stage plan developed over the last decade to equip readers with the knowledge to understand and regulate their unique nervous systems. Despite its advances, conventional medicine has often overlooked the importance of nervous system regulation in our health and quality of life. This is especially true for highly sensitive individuals, who may be more susceptible to a dysregulated nervous system. Instead of merely treating the symptoms, Dr. Passaler shows you how to make a profound shift from reactive treatment to proactive healing. Grounded in recent scientific advances, this is not a short-term or one-size-fits-all solution, but a comprehensive strategy to tackle the source of your symptoms, and restore your physical, cognitive, and emotional health.
Subjects: Mind and body.; Sensory disorders;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The sugar brain fix : the 28-day plan to quit craving the foods that are shrinking your brain and expanding your waistline / by Dow, Mike,author.; Dow, Mike.Diet rehab.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."What makes a healthy brain? The answer is simpler than you think! In The Sugar Brain Fix, a thoroughly revised and updated edition of Diet Rehab, Dr. Mike Dow takes a deeper look at how sugar affects brain chemistry. Sugar releases serotonin in the brain, a "feel-good" chemical that makes you want to keep eating more. But recent studies have shown that sugar is actually shrinking the brain, resulting in a smaller hippocampus and a host of other issues, including memory problems, depression, weight gain, and more. Over time, we become addicted to the foods that are shrinking our brains, creating a vicious cycle. With this book, Dr. Dow has gathered even more data that shows how our standard American diet is harming our brains and our bodies-and what we can do about it! The Sugar Brain Fix is based on a 28-day, keto-inspired Mediterranean diet plan that allows you to reap the sustainable benefits of a gradual detox: adding healthy foods and activities before eliminating sugar and bad fats. By taking Dr. Dow's quizzes, you'll learn if you're deficient in serotonin, dopamine, or both. You'll discover how to combat sugar and bad-fat cravings with Dr. Dow's approved food swaps, delicious recipes, and supplements. The Sugar Brain Fix Program also includes other techniques to naturally boost brain health, including cognitive behavioral therapy and self-hypnosis"--
Subjects: Recipes.; Nutrition.; Reducing diets.; Self-care, Health.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The invention of good and evil : a world history of morality / by Sauer, Hanno,author.; Heinrich, Jo,translator.; translation of:Sauer, Hanno.Moral.English.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."What makes us moral beings? How do we decide what is good and what is evil? In the vein of Sapiens comes a grand history of our universal moral values at the moment of their greatest crisis. How did we learn to distinguish good from evil? Have we always been capable of doing so? And will we still be in the world to come? In this breathtaking book, ethics expert Hanno Sauer offers a great universal history of morality in the era of its darkest crisis. He finds that morality existed long before there was talk of God, religion, or philosophy. Its history is, first of all, the fruit of a process of natural selection, going back to the dawn of humanity, in the forests of East Africa which, five million years ago, thinned out owing to climate change. Among the early humans that came down from the trees, there were also our ancestors, who adapted to open spaces by organizing themselves into large groups. Under the pressure of environmental factors, morality emerges as the foundation for cooperation, a quality that is as precarious as it is essential to the survival of the species. Moving between paleontology and genetics, psychology and cognitive science, philosophy and evolutionism, Sauer traces a genealogy of morality and along the journey, marks the main moral transformations in the history of humanity. In the end, he concludes that millions of years of stratifications has led to the moral crisis of our present--and the only way to build a future together is to retrace our history."--
Subjects: Ethics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Commanding hope : the power we have to renew a world in peril / by Homer-Dixon, Thomas F.,author.;
"Calling on history, cutting-edge research, complexity science and even Lord of the Rings, Homer-Dixon lays out the tools we can command to rescue a world on the brink. For three decades, the renowned author of The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, and The Ingenuity Gap: Can We Solve the Problems of the Future?, has examined the threats to our future security--predicting a deteriorating global environment, extreme economic stresses, mass migrations, social instability and wide political violence if humankind continued on its current course. He was called The Doom Meister, but we now see how prescient he was. Today just about everything we've known and relied on (our natural environment, economy, societies, cultures and institutions) is changing dramatically--too often for the worse. Without radical new approaches, our planet will become unrecognizable as well as poorer, more violent, more authoritarian. In his fascinating long-awaited new book (dedicated to his young children), he calls on his extraordinary knowledge of complexity science, of how societies work and can evolve, and of our capacity to handle threats, to show that we can shift human civilization onto a decisively new path if we mobilize our minds, spirits, imaginations and collective values. Commanding Hope marshals a fascinating, accessible argument for reinvigorating our cognitive strengths and belief systems to affect urgent systemic change, strengthen our economies and cultures, and renew our hope in a positive future for everyone on Earth."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Creative ability.; Environmental responsibility.; Social change.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The 30 day sobriety solution : how to cut back or quit drinking in the privacy of your own home / by Canfield, Jack,1944-author.; Andrews, Dave,1972-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Jack Canfield, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul; franchise and coauthor of The Success Principles, and Dave Andrews, a recovery expert, join forces to present a revolutionary program to help you cut back or quit drinking entirely--in the privacy of your own home. Alcohol kills one person every ten seconds worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Thankfully, now, for anyone who feels that alcohol has become a problem--and for the 23.5 million Americans living in recovery and looking to be reinspired--this new program introduces a groundbreaking model for sobriety that you can achieve in your own home. The 30-Day Sobriety Solution grew out of Jack Canfield's decades-long work in self-esteem and success training. Its principles were carefully developed into a program by Dave Andrews and tested by thousands whose amazing stories of recovery are shared throughout the book. Organized into five phases that span 30-day periods, this book guides you through each day with practical exercises that, over time, allow you to more easily make positive choices again and again. "The Sobriety System" is an empowerment program that moves systematically from beliefs (including limiting ones) to feelings and emotions to concrete actions and behaviors that promote better outcomes. Integrating neuroscience, cognitive therapy, proven tools, and teachings, The 30-Day Sobriety Solution is a clear, practical daily program that will help you achieve your goals--whether that's getting sober or just cutting back--and create positive, permanent change in your life"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Alcoholics; Alcoholism; Controlled drinking.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Travelers to unimaginable lands : stories of dementia, the caregiver, and the human brain / by Kiper, Dasha,author.; Doidge, Norman,writer of foreword.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."These compelling case histories meld science and storytelling to illuminate the complex relationship between the mind of someone with dementia and the mind of the person caring for them. After getting a master's degree in clinical psychology, Dasha Kiper became the live-in caregiver for a Holocaust survivor with Alzheimer's disease. For a year, she endured the emotional strain of looking after a person whose condition disrupts the rules of time, order, and continuity. Inspired by her own experience and her work counseling caregivers in the subsequent decade, Kiper offers an entirely new way to understand the symbiotic relationship between patients and those tending to them. Her book is the first to examine how the workings of the "healthy" brain prevent us from adapting to and truly understanding the cognitively impaired one. In these poignant but unsentimental stories of parents and children, husbands and wives, Kiper explores the existential dilemmas created by this disease: A man believes his wife is an impostor. A woman's imaginary friendships drive a wedge between herself and her devoted husband. Another woman's childhood trauma emerges to torment her son. A man's sudden Catholic piety provokes his wife. Why is taking care of a family member with dementia so difficult? Why do caregivers succumb to behaviors--arguing, blaming, insisting, taking symptoms personally--they know are counterproductive? Exploring the healthy brain's intuitions and proclivities, Travelers to Unimaginable Lands reveals the neurological obstacles to caregiving, enumerating not only the terrible pressures the disease exerts on our closest relationships but offering solace and perspective as well."--
Subjects: Case studies.; Informational works.; Alzheimer's disease.; Brain; Caregivers.; Dementia; Dementia.; Memory disorders.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Healing the traumatized brain : coping after concussion and other brain injuries / by Vaishnavi, Sandeep,1973-author.; Rabins, Peter V.,writer of foreword.; Rao, Vani,1958-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Recovering from a brain injury can be a challenging and prolonged process. Learn how to maximize your recovery from the effects of brain injuries with the guidance of Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD, and Vani Rao, MBBS, MD, two leading medical experts with extensive experience helping patients recover from concussion and other brain injuries. Healing the traumatized brain explains how the brain works, how injuries affect the brain, and how to use your brain's own power to recover. This detailed guide contains essential information on : the emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical effects following concussion and other brain injuries ; medication options and lifestyle changes ; practical strategies for healing, including stress management, behavioral therapy, and cognitive rehabilitation ; neuroplasticity and nutrition as they affect recovery ; behavioral disorders, balance disorders, and hormonal changes following concussion and other brain injuries ; the effects of coexisting factors such as other medical problems, recreational drug use, the misuse of prescribed medications, and poor sleep hygiene ; the science associated with repeated brain trauma and promising therapies on the horizon"--
Subjects: Brain damage; Brain damage; Brain damage; Brain; Brain; Head; Head;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Counting backwards / by Kirshenbaum, Binnie,author.;
"A middle-aged couple struggles with the husband's descent into early-onset Lewy Body dementia in this profound and deeply moving novel shot through with Kirshenbaum's lacerating humor. It begins with hallucinations. From their living room window, Leo sees a man on stilts, an acting troupe, a pair of swans paddling on the street. Initially, Leo believes the visions are related to visual impairment-they are something he and his wife, Addie, can joke about. Then, he starts to experience occasional, but fleeting, oddities that mimic myriad brain disorders: aphasia, the inability to perform simple tasks, Capgras Syndrome, audial hallucinations he believes to be real. The doctors have no answers. Leo, a scientist, and Addie, a collage artist, had a loving and happy marriage. But as his periods of lucidity become rarer, Addie finds herself less and less able to cope. Eventually, Leo is diagnosed with Lewy Body disease. Life expectancy ranges from 3 to 20 years. A decidedly uncharacteristic act of violence makes it clear that he cannot come home. He moves first to an assisted living facility and then to a small apartment with a caretaker where, over time, he descends into full cognitive decline. Addie's agony, anger, and guilt result in self-imposed isolation, which mirrors Leo's diminished life. And so for years, all she can do is watch him die-too soon, and yet not soon enough. Kirshenbaum captures the couple's final years, months, and days in short scenes that burn with despair, humor, and rage, tracking the brutal destruction of the disease, as well the moments of love and beauty that still exist for them amid the larger tides of loss"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Dementia; Despair; Lewy body dementia; Love; Married people; Social isolation;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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