Cannabis is often hailed as a natural remedy for stress, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and chronic pain. But is it the miracle cure it’s made out to be? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Amen and Tana Amen reveal the darker side of marijuana no one’s talking about. Discover what SPECT scans show about its effects on brain health, mental well-being, and mood regulation—and learn why it’s important to know the full story before you decide if it’s right for you.

00:00 Intro

00:48 Cannabis

02:03 Why Do People Use?

10:41 Sponsor

12:00 The Trouble with Marijuana

18:48 The Psychological Consequences

22:53 The Risk Factors Associated with Cannabis

24:42 Taking Action

25:16 Dr. Amen’s 12 Steps

28:11 Your Why

29:31 Supplements

31:20 Habit Replacement

36:30 Wrap Up

You lied to me! Dr. Daniel and Tana Amen introduce a new miniseries of podcasts with a focus on misinformation. In this episode, the Amens discuss some of the truths (and misconceptions) of alcohol, including how it affects the brain.

00:00 Intro

00:40 You Lied to Me

02:53 Society Programming 

8:46 Alcohol

11:10 Why Do People Drink?

14:19 Sponsor

14:42 How Alcohol Works

22:36 The Social Factor

25:37 Spiritual Connection

26:23 What’s the Trouble with Alcohol?

34:26 Alcohol Risk Factors

40:13 Alcohol Effects in SPECT Scans

42:08 Wrap Up

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain shares the deeply personal story of how he survived a deadly fire at his Catholic school that claimed the lives of 93 classmates and three nuns—a trauma that left an indelible mark on his life and, as Dr. Amen explains, his brain.

00:00 Intro

01:50 Sponsor

03:10 Jonathan’s Journey/Goals

06:35 Jonathan’s History

08:03 Chicago Fire Tragedy

21:32 BRIGHT MINDS Risk Factors

24:39 Head Trauma

27:27 Mold Exposure

28:45 BRIGHT MINDS Continued

30:11 SPECT Scan Analysis (Surface)

37:16 SPECT Scan Analysis (Active)

39:23 The Plan

42:17 Bad Days, Good Data

44:45 Sponsor

46:12 Wrap Up

In this week's episode, the Amens discuss the impact of childhood trauma on the brain and how it can set the stage for long-term physical and mental health problems. Tana also shares deeply personal insights into her own traumatic upbringing and healing journey.

00:00 Intro

00:42 Overcoming the Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma

01:48 ACES Study

03:56 The ACES Questionairre

09:44 Overcoming Trauma

11:44 EMDR

16:45 ACES/SPECT Study

19:09 Sponsor

19:32 Face Recognition Study

20:45 Trauma and the 4 Circles

25:58 The Most Important Lessons from Trauma

29:19 Post-Traumatic Growth

30:06 Comparing Traumas

31:51 Resources/Wrap Up

EMDR International Association:

https://www.emdria.org

In this week's episode, Dr. Amen and Tana share 10 bad parenting habits that hold kids back from being their best. Plus, they reveal the best parenting strategies to help kids become more resilient, respectful, and mentally strong.

00:00 Intro

00:48 10 Things Parents Should Never Do

1:21 Ignore Their Brain

07:55 No Bonding

12:51 Don’t Listen

16:08 Sponsor

17:17 Rescue Your Kids

23:08 Do Too Much for Them

27:39 Fail to Supervise

31:25 Model Unhealthy Behavior

32:57 Forget What You Were Like at That Age

35:31 Tell Kids They’re Smart

39:41 Focus on What They’re Doing Wrong

41:37 Wrap Up

In Part 2 of their series on how to ruin your relationships, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana reveal five additional relationship killers and how they’re often linked to bad habits or unhealthy brain activity. Discover these common relationship issues, as well as simple brain health strategies to overcome them and strengthen your connection with loved ones.

00:00 Intro

00:43 How to Ruin Your Relationships Pt. 2

01:14 Alcohol & Substance Abuse

05:53 Not Dealing With Childhood Trauma

07:55 Untreated Brain Health Problems

12:30 Sponsor

13:56 Hormones

20:59 Say Everything You Think

23:48 Focus/One Page Miracle

29:49 Devices

31:57 Wrap Up

In this week's episode of Change Your Brain Every Day, Dr. Daniel Amen is joined by Olympic bronze medal-winning pole vaulter (and viral sensation) Alysha Newman for a discussion on how she was able to overcome setbacks, break through her mental hurdles, and ultimately achieve her dreams. Dr. Amen and Alysha discuss the role the "Doom Loop" can play in those looking to attain peak performance, and how turning attention to the "Healing Loop" can help to reduce or eliminate both physical and emotional pain, setting the stage for victory.

00:00 Intro

00:52 Alysha’s Olympic Journey/Concussion

04:52 Alysha and Dr. Amen Team Up

09:04 Automatic Negative Thoughts

11:06 Sponsor

11:30 The Doom Loop

14:28 Irlen Syndrome

16:14 The Healing Loop

17:09 Positivity Bias Training

19:35 The Rule of 12

22:15 EMDR/Ankle Injury

27:08 Embracing Brain Health

34:08 Work Highlights

41:31 Proving People Wrong Vs. Proving People Right

46:34 Paris Olympics

49:56 Sponsor

51:15 Bronze Medal

55:46 Courage

56:50 Presence

58:10 Gold Medal Elite Brain Affirmation

1:01:22 One Page Miracle

1:06:15 Alysha’s Brain SPECT Scan

1:09:44 Purpose

1:11:18 Wrap Up

In this week's episode of Change Your Brain Every Day, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana sit down to discuss sure fire ways to ruin your primary relationships. Did you know that having good relationships can help you be healthier and happier—and even live longer? It’s true! In addition to how great it feels to be in a positive, warm, and satisfying relationship with another person, it’s actually helpful to your brain and body as you age. Conversely, people who are in unhealthy relationships filled with conflict and stress can become more vulnerable to sickness and earlier death.

00:00 Intro

02:10 Responsibility

04:12 Blame/Sovereignty

06:24 Talking Over One Another

08:01 Defensive Ninja Moves

10:53 Cheating/Mistrust

11:34 Sponsor

12:44 RELATING

24:07 Summary

26:56 Condescending Attitudes

27:51 Contempt

28:13 Criticism

28:48 Love is Just a Feeling

29:54 No Forethought = No Foreplay

31:46 Practical Tips

33:41 Wrap Up

Grief is a natural part of the human experience, and it's our approach to grief that plays a crucial role in processing our emotions and continuing with our life's journey. In this episode, the Amens discuss their recent personal experience with grief, and how their strategies helped them to process their emotions in a healthy way, even at their lowest. Daniel and Tana then give you their top strategies for how to process grief in your own life, helping you to keep your brain operating in a healthy capacity to honor the memory of those we love and continue your upward trajectory towards peace.

00:00 Intro

1:27 Tana’s Mom

09:05 Feel It to Heal It

11:23 The Anti-Funeral

13:02 Clean Grief

14:45 Fix Sleep First

17:15 Sponsor

18:41 Develop a Relationship with Grief

23:07 Havening

26:35 Displaced Grief

27:30 Share Your Sadness

28:00 Make Brain Health a Priority

28:38 Never Let Grief Be Your Excuse to Hurt Yourself

31:44 I Know I’m Happy When…

33:48 Physical Activity

36:45 Kill the ANTs

37:29 Honor with Action

39:50 Wrap Up

We are so excited to bring you the next chapter in our journey of creating a revolution in psychiatry by changing the discussion around mental health to what it really is, brain health. We would like to introduce you to Change Your Brain Every Day, a new podcast featuring focused discussions surrounding the health of your brain. Every day you are making your brain better, or you are making it worse. Our goal is to give you the information you need to change your brain for the better, every day. A lot has happened in our lives since we released our last episode of The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast, and in this episode we fill you in on some of these triumphs and heartbreaks. We then discuss some of the most basic brain health habits you can introduce into your routine to change your life immediately.

00:00 Intro

01:26 Introducing Change Your Brain Every Day

05:15 Catching Up

13:58 Sponsor

15:14 Basic Brain Health Habits

15:58 Brain Health is 3 Things

23:45 Create a Vision

31:33 Claire Woods

34:48 Wrap Up

#brainhealth #changeyourbrain #changeyourlife