The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery

In this neuroscience-based, faith-infused, and immensely practical guide, Dr. W. Lee Warren, a practicing neurosurgeon, trauma survivor, and award-winning writer, reveals how to take control of your own mental, emotional, and physical healing by reordering your mind to change your brain-resulting in a radically transformed life that is healthier, happier, and more hopeful.

Since the development of functional brain imaging in the early 2000’s, we now know that thoughts can direct structural changes in the brain as or more effectively than medicines or surgery and can do so more quickly. That means, whether we know it or not, we’re all brain surgeons.

The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery will help you:

learn and master several types of “self-brain surgery” operations to move from floundering to flourishing heal from trauma, tragedy, and other types of hardship overcome anxiety, depression, loneliness and other emotional and mental health struggles conquer limiting or negative thinking break old habits and create new ones build resilience and wellbeing become an empowered, hopeful person no matter what you’re facing With the skill of a surgeon, the wounds of a trauma-survivor, the lessons of a scientist, and a hard-won faith that we are wired for happiness here on earth and not just in the hereafter, Dr. Warren walks readers into nothing less than a new way of life.

The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery is a brilliant synthesis of neuroscience and practical wisdom, grounded in Dr. Warren’s decades of experience as a brain surgeon. This book makes the revolutionary principles of neuroplasticity accessible, showing readers how to enhance their mental health by becoming, in effect, their own brain surgeons.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Disclaimer
4. Foreword by Daniel G. Amen, MD
5. Introduction: How Self–Brain Surgery Will Change—and Maybe Save—Your Life
6. Part 1: The Waiting Room | Chapter 1: Out of Options?
7. Chapter 2: New Patient Paperwork
8. Part 2: The Office | Chapter 3: But What If I Don’t Want to Have Surgery?
9. Chapter 4: Why Good Surgeons Change Approaches
10. Chapter 5: APPROACH #1: Nothing Can Help Me
11. Chapter 6: APPROACH #2: Maybe Something Can Help Me
12. Chapter 7: APPROACH #3: Maybe Science Can Help Me
13. Chapter 8: APPROACH #4: Maybe God Can Help Me
14. Chapter 9: Your Role in Rewiring Your Brain
15. Part 3: The Ten Commandments of Self–Brain Surgery | Chapter 10: Why We Need Guiding Principles
16. Chapter 11: THE FIRST COMMANDMENT I Must Relentlessly Refuse to Participate in My Own Demise
17. Chapter 12: THE SECOND COMMANDMENT I Must Believe That Feelings Are Not Facts; They Are Chemical Events in My Brain
18. Chapter 13: THE THIRD COMMANDMENT I Must Believe That Most of My Automatic Thoughts Are Untrue
19. Chapter 14: THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT I Must Believe That My Mind Is in Charge of My Brain
20. Chapter 15: THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT I Must Believe That Self–Brain Surgery Is Not a Metaphor; It Is the Mechanism of Transforming My Life
21. Chapter 16: THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT I Must Love Tomorrow More Than I Hate How I Feel Right Now
22. Chapter 17: THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT I Must Stop Making an Operation Out of Everything
23. Chapter 18: THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT I Must Not Perpetuate—or Start—Harmful Generational Thought or Behavioral Issues in My Life or Family
24. Chapter 19: THE NINTH COMMANDMENT I Must Believe That I’m Getting Better at What I’m Doing
25. Chapter 20: THE TENTH COMMANDMENT I Must Understand That Thoughts Become Things
26. Part 4: The Operating Room | Chapter 21: Operating Your Mind as a Self–Brain Surgery Specialist
27. Chapter 22: The Whole-System Scan
28. Chapter 23: The Thought Biopsy
29. Chapter 24: Basic Self–Brain Surgery
30. Chapter 25: Completing the Training Program
31. Part 5: The Practice | Chapter 26: Rewiring for Radical Transformation
32. Epilogue: How Self–Brain Surgery Saved My Life
33. APPENDIX A: Tactical Self–Brain Surgery Procedures for Specific Problems | Part 1
34. APPENDIX A: Tactical Self–Brain Surgery Procedures for Specific Problems | Part 2
35. APPENDIX B: Progress Notes and Reports
36. APPENDIX C: Pediatric Self–Brain Surgery
37. APPENDIX E: The Self–Brain Surgery Library
38. APPENDIX F: Self–Brain Surgery in the Bible
39. Gratitude and Praises
40. Closing Credits