Category: Neuroplasticity

Strengthening the Right Brain in Left Brain Times

2/28/2025

“May Peace Be Upon Us” - Paper and acrylic on 36 x 48" canvas - Courtney Snyder

The "left hemisphere" isn't bad; it's just not an effective place from which to make important decisions.

We live in a world that often feels increasingly “left-brained.” While both hemispheres are always working together, they each have distinct traits, values, and ways of engaging with the world. In this podcast episode, I explore:

The unique characteristics of the left and right hemispheres
How to recognize which hemisphere is leading in a given moment
The benefits of allowing the right brain to take the lead
How neuroplasticity enables us to strengthen the right hemisphere through enjoyable activities
The additional advantages of doing this within a community

On a related note, I’ll soon be sharing details about an upcoming discussion group: "Strengthening the Right Brain in Left Brain Times."

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Creativity & Healing - A Booster

10/21/2024

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Art teaches us to trust the process, roll with uncertainty, know that the answers will present themselves when we’re not looking so hard.

This past weekend, someone asked if I’d read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. With my life feeling a bit stagnant, I took it as a sign from the universe.

As I dive into the book, I’m reminded how crucial creativity was in my own healing journey. Exploring the creative process awakened my then dormant right brain, providing both the spark and the fuel when I felt depleted. Through collage and writing, creativity connected me to life's mystery and taught me not only to navigate uncertainty but to embrace it. Like any mental process, if we don't use it—and its neuronal pathways—we lose it.

This post, shared from a year ago, is for anyone, like me, who might need a creative nudge or boost…

Read the full article on Substack

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An Overactive Limbic System & What We Can Do About It

9/30/2024

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Amygdala, RCCX Theory, CAPS Profile & 'Wired For Danger," Neuroplasticity, MCAS, EHS, CFS, POTS, CIRS, Mold Toxicity, Limbic System Retraining Programs For Adults & Children

Our limbic system, often referred to as the "lizard brain," plays a critical role in keeping us safe. However, when it’s overactive, it can make us feel perpetually unsafe.

In a previous discussion, I explored how the autonomic nervous system (ANS) triggers fight, flight or shutdown responses when we sense danger. Although the ANS operates mainly outside the brain, it communicates closely with the limbic system. In this newsletter, I’ll cover:

What is the limbic system, specifically the amygdala, and how does it protect us?
What symptoms and conditions arise when the amygdala is overactive?
How is the limbic system linked to high immune reactivity, mast cell activation, multiple chemical sensitivity, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity?
Are some people born with an overactive amygdala?
What environmental factors contribute to limbic system dysfunction?
How can we leverage neuroplasticity to reset the limbic system, feel safer in our bodies and environments, and reduce reactivity to triggers like food, chemicals, light, noise, and EMF?

Read the full article on Substack

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Left & Right Brain - Knowing Which Needs Strengthening

12/16/2023

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By Courtney Snyder, MD

Although both brain hemispheres are always working together in complex ways, certain attributes are more strongly associated with each side. We engage our left brain when we focus on details—like reaching for a berry. The right brain, on the other hand, scans the bigger picture, helping us spot those berries, notice the nuts nearby, and detect potential dangers in the distance.

This distinction matters because many of us can get stuck grasping for berries—whether through addictions, obsessions, or focusing too much on details. We forget to "look up" and see the broader view. Conversely, some get lost in the big picture—overwhelmed by endless possibilities or potential threats—while neglecting the details needed to move forward.

What I love about the left brain vs. right brain model is that it helps us recognize when we need to call on the other half of our brain. Like muscles, if we don't exercise large groups of neurons, they won't be available when we need them. But just like muscles, we can strengthen the neural networks we've been neglecting. Understanding the traits of the left and right brain can highlight where our weaknesses lie.

Each week, I aim to alternate between left and right brain topics to balance things for both my mind and yours. Today, I thought it would be helpful to offer a refresher (or introduction) to this model.

Much of what I discuss comes from the insightful book “The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World” by Dr. Iain McGilchrist, a Scottish psychiatrist. It’s a valuable resource for understanding how our brain’s hemispheres shape our experience and behavior.

Read the full article on Substack

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Undermethylation & Strengthening the Right Brain in a Left Brain World

7/30/2019

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“Mary Poppins Goes To the Beach” -Made by combining pieces from 3 collages in my Impermanent Art Series.

By Courtney Snyder, MD

Half of my work day is spent honing in on details. For each person I evaluate and treat, I’m considering multiple symptoms, lab data, contributing factors, and treatment interventions. Left unchecked, this amount of detail hurts my brain - figuratively and literally. This type of work might be considered “left brain“ and appealing to someone who is “undermethylated,” which I am.

The other half of my work day is involved with addressing how, from a spiritual perspective, we:

lower our stress by learning to let go and stop grasping for outcomes
learn to feel at home in our body
learn to connect with others
find peace in this world
find purpose and meaning in this life
live in the present
feel part of something larger than ourselves

By spiritual, I mean our inner life. My writing and teaching about the intersection between neuroplasticity and spirituality is essentially about how we exercise those parts of the brain that relate to that inner work. Instead of honing in on details, this is about pulling back and looking at the bigger picture of our lives and our humanity. This right brain work feels good.

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5 Minutes a Day

8/19/2015

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By Courtney Snyder, MD

I never like to hear, “You should….," Whether it’s a well intended friend, or a facebook link on how to “IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH IN JUST 5 MINUTES A DAY.” The suggestion that anyone knows the right answer for all of us is annoying. When it comes to health and happiness, there's no one size fits all. Some of us need more protein, some of us need more vegetables; some of us need to minimize toxic exposures, some are less vulnerable; some of us need more routine, some of us need more spontaneity; some of us need more self care, some of us need to give more of ourselves; some of us need better boundaries, some of us need more connection. Within each of us is a knowing of where that balance is. The trick is being open to new information, while trusting and listening to that knowing part of ourselves.

All that being said, I do believe that whoever you are, IF YOU DO THIS ONE THING FIVE MINUTES A DAY, IT WILL IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS! If you think you just heard the enthusiastic voice of the television spokeswoman selling the latest exercise gadget, then you've heard correctly.

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Strengthening the Right Brain in Left Brain Times

Creativity & Healing - A Booster

An Overactive Limbic System & What We Can Do About It

Left & Right Brain - Knowing Which Needs Strengthening

Undermethylation & Strengthening the Right Brain in a Left Brain World

5 Minutes a Day

Courtney Snyder, MD

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Strengthening the Right Brain in Left Brain Times

Creativity & Healing - A Booster

An Overactive Limbic System & What We Can Do About It

Left & Right Brain - Knowing Which Needs Strengthening

Undermethylation & Strengthening the Right Brain in a Left Brain World

5 Minutes a Day﻿﻿

Courtney Snyder, MD

Categories

Archives

Home

About

Privacy Policy

Menu

Contact

5 Minutes a Day