Unchain Your Brain

10 Steps to Breaking the Addictions That Steal Your Life

By: Daniel G. Amen, David E. Smith

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Are you chained to your addiction to smoking? Drinking? Sugar? Drugs? Food? Prescription painkillers? Caffeine? Internet porn? Gambling? Sex?

When you are chained by an addiction, it can ruin your life, devastate your family, destroy your relationships, derail your career, lower your grades, and make you physically ill.

Do you want to break free from your addictions?

If so, you need to optimize your brain. The brain plays a central role in your vulnerability to addiction and your ability to recover. Brain dysfunction is the number one reason people fall victim to addiction, why they can't break the chains of addiction, and why they relapse.

Unchain Your Brain: 10 Steps to Breaking the Addictions That Steal Your Life is a practical, easy-to-follow step-by-step program that shows you how to boost your brain so you can kick your bad habits. In this audiobook, you will discover:

• How addictions get stuck in your brain, how to get them unstuck, and how to find lasting motivation to change
• Why brain imaging changes everything, even if you never get a scan
• How to get the right evaluation to ensure that you can heal from your addictions
• The six different types of addictions based on brain types, why all addicts are not the same, and how to find the best treatment solutions for you based on your brain type
• Strategies to boost your brain to get control
• Ways to lock up the craving monster that steals your life
• Tips to eat right so you can think right and heal from your addiction
• How to kill the addiction ANTs that infest your brain and keep you in chains
• Ways to prevent relapse by following H-A-L-T plus brain science; and
• How hypnosis and meditation can help you unchain your brain, including a 12-minute meditation and a real hypnosis session done by Dr. Amen.

©2010 MindWorks Press (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Skyboat Media, Inc.

Better in print, or in conjunction with print

I probably would have bought the Kindle edition of this book, but one isn't available. I was very excited to get the material quickly, so I went for the audiobook. But, I ended up ordering the print version after listening to just a few chapters. The book is valuable, but it's a reference -- that's nearly impossible to use to "refer" to in audio form. Why this book did not come with a supplemental PDF, I have no idea.

But there's a couple other issue that made this book less than pleasant to listen to. First, the book is just jam-packed full of numbered lists (usually of things to do to help your brain) and long sections that describe various types of addicts. In print, you'd see numbers, bold, headings, indentations, etc to help you understand where you were within that material. Hearing this information read, it was very hard for me to keep an overview of where I was. It became really mind-numbing. Perhaps I will think twice next time, before purchasing this type of book in audio form.

Secondly, unfortunately this book is *extremely* repetitive. The information is valuable, but he repeats the same info over and over in every chapter! Perhaps he wrote it thinking people may flip straight to one chapter, and he wanted people to be able to just read that one chapter and get the info they need.

But if you listen to the whole book, it's frankly boring, and you wish he'd stop telling you the same things to do over and over. I started to feel like a lot of this book was actually filler. "Here's how to implement the same suggestions at home with your family." "Here's how to implement the same suggestions with your kids." "Here's how to implement the same suggestions at your workplace." "Here's how to implement the same suggestions in your own treatment program."

Here's how he could have organized the book better. He could have had a chapter on each brain type and the supplements and treatments specific to that type. Then you'd have ALL the info on that brain type together in one place, and he could have described the program for that brain type succinctly.

Instead, he made his program seem like MORE work than it actually is by the way he presented it. He repeated the same suggestions over and over throughout. He gave list after list of hundreds of "to dos" throughout the book. But most of them were the same from chapter to chapter. Not helpful psychologically - would have been so much better for him to just summarize all the steps in one place.

What I did like about the book was information on supplements (which should have been expanded into its own chapter!) and the 4-pronged approach they take towards addiction treatment of 6 types of addicts. Despite everything I said above, the book is great info. If you get it in print form, you'll avoid the annoyances of having to listen to it. Or, at least buy a cheap used copy to refer to.

Waste of $25

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

This book was basically an infomercial for brain imaging. Very unhelpful unless you have the resources to have imaging, blood work and complete analytics of your body composition and there is no way to return it:( Waste of money

Would you ever listen to anything by Daniel G. Amen and David E. Smith again?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The book detracted from the book

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Unchain Your Brain?

All of the scenes telling specific stories about peoples brain injuries. I am happy they found a cure by getting a brain scan but that is not beneficial to my recovery

First half interesting, second half commercial

I thought the first half was informative and interesting. The second half was basically a commercial for the author’s products.

very helpful

I am having a very hard time quitting smoking. I have no real support. I will listen to this book at least one more time to get all the information again

Noted book!

I listened to this doctor, on Jim Kiwi's podcast, I found it super interesting how he approaches the problems caused by our brains... And in this book I found a very clear and well explained way of how our brain works, a great noted author and doctor.

Understand your brain and thinking patterns

This book uses medical research, along with specific stories, to teach how your brain works. It has helped me to understand the power I have over my own brain, and how tackling small changes can help me to achieve my larger goals over time. I highly recommend this book if you have or know someone who has an addiction.

Good for those ready to take action or help their family.

Did an excellent job of giving the science behind their suggestions as well as providing lots of ways to apply their research.

Awesome

I am a counseling student and this was a great way to expand on the topic of addictions beyond the text.

Easy to Understand and follow information!

This is a powerful book. I have read it 3 times now and get something new each time. It has not only helped heal my brain,after 25 years of addiction, but also helped me to thrive, with 26 years of recovery, to the point that my brain is better at 66 then it was at 26. I would love a scan of my brain!!! Praise the Lord!!! Thank you, Doctors!

Good

Good book overall tough topic yeah some very important. Nicely done and to the point

Pseudoscience

But there are some good thougths in it. And its very persuasive and enthusiastic and persuasive and well helpful to a certain degree but to sum it up i wouldnt recommend it. It was a bit disappointing when i find out about its scientific background. The good thoughts are generally eat healthy, do phisical excercises, make good friends and think about your core values. Oh and of course people are a bit different. Sure there are good stuff in the book maybe even worth buying just be aware that this brain spect scan thing isnt some edge cutting technology.

Great book

loved it. very interesting and informative. learned a lot about the brain. thank you

A must read!

An amazing read for anybody who wants to learn more about their brain! it's the first book I've read that actually makes it easy to understand and relate to.

Not sure about this book

After listening to 1/2 of this audiobook I give up. Dry and boring . Possibly some sound practical advice but I’m not overly impressed

Great book for Holistic wellness

I find this book great for Holistic wellness, well-being or which way you want to look at it.

I think it’s essential for every home to read and discuss.

Will definitely be recommending to my clients.

Not Great

Sorry but this is a very dreary somewhat self-aggrandising promotional flyer for his clinic. Couldn’t finish it.

didn't find it helpful

this just sounded like his just promoting his treatment. I didn't find it helpful. dont let this put you off it might be helpful to someone else.