Hijacked by Your Brain: How to Free Yourself When Stress Takes Over (Groundbreaking Self-Help Book on Controlling Your Stress for Better Mental Health and Wellness) Paperback – January 1, 2013

It has been said, Space is the final frontier, but I can make a much stronger case, that the final frontier may well be in the brain and soul, by far.I'm reading Hijacked by Your Brain . It's in essence a brain / Mind manual. It has much to do about the recent developments in the treat meant of PTSD and the latest treatments and it's quite literally mind blowing . Just when you start thinking, their is no hope for humanity and this book posses the biggest questions and rays of insight / hope I've found by far.In my estimation, most people treat their brains like they treat their cars.Scary, isn't it?How do you put a price on your brain?How can any car on earth compare to your brain or any brain?When we realize, by doing X,Y, and Z, you can be saving $500, $1,000 on your car, most people get real interested, no?Now, consider your brain, your life and well being, one little adjustment here or there, and BANG, BIG BANG ?Happiness, joy, metaphysical well being and bliss, it happens...Yeah, giving your brain a tune up is a big deal, no?Despite all the cynicism and dirt on Earth, the brain, time in and time out reveals miracles . Imagine all the amazing things you can see in space, now consider, your brain is what's looking at it and it attacked to you and responses to you. It really is as Victor Hugo said,"'Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has a grander view?'

The tips and strategies in this book are extremely useful in any professional and personal situation. The strategies are very easy to put into practice right away, since our alarms get triggered in ways and in situations we may not realize the information in this book helps one recognize these for what they are and proactively (rather than reactively) manage them. Most of all these strategies really work!

I wanted this book for a family member who could benefit from understanding panic and anxiety, and discovering coping mechanisms. The book's authors come from diverse backgrounds–psychology/therapy and community leadership (where alarm-based communication is rampant). So the information and techniques presented are sound: science-based and evidence-based.The book's organization confounded me a bit, as it starts with education that integrates exercises I didn't have a basis for applying. (My learning style requires a big picture before I can focus on the details, so I lacked orientation for these exercises.)The book may be most useful to some by reading Appendices B & C (summaries of the techniques) at any point where confusion or ambiguity sets in, as these sections provide suggestions and applications that will make personalizing the exercises a whole lot easier. Despite an overview in the introduction, I didn't anticipate how much this would have helped me. I will now reread the book with a better picture of how to apply the steps/techniques.

I liked the use of examples both modern and historic to show what alarms do to the brain. The tips for addressing triggers are really helpful. Any human living in our modern world would benefit from these techniques.

I was experiencing an extremely stressful event during the time that I read this book, which is extremely long-winded and even more long-winded if you are under stress.This book focuses on helping people become aware they are in panic mode and helping them to calm down enough to think clearly. I already know how to do these.It's like being chased by a bear. I know I'm in panic mode. I know I'm being chased. I know what my options are. But the fact of the matter is that I'm still being chased by a bear. As a result, my mind and body are still alert, looking out for danger.I suppose this book can help those in panic mode who aren't aware of their mind and body and can't think straight. However, for me it gave no new insight into how to destress in very stressful situations.Thus, the 3-star review. It may help some, just not me.

One of my top 10 books of all time. Seriously helped me learn to keep my cool. Going back through it for a third time, SLOWLY, with a highlighter this time. Simply put, this mind training works.

Ever wanted to figure a way to put action to the notion “learn more, react less”? If so this book is for you. The book helps you do just that: learn more and react less.

It's all too easy to get entwined in everyone else's stress as well as your own. This book is very helpful and practical to help you step back and learn to control the thinking part of your mind so that you don't stress as quickly and can step back to assess if there is a threat and why as perceived by your brain.