Become a
Neuroscience Master Practitioner

Ontology is the study of the nature of being, of human existence. By shifting or transforming in the domains that make up who we are, we expand our way of being. Our way of being is how we observe or perceive the world, and it also drives our behavior. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the different domains, and their interrelationship, that comprise our way of being
• Explain that while traditional interventions usually only focus on one or two domains, ontological change, deep and sustainable change, only occurs when there are shifts in all domains
• Outline the ways in which the results we obtain in life are greatly influenced by all domains, and help clients expand their way of being, turning high potential into high-performance

Somatic Intelligence is part of the Somatic (body) domain. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the role of somatic awareness in everyday life to improve health, relationships and performance
• Develop the ability to switch between internal landscape and sensory experience, to provide a more accurate map of reality
• Explain how core affect influences our perception, cognition and behavior (and help clients to better manage their mood)
• Facilitate somatic and embodied shifts to transform clients' way of being
• Identify the postures and practices that are impacting affective and mental states, and how to change them

Emotion falls under the Affective domain, and we know from the evidence that affect impacts everything that we do. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Help clients work with the brain's affective and emotional "systems" to improve their health, wellbeing, relationships, and performance
• Understand the difference between affect, mood and emotion, and the roles that each play in our way of being
• Describe to clients how the brain makes emotions to help them understand that they have more control over their experiences than they think
• Use the two-step affect awareness and labeling process to increase emotional awareness and granularity
• Utilize the Levels of Emotional Awareness scale to help clients develop a new emotional way of being

Language is regarded as foundational in creating what makes up our perceived reality. And, we act from our perceived realities. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Understand language as an active process of creating our reality and driving action
• Gain insight into your own linguistic construction of reality, in order to expand your way of being
• Explain the importance of shifting from negative to positive self-assessments, and how to do it
• Identify and work with the basic linguistic acts, the forms of language that generate our perceived reality, in order to help clients explore new realities that they may want to adopt

Modern day life brings more choice than we have ever had before. But how do we know where to focus our time and energy?! Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the differences between permanent and personal domains of human concern
• Draw on the neuroscience evidence for different domains of concern, so clients gain valuable insight into their importance
• Design the domains of concern that clients will observe and assess their lives with
• Bring clients' awareness to the unavoidable concerns of life, so they can act to take care of them
• Develop a high-performance concerns map for each client, to help guide them towards their new way of being

Key to helping people change is to work together towards their ideal self and their vision of the future. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Help clients discover and articulate their personal vision, including dreams, passions and purposes anchored in the 'positive emotional attractor'
• Understand the roles that the positive emotional attractor and negative emotional attractor play in helping clients change
• Take a neuroscience-based approach to working with clients' values and vision, as well as co-creating the relationship
• Provide clients with various worksheets and tools to identify and define their core values and personal vision (reinforcing the importance of these powerful drivers)

Being able to change our behavior is critical to success as a high-performer. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Use evidence-based behavior change strategies to help clients define their ideal future and recognize their obstacles to success
• Identify when to shift from visioning and future-oriented questioning to problem solving and planning (timing this correctly accelerates results)
• Help clients gain insight into the barriers preventing them from changing their behavior
• Create an action plan so that clients know exactly what to work on, and can start taking action immediately (an invaluable but often overlooked step in behavior change)

We have all heard of the power of habit. Yet, so many clients struggle to make behavior change stick. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Explain how habits are formed and why they impact every area of our life
• Help clients identify the behaviors and habits that need to change in order to shift from high potential into high-performance
• Draw on what is known about the brain's valuation system to help clients reinforce their changed behavior
• Teach clients the smallest next step (SNS) hack, as well as many others, so that they can change their own behavior in the moment when it is needed most
• Describe the behavior design model and why it is the key to making habit formation easy

Good sleep is essential to health and performance, and the quality of our sleep impacts every area of our life. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Explain the sleep cycle, circadian rhythm, and the importance of sleep quality and how it impacts health and performance
• Assess sleep quality with easy-to-use science-based assessments
• Apply the neurophysiologically-based model of sleep hygiene to tailor sleep recommendations for clients
• Utilize various strategies and tools to help clients achieve high quality sleep, so they can perform at their best

Nutrition plays a critical role in brain health and performance. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Explain how food choices can drain or boost our energy, and impact brain health and performance
• Describe the main sources of brain draining foods, drinks and approaches to cooking that are detrimental to health and performance
• Help clients make better food choices to support their high-performance way of being
• Use a circadian-approach to food to improve body composition, glucose levels and other markers of metabolic health

Breathing impacts every aspect of health and performance, yet, we often don't give it a second thought. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Explain functional breathing and breath-work science to clients, and why taking control of their breath is one of the fastest way to influence physiology and brain performance
• Use breathing techniques to reduce stress and relax the nervous system, and where "deep breathing" goes wrong
• Help clients develop new breathing habits that support attention, focus and the high-performance way of being

Movement is so much more than exercise, particularly where the brain is concerned. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the relationship between movement, movement types, and brain health and performance
• Create a physical activity plan designed with client preferences, goals and circumstances in mind
• Explain how different types of movement impact different mental functions
• Help clients adopt movement habits that increase attention span, improve mood, reduce anxiety, and prime our brain for focused productivity

Studies have revealed that there are at least three independent intellectual domains, that each domain has its own brain network, and that they are highly susceptible to a number of influences. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the four domains of cognitive function and their roles in daily life and high-performance
• Explain how sleep, exercise, nutrition and stress impact cognitive function, and how clients can make simple changes to improve their cognition overnight
• Recommend tools, resources and products to help clients improve memory, reasoning, verbal ability and attention

A 'mental state' is defined as a state of being that makes us feel or think a certain way. Peak Performance Mental States include flow, thinking, learning, creativity, and relaxation states. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Understand the neuroscience evidence supporting peak performance mental states
• Explain that focused attention is key to accessing states needed for performance and productivity
• Describe the various triggers that dramatically increase the likelihood for peak performance mental states to emerge
• Provide tools to help clients to switch on their Peak Performance Mode, and stay in the optimal arousal zone

Problem-solving and decision-making can be tackled strategically. Upon completion of this training you will be able to

• Describe the how, why and when of insight and analytical thinking as thought-modalities for problem solving
• Highlight why the biggest issue when faced with a problem or decision is not the problem or decision itself, but the brain's response, and how to address it
• Utilize a neuroscience-based coaching process to facilitate insight-solutions to problems
• Help clients mitigate biases to make more effective decisions

Fewer distractions, less demands, lower stress, high quality work, faster progress towards goals, more free time. Productivity is key! Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the roles of reward (dopamine), arousal (noradrenaline), and attention (acetylcholine) for developing motivation and sustained focus for important tasks
• Help clients use deliberate distraction to improve productivity and flow (not all distraction is bad)
• Recommend tools and resources to help clients build their productivity skills
• Develop a productivity checklist with clients so that they can reach an optimal state of functioning for productivity

Resilience refers to the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Highlight that resilience it's a dynamic process that can change over time and be developed or strengthened
• Describe the neuroscience of resilience and other factors that impact it: physical, social, emotional, environmental etc
• Recommend tools and resources to help clients take a multifaceted approach to developing resilience
• Draw on a range of tools to help coach the various drivers of resilience
• Help clients identify and develop character strengths, as a way of being, to cultivate resilience

Mindsets are not just a theoretical constructs. They have profound real-world implications. From educational settings to professional environments, the mindset we adopt can shape learning experiences, responses to setbacks, and overall trajectories of success. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Explain that mindsets shape how we perceive our abilities, how we approach challenges, and how we react to successes and failures
• Discuss that our beliefs about our abilities, encapsulated in the growth and fixed mindsets, play a pivotal role in shaping our emotional landscape and our journey of self-development
• Develop an understanding of the multidimensional approach to the growth mindset, and how to help clients improve self regulation, self efficacy, and self esteem
• Teach clients how to adopt a growth mindset, develop a mindset implementation plan, and help them shift unhelpful fixed mindset beliefs

Stress "prepares us for battle" and can increase levels of success when managed and utilized in the right way. Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the different types of stress, and the mindset we need to take in order to tap into it as a strength
• Help clients recognize when they need to regulate their response to stressful situations, and adjust accordingly
• Recommend tools and resources to help clients reduce their stress levels when needed
• Teach stress-management techniques to clients so that they can regulate their emotional state
• Help clients identify problems of living that contribute to psychological stress, and facilitate transformational shifts to generate a new way of being

Obstacles and challenges inevitably arise as we pursue goals, and prevent many people from moving forward. Perseverance is key, but what determines our level of perseverance?! Upon completion of this training you will be able to:

• Describe the impact that emotion can have when we encounter roadblocks to success, how it impacts our perseverance and what to do about it
• Highlight that perseverance is a skill that can be cultivated, to help overcome even the biggest obstacles
• Teach clients how to adopt an attitude of acceptance when setbacks arise
• Use the Coping Style Scale to help clients develop an acceptance style way of being, so that they’re unaffected by unhelpful emotions as they encounter obstacles and challenges