THE BLOOD OF JESUS CLEANSES YOU FROM ALL SIN AND GUILT (1 JOHN 1:7).
JESUS IS THE DELIVERER!!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. PREFACE
2. FIVE OF THE BRAIN SYSTEMS
3. PROBLEMS IN THE DEEP LIMBIC SYSTEM
1. Deep Limbic Checklist
4. PROBLEMS IN THE BASAL GANGLIA SYSTEM
1. Basal Ganglia Checklist
5. PROBLEMS WITH THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX
1. Prefrontal Cortex Checklist
6. PROBLEMS IN THE CINGULATE SYSTEM
1. Cingulate System Checklist
7. PROBLEMS WITH THE DOMINANT (USUALLY LEFT) TEMPORAL LOBE
8. PROBLEMS WITH THE NONDOMINANT (USUALLY RIGHT) TEMPORAL LOBE
9. PROBLEMS WITH EITHER OR BOTH TEMPORAL LOBES
1. Temporal Lobe Checklist
10. THE DARK SIDE
11. BRAIN POLLUTION
12. THE MISSING LINKS
13. HELP!
1. Relationships
2. Work
3. Significant Negative Effects
14. MEDICATIONS
15. REFERENCE
PREFACE
The author, Daniel G. Amen, M.D., went to medical school at Oral Roberts
University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That Christian school was established to combine
the practice of medicine with the practice of prayer for divine healing in the
Name of Jesus Christ.
This book was reviewed to see how it could be used for emotional
and physical
healing using the practice of Christian deliverance. Healing and deliverance
go
hand-in-hand. In many cases, the names of symptoms are names of demons. The
comments highlighted were added by me.
I highly recommend it for purchase to use as a Christian reference
to better
understand how to minister to those who have these problems.
FIVE OF THE BRAIN SYSTEMS
The following are five of the brain systems that are most intimately involved
with our behavior; listed are some key problems of each system:
Deep Limbic System: moodiness, negativity.
Basal Ganglia: fearfulness, conflict avoidance, nervousness, anxiety, panic.
Prefrontal Cortex: bad decisions, attention span.
Cingulate (sing-u-lat): rigidity, overfocused, getting stuck, worry.
Temporal Lobes: temper flare-ups, rapid mood shifts.
Possible Diagnoses: head trauma, dementia, strokes, seizures,
the impact of
drug abuse on brain function, and aggressive behavior and mood disorders that
are not typical or responsive.
Pseudodementia (depression masquerading as dementia) can cause
a person to
appear demented (i.e., having a demon). Dementia can be described variously
as
madness, insanity, mad, out of one's mind, impairment or loss of mental powers,
melancholia, withdrawal, hallucinations, delusions, mental unsoundness, devoid
of reason, etc. (Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged). The
same problems often run in families (i.e., ancestral curses).
PROBLEMS IN THE DEEP LIMBIC SYSTEM
Moodiness, irritability; depression; increased negative thinking; negative
perception of events; decreased motivation; flood of negative emotions;
appetite and sleep problems; decreased or increased sexual responsiveness; and
social isolation.
Deep Limbic Checklist
Feelings of sadness; moodiness; negativity; low energy; irritability; decreased
interest in others; feelings of hopelessness about the future; feelings of
helplessness or powerlessness; feeling dissatisfied or bored; excessive guilt;
suicidal feelings; crying; lowered interest in things usually considered fun;
sleep changes (too much or too little); appetite changes (too much or too
little); low self-esteem; decreased interest in sex; negative sensitivity to
smells / odors; forgetfulness; and poor concentration.
PROBLEMS WITH THE BASAL GANGLIA SYSTEM
Anxiety, nervousness; panic attacks; physical sensations of anxiety; tendency
to predict the worst; conflict avoidance; Tourette's syndrometics; muscle
tension, soreness; tremors; fine motor problems; headaches; and low / excessive
motivation.
Basal Ganglia Checklist
Feelings of nervousness or anxiety; panic attacks; symptoms of heightened
muscle tension (headaches, sore muscles, hand tremor); periods of heart
pounding, rapid heart rate or chest pain; periods of trouble breathing or
feeling smothered; periods of feeling dizzy, faint or unsteady on your feet;
periods of nausea or abdominal upset; periods of sweating, hot or cold flashes,
cold hands; tendency to predict the worst; fear of dying or doing something
crazy; avoidance of public places for fear of having an anxiety attack;
conflict avoidance; excessive fear of being judged or scrutinized by others;
persistent phobias; low motivation; excessive motivation; tics; poor
handwriting; quick startle reaction; tendency to freeze in anxiety-provoking
situations; excessive worry about what others think; shyness or timidity; and
low threshold of embarrassment.
PROBLEMS WITH THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Short attention span; distractibility; lack of perseverance; impulse control
problems; hyperactivity; chronic lateness; poor time management;
disorganization; procrastination; unavailability of emotions; misperceptions;
poor judgment; trouble learning from experience; short-term memory problems;
and social and test anxiety.
Prefrontal Cortex Checklist
Inability to give close attention to details or avoid careless mistakes;
trouble sustaining attention in routine situations (homework, chores,
paperwork, etc.); trouble listening; inability to finish things, poor follow-
through; poor organization of time or space; distractibility; poor planning
skills; lack of clear goals or forward thinking; difficulty expressing
feelings; difficulty expressing empathy for others; excessive daydreaming;
boredom; apathy of lack of motivation; lethargy; a feeling of spaciness or
being "in a fog"; restlessness or trouble sitting still; difficulty
remaining
seated in situations where remaining seated is expected; conflict seeking;
talking too much or too little; blurting out of answers before questions have
been completed; difficulty awaiting turn; interruption of or intrusion on
others (e.g., butting into conversations or games); impulsivity (saying or
doing things without thinking first); and trouble learning from experience;
tendency to make repetitive mistakes.
PROBLEMS WITH THE CINGULATE SYSTEM
Worrying; holding on to hurts from the past; getting stuck on thoughts
(obsessions); getting stuck on behaviors (compulsions); oppositional behavior;
argumentativeness; uncooperativeness, tendency to say no automatically;
addictive behaviors (alcohol or drug abuse, eating disorders); chronic pain;
cognitive inflexibility; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); OCD spectrum
disorders; eating disorders; and road rage.
Cingulate System Checklist
Excessive or senseless worrying; being upset when things do not go your way;
being upset when things are out of place; tendency to be oppositional or
argumentative; tendency to have repetitive negative thoughts; tendency toward
compulsive behaviors; intense dislike of change; tendency to hold grudges;
trouble shifting attention from subject to subject; trouble shifting behavior
from task to task; difficulties seeing options in situations; tendency to hold
on to own opinion and not listen to others; tendency to get locked into a
course of action, whether or not it is good; being very upset unless things
are
done a certain way; perception by others that you worry too much; tendency to
say no without first thinking about question; and tendency to predict negative
outcomes.
PROBLEMS WITH THE DOMINANT (USUALLY LEFT) TEMPORAL LOBE
Aggression, internally or externally directed; dark or violent thoughts;
sensitivity to slights, mild paranoia; word-finding problems; auditory
processing problems; reading difficulties; and emotional instability.
PROBLEMS WITH THE NONDOMINANT (USUALLY RIGHT) TEMPORAL LOBE
Difficulty recognizing facial expression; difficulty decoding vocal intonation;
and implicated in social-skill struggles.
PROBLEMS WITH EITHER OR BOTH TEMPORAL LOBES
Memory problems, amnesia; headaches or abdominal pain without a clear
explanation; anxiety or fear for no particular reason; abnormal sensory
perceptions, visual or auditory distortions; feeling of deja vu (feelings of
being somewhere you have never been) or jamais vu (not recalling a familiar
place or person); periods of spaciness or confusion; religious or moral
preoccupation; hupergraphia, excessive writing; and seizures.
Temporal Lobe Checklist
Short fuse or periods of extreme irritability; periods of rage with little
provocation; frequent misinterpretation of comments as negative when they are
not; irritability that ends to build, then explodes, then recedes; person often
feels tired after a rage; periods of spaciness or confusion; periods of panic
and/or fear for no specific reason; visual or auditory changes, such as seeing
shadows or hearing muffled sounds; frequent periods of deja vu or jamais vu;
sensitivity or mild paranoia; headaches or abdominal pain of uncertain origin;
history of a head injury or family history of violence or explosiveness; dark
thoughts, such as suicidal or homicidal thoughts; periods of forgetfulness;
memory problems; reading comprehension problems; and preoccupation with moral
or religious ideas.
THE DARK SIDE
The violent or aggressive person may have trouble thinking, getting stuck on
thoughts, have a short fuse or have anxiety and moodiness.
BRAIN POLLUTION
Caffeine: Heavy daily usage (more than three cups of coffee a day) is a problem
and needs to be stopped in order to maintain a healthy brain.
Nicotine: If you want to have full access to your brain, don't smoke.
THE MISSING LINKS
1. Using drugs, especially alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, phencyclidine,
and anbolic steriods, may directly elicit aggressive behavior.
2. Drug or alcohol usage may impair executive function and increase the
likelihood of aggression.
3. Drugs or alcohol may be used as self-medication for underlying brain
problems involved in aggression.
4. Cingulate problems, in conjunction with prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe
problems, can exacerbate addictions and potentially violent situations.
5. Drug or alcohol usage may be involved in poor decision-making processes or
provocative behaviors that put a person in high-risk situations.
HELP!
Relationships
1. Depression can cause a person to feel distant, uninterested in sex,
irritable, unfocused, tired and negative. Unless the partners understand this
disorder, they often have severe relational problems. People who suffer from
depression have divorce rate six times higher than those who are not depressed.
2. Anxiety causes sufferers to feel tense, uptight, physically ill and
dependent, and to avoid conflict. Partners often misinterpret the anxiety as
physical symptoms as complaining or whining and do not take seriously the level
of suffering.
3. Obsessive or overfocus tendencies, as we have seen, cause rigid thinking
styles, oppositional or argumentative behavior, holding on to grudges and
chronic stress in relationships. Seeking help is essential to establishing a
new ability to relate effectively.
4. Prefrontal cortex problems, such as ADD, often sabotage relationships
because of the impulsive, restless and distractible behavior involved. Without
help there is a high degree of relational and family turmoil.
5. Temporal lobe problems may be associated with frequent attacks of rage,
angry outbursts. mood swings, hearing things wrong and low frustration
tolerance. I have seen these problems ruin otherwise good relationships.
Work
1. Depression can cause people at work to be negative, unfocused, tired and
unmotivated, and to take things too personally or the wrong way. Such employees
may negatively affect others' morale and unknowlingly skew everyone's
perceptions at work so they see positive things in a bad light. Depressed
people have more sick days than people without depression.
2. People with anxiety are often tense, physically sick and conflict-avoidant.
Their level of anxiety often cause them to be dependent and require too much
supervision. Their anxiety tends to be contagious and those around them may
also begin predicting negative outcomes to situations. They can negatively
affect a work group and tend to be fearful rather than hopeful.
3. Obsessive or overfocus tendencies cause rigid thinking styles, and employers
or employees tend to be more irritable, oppositional or argumentative. They
often hold grudges and can be unforgiving, causing long-term workplace
problems.
4. Prefrontal cortex problems, such as ADD, cause many problems at work,
including chronic lateness, inefficiency, missing deadlines, impulsive decision
making and conflict-seeking behavior.
5. Temporal lobe problems often affect work. I am willing to bet that most
workplace violence is associated with temporal lobe disorders. More commonly,
temporal lobe problems are manifested at work by mood swings or unpredictable
behavior, low frustration tolerance, misperceptions, auditory processing
problems and memory problems. The anger, misperceptions, and mild paranoia can
wreak havoc in a work group.
Significant Negative Effects
1. Depression (limbic system) clouds a sense of accomplishment (even with
incredible accomplishment) and causes intense sadness and internal pain.
Depression is not the absence of feeling but rather the presence of painful
feelings. Depression is one of the most common precursors to drug abuse and
suicide. Depression often compromises immune system function, leaving people
more prone to illness.
2. The tension and panic associated with anxiety (often a result of basal
ganglia problems) can feel like torture. I have known many patients with panic
attacks who become suicidal in hope of escaping their fear. Anxiety is often
associated with physical tension and an increase in illness. Many anxious
people self-medicate by drinking alcohol, taking drugs, overeating, engaging
in
inappropriate sex and other potentially addictive behaviors.
3. Overfocus (cingulate) issues cause repetitive thoughts and worries that are
often self-medicated with drugs or alcohol. Internal torture by constant worry
is common. When someone says one negative thing, they may hear it in their
minds five hundred times. They cannot get away from negative thoughts.
4. People with prefrontal cortex issues, such as ADD, often feel a tremendous
sense of underachievement, repetitive failure, and low self-esteem. People with
prefrontal cortex issues may use internal problems for self-stimulation and
be
chronically upset. The stress associated with these problems is often
accompanied by increased illness.
5.Temporal lobe problems can wreak internal havoc. The internal violent mood
swings and thoughts often torment the soul. Unpredictable behavior, low
frustration tolerance, misperceptions, and memory problems are often associated
with an internal sense of damage. Anger often alienates others and loneliness
is common.
MEDICATIONS
Stimulants: Adderall, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Desoxyn, Cylert.
Antidepressants: Norpramin, Tofranil, Wellbutrin, Elavil, Pamelor, Sinequan,
Anafranil.
Antiobessives: Prozac, Anafranil, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Effexor, Remeron,
Serzone.
Anticonvulsants: Tegretol, Depakene, Depakote, Neurontin, Lamictal, Dilantin.
Blood Pressure: Catapres, Tenex, Inderal.
REFERENCE
Change Your Brain - Change Your Life, The Breakthrough Program for Conquering
Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness by Daniel G. Amen,
M.D.
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