Paris, France

4:00am Monday, January 12, 2026 /  04:00 lundi le 12 janvier 2026  Amending to post…

https://neurolaunch.com/does-smiling-release-endorphins/

“Smiling and Brain Chemicals: The Science Behind Your Happy Face”
NeuroLaunch editorial team
August 22, 2024

… The simple act of smiling, whether genuine or forced, can set off a cascade of neurochemical reactions that profoundly influence our mood and overall well-being….

[ Le simple fait de sourire, qu’il soit sincère ou forcé, peut déclencher une cascade de réactions neurochimiques qui influencent profondément notre humeur et notre bien-être général…. ]

At the heart of this chemical symphony are two key players: endorphins and dopamine. These neurotransmitters, often referred to as “feel-good” chemicals, play crucial roles in regulating our emotions, motivation, and pleasure responses. While we often associate their release with more intense activities like exercise or thrilling experiences, mounting evidence suggests that the humble smile might be a powerful trigger for these mood-enhancing molecules….

[Merci beaucoup / Thank you very much – Linguee Translator DeepL – English to French ]

No new injury but still have awful pain? We experience pain because we have a Brain. Neuroplastic Pain Treatment.

Aucune nouvelle blessure, mais toujours une douleur atroce ? 
Nous ressentons la douleur parce que nous avons un cerveau.

Traitement neuroplastique de la douleur.

Hello, Everyone   / Bonjour à tous 

Dr. Michael Moskowitz and Dr. Marla Golden and their team have created new beautiful graphics – education on the brain

Images are from https://www.neuroplastix.com/

Le Dr Michael Moskowitz, le Dr Marla Golden et leur équipe ont créé de nouveaux graphiques magnifiques -  éducation sur le cerveau

Ces images proviennent de https://www.neuroplastix.com/

How does pain get from here to here?

How does the Brain work?

Comment la douleur passe-t-elle d’ici à là ?
Comment fonctionne le cerveau ?

Example  /  Exemple

Brain – Fractured Femur Bone – Spinal Cord

Cerveau – Fracture du fémur – Moelle épinière

On page 4 of workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION,

Dr. Michael H. Moskowitz  and Dr. Marla D. Golden enlighten:

“Without your brain, there is no pain. Your brain doesn’t just receive information from your body, but sends directions back out to tell your body what to do.

“Your brain ‘reads’ everything going on in your body 30 times a second for your entire life.

“The adult brain changes throughout our lives based upon the information it receives from our bodies.

“We only experience pain when the electrical signals reach the thinking part of our brains.”

“Nous ne ressentons la douleur que lorsque les signaux électriques atteignent la partie pensante de notre cerveau“

“This is why during surgery, when general anesthesia shuts down the thinking part of the brain, the person doesn’t feel pain.”

“C’est pourquoi, pendant une opération chirurgicale, lorsque l’anesthésie générale désactive la partie pensante du cerveau, la personne ne ressent aucune douleur.”

And… Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden say: “The more sensation each part of your body has, the bigger the image of that body part in your brain (page 4 of workbook) … Shrink the pain map by flooding the brain using:

…thoughts, images, senses, memories, soothing emotions, movement, beliefs.” (page 13 of  their workbook) 

EDUCATION -  Change the Brain; Relieve the Pain; Transform the Person

ÉDUCATION -  Changer le cerveau ; soulager la douleur ; transformer la personne

Acute pain.  Chronic /Persistent pain.

Douleur aiguë.  Douleur chronique / persistante.

Lecture One:  Brain Basics

Lecture Two: Building the New Brain

Lecture Three: Pain and Mood–It’s a Brain Thing

          

Lecture Four:  Brain, Pain, Beliefs and Pleasure

https://www.neuroplastix.com/_files/ugd/579dba_ddcb7fc52464458e881c698768402539.pdf

Page 14 in Lecture Four:

Every pain treatment alters the brain

There is no peripheral treatment

Pain is only perceived in the cerebral cortex

La douleur n’est perçue que dans le cortex cérébral.

If pain processing is not reduced there, pain cannot be
decreased

Pain can be successfully treated from the periphery to alter
brain-based pain processing or from the brain to alter
peripheral processes

Ultimate successful treatment of persistent pain must alter the
constantly cycling brain/body loop

NO pain   / PAS de douleur

 

 

https://www.neuroplastix.com/

Neuroplastix is dedicated to curing the disease of persistent pain in all people who suffer by unifying brain and body as the focus of treatment.

The neuroplastix.com website is ranked number one for all major search engines for Neuroplastic Treatment, Neuroplastic Pain Treatment and Neuroplastic Pain Therapy.

This ranking was accomplished by providing professionals and people living with pain a compelling experience based upon scientific content, consumer friendly information and highly navigable web design.

The educational programs establish a new paradigm in pain care, bringing advances in neuroscience to anyone affected by persistent pain, including patients, their families and providers. This is accomplished via conferences, interactive materials, scientific publications and professional training, providing a method to transform the clinical treatment of pain.

 

https://www.neuroplastix.com/about-5

Dr. Michael Moskowitz is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Pain Medicine.

Dr. Moskowitz is a member of the Educational Council of the National Initiative on Pain Control, a group of the top pain physicians in the country. He served as a member of the Examination Council for the American Board of Pain Medicine from 2006-2010 and as the former chairman of the Educational Committee of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

* * * * *

He has also served on the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s Continuing Education Committee, Enduring Materials Committee and chaired the Academy’s Website redesign committee. He has pioneered the development and use of animations to teach and understand principles of pain medicine and has designed and developed the most popular website for pain animations in the world, since 1999,

http://www.bayareapainmedical.com

* * * * *

Dr. Moskowitz has been an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis since 2006, teaching the psychiatric and neuroplastic aspects of pain medicine there, to the Pain Fellows

* * * * *

In November of 2008, Dr. Michael Moskowitz began working with Marla Golden, DO, MS on Neuroplasticity and its role in the treatment of patients living with persistent pain. Together, Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden have lectured on this topic around the country and have delivered several 2-12 hour seminars on this topic.

* * * * *

Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden are the co-founders of Neuroplastic Partners, LLC, a company dedicated to the promotion of Neuroplastic treatment for persistent pain. He recently co-authored the Neuroplastic Transformation Workbook designed to teach practitioners how to use neuroplastic treatment approaches and provide patients with a written guide to recover from persistent pain disorders.

* * * * *

By the way, Dr. Moskowitz is Chapter 1 in Dr. Norman Doidge’s second book

THE BRAIN’S WAY OF HEALING: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity

Guérir grâce à la neuroplasticité: Découvertes remarquables à l’avant-garde de la recherche sur le cerveau

Chapter 1 Physician Hurt, Then Heal Thyself -  Michael Moskowitz Discovers That Chronic Pain Can Be Unlearned

* * * * *

Marla Golden, DO, MS is an Osteopathic Physician in Jacksonville, Florida. Doctor Golden graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, Florida in 1992. She is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.Doctor Golden practiced Emergency Medicine in Florida and served as the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at HCA Putnam Community Hospital and as the Medical Director of EMS in Putnam County. She transitioned her practice to Pain Medicine in 1998, establishing the solo practice of Integrative Pain Management in 2000.

She is a diplomate of both the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Pain Medicine. She practices a holistic and comprehensive approach to treating patients in pain. Her practice includes an emphasis on Osteopathic structural assessment and optimization techniques. For many years, she has utilized manual therapy in combination with medication management and minimally invasive interventional techniques as well as other treatment modalities.

Thank you for reading my blog post:

“No new injury but still have awful pain? We experience pain because we have a Brain. Neuroplastic Pain Treatment.”

Merci d’avoir lu mon article de blog:”Vous n’avez pas subi de nouvelle blessure, mais vous souffrez toujours d’une douleur atroce ? Nous ressentons la douleur parce que nous avons un cerveau. Traitement neuroplastique de la douleur.”

You might like to read my other blog posts about Neuroplasticity:”Story Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ would feel NO pain”

https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/story-theme-consultant-teresa-jade-leyung-says-scarecrow-in-the-wizard-of-oz-would-feel-no-pain/

Brain / Pain Scientist Professor Lorimer Moseley uses humor to help us understand Dark Side of Pain

https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/brain-pain-scientist-professor-lorimer-moseley-uses-humor-to-help-us-understand-dark-side-of-pain/

Want Wellness; Norman Doidge, M.D.’s books – The Brain That Changes Itself, Neuroplasticity

https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/want-wellness-norman-doidge-m-d-s-books-the-brain-that-changes-itself-neuroplasticity/

 

I wish you and your family, and everyone round you – excellent health and happiness always.Je vous souhaite, à vous, à votre famille et à tous ceux qui vous entourent, une excellente santé et beaucoup de bonheur, toujours.

Teresa Jade LeYung wishes everyone peace and wellness - photo by NN and MEK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teresa Jade LeYung

Author / Blogger / Story-Theme Consultant / Photo Historian

https://m.youtube.com/@teresajadeleyung/videoshttps://LoveMadeOfHeart.com/blog/  goes to Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog on Wellness, Story Themes, Archetypes

Love Made Of Heart ®

Dear Reader,

I wish you total wellness.

If not for shingles and postherpetic neuralgia which led to the past 12 months of reading and rereading books and listening to lectures about pain and our brains … I wouldn’t have learned why I experience pain and other unpleasant signals when there is no new injury to a body part.

After receiving COVID-19 vaccine … I experienced occasional pain signals in my right knee and in my right shoulder blade, then, dull headaches, and, my two front teeth felt weak.  The knowledge I have gain about pain signals helped me understand what could be happening and how I could help myself feel better.

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

I have learned from webinars and the workbook

TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION 

written by Michael H. Moskowitz, MD & Marla D. Golden, DO  http://neuroplastix.com that …

“We only experience pain when the electrical signals reach the thinking part of our brains.”

“This is why general anesthetics work – by separating the thinking conscious brain from the automatic survival brain. During anesthesia, the survival part of the brain stays active, but, the perceptive part of the brain is turned off.”

“The brain doesn’t just receive information from the body, but sends directions back out to tell the body what to do.” (page 4 in workbook)

“The brain ‘reads’ everything going on in the body 30 times a second for an entire life.”

“Acute pain is an alarm going off in the brain that signifies danger and/or damage to the body…. ” (page 10)

“Persistent pain … signals sets up an endless loop between body and brain, inflammatory processes become chronic, anti-inflammatory processes are overwhelmed and the nerve cells dedicated to pain increase up to five-fold.” (page 10)

“Acute pain helps with survival, while persistent pain transforms danger into misery.” (page 10)

I have learned … from Clinical Scientist / Professor Lorimer Moseley  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p6sbi_0lLc that…

“Pain is our most sophisticated protective device.”

“The term ‘neuroplasticity‘ refers to the adaptability of our nervous system. The other side of neuroplasticity is sometimes called ‘the dark side’.”

“You can experience SEVERE pain but have NO damage.”

“You can experience NO pain but have severe damage.”

“Pain depends on how much danger your brain THINKS you are in, not how much danger you are really in.”

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

As I was saying … after receiving COVID-19 vaccine … I experienced occasional pain signals in my right knee and in my right shoulder blade, then, dull headaches, and, my two front teeth felt weak.

According to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html Updated Oct. 18, 2021

mRNA Vaccines 

According to  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/viralvector.html  Updated Oct. 18, 2021

Viral Vector Vaccines

[....]

In Step 2. Next, the cells display the spike protein on their surface, and our immune system recognizes that the protein doesn’t belong there. This triggers our immune system to produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. This response is what your body might do if you got sick with COVID-19.

mRNA Vaccines and Viral Vector Vaccines have this in common  – “… activate other immune cells to fight off what it ‘thinks’ is an infection.”

  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

I know that my brain records my experiences throughout my lifetime … and that pain depends on how much danger my brain THINKS I am in, not how much danger I am really in.

Also, I understand why my brain would send me “danger signals” (my knee, shoulder blade)  after vaccination if my immune system “thinks” there is an infection in my body.

Why my two front teeth?   I’ve never sustained injury there.  Have I experienced pain there?  Yes I have!  For three years during my teenage years, my teeth were tortured once a week when the orthodontist tightened the wires. The front teeth needed the most “straightening” (they did sustain “injury”).  Even though that was 45 years ago, my brain remembers the pain!

To communicate to my teeth, my knee, my shoulder blade, and my temples …  that I have not sustained new injuries …  I put my hand on each body part and also tell my Brain “I have not injured myself.”  Voila!  Pain signals go away.  Beautiful Brain (I call “BB”) wants to protect Body, therefore BB occasionally sends signals, and, it’s up to me to “talk back” (communicate).

Today (October 31, 2021), while enjoying my walk, I felt an itchy stinging pain on left elbow, then the signals flowed down my arm. I applied firm comforting squeezes on those areas with my right hand. The pain went away.

Then today (November 3, 2021, 13:44) I felt a sharp pain on LEFT upper arm where vaccine would have entered BUT I had received the vaccine on my RIGHT arm.

Beautiful Brain sending me  “false alarms”.

In no way am I saying that retraining my brain is easy work.  I am still a newbie.  I am happy to report that I’ve developed a new attitude — I look forward to each new day. For me, this is BIG

I am forever grateful to everyone who cares about me and encourages me to continue helping myself heal.

   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

My “Get to Wellness Kit” is growing

Norman Doidge: Brain’s Healing Energies on YouTube  https://youtu.be/ifYcE4-eI_s  Dr. Doidge talks about our brains, pain, Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Moshe Feldenkrais (Physicist, Black Belt, Healer),  electrical circuits, chemistry, light, sound, vibration, brain-body connection.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Continue using  Feldenkrais techniques that Naomi Schaeffer Draper, M.S. Physical Therapist had taught me.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Continue using the workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION  by

Michael H. Moskowitz, MD and Marla D. Golden, DO

Refer to the 10-page guide from Dr. Danielle Rosenman who coached me.

My job is to interrupt pain and other unpleasant signals by using any of the seven modalities or a combination of them.

Dr. Rosenman adds: “Smile for yourself and talk out loud to your Brain.”

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Continue practicing techniques I learned from Dr. Amy Grace Lam  http://amygracelam.com 

Recently Dr. Lam  gave me links to demonstrations of “tapping” to rid pain and other unpleasant symptoms.

Professor Lorimer Moseley says: “Brain is the most trainable we’ve got!”  https://people.unisa.edu.au/lorimer.moseley

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

(Addendum November 4, 2021)

Continue using the 2 books written by Norman Doidge, M.D. for inspiration (Thank you, dear Loduskia “Dusky” Pierce, MFT, for having Dr. Doidge’s book on your shelf many years ago)

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (translated into 26 languages)

Dr. Doidge’s second book – The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (translated into 19 languages so far)

https://www.normandoidge.com/

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

About shingles and postherpetic neuralgia

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postherpetic-neuralgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20376588  says:

“Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of shingles. The condition affects nerve fibers and skin, causing burning pain that lasts long after the rash and blisters of shingles disappear.

The chickenpox (herpes zoster) virus causes shingles. The risk of postherpetic neuralgia increases with age, primarily affecting people older than 60. There’s no cure, but treatments can ease symptoms. For most people, postherpetic neuralgia improves over time.”

I am forever grateful to the excellent care that “Country Doctor LaH” and her precious Gracie gave me during my illness.

I am forever grateful to everyone who cares about me and encourages me to continue helping myself heal.

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

As I write … I am running the movie ONLY WHEN I LAUGH (screenplay by Neil Simon; starring Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, James Coco, Joan Hackett; continuity by Joan Samson).  I love stories about the protagonist’s taking control of her/his own life, in spite of . . . .  The mother-daughter storyline – Wow!

ONLY WHEN I LAUGH is based on the play THE GINGERBREAD LADY by Neil Simon.

Taking control of one’s own life!  Taking control of one’s own body!  Taking control of one’s own thoughts!

  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Taking control of my own life!  Taking control of my own body!  Taking control of my own thoughts!

Thank you for reading this blog post: “Beautiful Brain remembers old pain experiences, relays signals after shingles, after vaccination,” says author Teresa Jade LeYung.

For other posts related to our Beautiful Brains, Pain, and Neuroplasticity  in my blog  https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog …  If you look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to the topic.

I wish you total wellness!

Sincerely,

author Teresa Jade LeYung in Paris 2018, photo by Sasa and Nan

Story Consultant and Photo Historian Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

2021 January 11, 22:55 — January 12, 00:10; January 12, 22:18–23:28;  January 13, 14:14–15:10; 17:44–19:27; 19:56–22:36

California USA

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Look what happens when persistent (chronic) pain pathways take over the other brain functions – impacting my emotions, problem-solving, memory, creativity, and …”

 **

All graphics in this blog post are from Michael H. Moskowitz, MD & Marla D. Golden, DO

**

When Beautiful Brain is not producing pain -

 **

When Beautiful Brain is producing acute pain –

 **

When Beautiful Brain is producing persistent (chronic) pain -

 **

According to Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Dr. Marla Golden, Dr. Norman Doidge, Dr. Danielle Rosenman -

There are 9 areas in the thinking brain (actually a few more, because some are on both sides of the brain) that control our personal experience of pain and discomfort. This is where pain signals are received.  Normally, only 5% of the nerve cells in the brain process pain.  In persistent pain, 15-25% of the cells of the entire brain are involved! The actual map of the brain has changed, with an increased part of the map given to pain.  This is because the pain areas get bigger, stealing nerves and synapses (connections) from the rest of the brain.

The relationship between pain (or discomfort) and mood (includes anxiety and depression):

Remember that the brain has different areas for different functions? It’s actually more complicated than that! Many brain functions are located in the same areas or are very close together, and there are some shared connections. (Review: “Nerves that fire together wire together.”)

Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden say to “flood” the brain map, interrupt pain signals with pleasurable –

- THOUGHTS

- IMAGES

- SENSATIONS

- MEMORIES

- SOOTHING EMOTIONS

- MOVEMENT

- BELIEFS

Dr. Danielle Rosenman adds: “Smile for yourself and talk out loud to your Brain.”

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says:

“I refuse to let pain pathways hijack other Brain functions. Some days I win the steering wheel/control panel. Other days Pain/Depression win. The more consistent I give my Beautiful Brain pleasure, the more winning days I shall have.

“Dr. Danielle Rosenman (via ZOOM sessions) has guided and coached me (with techniques from Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden) in creating my unique ‘bag of tricks’ to interrupt pain, depression and other unpleasant signals.”

Dr. Norman Doidge and Professor Lorimer Moseley say: “MOVEMENT is critical in retraining the nervous system. Even imagining movement will retrain the system!”

https://www.normandoidge.com/

https://www.neura.edu.au/staff/prof-lorimer-moseley/

How do I create Pleasure for my Brain? How do I communicate with / give feedback to my Brain?

My evolving “Bag of Tricks” (with the 7 modalities) to give my Beautiful Brain pleasure:

“Imagining” any of these modalities when I can’t access the physical form (especially during COVID-19 Stay At Home order) serves me well.

THOUGHTS -

When pain or depression signals (including unpleasant thoughts) pop up, I have to interrupt them with pleasurable thoughts.

Pleasurable Thoughts this month include:  candied wintermelon pastry (thanks to MT’s selecting); sweet persimmons (thanks to EO); Nan’s signature pesto; Linda’s signature pear Clafoutis; Sasa’s signature salads; Pad Thai with fresh ingredients.

IMAGES -

Because our brains store all experiences (including what we see in movies. read about, and hear about…), I have to stay away from all unpleasant images (even some of my favorite movies, details of sensational news) while I am retraining Beautiful Brain

Pleasurable images include looking at – my photos taken in Paris; postcards of paintings by  Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall; photos from MT of her hikes; photos from Marie-Christine (she’s in France);  photos of nature and kids (2-legged and 4-legged ones) from all my friends; art by Chandra Garsson, Cynthia Tom, Cris Matos, Sharon Leong;  photos of Happy Dog (my sister Maria Kawah Leung’s hero in her book Little Heroes Of Bay Street);  seeing Linda’s little Gracie; the montage (of me and “Brain-no-pain”) at the end of this blog post.

SENSATIONS -

Some sensations I liked (before persistent pain began) aren’t pleasurable right now – drinking hot tea fuels pain right now.

While I am happy for neighbors who are modifying their house for “Aging In Place”, the construction noise (hammering, drilling) also fuels pain and depression right now.

Pleasurable sensations include -  cool and cold water on skin; seeing green plants, blue sky, squirrels and hummingbirds in our patio and neighbor’s; laughing at GOMER PYLE USMC episodes (especially Season 3, Episode 6); smiling for myself; listening to “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy; tasting sweet fruit on tongue; smelling roses; firm and soothing touch to the body part that is feeling pain.

MEMORIES -

Because our brains store all memories … when unpleasant memories pop up, I have to interrupt them with pleasant ones.

Pleasurable memories:

- Being with people I care about.

- Eating breads and quiches, buying postcards, and walking and gawking at buildings in Paris

- Living sans clutter

SOOTHING EMOTIONS – this is most difficult for me

When my reaction to someone’s behavior brings on pain and other unpleasant signals, I send my thoughts to what the person means to me.

Remember what the good doctors said about “the relationship between pain (or discomfort) and mood (includes anxiety and depression)?

Please see Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION page 35 through page 75.  And, I hope you’ll find someone like Dr. Danielle Rosenman to coach you.

MOVEMENT -

Walking in the neighborhood (when my Brain is occupied with looking, listening, smelling… I feel no pain); dancing with Ms. Sophia Loren, Ms. Rita Hayworth, and Ms. Cyd Charisse (thanks to Youtube clips) ; imagining flying (ballet) over Paris; and running on dirt tracks and fields of wildflowers!

BELIEFS -

That I hold the power to be pain-free and depression-free; that every task can be accomplished with ease; that wellness is reality

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung at Place des Vosges, Paris.(photo by Margie Yee Webb et Sasa Southard 2016)

**

Thank you, Dr. Norman Doidge, Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Dr. Marla Golden, and Professor Lorimer Moseley!

Thank you, Naomi Schaeffer Draper, M.S. Physical Therapist, for teaching me Feldenkrais techniques! Thank you, mentor Lynn Scott, for the referral!

Thank you, Dr. Danielle Rosenman!

https://www.medicalcounseling.net/   Danielle Rosenman, M.D. uses neuroplasticity, imagery, meditation, psychotherapy, and other techniques in her Medical Counseling practice and in her innovative “Tools for Healing” groups.

Thank you, Dr. Amy Grace Lam !  vibrational energy healer

http://amygracelam.com/

Thank you, all dear hearts who care about me and have helped/are helping me on this journey !!!!!

My next blog post will be about what I continue to learn from: “Getting a grip on pain and the brain – Professor Lorimer Moseley – Successful Ageing Seminar 2013″  https://youtu.be/5p6sbi_0lLc  41 minutes

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog   If you look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”. Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to our our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity.

I wish you, dear Reader and your Beautiful Brain, wellness!

Sincerely,

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung, photo by Emily O. on Nov 8, 2020

Love Made Of Heart ®

To read Part 1 of my trilogy on our Beautiful Brains:

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ would feel NO pain” http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/story-theme-consultant-teresa-jade-leyung-says-scarecrow-in-the-wizard-of-oz-would-feel-no-pain/

To read Part 2 of my trilogy on our Beautiful Brains:

Story Continuity/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Adaptable Brain, Let Quiet Enter.” http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/storytheme-consultant-teresa-jade-leyung-says-adaptable-brain-let-quiet-enter/

Teresa Jade LeYung, an American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a story continuity/theme consultant, author of LOVE MADE OF HEART (daughter-mother novel archived at the San Francisco History Center and used by college professors), BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS (a workbook), and TALKING TO MY DEAD MOM Monologues (the first monologue received an award from Redwood Writers Ten-Minute Play Festival), an advocate for public libraries and public schools, creator of http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/ , and, admirer of City of Light. Composing Haiku poems is a new love for LeYung.

2020 October 29 California USA

2020 November 4,5,6

In American author L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,  Dorothy and her dog Toto meet the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin Woodman who wants a heart, and the Lion who wants courage.

I shall focus on what the Scarecrow doesn’t have and wants.

The Scarecrow who doesn’t have a brain would feel no pain.  He can’t.

He might sustain injuries and illnesses, but, until he gets a full brain (the thinking conscious brain in addition to the automatic survival brain), he would not feel any pain. Without the thinking conscious brain, he wouldn’t feel any sensation – pleasant ones or unpleasant ones.

Unpleasant sensations?   Pain.  Depression. Anxiety.

If I were the Wizard, before granting Mr. Scarecrow what he wants, I would tell him this:

Dear Mr. Scarecrow,

When you get what you want – a beautiful brain – you will be getting an adaptable nervous system – adaptability which scientists call neuroplasticity.  The brain changes whenever we learn to do something new or when we stop doing something. The brain produces sensations, including pain.  According to Dr. Norman Doidge,  Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Dr. Marla Golden, Dr. Danielle Rosenman, Professor Lorimer Moseley and other neuroscientists and physicians … pain is our most sophisticated protective device.

In Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s most engaging workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION, they inform: “Acute pain is an alarm going off in the brain that signifies danger and/or damage to the body….  The experience of pain may be the single most important perception we have to help us survive…. This is quite different than persistent pain experience, in which the signal sets up an endless loop between body and brain, inflammatory processes become chronic, anti-inflammatory processes are overwhelmed, and the nerve cells dedicated to pain increase up to five-fold.  Acute pain helps with survival while persistent pain transforms danger into misery.”

In his presentations, Professor Lorimer Moseley says: “We feel pain in our body, in a particular location, but, it is impossible to feel pain without the brain, and, it is definitely possible to feel pain without the body part.”

Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden also say: “This is why general anesthetics work – by separating the thinking conscious brain from the automatic survival brain. During anesthesia, the survival part of the brain stays active, but, the perceptive part of the brain is turned off.”

By the way, Dr. Moskowitz is Chapter 1 in Dr. Norman Doidge’s second book The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity

Chapter 1 Physician Hurt, Then Heal Thyself -  Michael Moskowitz Discovers That Chronic Pain Can Be Unlearned

I am giving you this information because you say you want a brain.  Understanding how your brain and pain pathways work can help dissipate fear.  Your loyal friends will stick by you, as mine have (I am forever grateful to them), but, you will be the one experiencing the sensations. Even the most courageous heroes can feel defeated when persistent pain takes over their lives.

“What is the antidote for pain, depression, anxiety, and other unpleasant symptoms?  PLEASURE.

“How to accomplish this?

“By studying the brain and practicing … by using thoughts, images, sensations, soothing memories, soothing emotions, movement, and beliefs … to harness the power of our brains,” Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden instruct.  On the last page of their workbook, they leave us with plenty of hope: “Neuroplastic Transformation opens a new approach to treating people living with persistent pain ….   The overarching message is that persistent pain can be challenged and defeated  by using the same principles that have created it.”

The simple act of smiling for yourself will help your beautiful brain’s natural production of chemicals that include GABA, Anandamide, Endorphins, Oxytocin.

Dr. Danielle Rosenman reminded me:  “When you learn to talk to your brain, you are opening up a new life.” Thank you, Dr. Rosenman

Mr. Scarecrow, I wish you a new beautiful life. Also, I wish you, and Dorothy, Toto, Mr. Tin Woodman, Mr. Lion, and everyone you folks care about — safety, excellent health, and plenty of pleasure for all your beautiful brains.

Here are the names of a few “Wonderful Wizards” who have enriched my life through their books about our brains and wellness, their talks, or their treatments

https://youtu.be/5p6sbi_0lLc  to see the 41 minute talk  “Getting a grip on pain and the brain – Professor Lorimer Moseley – Successful Ageing Seminar 2013″ on Youtube

http://www.neuroplastix.com/  for Dr. Michael Moskowitz and Dr. Marla Golden - TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION workbook and webinars and brain graphics

http://www.normandoidge.com/ for Dr. Norman Doidge (look for his talks posted on Youtube)

Dr. Doidge’s first book – The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (translated into 26 languages)

Dr. Doidge’s second book – The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (translated into 19 languages so far)

To my compassionate primary care physician (present and past) and the entire team at SEBMF, I thank you!

https://www.medicalcounseling.net/   Danielle Rosenman, M.D. uses neuroplasticity, imagery, meditation, psychotherapy, and other techniques in her Medical Counseling practice and in her innovative “Tools for Healing” groups.

http://amygracelam.com/ Dr. Amy Grace Lam, vibrational energy healer,  says: “I do this work by connecting with your body’s vibrational energy field to learn what unconscious beliefs and emotions are hindering you the most and supporting you in accessing your body’s wisdom for transformation.”

http://www.duskyswondersite.com/ Loduskia “Dusky” Pierce, MFT says: “Mind/body approaches such as EMDR and Emotional Freedom Technique are scientifically proven methods that we might use to address trauma or deep emotional wounds.”

http://www.mariechristinecornet.com/ Marie-Christine Cornet (now in France), Chi Nei Tsang and Somatic Experience practitioner, says: “Connecting to your body and its wealth of intelligence and wisdom is the portal to living Life deeply and authentically.”

http://stephaniedoucette.com/  Stephanie Doucette, M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. OM, is a California Licensed Acupuncturist and Clinical Herbalist. She is nationally certified as a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine and practices integrative orthopedic therapy, bringing together acupuncture, deep tissue massage and manual orthopedic techniques to treat neuromuscular injury and chronic pain.

https://www.victoriasweet.com/ for Dr. Victoria Sweet

Dr. Sweet’s first book – God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine

Dr. Sweet’s second book - Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing

Remember to smile for your beautiful brain, not just on the Yellow Brick Road but wherever you are.  During the pandemic when we’re all wearing masks to protect others and ourselves… all the more reason to smile for your brain’s pleasure pathways.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Love Made Of Heart ®

Story Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ would feel NO pain”

I recommend this spellbinding workbook -

Transforming the Brain In Pain

Neuroplastic Transformation

by Michael H. Moskowitz, MD and Marla D. Golden, DO

Why doesn’t the pain stop?

Listen to your body talk

Use your brain to stop your pain

https://shop.neuroplastix.com/Neuroplastic-Transformation-Workbook-92-W8PZ-LIIY.htm

http://www.neuroplastix.com/ for Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s webinars

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog   If you look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”. Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to our our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity.

author Teresa Jade LeYung, mask by Emily O, July 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

To help prevent spread of COVID-19 virus, I wear face-covering AND keep at least 6-foot-distance with people who don’t live with me. No blaming No shaming; I protect myself and everyone else.

Teresa Jade LeYung speaks out and offers resources through her Blog: http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Teresa talks about her work of art entitled ”Four Desks for the Four Femmes In Me” at A PLACE OF HER OWN (Founder/Director/Curator: Cynthia Tom) 2018 Exhibition https://youtu.be/JtvIsTjcbOk  2 minutes, 44 seconds

Teresa Jade LeYung, September 2019 photo by Mary E. Knippel

Teresa Jade LeYung, an American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a manuscript-theme consultant, author of Love Made Of Heart (daughter-mother novel archived at the San Francisco History Center), Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days (a workbook), and Talking To My Dead Mom (monologues), advocate for public libraries and public schools, and, admirer of City of Light.