This is Your Brain on Joy
Feb 24th, 2009 by Lucille
I just finished reading, “This is Your Brain on Joy” by Dr. Earl Henslin. What a terrific book that would benefit each and every person.
Dr. Henslin is a Christian counselor (in Brea, Californian) who believed strongly in Dr. Amen’s brain SPECT work. So much so that a huge portion of Dr. Amen’s clientele was being referred from Dr. Henlin’s clinic.
You may have seen Dr. Amen and his brain series on PBS. And you’ve most certainly seen his posters showing what a brain on drugs looks like. But maybe you’re not familiar with SPECT - let me explain:
SPECT is an acronym for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography imaging. It is a nuclear medicine procedure that evaluates cerebral blood flow in order to see which parts of the brain are working well and which are not.
Psychiatrists are the only doctors known for treating an organ without seeing it. This organ is the brain. But with SPECT scans, clinicians are now able to make visually educated assumptions about what how a person’s brain may be affecting his or her thinking and behavior.
Well anyway, back to the book. It is loaded with great, practical information. So much more than I could begin to describe in this short post.
Dr. Henslin explains the parts and workings of the brain in simple humorous ways. He then lists all sorts of tricks, tips, and techniques for impacting each part of the brain (music, movies, relaxation exercises, breathing, supplements, medications, etc).
What I love most about Dr. Henslin’s book is that it mirrors my own philosophy regarding Christian Counseling. Prayer and faith are wonderful things, but God has given us all sorts of tools to treat people, including ideas which come out of psychology.
More and more Christians are realizing that Psychology is not the enemy, even though its roots are secular.
The only drawback of the book is that due to the cost, many won’t be able to afford SPECT scans in order to determine which part of the brain is not working well. Even so, this book is full of helpful resources for impacting brain health.
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Lucille,
Thank you for reviewing this book. Becky Johnson wrote this book with Dr. Henslin, and if you’ll take a look at Facebook, you’ll see that she’s been very active promoting it. She is VERY passionate about the information. And for good reason. I’m glad you find the text complements your counseling practice. I haven’t read it yet myself, but am looking forward to it.