Saying Goodbye to my Brain Education Journey in South Korea

It is now over a year after I graduated from UBE with a PhD in Brain Education (February 2013). I thought it would be a good time to finish this blog now. :)

The picture above is of me and my good friend in South Korea. She and her daughter helped me pack up my stuff, settle things with my landlord, and sent me off on the bus to the airport. I'm having my "last supper" (or lunch :) in Korea at Lotteria (like Korean McDonald's, but not like McDonald's).

It has been quite the experience to be back "home", where I can really say I feel like a foreigner again. It's so funny to me that after about five years of being in Korea, I found a way to fit in (even if I stood out) and then when I came back home, I really felt like I was a foreigner all over again. My brain, including my ways of thinking and seeing and responding to the world, literally changed.

For me, this is a reflection of what I learned from my journey with Brain Education. For those who may not know, Brain Education is an experiential education approach designed to foster the development and effective management of the brain's unlimited potential and ability to create health, happiness, and peace for individuals and collectively. Brain Education is also a field of study focused on researching and developing theory and methods for the wholistic development of brain potential that integrate theory and practice from fields such as brain science, neuroscience, physiology, kinesiology, and nutritional science.

At the individual level, for me, my journey with Brain Education was really about becoming more conscious of the value and power of my brain--to notice how I thought, felt, sensed, and responded to the world based on the biology of my brain and on my experiences and programming, and then to choose what I wanted to do with that. My experience in South Korea was a good example of this. So many things here challenged me and were so different than what I would have experienced in my environment at home, that I really got to notice and meet different parts of myself and my brain. It was definitely a life-changing experience and a gift.

I learned a lot about myself through my journey with Brain Education and the impact of my experiences in Korea contributed to changes that were already occurring in me. Because of those changes, I've decided to not continue with my plans for Brain Education and to take time for myself and for my husband right now.

I am very grateful to all I met on my Brain Education journey--the members and staff of the former Dahn Yoga Centers in Canada; Ilchi Lee, the President of IBREA and UBE; the staff at IBREA, BRC, BE, Dahn Yoga, Sun Tao, and other affiliates in the U.S. and Korea; the staff and students at UBE; and all of the people in Korea I met--those who were kind to me and those who challenged me. Through my connecting with all of you, I learned something about myself and I am thankful for that.

The BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center and the BR Brain Oriental Medical Clinic

On Saturday, I visited the BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center and BR Oriental Medical Clinic in Apgujeong, Seoul.

The BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center provide services for children and adults. Services available to help enhance attention include assessment, neurofeedback, computerized training programs, Brain Education, and play therapy.

Other children's programs include HSP (Heightened Sensory Perception) training, Emotional Stabilization for Academic Achievement, and Global Leadership (offered in English).

Recently, a group of 22 youth from the Global Leadership program attended the annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations.

Adult services offered include assessment, healing, breathing and meditation, and brain relaxation, balancing, emotional releasing, and integration.

The BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center are currently developing offline and online continuing education courses for certified Brain Trainers.

BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center website (in Korean)



The BR Brain Oriental Medical Clinic offers acupressure and oriental medicine services focused on improving brain function and, as a result, physical, emotional and cognitive health.

BR Brain Oriental Medical Clinic website(in korean)

The BR Attention Clinic and Brain Training Center and the BR Oriental Medical Clinic partner with (KIBS) the Korea Institute of Brain Science, IBREA (the International Brain Education Association), UBE (the University of Brain Education), and GCU (the Global Cyber University) to increase research, awareness, and application of information and tools for enhancing individual and collective brain health and overall well-being.

The 6th International Brain HSP Olympiad

This year I had the opportunity to see the event that introduced me to Brain Education--the Brain HSP Olympiad--in Korea. It was held at the Korea University in Seoul.

There were seminars and lectures given by educators and scientists, as well as the Olympiad events.

This is Professor Oh Mi Kyung from our university.



Here are the happy winners along with special presenters:

Brain Education in Northern B.C.

Before returning to Korea, I visited HSP Ranch near Vanderhoof, B.C. (Dahn Canada's Retreat Center). From HSP Ranch, we drove west to a small town called Old Hazelton. Old Hazelton is home to the Sun Tao Center, where Brain Education programs are offered. Brenda is the Center Manager and instructor there.

At the center, we presented to about 16 educators, health professionals, and community leaders about Brain Education and the activities of the International Brain Education Association in New York and around the world.

The next day we continued driving West and visited one of the women who had attended the workshop at her home in Prince Rupert. The drive and the people we met were beautiful.



We met and heard of many people who already work in the healing professions who are looking for ways to provide people with a purpose, hope, and solutions. People were excited particularly about the way Brain Education programs focus on physical health and the body-brain connection as the basis for emotional, cognitive, and spiritual health and for re-establishing people's connection to the Earth.

Brain Education training will be provided to school, health, and community leaders so that they may provide those in their community with practical tools for health and well-being and to help people re-establish their connection to themselves, to each other, and to the Earth.

The 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad

The past month has been busy with preparations for the 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad held at the United Nations and the Brain Art Festival held at Radio City Music Hall.

Here are some pictures from the 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad. 80 participants (children and adults) from the U.S. and Korea competed in three events which demonstrate the potential of the brain, testing sensory-motor functions, visual-spatial memory, and higher cognitive functions.







Speakers included Prof. Murali Doraiswamy, Director of the Mental Fitness Lab at the Duke University Medical Center and co-author of the Alzheimer's Action Plan and Ilchi Lee, President of the Korea Insitute of Brain Science, an NGO in consultative status with the UN's ECOSOC.





Observers included parents, educators, and representatives from the New York City Principals' Association, Non-governmental organizations, UN Agencies, and Permanent Missions to the United Nations.

Brain Training Goes Online

On June 11-12, as representatives from IBREA, my colleague and I attended the 5th Annual Games for Health conference in Boston. This conference explores how game technologies and talent can contribute to breakthroughs in health & healthcare.

Game-based solutions are already providing compelling means to increase physical activity, advance personal health, improve hospital operations, train healthcare providers, and advocate important healthcare information.

This year, the conference included a Cognitive Health track. Developers, researchers, and retailers of Brain Fitness on-line training programs were on hand to share their experience in this growing field.

Conference participants heard about an innovative partnership between Allstate insurance and PositScience, a cognitive training company, to provide online cognitive training for safer driving; about a new retail store in the Chicago area selling brain products; about online cognitive training options for ADHD, Schizophrenia, and Multiple Sclerosis; and about current and planned research on online brain fitness programs and the effects of these programs in different populations.


This community recognizes the importance of the brain and based on research, sees the possibilities and importance of training the brain in order to improve health and well-being. They also recognize the importance of including on-line and mobile technology platforms as options for accessing information and training about the brain.

Brain Education programs have traditionally been offered in community settings. Now, people who are unable to attend Brain Education training programs because there may not be a physical location in their community or in their country, will be able to access training online.

IBREA will also be adding cognitive, emotional, and physical health brain-related assessments and training and certification courses for Brain Management Consultants on-line. Stay tuned for more soon!

Brain Education Center for Peace and Human Development

I have spent this semester mostly in New York at the IBREA office and Brain Education Center.

The Brain Education Center for Peace and Human Development offers Brain Education classes, special programs and Neurofeedback for those who live and work in the area and for the UN community. Open lunch time classes are available for UN staff for an initial period and discounts are available for UN staff, their family members, retired staff, and NGO representatives.

The center is meant to be a place where members can relieve stress, replenish their energy, and gain tools to help themselves and others be healthy, happy, and peaceful.

Members of the UN community are also looking for practical tools to help support the health, education, and environmental goals in their own country and globally. Through Brain Education programs, they are realizing the link between individual health and well-being and the well-being of their families, neighbours, fellow Earth Citizens, and the Earth herself.


Currently, many UN staff from various missions (including India, Comoros, and Djibouti), departments, and agencies (such as UNICEF) come to the Center.

The center has held Brain Wave Vibration instructor training for members of the UN community to learn how to teach Brain Education in their workplace or community.

In April, Chun Hwa Shim Sung (Self-Discovery) workshop was held at Honor's Haven in Upstate New York and will be held again June 13-14th.

Currently, the center is offering Brain Education for Enhanced Learning class for children, in preparation for the Olympiad August 12th, which will again be held at the United Nations in commemoration of International Youth Day.

If you are in Manhattan, be sure to stop by the Brain Education Center for a visit! The center is located in Manhattan at East 49th Street betwen 1st and 2nd Avenue. Telephone: 212-223-7130.

The Neuroscience Center, Deerfield, Illinois

I had the pleasure of visiting The Neuroscience Center in Deerfield, Illinois last week. As a Social Worker who worked with families of children with complex mental health and developmental issues, I would have loved to have been able to have a center like this to refer people to.

The Neuroscience Center is a multi-disciplinary entity dedicated to the effective diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of Neuropsychiatric diseases. The diagnostic and treatment techniques used include EEG, Brain SPECT, genetic testing, Neurofeedback and Brain Stimulation techniques such as rTMS (repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation). The center has become a well-known resource for addressing complex cases.

Dr. Best, the center's Director, is a Neuropsychiatrist who specializes in brain disorders that affect emotional health and cognitive ability. He is also trained in providing Brain Stimulation.

Dr. Pavel, who is a member of IBREA's advisory board, is a nuclear medicine physician specializing in Brain SPECT imaging. Brain SPECT is one type of brain imaging that is particularly helpful in evaluating patients with complex conditions involving behavioral, emotional, personality, developmental and degenerative disorders. It is a non-invasive procedure that provides information about brain functioning.



The staff also include: Dr. John Hughes, Director of Neurophysiology; Dr. Cynthia Kent, Director of Neurofeedback, and Dr. Leonard Koziol, who provides Neuropsychological testing at the center.

IBREA will be working on a research project in cooperation with The Neuroscience Center to measure the effects of Brain Education training on brain functioning evaluated by Brain SPECT imaging.

For more information about The Neuroscience Center: http://www.the-neuroscience-center.net/

Brain Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

On May 6th from 6-9 pm, IBREA Foundation presented at the "Brain Education for Enhanced Learning and Living" event held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The event was held in celebration of a proclamation made by the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts in recognition of the contribution Brain Education programs have made to the community.

The mayor, who attended with her granddaughter, quoted from Ilchi Lee's book "Power Brain Kids": "Greatness is not limited to those who perform well on standardized tests or to those who know how to sit still at age eight" and spoke about the importance of educating the whole child and bringing out each child's potential.

Graduate students and community members participated in a Brain Education experiential session led by Regional Brain Education trainer, Erin Carter.

The participants then heard from Dr. Deni Howley, the Deputy Executive Director of the Germaine Lawrence School, a residential school for young women with behavioral and emotional issues in Arlington, Massachusetts about the results of a pilot study on the effects of Brain Education on the students and staff at her school.

This was followed by a presentation by the IBREA Foundation about the Brain Education training system and its applications, research on Brain Education, the scientific background behind Brain Education, and the activities of IBREA Foundation.

To read more about the forum:
http://www.ilchi.com/News_and_Events/View/256/Earth-Citizen-Movement/Brain-Education-for-Enhanced-Learning-at-the-Harvard-Graduate-School-of-Education/

To read more about the impact of Brain Education on the students at the Germaine Lawrence School, see:
http://www.brainwavevibration.com/news/news_view.aspx?idx=67

Celebrating Earth Day

On Earth Day, IBREA joined in a celebration with Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Park and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in the park outside of the United Nations.

Despite the rain, many people from the local community, along with UN staff and office workers walking through the park, learned about the impact that Brain Education can have on eliciting people's natural sense of community and caring for the Earth.

Visitors to the IBREA booth also learned about the "I Am An Earth Citizen" Project and many declared their support by signing the Earth Citizen declaration:

As an Earth Citizen:

1. I accept the unlimited responsibility for the Earth and its residents.

2. I trust in the ability of human beings to use their brains for health, happiness and peace.

3. I take actions to create a healthy Earth and a peaceful world.

The Frontal Lobes: Our Brain's "Conductor"

We all know how important the conductor of a music orchestra is. The conductor provides the leadership required for all the different instruments and the individuals playing them to create beautiful music together.

Like the orchestra conductor, the frontal lobes in our brain play a critical role. The frontal lobes are responsible for forming goals, making a plan of action, coordinating the cognitive skills required to carry this out, and evaluating our actions.

In his book, "The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind" Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg explores the frontal lobes, that part of the brain that performs what are called "executive functions" and that reaches significant development only in humans.

Dr. Goldberg likens the frontal lobes to the CEO of a corporation, an army general, or an orchestra conductor.

He discusses how even subtle damage to this part of the brain which is normally involved in motivation, drive, foresight, clear vision of one's goals, self-awareness and awareness of others can produce apathy, inertia, indifference, and blindness in judgement.

Poor development or damage to the frontal lobes may also result in behavior that is considered socially inappropriate and irresponsible and in difficulties with novelty and learning.

The frontal lobes are affected not only directly but as a result of damage anywhere in the brain because of their connections to and from other brain structures. The frontal lobes, the last part of the brain to develop, are more vulnerable than any other part of the brain.

The frontal lobes are particularly affected in Alzheimer's and other dementias, schizophrenia, head injury (from car accidents, sports injuries, or toxins), attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, Tourette's Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions.

Often times, problems which are labelled as "personality" problems may actually be due to a problem with brain functioning. Dr. Goldberg's book contributes to awareness about the importance of understanding the brain and in particular the crucial role of the frontal lobes.

Dr. Goldberg is Clinical Professor of Neurology at the New York University School of Medicine and Director of the Institute of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Performance. He was a featured speaker at IBREA's two recent events held at the United Nations.

You can read an article and interview with Dr. Goldberg at http://www.brainworldmagazine.com/.

I Am an Earth Citizen

As our awareness about the Earth's problems increases, the next question usually is, "What can I do?"

One of the key messages that I took from the movie "The 11th Hour" was that since humans have contributed to the Earth's and human problems through our focus on separation, accumulation and success, we also have the potential to solve them by recognizing that we all share the Earth as our home, and by striving for a success that depends on the health and well-being of all people and the Earth.

How do we do that?

By recovering our humanity--by allowing humans and the Earth to return to our natural state of health, well-being, and immense potential for creating in a way that supports each other and the Earth.

IBREA has recently launched the "I am an Earth Citizen" program and "One Dollar Project".

Essentially, people are being encouraged to donate one dollar a month (or more) to support Health, Education, and Environmental projects around the world. The projects are funded by United Nations' agencies in recognition of the United Nations' mission to promote peace, human rights and social progress.

The goal is for one hundred million Earth Citizens to each donate at least one dollar a month.

What's an Earth Citizen?" You are an Earth Citizen. We all are. We were "given" a passport the day we came to this Earth, along with the responsibility to help make it a harmonious and prosperous place.

You may ask, "What can one dollar do?" Giving money in of itself will not solve the problems we have created.

But...one dollar becomes one hundred million dollars. And when one person becomes one hundred million people all coming together not as children or as adults, as men or as women, or as people from different countries, religions, or races but as Earth Citizens with one goal, we are making a powerful statement that our priority is taking care of each other and of the Earth.

As humans, we can use our brains for many different purposes. If we use them to work together to foster health, happiness, and peacefulness for ourselves, others and for the Earth, we will start to support, rather than work against, the natural propensity of humanity and the Earth for harmony and balance.

For more information or to donate, take a look at IBREA's new homepage:

http://www.ibrea.org/

New BrainWorld Magazine Website!

Announcing the inaugural issue of BrainWorld magazine and the launching of the new BrainWorld website.

BrainWorld is a magazine dedicated to the human brain. Published by the International Brain Education Association (IBREA), it includes features on neuroscience, healthy aging, art and culture, education, global issues, and more.

You can read about the activities of IBREA at the UN and around the world and find many helpful tips to help improve your brain health and condition.

Happy Reading! http://brainworldmagazine.com/

Certified Brain Trainer Program at UBE

The University of Brain Education offers a Brain Trainer course for those interested in learning how to help others better understand their brain and manage their brain health for the purpose of physical, emotional and cognitive health.

The program draws on research, knowledge, and training approaches from the fields of cognitive neuroscience, health and wellness, education, psychology, philosophy, and mind-body practices. Anyone, including parents, educators, therapists, health and wellness professionals, trainers, as well as business leaders can become certified as Brain Trainers.

The Brain Trainer course is currently being offered by the International Brain Education Association (IBREA) in the U.S. as the Brain Management Consultant course and will soon be offered internationally as an on-line course.

For more information about the Brain Management Consultant program:

http://http//www.brainwavevibration.com/news/news_view.aspx?idx=1

Announcing the Brain Art Festival, Radio City Music Hall, NYC

On August 15th, 2009, the International Brain Education Association and Korea Institute of Brain Science will host the Brain Art Festival at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Presented by Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, the festival will be a celebration of the brain through music, movement, dance, drumming and art. Through these various art forms and interactive lectures, you can experience healing rhythms, inspirational performances and messages, and the joy that comes from knowing the true value of your brain.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here:

http://www.brainartfestival.com/

Or, if you have a Brain Wave Vibration story you'd like to share, click here to share your story and enter a draw to win a ticket to the festival:

http://http://www.brainwavevibration.com/news/184/Brain-Art-Festival/Submit-Your-Success-Story-and-Have-a-Chance-to-Win-a-Ticket-to-the-Brain-Art-Festival/

Use It and Get More of It

You may have heard the phrase, "Use it or lose it", referring to our brain's need for ongoing challenge and stimulation in order to maintain its health and functioning.

Dr. Elkohon Goldberg, one of the featured speakers at a recent seminar co-hosted by the International Brain Education Association (IBREA), says that the reality of how our brains work is better reflected by the phrase "Use it and get more of it".

In an interview with Sharpbrains co-founder Dr. Alvaro Fernandez, Dr. Goldberg also emphasizes the need for everyone to have a basic understanding of the brain and of how to cultivate it and the importance of mental exercise for healthy cognitive aging.

You can read more here:
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2006/12/08/dr-elkhonon-goldberg-on-brain-fitness-programs-and-cognitive-training/

Dr. Goldberg is clinical professor of neurology at the New York University School of Medicine. His recent book, The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger as Your Brain Grows Older is about cognitive aging and how to prevent decline.

The Brain That Changes Itself

In his book, The Brain that Changes Itself, Toronto psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Norman Doidge presents the concept of neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to change and rewire itself, through research that includes meetings with the top researchers in the field and the people whose personal stories prompted this research.

For example, one woman who herself had learning problems used self-created brain exercises to stimulate the weak areas of her brain and went on to establish a program and school for children and adults with learning diffficulties based on this method. Reading the book gave me hope not only for those with brain damage, but for all of us, as it highlights the brain's ability to adapt and change.

Dr. Norman Doidge was one of the featured speakers at a recent seminar titled "The Role of Brain Education in Global Mental Health" held at the United Nations. The seminar was hosted by Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, and co-sponsored by the International Brain Education Association (IBREA), Korea of Brain Science (KIBS), the NGO (Non-governmental organization) Committee on Mental Health, and the NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations.

You can watch the CBC documentary, The Brain That Changes Itself, based on Dr. Doidge's best-selling book here on David Suzuki's The Nature of Things:

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2008/brainchangesitself/index.html

Brain Education News from New York!

Great news! New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed January 8th as "IBREA Brain Education Day" in recognition of the contribution that Brain Education programs have made to the health and well-being of New Yorkers.

The proclamation coincided with a seminar held by IBREA (the International Brain Education Association) at the United Nations on "Brain Education and Global Mental Health". Speakers at the seminar included Dr. Norman Doidge, author of the book, "The Brain That Changes Itself". If you haven't read this book, it has excellent examples of neuroplasticity or our ability to change brain structures and functions even after brain damage or due to aging.

To read more about the proclamation and seminar:

http://http//www.brainwavevibration.com/news/162/IBREA/Mayor-Michael-R-Bloomberg-Declares-January-8th-“IBREA-Brain-Education-Day”-in-New-York-City/

IBREA has also recently opened a Brain Education Center near the United Nations headquarters. Check out their updated website...
http://ibreaus.org/

Why I Became Interested in the Brain Part 4: The United Nations and Brain Education

After last year's Olympiad, I returned to the U.S. to spend some time learning about the International Brain Education Association (IBREA). IBREA is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote excellence in brain education for the betterment of humanity. As part of this mission, IBREA represents KIBS (the Korea Insitute of Brain Science), an NGO (non-governmental organization) in consulative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), at the UN headquarters in New York.

As a representative of KIBS/IBREA, I attended United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) weekly briefings and participated in non-governmental organization (NGO) conferences and committee meetings. As I sat and listened to discussions about the challenges facing the UN and the world, I felt hope in the contribution that Brain Education could make to each and every issue, including health, education, youth, aging, peace, and guardianship of the earth.

I also had the opportunity to take the Brain Education Teaching Workshop (BETW) in Brooklyn, New York, where I joined teachers, social workers, occupational therapists, and parents from schools in the New York area. Over two days, we experienced the 15-week Brain Education for Enhanced Learning (BE for EL) curriculum, which includes exercises and activities focused on the brain itself, resulting in physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits for students. For more information about the program, see http://www.powerbrainedu.com/.

After returning to Canada, I started teaching the BE for EL program at the Burlington and Mississauga Dahn Centres. I was joined by my colleague, MaryAnn, who helped to teach the class after we both graduated from the BE Leadership course. Through the course, we became certified to teach all 30 weeks of the BE for EL curriculum and the BE for Successful Aging program for older adults (or anyone interested in aging successfully :).


I learned a lot from teaching the children's program and watched as the students grew in their confidence, in their ability to concentrate and to regulate their emotions, and in their concern for each other and for the earth. None of this was something we taught them--the program had brought out the natural abilities and qualities they already had inside. At the end when the students shared what they had learned, I was amazed by their wisdom and by the understanding they had of themselves. As a teacher, this was exactly the kind of program I had been looking for and it gave me a lot of hope for the future of education.

In April of this year, we held a BETW in the GTA area and trained 25 teachers and BE instructors. Since then, Brain Education has also been introduced to educators in Ottawa and Calgary and to schools in the Montreal area. There are plans to hold another BETW in the GTA this year.

(On September 30th from 7:40-9 pm the Burlington Dahn Yoga Centre will be hosting a special Introduction to Brain Education Workshop for Teachers. Please visit or call the centre to reserve a spot: 905-681-7215).

So, this is the long answer to why I became interested in the brain. Through this journey, I've learned to trust my own brain and that everyone has the ability to develop their brain's potential and have a positive impact on others. This has given me hope for the future of education, humanity and the earth and is what brought me here to UBE to learn and experience more about the potential of the brain and about the current and future implications of brain education.
I believe that as individuals, families, organizations, and nations look for ways to solve their most serious challenges, effective self-management, organizational-management, and earth-management through using the brain well will be the key to our successful future.

Why I Became Interested in the Brain Part 3: The 3rd International Brain Education Conference and Olympiad

As soon as I started noticing the benefits of practising Dahn Yoga, I began to think of all the different people that this could help. My desire to help other people become healthy, happy and peaceful led me to become a part-time instructor and then, in April of last year, a full-time instructor at the Burlington Dahn Yoga Centre.

Last August, I had the opportunity to be part of the 3rd International Brain Education Conference and HSP Olympiad in Ellenville, New York. The conference, sponsored by the International Brain Education Association, included Brain Education workshops for parents and teachers and lectures by neuroscientists and educators about the effects of Brain Education on the brain and on the health and well-being of individuals and organizations. I learned that these programs had been used in Korea in companies, schools and other organizations, and even the military. In the US, a curriculum had been developed specifically for schools and was being used with much success across the country.

The HSP Olympiad includes friendly events which showcase the potential of the brain. The events test participants' cognitive, motor and sensory systems (the ability to perceive information using subtle body senses rather than the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste). Children and adults from Korean, Japan and the US competed together and there were a lot of smiles and laughter.

Marek participating in the HSP Gym Event at this year's Olympiad

HSP Body Sense Perception Event

What really stood out for me wasn't the individual abilities of the competitors, but the kind of environment that was created by the trainers and competitors that allowed for each person's potential to shine. I was also struck by the brain's potential beyond what we normally expect and felt how, with this potential, creative and productive solutions to the problems of humanity and the earth could be found.

The HSP Olympiad is a display of the 4th Step: Brain Integrating, which can be achieved through advanced Brain Education training. I talked about the three layers of the brain before: the neocortex (the "thinking" brain), the limbic system (the "emotional" brain), and the brain stem (responsible for basic life functions). Do you ever feel like your thinking, emotions and body aren't working together? Brain Integrating means getting these three functions of your brain working together. It also means integrating the left (more logical and analytical) and the right (more creative and spontaneous) sides of the brain so you can use them together well. Using our brain in an integrated way allows us to tap into the immense potential of our brains.

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