Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain

pt. I. The essence of adolescence. The benefits and challenges of adolescence Maintaining the power and purpose of the adolescent mind into adulthood Adolescence from the inside out Risk and reward Pushing away The timing of puberty, sexuality, and adolescence The stress and distress of our extended adolescence Adolescent transitions and the centrality of our relationships Mindsight tools #1: Seeing and shaping the sea inside Three basic kinds of mindsight maps Seeing inside the sea inside Mindsight practices : A. Insight and SIFTing the mind ; Physical sight of the material world versus mindsight of the inner world B. Mindsight illuminated ; empathy C. Empathy ; Integration D. Sensing the harmony of integration ; When integration is not present: chaos or rigidity E. Name it to tame it F. Detecting chaos or rigidity and balancing the mind ; Mindsight strengthens the mind, the brain, and our relationships pt. II. Your brain. Dopamine, decisions, and the drive for reward Family, friends, and fooling around The purpose of adolescence Making decisions "Don't do it" doesn't do it: the power of promoting the positive Integrating your brain A handy model of the brain Adolescence as the gateway to creative exploration Creating collaboration across the generations Vulnerability and opportunity The remodeling brain and flipping our lids Adolescence builds integration in the brain The emotional lower brain Hardwired or adventure and connection Mindsight tools #2: Time-in Time-in, mindsight, and mindful awareness Being present for what is happening as it is happening Mindsight practices : A. Breath awareness ; Building mindsight's lens ; Integrating consciousness with the wheel of awareness B. The wheel of awareness ; Reflecting on the wheel

pt. III. Your attachments. Safe harbor and launching pad

The ways we attach : The secure model ; The avoidant model ; The ambivalent model ; The disorganized model

Reactive attachment

Earning secure attachment and integrating the brain ; Reflecting on your attachments and making sense of your life

Questions for reflection on attachment

Our attachment narratives and the two sides of the brain

Avoidance, emotional distance, and the left side of the brain

Ambivalence, emotional confusion, and the right side of the brain

Disorganized attachment and a dissociating brain

Creating a safe harbor and launching pad for adolescents

Mindsight tools #3: Time-between and reflective conversation

Making sense of how our models shape our present

Mindsight practices : A. Reflecting on how your attachment models shape your reflective conversations ; Reflection, integration, and the origins of empathy

B. Reflective conversations ; The PART we play in creating ourselves in relationships

C. Repairing ruptures

pt. IV. Staying present through changes and challenges. Honoring the person an adolescent is becoming

Leaving home

Puberty, sexuality, and identity

Hooking up

Romance and first love

First be present

Changes and challenges to integration

Acceptance, letting go of expectations, and sexual orientation

Drug use or abuse?

Return home: reflection, realignment, and repairing ruptures

Mindsight tools #4: The mindsight simple seven

Mindsight practices : A. Time-in

B. Sleep time

C. Focus time

D. Downtime

E. Playtime

F. Physical time

G. Connecting time

Conclusion: MWe and the integration of identity.