The Neuroscience of Change

& The Power of Choice

Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Stanford University
kellymcgonigal.com/wakeup
 Strategic & Automatic &
Responsive Self! Impulsive Self!

Choice Pain-escape
Desire-consume
Threat-defend
Fatigue-default
 “I want” power

Goals!
Values!

“I won’t” “I will”
power power
Self-awareness Self-control
What are you feeling?
What are you thinking/doing?

ACC
 Train the Process of Choice
1. I want power
2. I won’t power
3. I will power
4. I sense power
5. I notice power
 I Want Power:
Self-Lovingkindness Practice

•  The Three Questions

•  The Three Aspirations
 I Want Power:
Self-Lovingkindness
•  The Three Questions:
–  What do I want to create in my life?
–  What do I want to offer the world?
–  What am I ready to make peace with?
•  The Three Aspirations:
–  May I be happy.
–  May I be healthy.
–  May I know peace.
I Sense, I Notice, I Won’t Power:
Breath Focus Practice
(Hasenkamp, Wilson-Mendenhall, Duncan, & Barsalou 2012)
Goals!
Values!

(Hasenkamp et al. 2012)

 Increased brain volume &
connectedness of frontal regions

(Luders et al. 2009, 2011, 2012)

 Breath Focus
1.  Establish comfortable, alert posture, eyes open
or closed.
2.  Acknowledge intention of practice: to train
attention by focusing on breath and noticing
mind-wandering.
3.  Bring focus to the breath (counting breath
cycles, or focusing on sensations).
4.  When mind wanders, notice and bring attention
back to the breath.
5.  Acknowledge success of practice no matter
how much your mind wandered!
 Mindful attention when
you need won’t power
•  47 smokers who want to quit abstained
for 12 hrs.
•  Learned mindful attention.
•  Viewed smoking-related images in fMRI;
some passively, some mindfully.
•  Reported cravings and distress.

(Westbrook et al. 2011)

1.  Mindfulness reduced
cravings and
distress.
2.  Reduced activity in
craving-related
areas of the brain.
3.  Disrupted functional
connectivity of the
brain’s "craving
network.”
“I cannot walk.”
 Accepting Inner Resistance
•  80 participants randomized to acceptance,
distraction, or control.
•  Given choice to continue receiving electric
shocks or stop study.
•  Acceptance: “I cannot walk” + “Notice shock-
related thoughts and feelings, but continue
with the task.” [Distraction: Think of something
more pleasant.]
•  Acceptance group allowed more shocks
(8.38) than distraction (4.69) or control (2.50);
reported less pain (42.6) than distraction (51.6).
(McMullen et al. 2008)
(Najmi, Riemann, & Wegner 2009)
 I Sense, I Notice, I Will Power:
Recognizing Resistance
•  I don’t have time.
•  I’ll feel like it tomorrow.
•  It will be too (exhausting, difficult, boring,
uncomfortable, painful, embarrassing,….).
•  I can’t.
•  I don’t know how.
•  I’ll die if I have to.
•  ….Yours????
 I Sense, I Notice, I Will Power:
Making a Commitment
•  What action do you want to take?
•  What is a concrete, right-sized step
consistent with your goal?
•  What thought/belief/feeling form does
you resistance take?
•  Can you imagine both being present –
the resistance, and the action?
 A Self-Compassionate POV:

1.  Mindfulness of challenge/suffering.

(What is the truth of your experience?)
2.  Common humanity. (How does this
experience connect you to others?)
3.  Self-mentoring. (What would you say
to someone you care about and
believe in?)
A Self-Compassion Practice
kellymcgonigal.com/wakeup