A healthy sense of agency — the feeling that we have control over our lives— is crucial for mental health at every age. When that sense of control is low, people may feel hopeless, helpless, resigned, or stuck. They may also feel anxious, pressured, overwhelmed, or driven by constant worry.
In this special presentation, William Stixrud, Ph.D., will explain why a healthy sense of control matters and what happens in the brain when we experience it. He will also discuss how regular practice of Transcendental Meditation ‘rewires’ the brain in ways that develop emotional resilience, high stress tolerance, and confidence we can handle challenges.
Because both stress and calm can be “contagious,” Dr. Stixrud will also share how children and adolescents benefit when parents and grandparents meditate and become a calm, steady presence within the family.
Dr. Stixrud is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of The Stixrud Group in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine: https://stixrud.com/staff/william-r-stixrud
A frequent lecturer, Dr. Stixrud has written scientific articles and book chapters on adolescent brain development, stress, and meditation. He has been featured by National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times of London, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Time, Scientific American, BusinessWeek, Barron’s, and New York Magazine.
He is the co-author, with Ned Johnson, of the bestselling books The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and What Do You Say? How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home.
Dr. Stixrud holds a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. He completed his predoctoral internship in Pediatric and Clinical Psychology at Children’s Hospital Boston as a fellow of Harvard Medical School, and received postdoctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology at Tufts New England Medical Center. Before entering private practice, he worked as a staff neuropsychologist at Children’s National Medical Center and Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C.