It’s our fast reactions that get us into trouble: “I can’t believe you did such a stupid thing!” or “What were you thinking?” or “You’re a real …!” Most of us spend our days as a passenger bouncing from one car to the next amid the mind’s constant traffic.
“When words erupt quickly, it’s the emotional brain reacting, not the logical brain responding,” explains Dr. Aaron Cooper. “It is how we learn to slow ourselves down — and keep emotions in check — that the logical brain has a chance to guide us toward our best selves.”
Dr. Aaron Cooper, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, is available to comment on becoming aware through mindfulness.
“As we develop the mindfulness skill, we learn to observe and accept our emotions without expressing them and without judging them good or bad, right or wrong,” Dr. Cooper adds. “As we learn to slow down and refrain from being in the grip of our emotions, we create the necessary space for the logical brain to step in.”
Dr. Cooper earned his doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago, following a three-year internship at the Loyola Guidance Clinic. Prior to that, he received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Harvard University.
To speak to Dr. Cooper about the emotional and logical brain, or to learn more about The Family Institute, please contact Cyndi Schu, Director of Public Relations, at [email protected] or 312-609-5300, ext. 483.
ABOUT THE FAMILY INSTITUTE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY –The Family Institute at Northwestern University (www.family-institute.org) is committed to strengthening and healing families and individuals from all walks of life through clinical service, education and research. An affiliate of Northwestern University, The Family Institute is a unique, innovative not-for-profit organization, governed by its own independent Board of Directors and responsible for its own funding. The Institute offers a wide range of high quality mental health counseling through our staff practice and our sliding-fee scale Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic, where we are committed to serving at-risk, under-resourced communities. The Family Institute also operates two nationally-renowned graduate programs in marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology in affiliation with Northwestern University, and conducts cutting-edge research projects that lead to a better understanding and treatment of mental health issues.
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