A Calm Brain: Unlocking Your Natural Relaxation System

Our ancestors used the fight-or-flight mechanism to protect themselves from predators. We use it to fend off daily crises. In a world filled with too many toys, too much technology, and too many choices—how can we possibly keep up? Our bodies have been trained to react to the beeps and alarms of all our different technologies, be it the ever present cell phone, an angry text message, or a frantic voicemail. The result is chronic stress and a learned inability to relax.

With a warm, lucid voice, Dr. Devi shares stories from her medical practice of ordinary people—suffering from migraines, neck pain, gastrointestinal upsets, and sleep deprivation— trying to work through life’s difficulties. With practical advice she shows just how to promote a higher “vagal tone,” and delivers the best news yet: you don’t need more drugs. Here are the keys to more tranquil, productive, and enjoyable life.

Dr. Devi explores a paradigm shift in our understanding of the brain’s relaxation mechanisms. It is hard for our brains to talk our bodies into feeling calm, but our bodies have strong wiring that makes true enduring calm possible. The body does this through the vagus nerve, a powerful conduit that taps directly into our brain’s built-in relaxation system. This revolutionary science can transform your work life and your home life.

Our ancestors used the fight-or-flight mechanism to protect themselves from predators. Today, we use it to fend off daily crises. The result is chronic stress and a learned inability to be calm which, in turn, makes it impossible for us to perform at our peak.

Now, Dr. Gayatri Devi shows how we can cultivate empowering, enduring calm by tapping into our body’s vagus nerve—and utilize our hardwired, natural relaxation system. If you are suffering from migraines, neck pain, gastrointestinal upsets, sleeps deprivation—or are just trying to work through life’s difficulties—Dr. Devi shows that you don’t need more drugs, you need A Calm Brain.

“For anyone who wants to take charge of the 21st century while remaining calm, focused, and productive—this is the book for you.”

—Henry S. Lodge, New York Times bestselling author of Younger Next Year

GAYATRI DEVI, M.D., is a neurologist and the director of the New York Memory Services. Also a Clinical Associate Professor at the NYU School of Medicine, she has discussed neurology on CBS and NPR, and in The Wall Street Journal and Time, as well as on The Huffington Post. She is the president of the not-for-profit National Council on Women’s Health. She lives in New York.