Enhancing Your Mind - with Dr. Srini Pillay

Guest Introduction: Dr. Srini Pillay is a world-renowned Harvard-trained psychiatrist, executive coach, keynote speaker, consultant, clinician, and brain researcher. He is the founder and CEO of NeuroBusiness Group, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is also the author of several books, including, “Life Unlocked: 7 Revolutionary Lessons to Overcome Fear,” “The Science Behind the Law of Attraction,” and “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try.” Interview Summary: In this interview, Srini starts by discussing his background, interests, and the many different projects that he's involved with. He goes into more detail on the three tech startups he's working on, including a digital platform for people to interact in a more conscious way. He expands on the idea of conscious communication, and explains how it helps us to deepen relationships and enhance motivation. We ask Srini how people can pay greater attention and be more engaged and present in their conversations. Srini then talks about how unconscious fear disrupts fluent thinking. He discusses where fear and anxiety originate from, and how they affect both the brain and the body. He provides some examples of common fears that people struggle with. Srini emphasizes the importance of vulnerability in building connections and intimacy. He then offers strategies for overcoming fear and anxiety and becoming more vulnerable and authentic. He walks us through the CIRCA framework for dealing with feelings of overwhelm. Next, Srini explains how to use self-talk to boost confidence. He also shares some effective methods for breaking negative thought patterns and bad habits. He then talks about how the brain changes, as well as the correlation between blood flow and neural pathways. We also ask Srini how conscious thoughts evolve into unconscious habits. He expands on the idea of cognitive rhythm. He discusses how focus hinders brain power, and offers some examples of unfocusing techniques to enhance our minds. Srini then reveals the science behind the Law of Attraction. He provides several techniques to active the Law of Attraction and manifest more of what we want in our lives. He also describes cognitive empathy, and gives an example from his therapy work with couples. We then shift to Srini's latest book, “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try.” He discusses what motivated him to write it, and emphasizes the importance of using strategic unfocus to enhance our brains. Srini describes how he uses unfocusing in his life, and provides examples of how his coaching clients and therapy patients have benefitted from it. He goes more in depth on several unfocusing techniques, including positive constructive daydreaming. He also explains how he schedules unfocus time into his daily routine. Srini expands on the idea of behaving more like the exception than the rule, and discusses the cognitive benefits of adopting this mindset. Finally, we ask Srini how he structures his schedule and his approach to new problems. He also talks about what drives him to explore and pursue so many different disciplines and projects. Find out more about Dr. Pillay: https://drsrinipillay.com The Craft of Charisma Podcast is also available at: bit.ly/Soundcloud-CofC-Podcast bit.ly/Stitcher-CofC-Podcast bit.ly/iTunes-CofC-Podcast bit.ly/Spotify-CofC-Podcast bit.ly/GooglePlayMusic-CofC-Podcast bit.ly/iHeartRadio-CofC-Podcast