Brain Changer: A Mother's Guide to Cognitive Science

by Janine Kovac

Overview

Sometimes as a parent, you know exactly what to do. You just don’t know how to get it done. 

Brain Changer is a short self-help book designed to give parents a new perspective on how to trouble-shoot and strategize in times of conflict—all with a twist of cutting-edge cognitive science. 

Each of the nine chapters is rooted in a different scene at the NICU and pairs a challenge at the time with a strategy gleaned from cognitive science. Chapter subjects include: practicing self-care, building community, monitoring progress, practicing gratitude and empathy, fostering resilience, and moving on when the science falls short.

Follow Janine Kovac as she relies on her research to help her cope when her twins are born fifteen weeks before they are due and spend three months in the hospital in the newborn intensive care unit.

Based on her thesis “A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Parenting,” for which she received U.C. Berkeley’s Robert J. Glushko Prize for Distinguished Undergraduate Research in Cognitive Science, Janine Kovac’s Brain Changer is a must-read for parents looking to practice self-care, manage flow, and cultivate a growth mindset as they model these healthy behaviors for their own children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780692782217
Publisher:	Noelle & Noelle Publishing
Publication date:	10/30/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	78
File size:	450 KB

About the Author

Janine Kovac, a former ballet dancer and computer programmer, received the 2009 Glushko Prize for Distinguished Undergraduate Research in Cognitive Science for her thesis, "A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Parenting." Janine is a founding member and program coordinator for the 501(c)3 nonprofit writing group Write on Mamas. Her writing has appeared on Salon.com, RaisingHappiness.com, in Pregnancy and Newborn magazine and is a regular feature of the Alta Bates NICU Newsletter, a publication to NICU graduates and their families. Janine has been anthologized in Multiples Illuminated (May 2016), Mamas Write: 29 Tales of Truth, Wit, and Grit (Bittersweet Press: 2014), and Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me God (NBTT: 2012). An alumna of Hedgebrook, Janine is the 2016 recipient of the Elizabeth George Foundation Fellowship. She lives in Oakland with her husband and their three children.

Table of Contents

Introduction All Bad News is My Bad News: The Salient Exemplar Effect How to Build a Village How Does Your Garden Grow Gratitude The Difference a Metaphor Makes Empathy for the Mompetitor Nurture Happiness and Foster Resilience Have Dinner as a Family When Science Falls Short Supplemental Reading Acknowledgments About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"The science of mind - cognitive science - is anything but dry and abstruse. It is about how to live. Up to 98% of thought is unconscious, and the science takes you into the ideas you live by but don't know you have. Janine Kovac figured this out under the most extreme stress: becoming the mother of premature twins not given much chance to survive, while finishing her cognitive science degree and raising a two-year- old. Brain Changer is an inspiring, hard-to-put-down book of how she used her cognitive science to bring her one-and-a-half pound twins and herself through a mother's nightmare to healthy happy lives."

-George Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley and New York Times bestselling author of Don't Think of an Elephant

"Most people don't know that they need to have a little cognitive science under their belts in order to parent well, but read this book and you'll know that probably, you do. It's a useful and interesting tool for much more skillful-and therefore effective and joyful-parenting."

-Christine Carter, PhD, author of Raising Happiness and The Sweet Spot

"Brain Changer is a perfect gem of a book. Kovac weaves together cognitive science, language and metaphor, and deeply moving personal stories of difficult moments at the beginning and end of life. With candor, humor, and authenticity, Brain Changer offers a way through trying times not just for parents, but for everyone. I highly recommend this engaging and helpful book."

-Lorrie Goldin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

"Any parent who has experienced loss will soak up the wisdom of this book. Janine Kovac has a unique talent for taking raw experiences and bringing them to life with deep insight, candor and a unique perspective. Her background in dance, cognitive science and directing all come together in a production that is dazzling."

-Maria Ramos-Chertok, The Rockwood Leadership Institute and author of The Butterfly Series Workbook and Journal

"Brain Changer offers a fascinating look at how Janine Kovac used language to reframe her world during a time of extreme trauma. This book is a good read with lessons easily applied to everyday life for all of us."

-Marianne Lonsdale, founding member, Write on Mamas

"The science of mind - cognitive science - is anything but dry and abstruse. It is about how to live. Up to 98% of thought is unconscious, and the science takes you into the ideas you live by but don't know you have. Janine Kovac figured this out under the most extreme stress: becoming the mother of premature twins not given much chance to survive, while finishing her cognitive science degree and raising a two-year- old. Brain Changer is an inspiring, hard-to-put-down book of how she used her cognitive science to bring her one-and-a-half pound twins and herself through a mother's nightmare to healthy happy lives." -George Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley and New York Times bestselling author of Don't Think of an Elephant "Most people don't know that they need to have a little cognitive science under their belts in order to parent well, but read this book and you'll know that probably, you do. It's a useful and interesting tool for much more skillful-and therefore effective and joyful-parenting." -Christine Carter, PhD, author of Raising Happiness and The Sweet Spot "Brain Changer is a perfect gem of a book. Kovac weaves together cognitive science, language and metaphor, and deeply moving personal stories of difficult moments at the beginning and end of life. With candor, humor, and authenticity, Brain Changer offers a way through trying times not just for parents, but for everyone. I highly recommend this engaging and helpful book." -Lorrie Goldin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker "Any parent who has experienced loss will soak up the wisdom of this book. Janine Kovac has a unique talent for taking raw experiences and bringing them to life with deep insight, candor and a unique perspective. Her background in dance, cognitive science and directing all come together in a production that is dazzling." -Maria Ramos-Chertok, The Rockwood Leadership Institute and author of The Butterfly Series Workbook and Journal "Brain Changer offers a fascinating look at how Janine Kovac used language to reframe her world during a time of extreme trauma. This book is a good read with lessons easily applied to everyday life for all of us." -Marianne Lonsdale, founding member, Write on Mamas

From the Publisher