Ithaca College

Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a presentation and discussion about the best-selling book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza, led by Ed Ostrander, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University.

Monday, Sept. 10, 7:00-8:00 pm, Textor 102

 Co-sponsored by Psi Chi and the Student Psychology Association of Ithaca College

This is the first in a series of discussions led by Dr. Edward Ostrander focusing on recent books about meta-cognition and findings from neuroscience research coupled with practical advice on ways to:

· Change habits and replace them with more constructive ones

· Increase mindfulness and enhance emotional intelligence

· Redirect mindsets and alter negatively toned thought patterns

· Reduce stress and enhance learning

The selected books all focus on brain plasticity and our ability to change our habits of mind, control our emotions and solve problems more effectively. A copy of each book will be on reserve in the library under the course PSYC 10400 Introduction to Developmental Psychology taught by Dr. Cyndy Scheibe. The presentation will also highlight online videos and websites where participants can learn more about the authors and their work (e.g., Dr. Dispenza’s TED Talk, The Three Brains that Allow Us to Go from Thinking to Doing to Being).

Later this fall, other “Ed Talks” will focus on books by Chade-Meng Tan (2012), Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace), and Timothy Wilson (2011), Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. 

Ed Ostrander has a Ph.D. in social psychology, and he taught environmental psychology and gerontology in the Dept. of Design & Environmental Analysis at Cornell University for 24 years. He has participated in Dr. Scheibe’s developmental psychology courses at Ithaca College for the past several years (known as the “cool old guy”), leading conversations on vibrancy in late adulthood, neuroscience and learning. Since he retired from Cornell 20 years ago, he has become interested in neuroscience, learning, motivation and self-reflection – and that is the focus of these talks.

Ed will be joined by Louise Holmes, an organizational learning consultant whose clients have included Weill Cornell Medical College, Apple, Stanford University, and many small businesses. Her work with client Dr. Les Femi, a psychologist and neurofeedback researcher who developed the Open Focus™ technique to relieve anxiety and improve performance, sparked Louise's interest in the neuroscience of learning, and how we can learn new habits of thought and behavior for greater access to happiness, connection, and optimal performance - whether at work, in school, or at home.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cyndy Scheibe at scheibe@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-1324. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.