BrainWise Newsletter #100: Stop and Think: A History of Building Brain Connections

Posted On: September 18, 2025

Real Stories, Real Impact: BrainWise Educators Empower Generations

Dr. Eric Kandel received the 2000 Nobel Prize for his research describing neuroplasticity — how the brain builds connections when it learns something new. His findings inspired the development of BrainWise as a way to help children and youth learn skills to Stop and Think. The stories presented in this edition highlight the extraordinary individuals who teach BrainWise. Hundreds of
instructors share similar histories, offering further testament of the impact of BrainWise.

These instructors are not neuroscientists. BrainWise appealed to them because it offered something different: an opportunity to teach research on brain development – explained as using Wizard Brain thinking over Lizard Brain reacting. This unique approach, the hallmark of BrainWise, introduced the brain as a teaching tool to help nonscientists understand the fundamentals of how the brain works.

Read their compelling stories in the 100th Edition of the BrainWise Newsletter.

My heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this life-affirming work!

Dr. Pat

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From Seed to Synapse

Cultivating Thinking Skills with BrainWise “Planting a seed” is how social worker Dr. Gary Brayton describes his decades-long advocacy for teaching BrainWise and training new instructors. He recently trained 32 health care workers, including longtime instructor Melissa Hudson, in Calgary, Alberta, to become BrainWise trainers. (for background see Hull newsletter BW professional group.) These […]

Bridging States, Building Minds

Shelia Nicholson is a double line in the Constellation of Support for students, teachers and families in the Ferguson, Missouri community. Last March, she took on a new mission: helping a class of low-performing third graders finish the year strong. She turned to BrainWise for guidance—and brought a powerful coalition with her. (See her story […]

A Legacy of Transformative Teaching

BrainWise: A Legacy of Transformative Teaching It’s always inspiring to recognize the profound impact BrainWise instructors have had on their students and communities. Past newsletters have celebrated instructors like psychologist Dr. Gary Brayton, PhD, RSW, who has taught BrainWise to more than 2,000 clients. Dr. Brayton is just one of hundreds of dedicated educators using […]