Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

Just finished this book on that intriguing creature that is the adolescent brain. I read it and listened to it both. A little slow in the middle, but definitely worth the time to better understand the adolescent mind and normal (but seemingly abnormal) adolescent behavior! He describes the ESSENCE of adolESSENCE: "ES: An Emotional Spark is revealed in the enhanced way emotion generated from sub-cortical areas washes over the cortical circuits of reasoning. The downsides are emotional storms and moodiness; the upside is a powerful passion to live life fully, to capture life being on fire. SE: Social Engagement emerges as teens turn more toward peers than parents, the downside being falling prey to peer pressure simply to gain membership in a group, the upside being the central importance of supportive relationships in our lives. Relationships are the key factor associated with medical and mental health, longevity, and even happiness. N: Novelty-seeking emerges from shifts in the brain’s dopamine system with the downside of risk-taking behavior and injury, and the upside of having the courage to leave the familiar, certain, and safe home nest for the unfamiliar, uncertain, potentially unsafe world beyond. CE: And our Creative Exploration of adolescence is found as we push against the status quo, imagining how things could be, not simply accepting them for what they are. The downside? Not just conforming to life as usual can be disorienting and stressful. The upside? The thrill and passion of discovery—and the reality that most innovations in art, music, science and technology emerge from the adolescent mind." (quotation from his website)

I read with alacrity "Brain Based Parenting: the neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment", on which Daniel J. Seigel was the third author, and gave that book 5 stars in an Amazon.com review. So I started out with high expections for Siegel's more recent work, Brainstorm. Really, I did. Unfortunately the weaknesses of the book far outweighed its strengths, for me anyway, as I'll outline below. There are multiple other books on raising and understanding teenagers I'd recommend before this one, as I'll list at the end. Strengths: (1) It's always good to remind oneself of the positive aspects of the developmental phase of the adolescent. Siegel lists these strengths as: intense and spontaneous emotions, intense and powerful peer and social connections, a spark of uniqueness and originality, and a profound search for one's identity and place in the universe. Frustrated parents can easily fall into the trap of seeing only your teenager's faults and negative behaviors. Remembering to see the upside (which is really only discussed in the first chapter of the book) is a good thing. (2) Somehow Siegel wanders into the topic of healing your brain from trauma. During the course of this digression, he reviews an intriguing theory of psychological trauma (p. 176ff) that painful memories that are 'locked up' in the right hemisphere - the seat of emotion, imagery, and "implicit" (timeless and voiceless) memories - cause intense pain, fear, and flashbacks. When the right and left (verbal, analytic, logical and chronological) brain are integrated, the left side of the brain can give a coherent narrative to the trauma story and place it into a past perspective. Healing from trauma then occurs when what was formerly intense, limitless, and present danger, is transformed into more comprehensible, limited, and coherent past experience. This is a powerful theory of trauma and healing and helps to explain why social connections and social supports aid in the prevention and healing of PTSD. Note: the theory is not presented here for the first time, but Siegel's review of it is interesting. Weaknesses: (1) In contrast to "Brain-Based Parenting", I found the book haphazardly organized and the writing style surprisingly poor. Siegel's sentences were run-on, off topic, and varied irritatingly between medicalese and schmaltzy sentimentality. His topics were all over the map, too: from the title topic, to attachment theory, to general advice for getting enough sleep and eating well, to "Mindsight" exercises for meditation and raising awareness. I was disappointed; I felt the book didn't stick to any consistent theme and was probably a hastily put together collection of blog posts. Search "teenage brain fitness" or "the adolescent brain" on Amazon.com and one will find many appealing titles on the topic that look more propitious than this one. (2) Siegel's stated intention is to write a book intdended to be read by both parents and their teenagers, perhaps even read aloud from one to another. Despite a number of cute cartoons, I can hardly imagine a teenager in modern America today who could make it successfully through this meandering, poorly written volume. I have one teenager and one pre-teen, and I am involved in volunteering and in contact with many of my daughters' friends (and, well, I also happen to be a psychiatrist and have seen hundreds of teens in crisis through a psychiatric emergency center in Fairfax County, Virginia). The only thing I can say in response to the idea of an American teenager finding this book readable would be "fuggedaboudit." Or maybe "you must be Cray-Cray." I found the following books infinitely more useful, readable, and enjoyable than Brainstorm: (1) Haim Ginot's "Between Parent and Teenager", (2) Thoms Phelan's "surviving your teenager", (3) Anything by Gershen Kaufman, Ph.D., especially "personal power for teens", (4) "Brain-Based Parenting" (see above), and (5)Ginsburg's "Roots and Wings." I tried hard to find the positives in this book; I read around five books per month so I am not averse to working hard to get something from a read, so I don't give out the dreaded "2 star" rating casually. I had to put this one down for long stretches and really force myself to punch on through, however. There are any number of other books on teenagers and their development I would encourage readers to turn to before, or instead of, this one.

I was recommended this book by a friend, and have found it useful, but a bit tedious for my liking. There is some helpful information in the book relative to how teens (in my case boy) change as they get older, and it was good to know that my teen's current behavior, while not bad, was normal. The mechanics (or in this case the science) of the brain is thoroughly covered -- and in my opinion, a little too thoroughly. The author decided to write the book with both an adolescent and adult reader in mind, which is fine, but I find it hard to believe that many adolescents made it through this book (but his quotes inside the book suggest otherwise).

I bought this book when my son was 13 and started middle school. He, seemingly, changed over night. He was also dealing with the betrayal of his best friend once they got to middle school, and mourning that friendship. Seventh grade was not easy for him. After reading the that you didn’t have to read the entire book to get something from it, I immediately flipped to the section that was most relevant to my son. Of course I couldn’t fix the hurt he was feeling from the loss of friendship, and the betrayal of a friend he had been best friends with for the last 6 years; but this book really helped me understand how to be there for him and most importantly, how the brain changes in these critical years of puberty. I really credit this book to opening my eyes to the teenage brain. It really transformed my relationship with my son when he hit puberty. We have to evolve our relationship with our children as they grow, and this book more than guides you in that direction. It’s an unbelievable resource during the pre-teen and teenage years.

This book was recommended to me by my counselor to help me think through my interactions with my new teenager. The book provides a lot of reflective activities to do, which were a good practice, but not necessarily something I utilized a lot. I found the end of the book more helpful, simply because it told stories of individuals, which helped me think through my own challenges. Overall, it was a good book, but I have enjoyed the other Dan Siegel books more than this one.

Great for adolescents and everyone that has to interact with them. As a middle school teacher, this presented information that I did not know. They are going through a lot of changes (not just hormonal!) that we all should understand.

This book has multiple acronyms per page. This is extremely distracting and does nothing to help remember anything due to the number of times a new acronym is introduced. The information is alright, but should no be given to an adolescent to read about themselves. This is for parents to read to better understand their adolescent.

Absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite authors. I'm not completely done reading this book, but so far so good. You cannot be completely without knowledge of behavioral sciences to comprehend this easily, but I feel like he did a very good job to explain it to those without prior experience. I purchased this for a friend without such training previously and she said it was something she only partially had to re-read.

This is an excellent book! Provides great insight into developing minds. We all like to think that we haven't forgotten what it's like to grow up, but I must admit that this gave me an added perspective on my own adolescence as well. As tough as it can be to raise children, this has really helped me [re]focus my efforts. I got both the MP3 disk (for my long commute) and the paperback (for reference).

I'm grateful to Daniel J. Siegel MD. He gifted the world with a wonderful, easy-to-follow look at life experiences, relationship bonds and the effects on the brain. Vice-a-versa: how brain development influences our love relationships. I've read many developmental psychology books for study and pleasure. This is the best I've ever read on the subject of optimizing the brain in order to improve connection with ourselves and our loved ones. I prefer the simpler title, Brainstorm, because the information is universal.

Just finished this book on that intriguing creature that is the adolescent brain. I read it and listened to it both. A little slow in the middle, but definitely worth the time to better understand the adolescent mind and normal (but seemingly abnormal) adolescent behavior! He describes the ESSENCE of adolESSENCE: "ES: An Emotional Spark is revealed in the enhanced way emotion generated from sub-cortical areas washes over the cortical circuits of reasoning. The downsides are emotional storms and moodiness; the upside is a powerful passion to live life fully, to capture life being on fire. SE: Social Engagement emerges as teens turn more toward peers than parents, the downside being falling prey to peer pressure simply to gain membership in a group, the upside being the central importance of supportive relationships in our lives. Relationships are the key factor associated with medical and mental health, longevity, and even happiness. N: Novelty-seeking emerges from shifts in the brain’s dopamine system with the downside of risk-taking behavior and injury, and the upside of having the courage to leave the familiar, certain, and safe home nest for the unfamiliar, uncertain, potentially unsafe world beyond. CE: And our Creative Exploration of adolescence is found as we push against the status quo, imagining how things could be, not simply accepting them for what they are. The downside? Not just conforming to life as usual can be disorienting and stressful. The upside? The thrill and passion of discovery—and the reality that most innovations in art, music, science and technology emerge from the adolescent mind." (quotation from his website)

I read with alacrity "Brain Based Parenting: the neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment", on which Daniel J. Seigel was the third author, and gave that book 5 stars in an Amazon.com review. So I started out with high expections for Siegel's more recent work, Brainstorm. Really, I did. Unfortunately the weaknesses of the book far outweighed its strengths, for me anyway, as I'll outline below. There are multiple other books on raising and understanding teenagers I'd recommend before this one, as I'll list at the end. Strengths: (1) It's always good to remind oneself of the positive aspects of the developmental phase of the adolescent. Siegel lists these strengths as: intense and spontaneous emotions, intense and powerful peer and social connections, a spark of uniqueness and originality, and a profound search for one's identity and place in the universe. Frustrated parents can easily fall into the trap of seeing only your teenager's faults and negative behaviors. Remembering to see the upside (which is really only discussed in the first chapter of the book) is a good thing. (2) Somehow Siegel wanders into the topic of healing your brain from trauma. During the course of this digression, he reviews an intriguing theory of psychological trauma (p. 176ff) that painful memories that are 'locked up' in the right hemisphere - the seat of emotion, imagery, and "implicit" (timeless and voiceless) memories - cause intense pain, fear, and flashbacks. When the right and left (verbal, analytic, logical and chronological) brain are integrated, the left side of the brain can give a coherent narrative to the trauma story and place it into a past perspective. Healing from trauma then occurs when what was formerly intense, limitless, and present danger, is transformed into more comprehensible, limited, and coherent past experience. This is a powerful theory of trauma and healing and helps to explain why social connections and social supports aid in the prevention and healing of PTSD. Note: the theory is not presented here for the first time, but Siegel's review of it is interesting. Weaknesses: (1) In contrast to "Brain-Based Parenting", I found the book haphazardly organized and the writing style surprisingly poor. Siegel's sentences were run-on, off topic, and varied irritatingly between medicalese and schmaltzy sentimentality. His topics were all over the map, too: from the title topic, to attachment theory, to general advice for getting enough sleep and eating well, to "Mindsight" exercises for meditation and raising awareness. I was disappointed; I felt the book didn't stick to any consistent theme and was probably a hastily put together collection of blog posts. Search "teenage brain fitness" or "the adolescent brain" on Amazon.com and one will find many appealing titles on the topic that look more propitious than this one. (2) Siegel's stated intention is to write a book intdended to be read by both parents and their teenagers, perhaps even read aloud from one to another. Despite a number of cute cartoons, I can hardly imagine a teenager in modern America today who could make it successfully through this meandering, poorly written volume. I have one teenager and one pre-teen, and I am involved in volunteering and in contact with many of my daughters' friends (and, well, I also happen to be a psychiatrist and have seen hundreds of teens in crisis through a psychiatric emergency center in Fairfax County, Virginia). The only thing I can say in response to the idea of an American teenager finding this book readable would be "fuggedaboudit." Or maybe "you must be Cray-Cray." I found the following books infinitely more useful, readable, and enjoyable than Brainstorm: (1) Haim Ginot's "Between Parent and Teenager", (2) Thoms Phelan's "surviving your teenager", (3) Anything by Gershen Kaufman, Ph.D., especially "personal power for teens", (4) "Brain-Based Parenting" (see above), and (5)Ginsburg's "Roots and Wings." I tried hard to find the positives in this book; I read around five books per month so I am not averse to working hard to get something from a read, so I don't give out the dreaded "2 star" rating casually. I had to put this one down for long stretches and really force myself to punch on through, however. There are any number of other books on teenagers and their development I would encourage readers to turn to before, or instead of, this one.

I was recommended this book by a friend, and have found it useful, but a bit tedious for my liking. There is some helpful information in the book relative to how teens (in my case boy) change as they get older, and it was good to know that my teen's current behavior, while not bad, was normal. The mechanics (or in this case the science) of the brain is thoroughly covered -- and in my opinion, a little too thoroughly. The author decided to write the book with both an adolescent and adult reader in mind, which is fine, but I find it hard to believe that many adolescents made it through this book (but his quotes inside the book suggest otherwise).

I bought this book when my son was 13 and started middle school. He, seemingly, changed over night. He was also dealing with the betrayal of his best friend once they got to middle school, and mourning that friendship. Seventh grade was not easy for him. After reading the that you didn’t have to read the entire book to get something from it, I immediately flipped to the section that was most relevant to my son. Of course I couldn’t fix the hurt he was feeling from the loss of friendship, and the betrayal of a friend he had been best friends with for the last 6 years; but this book really helped me understand how to be there for him and most importantly, how the brain changes in these critical years of puberty. I really credit this book to opening my eyes to the teenage brain. It really transformed my relationship with my son when he hit puberty. We have to evolve our relationship with our children as they grow, and this book more than guides you in that direction. It’s an unbelievable resource during the pre-teen and teenage years.

This book was recommended to me by my counselor to help me think through my interactions with my new teenager. The book provides a lot of reflective activities to do, which were a good practice, but not necessarily something I utilized a lot. I found the end of the book more helpful, simply because it told stories of individuals, which helped me think through my own challenges. Overall, it was a good book, but I have enjoyed the other Dan Siegel books more than this one.

Great for adolescents and everyone that has to interact with them. As a middle school teacher, this presented information that I did not know. They are going through a lot of changes (not just hormonal!) that we all should understand.

This book has multiple acronyms per page. This is extremely distracting and does nothing to help remember anything due to the number of times a new acronym is introduced. The information is alright, but should no be given to an adolescent to read about themselves. This is for parents to read to better understand their adolescent.

Absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite authors. I'm not completely done reading this book, but so far so good. You cannot be completely without knowledge of behavioral sciences to comprehend this easily, but I feel like he did a very good job to explain it to those without prior experience. I purchased this for a friend without such training previously and she said it was something she only partially had to re-read.

This is an excellent book! Provides great insight into developing minds. We all like to think that we haven't forgotten what it's like to grow up, but I must admit that this gave me an added perspective on my own adolescence as well. As tough as it can be to raise children, this has really helped me [re]focus my efforts. I got both the MP3 disk (for my long commute) and the paperback (for reference).

I'm grateful to Daniel J. Siegel MD. He gifted the world with a wonderful, easy-to-follow look at life experiences, relationship bonds and the effects on the brain. Vice-a-versa: how brain development influences our love relationships. I've read many developmental psychology books for study and pleasure. This is the best I've ever read on the subject of optimizing the brain in order to improve connection with ourselves and our loved ones. I prefer the simpler title, Brainstorm, because the information is universal.

Written for adolescents but a great introduction for any age to attachment theory, brain science and mindfulness. I like that Dan Siegel is compassionate toward parents affirming that we all do our best.

This is not a book I would typically read. However, my wife gifted it to me last Christmas, as we have a pre-teen son who is on his way to being a teen son. I can’t say that I opened to the first page with a fully open mind, but I was intrigued by how the book was billed as more a text on the science of adolescent neurology than a self-help book. If it were a science book, I could get into that, but there was a lot of self-help themed exercises that were more distracting than helpful to the casual reader. This is not to say I didn’t find anything of value in “Brainstorm.” In Part III, Dr. Siegel describes various forms of “attachment,” which is “in effect the way in which our brains remember the attachment relationship(s) we have had, or still have, and how we adapted to these formative attachment experiences.” The more “secure” our early attachments the more “integrated” our brains develop; the more “avoidant” our early attachments, the more likely it is that our brains have encoded a response to relationships that can lead to lasting problems. Not only was there some science in this section of the book, but it also made me think about what the signs of secure and avoidant attachments revealed about me and my upbringing. It did make some things make more sense. There were also some interesting sections on how teen moodiness and poor risk assessment is the result of the development of the brain and not “raging hormones.” Ultimately, maturity comes as a result of the various parts of the brain learning to be more “integrated.” That said, the rest of the book is full of acronyms and mnemonics to help us build health relationships and self-awareness that, while perhaps being useful in the therapist’s office (I’m sure Dr. Siegel has a successful practice), as self-help tools that seemed a little hokey. Most of these are found in “Mindsight” practice sections of the book. There’s the “inner mental sea,” the “metaphoric lens” on a “tripod” with openness, objectivity, and observation as the “three legs,” cultivating relationships by being “PART” (present, attune, resonate, and trust), “SNAG” (stimulate neuronal activation and growth), and the seven activities on “the healthy mind platter.” I didn’t go into this looking looking for yoga-like exercises on how to be a better father, so those chapters were a bit of slog. So, be forewarned: you might ultimately find that this book has useful advice on how to deal with your teen, but it's not a scientific text.

Awesome, just awesome. This is the RTC, therapeutic boarding school, wilderness therapy field guide manual to the adolescent brain. Siegel is brilliant, engaging and not way over your head when it comes to neuroscience. It is so readable that my HS students read it for therapy and work through the mindset exercises without being confused or thinking that it's middle school drivel.

Kind of slow going but still a great resource. Really it's a great book to touch in with for reminders. The exercises were good.

The book was okay. Recommended by a friend. Too much theory, not enough practical application for me, but other may dig it.

I was looking for something more scientific and informative, but instead got an anecdotal string personal opinion that reads like an op ed.

Exactly what we were looking for. Arrived fast and quality product as well!

This book gave me not only a better understanding about adolescents, but it also gave me a better understanding of myself. I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to have more self-awareness (which we could all use), healthier relationships, and healthier lives in general.

This was something I needed for school.

I bought this on Kindle along with the professional reading (by the author) which is not being sold separately until the end of the year. All of this was for less than the publisher's price of the book. Dr. Siegel is an excellent researcher and he has entered into an area of study that is surprisingly not as well studied as one might guess and I don't mean those silly self-help guides in bookstores. I saw the professor speak at a conference this weekend which is why I thought of buying the book. To be honest, the room gets very crowded when he and his ego enter and it became very clear from his talk that I would be better off just reading the book instead of staying for him to recite chapter topics so I found a different workshop in the afternoon session. Now of course, the professional reading still has the professor, but he is much less egoistic in his reading than when he is putting on his show. The text is meant for both the professional and the layperson-parent and he actually encourages the reading of at least some of the material by adolescents too. His advice is sound and his descriptions are easy to follow. Overall, an excellent resource.

nuf sed

Great book for theapists who work with teen to read!

One of the best I've read on how to approach this stage of development, both as a parent and a therapist. The examples are relevant, and the exercises are easy to use. It is inspiring and energizing!

Good book

As advertised.

Not sure why this arrived the way it did - it’s going to be a struggle to hold this book in its current condition. It looks as if someone stood on it and purposely bent it. Never seen anything like it...

As an educator and crisis intervention provider it is important to understand the physiological makeup and intricate inner working of the teenage brain and mind. Dr Siegel offers a reasonable explanation for those developmental complexities and the vulnerability the rapid growth and changes taking place.

Having two teenage sons in the house at the same time is sometimes a challenge. Having this book to refer to to and having this reference is wonderful. This books helps us make better decisions as a parent on how we react to our son's teenage behavior.

The opening idea that a mammal brain might tune itself in reaction to its situation is fascinating. Our brains were not tuned via natural selection for the sake of teenagers in American suburbs. If one defines a human generation as 16 years (the time from the birth of a girl until she has her first baby), then over 200,000 years that line of homo sapiens would have gone through 12,500 generations, which is a lot of tuning. And from the perspective of biology, that human males have aggressive and risk-taking tendencies would be evaluated by the end result of those tendencies (is that tribe still alive). So I found the author’s musings very interesting. But parents who decide their job is to first, keep in mental tune with the little darlings, and then perhaps to occasionally offer a non-confrontational humble recommendation, look at his result. His son came back from college with no self-limiting notion of respecting his parents (instead his son spread non-cleanliness in his wake at his pleasure; not in just his room, but throughout the house). His mental theory is interesting. Self-absorbed offspring are not a plus to society.

This book is a must read for every parent, biological, foster, adopt, grand, everyone! Dr. Siegel is gifted with the ability to tell the story of brain development in a way the average person can understand and appreciate the adolescence in their life. He also offers ways to overcome thought patterns that are not working for a person. This is a book of hope!

A great book for anyone with a teen. Written for teens as well as parents, with plenty of theory for those who want it, and hands on exercises for those who want to get acting.

Excellent book! Wish I had it when I was rising my teeen. Would have prevented many wasted hours of missed communication and foolish arguments! This is a great source of information for everone! Definitely recommending it!

Not what was expecting.

Not helpful. Not informative unless you want to know more about his personal life and kids

A must for all parents and professionals working with teenagers. I love his approach of approaching adolescence with understanding and awe for the profound and life enhancing changes that take place in the adolescent brain. Rather than criticising and being impatient with teenagers, lets explode the outdated myths and support this vital life stage with respect.

Excellent

Great book

Great information!

Helpful for people of all ages, not just to assist teenagers go through their times of great growth. Recommended for everyone.

Bought this book for my daughter-in-law

I really wanted to get to the bottom of these topics and there was a LOT of professional terms and explanation of what you are going to learn in this book...for chapters! It is good information, it is just difficult to find it.

I found this book incredibly informative. It provided me with such insight into the adolescent mind. Very helpful in understanding my own son as well as how to deal with future clients.

Saw Dr. Siegel at a lecture after buying the book. Wow, the way he explains everything is so interesting and helps make sense of the adolescent years and the thinking that goes on. Highly recommended book.

The book is pretty long. And sometimes scientific. There are some great pearls though sprinkled throughout. Worth a glance at.

So far a good book for what the title points to....understanding adolescents.

Being a mental health professional I think this book is a perfect "go-to" guide for trying to understand how the adolescent mind develops and works. Being a parent of teens, I think this book is a "must-have" in order for you to have any sanity left after raising them in your household. The scientific studies and explanations help to define how an adolescent minds works and what we may be able to do to help nurture this mind to view the world more positively and productively. Adolescence is not an experience to just live though - but an opportunity to help create a better person both inside and out.

I bought this for school. It's an easy read. Not littered with annoying statistics.

Excellent guide to understanding Adolescents--That's no small achievement! Parents and Teachers, you NEED to read this so we can react with understand to the ever frustrating teens in our lives.

Great book.

This book has been very helpful in understanding the teenage brain. All parents of teens should read this book.

So helpful for anyone dealing with tweens, teens, and young adults. Helps to understand them, to be more compassionate, and to have better relationships with them.

This is a great book for the professional or parent who wants to know the science behind their teenager. A careful reading will provide ideas to help your child (and you) negotiate this developmental period. An enjoyable read!

This book is amazing! A good read!

Must read!

This is an excellent, thorough and easy to grasp overview of the adolescent mind by Dan Siegel, M.D. I enjoyed switching between reading via Kindle and listening via Kindle/Audible function. The neuroscience and attachment-based descriptions of what is happening and how to support the development of adolescents is immediately useful. Dr. Siegel provides many specific tools as well as approaches that parents, teens, and therapists can apply to maximize the development of social, emotional, cognitive and relational capacities during adolescence. The book might be a bit lengthy for teens, but one of its special features is the tone of Dr. Siegel's voice and messages to teens - respectful, insightful, and informative. He shares stories both personal and professional to illustrate some common individual and interpersonal challenges teens and parents encounter and how to use "mindsight" skills to navigate effectively through these years.

Book in poor shape. Ripped and taped cover

All I can say is EXCELLENT!! Love the Mindsight exercise and the science behind the discussion. Thanks

Excellent resourse for parents of adolescents. I also happen to be in the health field working with children which helps me to understand their brain functioning as well.!

Very informative. Helpful strategies and tools. Good for professionals who work with teens or impulsive adults in the mental health field

Every parent of a adolescent should read this book. Our Sunday School class is reading and discussing it and it has helped me understand my growing daughter!! I talk to her about what is going on and she has started talking to me about her feelings!

Incredible book ...177 LAWS OF MIGHT. . Wow ..i learn from this book

This is a well written, clear, positive view of adolescence, which is helpful both to teenagers and all who work with them, especially parents. I wish I had had this when our kids were growing up. The brain science is clearly presented in terms the layman can understand. This is followed by anecdotal stories, with specific suggestions on implementing the science for a robust and healthy life. The book leaves me with good suggestions for my own brain growth, and I find that trying the strategies helps me think more clearly and interact with others better.

Enjoyed the ease of reading and activities. Overall I would recommend to practitioners, adolescents, and parents. Quick and insightful read.

Ok. Used as a textbook for a class. Good information

GREAT BOOK!

Great item, quick shipping, great seller, thank you.

I read this book after the "WholeBrain Child" also by Siegel. Brainstorm is an application of parenting, or counseling, tactics that help parents and adolescents travel the minefield of growing up.

This is an amazing book! If you work with, parent or have any connections to teenagers at all, read this book! This is a whole new way of looking at teenage behavior and developmental needs. We have pathologized teens for so long based on faulty information. Finally here is a view based on science and love.

A must read for parents of adolescents.

A fascinating read.

I wish this book had been available when my kids were teens. I am grateful to be able to take advantage of it now as my grandchildren enter their teen years. Readable, interesting and informative.

Great perspectives

Daniel Segal is the greatest. I recommend his books to all my therapy clients. He is very readable.

Great book, great service. Thanks!

I love this guy's books and the concepts contained therein. My foster son (now a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner) turned me on to Daniel J. Siegal when he was attending Oregon Health Sciences University. I helped him edit his papers and Master's thesis and have learned a lot from all the exposure to psychotherapy. I will be ever grateful to Michael for that among a host of things!

Everyone should read this book.

Great, positive book for both teenagers ,their parents and single adults. So many patients are stuck in their adolescent missteps and don't realize it until they read this book and experience new ways of being through the grey pages and mindful exercises.

GREAT! Thanks So much and God bless! <><

outstanding and easy to read. I share it with my friends and clients.

Very clear and easy for reading

Very interesting book about brain development, was expecting more application of how this applies for parents of teenagers, tweens.

Some interesting concepts. Slow moving. Subdued print and style of font not engaging, book layout did not lay out key points in a format that worked for me. I only purchased this as it was recommended by a therapist.

Great book by a wise man, loved the activities at the end to help your brain.

Let me say that I have a very, very high opinion of Siegel's "Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology," and thought his "Mindsight" to be an excellent book as well. I was very disappointed by this effort. The best part was a sixty-page chapter on attachment. It's the longest explanation on that topic I've yet to come across. However, there were several disappointments; the first few being stylistic. I found the let's-pretend-that-you-and-I-are-having-a-discussion style very off-putting. The second was for him to write it as if both parents and adolescents were reading the book, and so jumping back and forth between 'conversations.' Also, his multi-page explanations of his own empty-nesting came off as self-therapy. Useful for him to write, perhaps, but not for me to read. The books I mentioned above were very fact-filled, and that's what I was expecting. This was a very chatty, conversational book. I would have liked to see a bibliography; that was missing as well.

great

good product

This is another phenomenal book! Dr. Siegel did a wonderful job at assisting therapists and the like w/understanding the brain, how it effects behavior and etiology of common diseases that could become barriers to effective treatment. Excellent job.

I have followed Daniel Siegel's work for sometime now. I have watched his videos on youtube and read the book Mindsight, in addition to this one. This book has a wonderful message for both parents of adolescents and the adolescents themselves. It does not have as much detail on the science behind the message (you will find that in Mindsight), but I believe that is to make it more accessible for adolescents. The most thrilling part of this book for me is the idea that all of the typical "adolescent behaviors" that our culture tends to view with a critical eye are necessary parts of growing and becoming a thriving and vibrant adult. I highly recommend this book, if even just to allow for that tremendous shift in mindset.

Such a valuable tool for parents of teenagers and anyone who wants to better understand how our brain changes as we grow older.

Everyone who has teens should read this.

An amazing, enlightening book; prepare to have your beliefs blown wide open. This work will have far-reaching effects. Fascinating information written in an accessible style.

We're all a bunch of ignoramuses about *something* right? Admit it. Here's my weakness, my boys aren't rising to my boomer expectations because "heck, I had two jobs when I was 8 years old and...!" I'm basically trying to get them to be what was necessary for boys decades ago, and I'm a slow learner. Societal demands have changed, human psychology hasn't. I smelled some coffee with this book, I suspect anyone would if this is your area of concern. I love to learn.

My daughter enjoyed understanding how the brain worked.

A resourceful tool that I bought for my friend.

Good book

love this book

Research

Simplistic in content and easy to read, Brainstorm informs parents on the adolescent pathway toward adulthood. It's filled with anecdotal stories throughout as well as mental and therapeutic practices after each chapter. Despite the fact that Siegel is a Harvard medical graduate and professor of psychiatry at UCLA, his scientific acumen is absent from this book. There is no research cited in footnotes or endnotes. There is no bibliography or references for further research. And there are no statistics or studies to qualify any conclusions. His expertise here comes strictly from his patients and his clinical practice strategies. This is a very basic introductory book on adolescence and the brain. For those interested in a scientific and neurological study on the male and female brain regarding adolescent development see Louann Brizendine.

Excellent read very good information

Real insight into the teenage brain and helpful activities.

Important information even teens can understand

Great read

Great challenge for good students.

great info for parents with adolescence. check out his you tube video (about 1.5 hrs)

Watched Dr. Siegel with my colleagues at a university counseling center. His insights match our clinical experience, and his conceptualization regarding the plasticity and utility of the adolescent brain is helpful to us in supporting our students' success. I bought the book after we watched the dvd where he expands on the concepts found in "Brainstorm". I really like his 'time in' exercises for all ages to support good brain and overall health.

Written with the help of his wife and two teenage sons, this book dispels quite a few myths and presents much of the new knowledge of the brain on how to deal with the amazing potential of the teenage brain and how we, as parents, can do our best to guide that potential for the best outcome for the resulting adult. Written from the perspectives of both the parent and the teen. This is not high-flown, unreadable scientific gobbeldygook; it is highly readable for the average person--an so very useful.

I really like Dan Siegel's ideas, but this books is a strange mix of too complicated for its teenage audience, but not technical enough for a professional audience. It seems like he is trying to make the same point over and over again in 200 pages when he could have made it in 10 pages. It does have some ideas and exercises, but I didn't find them particularly new or innovative beyond what we know from the mindfulness literature.

Gave copies to my granddaughter and great-granddaughter so they can work through the teen and young adult years together.

Awesome!

Even though Dr. Siegel concentrates on adolescence in this book, he repeatedly reminds readers that while adolescence is a particularly good time to "change your mind", you can do it any time, even into your 90s, which will surely be news to a lot of people. The first two sections are a little slow going, but once you reach Section III, Your Attachments, the fun starts. He presents an attachment survey you can take to see how you relate to others, and explains in the most accessible and yet accurate way I have yet seen how different attachment styles look and feel, their strong and weak points, and exactly how they can be modified. He is an experienced clinical practitioner. You are getting the benefit of his experience and his ability to communicate clearly. After you get motivated to change yourself by Section III, the tools and understanding in the first two sections make more sense. With that minor caveat, the book is well worth both your time and money if you are interested in changing your life for the better.

The title of this book is misleading. It has great information in it about how necessary effective bonding is when we are children and the impact on the brain. Then the importance for brain development in the teen years are (and he explains why teens do what they do in terms of the brain). And finally he talks about how this brain development impacts adults and how we can heal what has come before. So it is way more than just about the teen brain. Though if you are a teen or have one, you definitely want to read this. But I would recommend it for parents, adults and anyone who wants to heal their past. It is difficult to get through at times (a lot about the brain and how it works and then all the different kinds of wounding we can have) but it is worth it.

Dr Siegel's new book Brainstorm is wonderful in that it lays out the current state of art of the scientific understanding of how the consciousness and wellness arise out of comfortable stable interactions between and among those in our developmental environment. The book is personal ... he tells his story and links it with those processes which allowed him to grow and become who he has become, as well as participate as a secure partner in the lives of his children (and his patients and his students and his peers). He good to read; he's good to listen to. If you have young ones ... get this book; if you have questions about your own young adult experiences, get this book. He's speaks on line eg: google techtalks ... you will catch the significance. You will realize that "mind" and "mindfulness" is showing up everywhere in the literate world.

This is an insightful and great read from a wonderful author.

It made me reflect how my adolescence had been and how I could spend my days with my daughter during the coming adolescence.

Good information in this, although I'm not sure how many adolscents will read this:)

Worth it! Gained a much better understanding of the teenage brain

Fantastic book. Highly recommend for parents and adolescents to read. Lots of healing info.

Brilliant, practical and useful for parents and teen alike.

Love this book and have recommended it to a number of professionals involved in education.

Excellent research and easy for parents and teens to understand. Heard the author speak at a conference in San Diego and bought the book immediately.

Dr. Siegel gives a very useful overview of what happens in the adolescent brain...helpful in understanding what in the world is going on with this child who starts pushing away, and has such a strong mind of her/his own. Good for how to harness the creativity of this time, and understand behaviors.

very helpful in understanding how teenage development works and providing ways to help everyone proactively address the challenges.

An entirely new way of conceptualizing adolescence. Helps parents understand their teenagers developmentally, socially, and emotionally. Includes helpful exercises and parts for the teenager to read to increase their own awareness and supportive cognitive and no emotional development.

Fantastic book

I GAVE IT TO MY DAUGHTER AND SHE SEEMS TO BE GETTING A LOT OUT OF THE IDEAS PUT FORTH.

This book offers great hope, inspiration and knowledge for all adults that interact with adolescents. A must read for all.

Every parent, educator, coach, counselor, and doctor should read this book!

After listening to the author on NPR, I immediately bought this for my daughter who is social worker for children in a hard core area. She really enjoyed the insights that Dr. Siegel brought to light. a must buy for those in the field.

I wish I had read this before I raised my son. I have been recommending it to every parent I know!

I don’t normally like to read this kind of material but the author makes it interesting with a blend of scientific explanations and comparisons done in an easy to understand and amusing manner, experiences from his practice, and some Zen Budhism thrown in for good measure. The author states that it is intended for teenagers as well as adults. My feeling is that selective sections, particularly the science explanations, will be of interest to many teens but not all of the book. It certainly shed some light on some of my life’s experiences and has some good advice for us seniors moving forward.

This is a good book. I learned a lot about myself and it gave me a good perspective of what my teens are going through.

Dr. Siegel wrote this text for a general audience. It contains convincing new neurological-scientific material. It is persuasive and worthy of consideration for human services professionals, teachers, parents and inquisitive youth.

Hard to read and author's views don't sync up with our values on sexuality. If you are looking for a book on how the brain works and develops, it makes sense. If your looking for a more hands on help for raising teens, not so much.

Most informative

Insightful and a great read!

Very intriguing! Love all Daniel Siegel's books!

Such a great book. If you have teens, this is a book you need. I listened to it on Audible. I didn’t expect it to lead me to reflect on my own teenage years and how I was parented. Dealing with the teen years is more about understanding your own triggers and being aware of assumptions and underestimating the awesomeness of the teenage brain.

You’ve probably heard, “Kids don’t come with owner’s manuals.” If you have teens or sometimes wonder what happened to you during those adolescent years (12-24), brain imaging technology has helped people like Dr. Siegel to make some sense of it as he has done in Brainstorm. There are good neurological and psychological reasons why teens are so much more likely than the rest of the population to take chances, push the limits and even risk it all. Still, science doesn’t comfort the families & friends who go forward with the empty seat at the table because their child’s/friend’s/sibling’s risk ended in the worst possible way. Tragically, it seems none of us get through adolescence without losing someone we care about to drugs, fast cars, alcohol, suicide or some mix of these. Dr. Siegel also lost someone he cared for as a result of crash that he believes would have been less likely if those influencing the adolescent driving the car had done some things differently. There are of course no guarantees, but current neuroscience and psychology show there were probably some better options for the teen he referenced and for those who loved him. Siegel shares great stories illuminating how to help teens more safely channel their need for speed/adventure and how to help the adults who are with teens to recapture the best of their own adolescence. I really liked this book, but the bottom line is that parents have a choice of many “kid owner manuals” at Amazon.com

very good information for those working with teens and parents as well.

GREAT resource!

Remarkable book.

Great resource for parents and professionals.

Excellent and insightful

Although this is not an easy read, the concepts are intriguing...and backed up by solid science. This book probably requires several readings--better yet, it would be a wonderful starting point for inter-generational conversations! Full of insight and practices that can help adults and teens develop their brains, this is an optimistic and encouraging take on a period of life that presents serious challenges but is full of potential.

I've been going through alot with my teenagers and this book has helped me tremendously. It also helped me understand myself better too. A must read!

If you want to be able to calm yourself down around the struggles you might be experiencing with your teen, please read this book.

Can't give it 5 stars because I purchased it as a gift for a new M..> doing a residency in pediatrics. If it's half as good as his book on Interpersonal Neurobiology it will be a worthwhile read.

Parents. This is for you. Of course the latest science is suspiciously like Great Grand Ma's advice and nurturing. That is my grandparents' methods should be applied to my kids.

This book is so timely and important. If you have a teenager, or a child about to be a teen, this is a must read no matter what your parenting style. This is new, solid science about what happens in the teenage brain.

Many words, not much substance.

Based on research into actual brain changes, this book defines teenage years as between ages 12-24. This book was written so it could be read by either teenagers or their parents. While somewhat simplified for the benefit of younger readers, the book presents ideas that are helpful to any person (even senior citizens). I heard Daniel Siegel being interviewed on NPR and instantly ordered a book for myself and one for our daughter-in-law. My husband is always interested in learning more about brain function. He agreed with me that, since the oldest grandchild was already showing signs of teenage angst, we should buy and send the extra copy. Anything to help the kids survive their children's teenage years. The book gives detailed explanations of how the teenage brain functions and how it is different from earlier or later years. It helps parents and teenagers recognize the strengths of those drives and how to channel energy into productive behavior. Some sections are general guides for surviving the changes.Some sections about specific (sex, drug use, separation issues, and other teen issues). Some of the strengths of the teenage brain really should be reactivated as adults, to keep us from becoming set in routine, less willing to step outside our comfort zone. Sections are spent reflecting on past relationships and how to bridge or build better relationships (helpful at any age). Sections are given on how to build a balanced, healthy lifestyle that are also valuable advice for all ages. Three and a half stars. I give it 4 stars for the subjects covered (and have already recommended it to several parents with teenagers), three for the simplified writing. I appreciate the reason for that format, but it detracted from some of my reading pleasure. As I read I couldn't help but think that my scientifically-oriented husband will probably not stick with the book (though he should). The problem? First, it is not a dry scientific study. Second, it talks about inner reflection--the bane of the left-brained. This should not be a book just to read and apply in your evaluation of other people. It should be a book where you learn (or redirect your attention) to reexamine yourself and how you respond to significant others. However, if adults are looking for nothing else than help to survive living with teenagers, this book would be worth the time and effort.

I had watched a video of Dr. Siegel and wanted to read his book for myself. The book is written for teens as well as their parents, so it is very straight forward. I've learned a lot.

The intro was a bit boaring and I am not finished, but to this point in the book I find it to be interesting.

Dr Dan Siegel, once again, offers a thoughtful and positive approach to raising a family. This time it is through adolescence. He helps us to see the purpose and the potential of our teens as they move through this critical period of development. I like the use of ESSENCE to describe the adolescent experience - and he challenges parents to find their own essence in the process of raising teens. Dr Siegel suggests that parents reflect on their own joys and challenges in order to better understand and support adolescents through the transition to adulthood. I suggest this book to anyone who lives with or works with adolescents or young adults. It is a fresh take on adolescent growth. Adolescents need all the support and guidance we can offer as they prepare to lead us into the future.

If the author believes teens will get into his book he doesn't know much about teens. Helpful for adults like me.

Want to see how we continue to function with aspects of the teenage brain in our later years? Read this book.

I have a teenager and two more heading in that direction. I am also a mental health therapist. This book has significantly increased my knowledge for both my professional and personal life. I am also going to have my teen read it. It speaks to all levels from my teen to my professional business.

I loved this book in terms of highlighting the challenges of adolescence and have recommended it to many

This book gives me new information that sheds a completely different light on the young people whom I live and work with. With this understanding it's much easier for me to respond with patience, self-control, and generosity when facing immature behaviors that might not make any sense to me. This research helps it make more sense. And because I'm not rushing to react as much, I have a better chance to step back and work on my own shortcomings, too.

This book is poorly written. It is overly repetitive and wanders off topic. Furthermore it feels like it needs a thorough edit to deal with the many poorly constructed sentences and lack of coherence. I expected something quite different based on the book's promotion. I expected something more rigorous and educational. In large part the approach outlined in this book is a re-packaging of mindfulness and other established practices with the author's own lexicon. I did not see the value in this.

I liked the writing and the evidence-based suggestions to understand and support adolescents. It is an excellent guide for parents, but also for adolescents themselves.

An excellent overview of the latest developments in neuroscience on the teen age brain.

Very interesting and insightful. It makes teenage years make sense from the brain's point of view. Anyone with a teen should read this.

There were sections that were good, but it seems a little weak on the evidence department. Sometimes I feel like the author is reaching on interpretations in science. Still some useful aspects to the book. The writing style is a bit rambly at times.

Anything Daniel Siegel writes is worth your time to read and learn from.

Incredibly insightful and very readable for the layperson. As always, Dr. Siegel combines theory with practical applications. A must read for those with adolescents in their lives.

Excellent product; arrived in perfect condition! :)

I thought it good enough to send to my 17 yr. old granddaughter and my daughter with a 16 yr. old daughter. I almost never send books, just recommend them.. The 16 yr. old got Half the Sky which I trust she will swap with her mother.

Great book. Easy to read and follow. Insight to the internal workings of our minds specifically adolescents. How to keep the mind vivacious and reduce high risk attempts in teens.

Having seen Daniel Siegel present more than once, I expected this, his latest book to meet my expectations in depth and breadth of subject matter. His knowledge of neuroscience, attachment (both in theory and practice) and human development, at any stage, provides both the lay person and those individuals across various disciplines, with very precise insight.

excellent speaking voice and book!

I bought this book for my teenage grandchildren and their parents. It helps to understand the changes taking place in the brain of a teenager. It also suggests ways to approach the changes when these changes become challenging. A great book.

Great!