Super Brain Titelbild

Super Brain

Super Brain

Von: Sabina Brennan
Jetzt kostenlos hören, ohne Abo

Nur 0,99 € pro Monat für die ersten 3 Monate

Danach 9.95 € pro Monat. Bedingungen gelten.

Über diesen Titel

Super Brain explores what really happens inside your head when you do the things you do - and how to use that knowledge to get the best out of your brain and yourself.

From Season Six, neuroscientist and author Dr. Sabina Brennan dives into one everyday human experience per episode - from procrastination to crying, curiosity to trust - to reveal the science behind it and the practical tools that help you navigate life with greater clarity and intention.


Curious, warm and wonderfully human, this is neuroscience you can use: one behaviour, one big insight, three tools for your Super Brain kit to help you think, feel and live better.

Because understanding your brain is the first step to unlocking its power.


New format, same mission — grounded in science, powered by compassion, designed to help you thrive.


Seasons 1 to 5 - Dr Sabina Brennan talks to an eclectic mix of inspiring guests about thriving and surviving in life and shares practical tips to transform your everyday brain into a healthy, happy, Super Brain.


Unleash Your Super Power


Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/superbrain.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sabina Brennan
Hygiene & gesundes Leben Seelische & Geistige Gesundheit Sozialwissenschaften Wissenschaft
  • S6:E8 Visualisation
    Dec 18 2025

    Episode summary

    What happens when you close your eyes and try to “see” something in your mind? For some people it’s a full-colour mental movie. For others it’s hazy, fleeting or completely blank. In this episode, Dr Sabina Brennan explores the neuroscience of mental imagery, including eigengrau (that grainy ‘intrinsic grey’ most people notice in darkness), the spectrum from aphantasia to hyperphantasia and why visualisation is less about forcing pictures and more about learning how your brain constructs experience.


    In this episode, Sabina covers

    Why “seeing nothing” when you visualise doesn’t mean you’re bad at imagination

    Eigengrau – what that smoky grey tells us about baseline visual activity

    Aphantasia and hyperphantasia – two ends of the imagery vividness spectrum

    Mental imagery in brain terms: top-down simulation meeting bottom-up perception

    Why worry is often a “mental movie” and how imagery can amplify emotion

    How imagery is used in sport, performance, rehab and therapy

    Tools in Three: how to work with imagery whatever your baseline


    Key takeaways

    Imagery varies hugely between people and it’s normal.

    Visualisation isn’t just visual – sound, touch, movement, emotion and language can carry imagination too.

    The goal isn’t perfect pictures, it’s intentional rehearsal that shapes attention, expectation and behaviour.

    The most effective visualisation tends to be process-focused, not just outcome-focused.


    Tools in Three

    1. Know your baseline – stop forcing a cinema screen. Work with your strongest channel (words, sensation, sound, movement).

    2. Build a multisensory practice – start with a real object, then recreate it with eyes closed. Add texture, temperature, weight, sound. Pair calming imagery with slow breathing.

    3. Apply imagery intentionally and aim for process – rehearse the steps, the likely wobble moments and how you’ll recover, not just the “trophy scene”.


    Memorable lines (pull quotes)

    “Imagination isn’t about pictures. It’s about possibility.”

    “Worry is often imagery too – the brain running mental movies of what might go wrong.”

    “Aphantasia is not an imagination failure. It is a different format for thinking.”


    References (as cited in the episode)

    Zeman A, Dewar M, Della Sala S. Lives without imagery – Congenital aphantasia. Cortex. 2015.

    S6E6 - Visualisation beefed up …

    Pearson J. The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2019.


    Milton F, et al. Aphantasia and hyperphantasia: extreme differences in visual imagery vividness. Cortex. 2021.


    Tags

    visualisation, mental imagery, aphantasia, hyperphantasia, eigengrau, neuroscience of imagination, memory, anxiety, sport psychology, mental rehearsal, guided imagery, manifesting, brain prediction

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/superbrain.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    31 Min.
  • S6:E7 Imposter Phenomenon
    Dec 11 2025

    Have you ever walked into a room and thought, “Any minute now they’re going to realise I’ve no idea what I’m doing”?

    In this episode of Super Brain, psychologist and neuroscientist Sabina Brennan unpacks what’s often called imposter syndrome – and why the original researchers actually called it the impostor phenomenon instead.

    Drawing on brain science and real-world examples, Sabina explores what’s happening in your threat circuits, reward system and perfectionist wiring when you’re constantly bracing for the “fraud police” to knock on the door. You’ll hear how early messages about being “the smart one” – or never quite smart enough – can set up a lifelong gap between how others see you and how you see yourself.

    Most importantly, you’ll learn three practical tools to add to your Super Brain kit:

    Name it, don’t shame it – shifting from “I am a fraud” to “I’m having an impostor moment”

    Rewire the self-doubt circuits – using neuroplasticity, self-compassion and “good enough” experiments

    Change the context, not just yourself – noticing when your discomfort is data about an exclusionary system

    The impostor phenomenon isn’t proof that you’re a con artist. It’s a protective brain story that you can gently update. You’re allowed to be a work in progress – and you’re allowed to be here while you’re learning.

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/superbrain.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    15 Min.
  • S6:E6 Brain Rot
    Dec 4 2025

    Episode summary:

    “Brain rot” was named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 – a tongue-in-cheek term for that fried feeling after too much scrolling or streaming. But what’s really going on in the brain when constant digital stimulation leaves us feeling empty and unfocused?

    In this episode, Dr Sabina Brennan unpacks the neuroscience of brain rot – how dopamine loops, cognitive overload and attention fatigue are reshaping our mental landscape – and what you can do to reclaim your focus and creativity.

    You’ll learn:

    • Why “brain rot” isn’t just slang – it reflects a real neurological tug-of-war
    • How dopamine drives endless scrolling and decision fatigue
    • Why your attention and memory pay the price for multitasking
    • The difference between brain fog (physiological) and brain rot (behavioural)
    • Why daydreaming and mental white space are the healthiest “apps” on your mental home screen

    Three Tools for Your Super Brain Kit:

    1. 🧩 The Friction Rule – add small barriers to scrolling and let your brain catch up.
    2. Dopamine Reset – replace passive hits with active rewards like learning or movement.
    3. 🌿 Stillness Practice – schedule unstructured thinking time to reboot your focus.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Beating Brain Fog by Dr Sabina Brennan – for deeper insights into how clarity and focus are restored in the brain.
    • Oxford University Press Word of the Year 2024: “Brain Rot”.
    • Research on dopamine, attention fatigue and the Default Mode Network.

    Connect:

    💬 Share your thoughts and experiences with #SuperBrain

    📚 Read more: www.sabinabrennan.ie

    🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/superbrain.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    11 Min.
Noch keine Rezensionen vorhanden