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When does your brain need to take the lead over your body? In this profound conversation, Tony Slaton stands at a pivotal moment—preparing for hip replacement surgery after decades of pain dating back to his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. With remarkable vulnerability, Tony unpacks how early parental wisdom shaped his understanding of persistence, courage, and self-care.

Tony shares how his father's simple observation—"you got a lot of glue in your shit"—recognized his ability to complete tasks from an early age, while his mother's repeated phrase "all you got to do" taught him the power of taking first steps. These lessons created neural pathways that guided Tony through life's challenges, including the moment in 1990 when team doctors dismissed his hip pain as merely a pulled groin.

The heart of Tony's story reveals the battle between "program" (external expectations) and "process" (internal awareness). For years, Tony suppressed his body's signals to meet professional obligations, creating what Dr. Christopher Kevin Slaton describes as "the crisis of self." Only when football ended did Tony finally have the "free space" to discover who he truly was beyond the structured binders that mapped his every hour as an athlete.

Tony's journey illuminates how physical pain affects our ability to show up authentically in relationships, community work, and even simple interactions. His decision to finally address his hip pain stems from wanting to fully engage with life again—especially precious moments with his grandson where he found himself "having the best time of my life and the worst time of my life at the same time."

Whether you're facing physical challenges, career transitions, or simply trying to honor your internal wisdom over external pressures, Tony's story offers powerful insights about healing, character, and the courage to create space for transformation. What signals have you been ignoring? When might your brain take the lead?Refle

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Education and Science: The Brain's Body, Help to Improve Brain, Body, and Sense Events. www.drchristopherkslaton.com *Brain's Body Consults: www.brainsbody.net * Brain Talk: Learning the Brain's Body with Dr. Slaton Live. www.drslatonlive.com Also: Dr. Christopher K Slaton: Amazon.com.

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Dive deep into the revolutionary concept of Human Systems Science with Dr. Slaton as he unveils the intricate relationship between our brains, bodies, and sensory systems. This eye-opening exploration challenges traditional notions of mind-body connections, offering a fresh perspective on how we process information, especially during times of crisis.

Dr. Slaton articulates a powerful distinction between programming and processing – explaining how many of us have been conditioned to follow programmed responses rather than engaging our brain's natural ability to process emotions and experiences. "The brain is a processing organ, and the body is a programming organ," he explains, revealing how this fundamental misalignment often prevents people from accepting help when they need it most.

At the heart of this episode is the concept of developing a "sense of feel for self" – the missing piece for many individuals struggling with overwhelming emotions or life challenges. Dr. Slaton introduces several methodical frameworks, including the "sense to feel to focus" cycle and the "receive process and respond" cycle, providing practical approaches for listeners to reconnect with their authentic processing abilities. Through these techniques, static emotional states can transform into dynamic, resolvable experiences.

Whether you're navigating personal challenges, supporting someone through crisis, or simply fascinated by the science of human cognition, this episode offers invaluable insights into how our brains naturally process information and emotions. Subscribe to the Brain's Body Podcast to continue exploring these transformative concepts and discover how understanding your neurophysical self can lead to profound improvements in problem-solving, emotional regulation, and overall mental wellbeing.

Support the show

Education and Science: The Brain's Body, Help to Improve Brain, Body, and Sense Events. www.drchristopherkslaton.com *Brain's Body Consults: www.brainsbody.net * Brain Talk: Learning the Brain's Body with Dr. Slaton Live. www.drslatonlive.com Also: Dr. Christopher K Slaton: Amazon.com.

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Dive into the fascinating frontier of Human Systems Science with Dr. Christopher K. Slaton as he unlocks the mysteries of self-learning and consciousness. This groundbreaking episode explores the intricate dance between our neural and social selves—revealing how the brain, body, and senses collaborate to create our lived experience.

Human Systems Science offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding the complex relationship between our neural and social selves. Dr. Christopher K. Slaton introduces this field as "self-science," focused on mastering the art of self-learning through understanding how our brain, body, and senses interact and respond to both internal and external stimuli. This approach provides valuable insights into how we can navigate life's challenges by developing awareness of our neurophysiological processes.

At the core of Human Systems Science is the recognition that our neural self processes our social self. This dynamic relationship manifests across four critical domains: home, school, neighborhood, and workplace. Dr. Slaton emphasizes that "to live is not the same as to learn how to live in a home," highlighting the distinction between passive existence and active, conscious engagement with our experiences. Similarly, learning, thinking, and responding all require deliberate practice and awareness within their respective contexts. By understanding these distinctions, we can begin to navigate what Dr. Slaton refers to as the "Crisis of Self" and develop more effective strategies for self-management and growth.

The podcast introduces a framework of four levels of understanding that progressively build upon each other. Level 1 addresses the basics of learning to live, learn, think, and respond in different environments. Level 2 focuses on self-recovery with the brain leading the body, emphasizing that "learning the brain is the process, training the body is the program." Level 3 delves into brain performance research, particularly examining the sense and receive paths—how our brains process incoming information and generate responses. Finally, Level 4 explores memory and self-awareness, examining how "the brain responds to what happened between a sense of self and a sense of feel for self." This progression provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing greater self-awareness and mastery.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Human Systems Science is its exploration of "backward feed," which refers to how neural processing influences our physical and neural self. Dr. Slaton uses breathing as an example, noting how air traveling backward into our lungs calms the receive path, while air moving through the throat, nose, and mouth cools the sense path. This bidirectional relationship between our physical experiences and neural processing demonstrates the constant interplay between our internal and external worlds. Understanding these connections allows us to better manage our mental states and physical responses, particularly during times of stress or challenge.

The ultimate goal of Human Systems Science appears to be what Dr. Slaton calls "the neurophysics of self-awareness," where "the brain and body conflict dissolves as the neural self takes the lead of the social self to process memory with emotion and thought with reflection." This integration represents a higher state of functioning where we can consciously navigate our experiences r

Support the show

Education and Science: The Brain's Body, Help to Improve Brain, Body, and Sense Events. www.drchristopherkslaton.com *Brain's Body Consults: www.brainsbody.net * Brain Talk: Learning the Brain's Body with Dr. Slaton Live. www.drslatonlive.com Also: Dr. Christopher K Slaton: Amazon.com.