The Braverman Nature and Deficincy self-assessments are means of gauging brain-based influences upon mental health and functionality. Braverman put forward the idea that the brain’s 4 primary neurotransmitters, Dopamine, Acetylcholine, GABA, and Serotonin, play a primary role in the expression of your personality, your health, and your wellbeing. Understanding how your neurotransmitters are balanced may help you to make better decisions regarding diet, supplements, training and other lifestyle factors
Braverman offers a simple metaphor which some may useful in their initial understanding of the brain’s neurotransmitters. Think of your brain as car:
Dopamine: Gasoline for the car, or power to the brain.
Acetylcholine: Accelerator of the car, or speed of the brain.
GABA: Brakes for the car, or rhythm of the brain.
Serotonin: Alternator for the car, or recharger of the brain..
Dopamine
Dopamine is like the gas in your automobile. 17% of the world’s population thrives on dopamine energy that defines the Rationalist temperament. These individuals are highly self-confident, focus intently on the task at hand, and take pride in achievement. They are more comfortable with facts and figures, with knowledge and intellect, than with feelings and emotions. Rationalists are better at establishing relationships than nurturing them. When there is a loss of dopamine, brain electrical voltage drops, but there are plenty of outward signs of a loss of energy, and a comprehensive plan to refill the tank:
Symptoms of dopamine deficiency:
Physical: Sugar/caffeine cravings lightheadedness, decreased strength, fatigue, pallor, diarrhea, routine- task difficulty
Psychological: Procrastination, carelessness, decreased libido, diminished self-image, hedonism, isolation
Memory Function: Inability to follow instructions, forgetfulness, inability to process information, poor abstract thinking
Attention Issues: Diminished alertness, failure to complete tasks, poor concentration
Conditions/diseases of dopamine deficiency:
– Obesity
– Addictions
– Chronic fatigue
– Attention Deficit Disorder
– Sexual disorders
– Thyroid disorders
– Narcolepsy
– Parkinson’s disease
Acelylcholine
Acetylcholine is like your car’s accelerator. By providing the insulating layer around brain cells it prevents short-circuits and ensures rapid transmission of nerve signals. Idealists are the 17% of the population who are defined by the neurotransmitter responsible for brain speed. They are quick thinkers, open to new ideas, and thrive on impulsivity, flexibility, and creativity. Idealists take pleasure in anything involving words, concepts, and communication with others. They always take others into consideration while they try to make everything as best as it can be.
When the latency, or delay, increases between a brain stimulus, such as a flash of light or a beep, and your reaction to it, that is a sign that you are losing brain speed and acetylcholine. For most people, the brain slows by 7 milliseconds, or 7 thousandths of a second, at the age of 40, and we typically lose about 7 to 10 milliseconds per decade thereafter.
A human being reacts to light in about 50 milliseconds, to sound in about 100 milliseconds, and thinks in about 300 milliseconds. When thinking slows to 400 milliseconds a person is totally senile, so the difference between a healthy person and an Alzheimer’s patient is only 1 tenth of a second23! There is an abundance of signals of an acetylcholine loss well before senility sets in, and a host of ways to keep the pedal to the metal.
Symptoms of acetylcholine deficiency:
Physical: Fat cravings, dry mouth, slowed reflexes, sexual dysfunction, speech problems, vision problems, problems with urination, involuntary movements
Psychological: Confused thinking, indecisiveness, personality changes, mood swings, rebelliousness
Memory Function: Memory lapses, loss of visual and verbal memory, memory disturbance
Attention Issues: Difficulty concentrating, diminished comprehension, impaired creativity, reading/writing difficulties
Conditions/diseases of acetylcholine deficiency:
– Dyslexia
– Learning disorders
– Arthritis, osteoporosis
– Glaucoma
– Diabetes
– Hypo-arousal
– Stroke
– Senility
– Alzheimer’s
– Multiple Sclerosis
GABA
GABA functions like your car’s brakes which ensure a steady ride and prevent crashes. Almost 50% of the population is defined by the neurotransmitter that calms us down by keeping all of our brainwaves in balance. Guardians are dependable individuals who can be counted on to be where they should and do what they say. They are characterized by equanimity in the face of chaos. Setting goals, and organizing plans and schedules to achieve them, are first nature for GABA-dominant Guardians.
When there is a GABA deficiency, brainwaves lose rhythm, or balance with each other. Rhythm disturbances show up in more ways than any other neurotransmitter deficiency, and there is a complete program at your disposal to reline your brakes:
Symptoms of GABA deficiency.
Physical: Carbohydrate craving, flushing, butterflies in stomach, lump in throat, ringing in ear, muscle tension, trembling, twitching, numbness or tingling in fingers, hyperventilation, blurred vision, abnormal sense of smell, abnormal odors, unusual allergies, night sweats, tachycardia, chest pain or discomfort
Psychological: Restlessness, feelings of dread, emotional immaturity, short temper, phobias
Memory Function: Poor verbal memory
Attention Issues: Impulsivity, disorganization
Conditions/diseases of GABA deficiency:
– Tinnitus
Anxiety
Hypertension
Chronic pain
Cystitis
Irritable bowel and other gastro-intestinal disorders
PMS
Seizures
Stroke
Bi-polar disorder
Serotonin
Serotonin is like the alternator in your car, recharging your brain and body so it is able to handle a new workload every day. The remaining 17% of the population are Artisans, defined by the neurotransmitter responsible for mind-body connection.
Artisans are always in the moment, always seeking tangible immediate results for their actions. Self-worth is perceived from short-term accomplishment rather than long- range goal attainment. Artisans play at work, with tools and equipment or by conceiving new ways to do repetitive tasks. They usually have excellent hand-eye coordination. Artisans are intensely loyal, engage in passionate relationships, but avoid being tied down.
A serotonin deficiency will show up as diminished brainwave symmetry-there is a disconnect between the right and left sides, a breakdown in the mind-body connection. A depleted battery in your body has distinct signals, and there are many ways to recharge it:
Symptoms of serotonin deficiency:
Physical
Physical: Salt cravings, backache, headache, cold or clammy hands, shortness of breath, drug reactions, premature ejaculation, yawning, sleep disturbances
Psychological: Impulsiveness, hypervigilance, high pain/pleasure threshold, depersonalization, lack of common sense, rage
Memory Function: Visual memory deficiency
Attention Issues: Slow reactions, restlessness, lack of concentration
Conditions/diseases of serotonin deficiency
– PMS
– Phobias
– Insomnia
– Depression
– Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)