The Pathway to Flow by Julia F Christensen

The Pathway to Flow by Julia F Christensen

*HARNESS THE POWER OF FLOW IN 2025: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU*

‘Wow, I love this book!’ Dr Jeff Rediger, Harvard Medical School | ‘Absolutely delightful’ Joseph Devlin, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL | 'I thoroughly recommend reading this beautiful book' David Robson

Whether you feel in the zone by playing an instrument, cooking, drawing, dancing or crafting, research shows that just 15 minutes a day channelling creative “flow” can transform your life. Using neuroscience and inspiring stories of everyday artists, Dr Christensen uncovers how the coveted flow state can help you experience mindfulness benefits without meditating.

After an injury derailed her career as a ballet dancer, Julia’s inability to dance left her more stressed and less energetic. She realised then that creative expression has a deeper impact than entertainment: this sparked her new career in psychology. As a neuroscientist, she’s spent the past decade unlocking the secrets of flow, mapping out what happens in our brains when we create and play, and how both can soothe and sharpen the mind.

This book teaches us to ignite our creativity daily, revealing:

• Why we ruminate or procrastinate – and how to snap out of it
• Why making even ‘bad’ art can be a mood booster
• How adopting a creative practice can improve problem-solving
• How to build a science-backed practice that suits you best
• Why art can be your trusted companion during trauma-healing

The Pathway to Flow reveals why we are all artists at heart, and how embracing this part of our humanity can help us regulate our nervous system, enjoy the current moment and reconnect with our bodies.

Fascinating, engaging, fun, astonishing and absolutely delightful! I enjoyed every minute of this fabulous bookI learned a lot, both about the science of flow and its relation to the arts, but also about writing well. -- Professor Joe Devlin, former head of Experimental Psychology at UCL
Wow, I love this book! - the integration of neuroscience, creativity and play; the bringing together of how our brains work and why we need play in order to heal and live. -- Dr Jeff Rediger, Harvard Medical School, author of 'Cured'
Engaging in an activity that activates the flow state can enhance our sense of growth and purpose in life, which is known to be beneficial for mental health. As Christensen had observed during her dance practice, it can also calm ruminative thinking, helping us to find greater mental peace long after we have finished the activity. -- David Robson * The Observer *

Dr. Julia F. Christensen is a Danish neuroscientist and former dancer currently working as a senior scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Germany. She studied psychology, human evolution and neuroscience in France, Spain and the UK. For her postdoctoral training, she worked in international interdisciplinary research labs at University College London, City, University London and the Warburg Institute, London and was awarded a postdoctoral Newton International Fellowship by the British Academy.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781529912296
ISBN 10	1529912296
Title	The Pathway to Flow
Author	Julia F Christensen
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2024-07-25
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.