Jim Doty is a Stanford neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, compassion researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author, and philanthropist. He authored “Into the Magic Shop” and the newly released “Mind Magic”. Since 1997, he has been a Stanford Neurosurgery Department professor and adjunct professor, and he founded the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. His research focuses on meditation, compassion, and self-compassion. He has lectured globally, spoken at TEDx events, and interviewed numerous luminaries on his podcast.

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Show Notes:

• “You’re the only person that can accept yourself, forgive yourself, and understand that we are all frail, fragile human beings and nonetheless, we all deserve to be loved.” [18:58] Jim Doty, author of “Mind Magic,” starts the episode with the story of how he was helped to overcome his childhood trauma by the woman from the magic shop. He explains how, in many ways, trauma and unconscious baggage cause people to lose their Self-agency in seeking external affirmation. This validation-seeking becomes an unconscious driver of your behavior, even manifesting perhaps the “bad” things that happen to you. 

• “I realized my actions were fear-based because of what I felt my deficiencies were, and I was masking them by showing off to other people. Once I reoriented myself after this period of reflection, I realized its not about me, and what really makes a life is to be of service to others.” [25:38] As a seriously successful neurosurgeon with a plethora of high-value material possessions, one might think Jim ‘had it all,’ but left with an emptiness inside even among his success, he entered a period of reflection that pointed him in a new direction. He shares later in the episode, that even though he had manifested everything he wanted, he had not manifested what he needed.

• “When you don’t believe you deserve it, that limits you in achieving.” [36:40] What are you already manifesting? Jim explains how all of our habits and beliefs make up all of our decisions and actions, for good and for bad. You can use the power of the mind to change your life, whether that’s your physiology or your intentions. 

• “Using these techniques, and the right mental framework greatly increases the likelihood of something manifesting if its going to manifest at all.” [43:47] Value Tagging is a technique Jim explains that acts as a filing system in your subconscious to assign value to your desires, dreams, and goals in the forefront of your mind. This isn’t a 100% ticket to reaching success, but it is highly more effective than living in a fear state or focusing and assigning mental value to things you don’t actually want.

• “The electromagnetic energy [from your heart] emanates about 3 to 5 feet outside of your body, and people are attuned to that.” [49:28] There are far more electromagnetic energies that contribute to human presence than most of us realize. Jim uses the example of being able to understand how your partner is feeling without saying a word, or how you can sense kindness from a stranger after only being around them briefly. These electromagnetic energies are processed and sent to the brain, so that when you train your brain intentionally, it not only affects you physiologically but also how you actually walk and interact in the world.

• “You have to love yourself to give love to others. There is this fear of being your authentic self, and when that fear is the driver, it blinds you.” [1:19:24] As Marcel and Jim wrap up this conversation, Jim speaks to the leaders about love and authenticity and the powerful impact they have on an organization.

The Book: 

Mentioned in this episode:

• James Doty 
• Mind Magic by James R. Doty, MD: 9780593541142 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books 
• CCARE Stanford 
• jrdoty@stanford.edu 
• Happi.ai 
• Marcel Schwantes  on LinkedIn
• Marcel Schwantes

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