 dreamscape presents calm clarity how to use science to rewire your brain for greater wisdom fulfillment and joy by Zwei Kwong narrated by Emily Wu Zeller preface why I became a mind hacker I define mind hacking as using science to enhance the best qualities of being human by proactively steering brain development in a way that physiologically supports greater physical emotional mental and spiritual well-being alignment and integration the saying that necessity is the mother of invention captures why I first created the mind hacking techniques that eventually evolved into the calm clarity program I had a particularly urgent need for tools that could help me stay calm and think clearly because at the age of 17 I had to learn on my own how to navigate between two polar ins of the socioeconomic spectrum in the beginning the stress of moving between such social extremes literally drove me to the verge of insanity and compelled me to find my own way to make sense of the world and my place in it by becoming a mind hacker I eventually built the inner strength and resilience needed to become a bridge between these two spheres today I teach mind hacking techniques to people across the socioeconomic spectrum from inner city teens to executives of leading corporations as a refugee from Vietnam who grew up in a poor and violent area of Philadelphia my life changed dramatically when I enrolled at Harvard College it was the first time I ever lived away from my family and I was not prepared in any way to handle the culture shock it was like being dropped down alone onto another planet having rarely been exposed to the world outside my inner city community and not having had the privilege of attending a private high school I felt completely alienated with no support system and no mentorship soon enough the toxic stress I felt from the competitive intensity and social isolation I experienced at Harvard caused the traumatic or deals I had experienced and witnessed during my childhood but never got treated for to explode into complex post traumatic stress disorder PTSD as PTSD took over my brain my inner world turned into a living hell at first I had no idea what was going on I had no idea why after arriving at Harvard I started to dissociate and have panic attacks uncontrollable crying spells and recurring nightmares that kept me from sleeping through the night I had no idea why a voice in my head was obsessively telling me to bring my life to an end I had no idea why all I wanted to do was stay in bed the entire day and hide from people I privately struggled with these symptoms until I reached the point where I could hardly function when it became almost impossible to pull myself together to attend classes or do my schoolwork sample complete ready to continue