How to Free Your Brain with Positive Altitude

Introduction – A Brain Built for Survival

NATIONWIDE - NOVEMBER 2025 - (USAnews.com) What if the human brain was not designed to make us happy, but only to keep us alive? This provocative idea has guided my professional life for the last twenty years.

As a pharmacist trained in neurochemistry and a mental coach who has worked with more than 500 athletes — including Olympic and world champions — I have observed the same paradox again and again: people crave change, yet their own mind holds them back.

I call this invisible prison the “automatic loop.” It is the repetitive cycle of thoughts and emotions that leads us to react the same way, day after day, even when we want something different. Positive Altitude, my new book, is both a guide and a manifesto to help readers recognize this loop, step out of it, and adopt a new mental altitude.

Scientific Foundations – What Neuroscience Suggests

Modern neuroscience has revealed that our brain often functions on autopilot. Some studies suggest that a majority of our daily thoughts are repetitive, often reflecting what we experienced the day before. While the exact percentage may vary across research, the idea remains clear: mental habits shape our reality.

From my background as a pharmacist, I have studied neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These chemical messengers are not magical “buttons,” but they play an important role in motivation, emotional stability, and social connection. Research indicates that deliberate practices — such as gratitude journaling, mindful breathing, or even structured routines — can influence their release and help us maintain a healthier emotional balance.

Equally important is the concept of brainwave states. In stressful situations, the brain operates predominantly in a beta rhythm, which is associated with alertness but also with repetitive thinking and anxiety. When individuals relax, meditate, or enter a state of focused creativity, their brain tends to shift toward the alpha rhythm. Neuroscientists describe the alpha state as one that facilitates openness, integration, and learning.

These insights form the scientific foundation of Positive Altitude. They do not promise instant miracles, but they highlight how intentional practices can gradually reshape the way we think and feel.

Traditional Practices – Tools Across Cultures

Alongside neuroscience, Positive Altitude also introduces practices rooted in long-standing traditions. For example, mantras have been used in Eastern cultures for centuries as a way to focus attention and calm the mind. Ho’oponopono, a Hawaiian ritual of forgiveness, encourages individuals to repeat phrases of reconciliation and gratitude. Visualization techniques — imagining oneself already embodying a desired future — have been present in both spiritual traditions and modern sports psychology.

These approaches are not universally validated by scientific consensus, and I emphasize this distinction clearly. Yet over years of practice, I have seen them provide tangible support for many people. They function less as “scientific prescriptions” and more as tools of awareness, helping individuals reconnect with their inner state and align their daily actions with their deeper intentions.

When integrated into a routine, these practices encourage self-reflection, reduce stress, and create a sense of agency. Whether one interprets their effects through the lens of culture, psychology, or spirituality, they remain valuable pathways toward transformation.

My Approach – Bridging Science and Spirit

Why combine pharmacology with ancient practices? The answer lies in my journey.

As a pharmacist, I was trained to rely on evidence, molecules, and measurable effects. Yet in my own life and in my work with athletes, I discovered that certain practices — even those without rigorous scientific validation — had undeniable impact. A mantra repeated before competition calmed the nerves. A gratitude ritual shifted perspective. A visualization exercise helped an athlete embody the confidence of a future champion.

My conviction is that science and tradition need not be opposed. Neuroscience offers explanations and measurable data, while traditional practices provide symbolic frameworks that people find deeply meaningful. By bridging these two worlds, I created Positive Altitude — not as a rigid method, but as a flexible philosophy that readers can adapt to their own lives.

I openly acknowledge this hybrid approach. Some readers will connect more with the scientific sections, others with the spiritual exercises. Both are welcome. The ultimate goal is not to choose between them, but to find a personal combination that elevates one’s state of mind.

From Champions to Everyday Life

The credibility of Positive Altitude comes not only from research or philosophy, but from lived experience. Over the last decade, I have accompanied Olympic athletes preparing for finals, world champions facing injuries, and entrepreneurs confronting career transitions.

One athlete told me that learning to pause, breathe, and repeat a simple mantra before stepping onto the mat changed the entire trajectory of his competition. A business leader discovered that starting each morning with gratitude journaling allowed her to make decisions with greater clarity and less stress. These stories, paraphrased here, illustrate how the same principles apply under very different pressures.

What works in the arena of elite sports can also work in the challenges of daily life.

Looking Ahead – The Oracle as a Daily Companion

Positive Altitude is only the beginning. My next project, the Positive Altitude Oracle, will offer readers a playful way to continue their practice. By drawing a daily card with a word, a mantra, or a symbol, individuals can anchor their routine with inspiration.

This tool is not a replacement for scientific methods, nor does it claim to predict outcomes. It is an extension, a reminder, a way of staying engaged. Just as athletes benefit from small rituals before competition, everyday people can benefit from symbolic cues that keep them aligned.

Conclusion – Toward a Higher State

Positive Altitude is not about quick fixes or exaggerated promises. It is about cultivating routines, understanding how the brain works, and integrating practices — scientific and traditional — into daily life.

By observing our thoughts, by shifting from beta to alpha, by practicing gratitude or forgiveness, we create conditions for sustainable change. The book is an invitation to experiment, not to believe blindly.

As I tell my readers and my athletes: “Everything always turns to my advantage.” Not because life is easy, but because with the right mindset, even challenges become opportunities to rise.

To stay updated on Dr. Olivier Madelrieux's latest news and insights, visit his website at https://academiemadelrieux.com/