New Mind Academy

04/06/2026

Understanding Begins with Listening: Raising Awareness for Tourette Syndrome

One of the most common questions asked about Tourette Syndrome is:

“Why can’t they just stop?”

The reality is that tics are not a matter of willpower, discipline, or parenting style. They are involuntary neurological phenomena that cannot simply be switched on and off.

Unfortunately, many individuals living with Tourette Syndrome continue to face misunderstanding, stigma, and judgment in schools, workplaces, and everyday life. These misconceptions can often be more disabling than the condition itself.

As professionals working in brain health and psychological well-being, we have a shared responsibility to promote evidence-based understanding and create environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive.

I am pleased to support this awareness initiative together with the Tourette Association of Malaysia (TAM), where we hope to bring together healthcare professionals, educators, employers, parents, and the wider community for an open conversation about:
* What Tourette Syndrome really is
* Common myths and misconceptions
* How families, schools, and workplaces can provide meaningful support
* Real-life experiences from individuals living with Tourette Syndrome

Creating psychologically safe and inclusive communities begins with education. Sometimes, the most powerful intervention is not another treatment, but simply replacing judgment with understanding.

Awareness begins with understanding. Understanding begins with listening.

02/06/2026

Congratulations to Our Industrial & Organizational Psychologist, Dr. Hiro Koo! 🎉

We are proud to share that Dr. Hiro Koo has been accepted as a Full Member of the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS).

For Dr. Hiro, this is more than a professional membership. It is an opportunity to connect with psychologists and practitioners across the region, learn from different psychological ecosystems, and explore how psychology is applied in workplaces, leadership development, occupational health, and employee well-being.

As someone passionate about Occupational Health Psychology and workplace well-being, he looks forward to contributing, learning, and building meaningful collaborations with professionals from Singapore and beyond.

Congratulations, Dr. Hiro, on this exciting milestone!

31/05/2026

A tech company just cut 8,000 jobs.

As AI gets smarter, many people are asking:

“If AI can do so much, what’s left for us?”

I don’t think the biggest risk is being replaced by AI.

I think it’s not knowing your unique value.

The future won’t belong to people who know the most.

It will belong to people who know:

• Their strengths
• How to manage stress
• How to recover and sustain energy
• How to connect with people

Knowledge can be copied.

Technology can be automated.

But empathy, trust, creativity, and human connection are still difficult to replace.

Using AI is a competitive advantage.

Understanding people is a survival advantage.

The future belongs to those who can work with AI without losing what makes them human.

Dr Hiro Koo
Industrial & Organizational Psychologist

30/05/2026

This week, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) made something very clear at the OSH Conference 2026:
Psychosocial risks in the workplace must be treated as seriously as physical safety hazards.

And under the new 2026 guidelines, employers are now required to assess mental health risks — not just ergonomic ones.

Here's what most people haven't realised yet:
This means Malaysia now needs a new kind of professional.
Not just trainers.
Workplace Wellness Practitioners — people who understand the brain, human behaviour, stress physiology, and how to actually help organisations build mentally healthy, high-performing teams.
This role didn't exist 5 years ago.
Today, it's becoming one of the most in-demand skill sets in corporate Malaysia.
——
So where do you start?
At New Mind Academy, our Certified Professional Hypnotist (CPH) & Transformational Coach training isn't just about learning hypnotherapy.
It's a 120-hour, 4-month foundational programme that equips you with:
✅ Applied neuroscience — understand how the brain drives behaviour, stress, and performance
✅ Evidence-based hypnosis technique — clinical-grade skills, not stage tricks
✅ Coaching frameworks — help individuals and teams unlock their potential
✅ Workplace application — bridge the gap between mental health and organisational performance
And here's what makes this different from other programmes:
📋 HRD Corp Claimable
🏛️ Developed by the team that built Malaysia's National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) for Hypnotherapy
This isn't a weekend workshop.
This is a professional qualification that opens real career doors.
——
Our graduates have gone on to:
→ Launch private practices as hypnotherapists and coaches
→ Add coaching & wellness services to their existing businesses
→ Become in-house wellness advocates within their organisations
→ Deliver corporate brain health and stress management workshops
→ Pursue advanced training in Practitioner Diploma in Trauma-Informed Hypnotherapy (FHT UK)
Some came from HR. Some from education. Some from corporate leadership. Some from completely unrelated fields.
What they had in common: a desire to do meaningful work — and the courage to start.
——
If you've been asking yourself:
"Is there a career where I can help people AND build a sustainable income?"
"Can I transition into the wellness space without starting from scratch?"
"Is hypnosis practice actually a legitimate, recognised profession in Malaysia?"
The answer to all three is yes.
And the timing has never been better.
——
📍 New Mind Academy by New Mind Brain Health Centre
🧠 Certified Professional Hypnotist (CPH) & Transformational Coach Training
📋 HRD Corp Claimable
📅 Next intake opening soon — limited seats
📞 WhatsApp for details: +60175123571

📰 Workplace Wellness Related news:
🔗 MEF reaffirms commitment to workplace mental health protection
https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2026/05/1440868/mef-reaffirms-commitment-workplace-mental-health-protection
🔗 Malaysia expands employer duty of care to mental health under 2026 guide
https://hrmasia.com/malaysia-expands-employer-duty-of-care-to-mental-health-under-2026-flexible-work-safety-guide/
——
💬 Have you ever considered a career in workplace wellness, coaching, or hypnotherapy? What's holding you back? Drop your thoughts below 👇

Malaysia has expanded employer obligations under flexible work, mandating mental health and psychosocial risk assessments alongside physical safety checks.

24/05/2026

Honoured to see our team from New Mind Brain Health Centre participating in the 1st Malaysia Cyberpsychology Symposium 2026 at Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU / APIIT).

A special appreciation to our practitioners, Leon Koo and Jun Ming, for representing our work and actively engaging with professionals, counsellors, lecturers, and researchers from different fields.

One meaningful highlight was showcasing our innovation project:
“An Integrated Neurophysiological Self-Regulation Model for Workplace Resilience Enhancement”
which integrates EEG Neurofeedback and HRV Biofeedback within an Occupational Health Psychology and resilience framework.

We are grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas, build new connections, and continue bridging neuroscience, cyberpsychology, occupational health psychology, and human performance development.

The future of mental health, resilience, and digital human behaviour will require not only technology, but also deeper understanding of the human nervous system, recovery, regulation, and psychological safety.

21/05/2026

20/05/2026

Mindfulness and neurofeedback both train the brain to self-regulate. So what happens when you combine them?

A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research tested a 6-week web-based mindfulness program with and without neurofeedback assistance. The neurofeedback-assisted group showed greater improvements in mental health outcomes compared to the conventional mindfulness group.

The logic is intuitive: mindfulness teaches you to direct your attention inward, while neurofeedback provides real-time information about what your brain is actually doing. Together, they create a feedback loop where you can see the effects of your mental practice as it happens.

For people who've struggled with meditation because they can't tell if they're "doing it right," neurofeedback offers objective confirmation. And for neurofeedback clients, mindfulness skills can help maintain and extend the benefits of training.

Learn more at isnr.org.

20/05/2026

19/05/2026

【童年创伤不是过去式：它可能正在影响你的收入、职业与富足感】

有些人不是不努力。
而是从很早以前，身心系统就已经学会了：
先活下来。

我们常常以为，收入不理想、职业发展卡住、生活总是感觉不够，是因为一个人不够努力、不够聪明，或不够有能力。

可是 Jones、Nurius、Song 与 Fleming 在 2018 年共研究了14,001 名 18 岁以上成年人，他們的研究提醒我们，童年逆境，英文为Adverse Childhood Experiences，简称 ACEs，童年不良经历，可能会透过一连串的生命路径，影响一个人成年后的收入、社会支持、生活压力与心理健康。

这篇研究的重点，不只是说“童年创伤会影响心理健康”。
它更进一步指出：

ACEs，童年不良经历，可能会通过成年后的低收入、较少的社会支持，以及更多成年期逆境，继续影响一个人的心理健康状态。

换句话说，童年的压力，不一定会随着长大而自动结束。
它可能会变成一条隐形的压力链。

一个在逆境中长大的人，可能很早就进入了survival mode生存模式。

在我的工作中，我常常看见，童年创伤留下来的生存机制，可能会长成这样的样子：

他可能很会观察别人的脸色，却不懂得表达自己的需要。
他可能很有责任感，却不敢为自己争取更好的待遇。
他可能非常努力，却长期被焦虑、自我怀疑和耗竭拉住。
他可能想要成功，却很难真正相信自己值得拥有更好的生活。

所以，一个人的经济困难，未必只是“不会赚钱”这么简单。

根据 Jones 等人的研究，ACEs，童年不良经历，与成年后的低收入状态有关。而低收入本身又可能带来更多现实压力，例如医疗资源不足、食物不安全、无法工作或就业不稳定等。

这些压力会进一步削弱一个人的身心状态与社会支持，让他更难恢复、更难发展，也更难累积资源。

这就是为什么，有些人明明已经很拼了，却还是觉得自己在人生、职场和财务上走得特别吃力。

不是因为他不够好。
而是他一路走来，背负了太多别人看不见的重量。

看见这些研究，不是为了给自己贴上“我注定失败”的标签。
而是为了停止无休止地责怪自己。

你可以开始对自己说：

“我不是没用。
我只是曾经用了很多力气，才走到今天。”

而在我研究工商与组织心理学，以及临床工作与研究课题中，我也越来越深地发现：这点或许也可以从Occupational Health Psychology职业健康心理学，以及Job Demands-Resources Model，JD-R Model，工作要求与资源模型来理解。

比如：当一个人带着童年创伤发展出来的生存机制进入职场，他的 personal resources个人资源，可能已经长期被消耗。

甚至一个人可能因为过去的经历，比较难维持稳定的 psychological capital，心理资本。

他可能比较缺乏hope，希望感，对未来比较难看见清晰路径。
他可能比较缺乏optimism，乐观感，看事情时更容易预期失败，或者走向另一种极端，过度理想化。
他可能比较缺乏resilience，复原力，面对挫折时更容易崩溃、冻结，或陷入无力感。
他也可能因为大脑长期处于警觉或耗竭状态，而比较难专注、执行和完成目标，这也会影响self-efficacy，自我效能感。

从这个角度来看，童年逆境带来的影响，不只是情绪问题。
它也可能影响一个人在职场中如何面对压力、如何使用资源、如何相信自己、如何争取机会，以及如何累积收入与富足感。

但我也想补充一个很重要的个人观点：

很多经历过逆境的人，并不只是带着伤口。
他们也常常在逆境中发展出了很珍贵的品格优势，甚至帮助他们创造了许多财富。

有些人发展出很强的洞察力。
有些人对情绪与关系特别敏锐。
有些人有很深的同理心。
有些人很独立，也很能解决问题。
有些人拥有强大的责任感、韧性，以及对生命痛苦更深层的理解。

只是，这些品格优势如果没有被觉察和整理，也可能变成过度警觉、讨好、过度承担、无法休息、长期身心耗竭，甚至出现 burnout，职业倦怠。

所以，在我的工作中，我常常看见一些人过度使用自己的优势，却无法真正享受努力后的成果。他们的身心可能出现一些“查不到明确病因”的不适，而这些现象很多时候可能与亚型倦怠有关，例如 frenetic burnout，狂热型倦怠。

这类人往往只能维持高强度、高精力地工作，却很难真正享受关系、连结与生活，也很难让自己放松下来。因此，他们可能经常出现失眠、紧绷、停不下来，或明明很累却无法休息的问题。

所以，创伤后的成长，不只是疗愈过去。
更重要的是，我们如何把过去为了生存而发展出来的能力，重新理解、重新命名，并转化成面对问题、建立资源、发展职业，甚至走向身心富足的力量。

如果你也想进一步探索：
如何善用创伤后成长出来的优势，
来应对现实问题、发展职业资源、改善关系与提升身心状态，
欢迎看看 comment 置顶的活动推荐。

也许，你过去用来生存的能力，
正可以成为你未来走向丰盛的力量。🌱

#童年逆境 #创伤后成长 #收入焦虑 #個人成長

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Reference:
Jones, T. M., Nurius, P., Song, C., & Fleming, C. M. (2018). Modeling life course pathways from adverse childhood experiences to adult mental health. *Child Abuse & Neglect, 80*, 32–40.

15/05/2026

這是一場免費的催眠入門 Preview 課程。
很多人對催眠有誤解，以為是舞台表演或失去意識的控制。事實上，催眠是一種高度專注、可被引導的心理狀態，能應用在情緒調節、壓力管理與行為改變上。
今晚我們會談：催眠到底是什麼、它在助人工作中的實際應用、以及完整課程會帶你學到哪些技巧。
適合對催眠有興趣的輔導員、教育工作者、HR、以及想拓展專業技能的工作者。
歡迎準備好你的問題，一起來認識這個被低估的工具。