The Second Arrow: Resource Guide
- Sharon Har-Noy Pilcher
- May 6
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 6
Shift the unconscious patterns that drive your responses.
Tap into your internal operating system to elevate performance, expand choice, and unlock new levels of effectiveness.
Resource Guide
📚 Recommended Books:
A Brief History of Love – Dr. Liat Yakir
Explores the evolutionary biology of emotions and human bonding. Shows how emotional reactions like love, fear, and rejection are rooted in ancient survival systems—while reminding us that we still have agency in how we respond today.
Livewired – David Eagleman
A deep dive into neuroplasticity and how our brains are constantly rewiring based on experience. Offers a scientific foundation for how we can change long-standing emotional patterns and choose curiosity over automatic reactivity.
Phantoms in the Brain – Sandra Blakeslee & V.S. Ramachandran
Uses real neurological case studies to show how our perceptions, including pain and emotion, are constructed by the brain. Demonstrates how our emotional reactions aren’t always grounded in current reality—and can be changed.
The Emotional Brain – Joseph LeDoux
Explains how fear and emotional memory are formed in the brain, especially through the amygdala. Supports the Second Arrow idea by showing that while emotions arise quickly, interpretation and response are learned and modifiable.
Chatter – Ethan Kross
Examines the inner voice and how it can either trigger unnecessary suffering or become a powerful ally. Offers practical tools to shift from ruminative second-arrow responses to more productive, curious mental habits.
Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
Introduces System 1 (fast, emotional) and System 2 (slow, reflective) thinking. Reinforces the core idea that although our first response may be instinctual, we can train ourselves to engage thoughtful, less reactive second responses.
🎧 Recommended Podcasts
How to Control Your Inner Voice & Increase Your Resilience – Dr. Ethan Kross
Covers practical techniques to manage the inner critic and redirect mental chatter. Aligns with the Second Arrow by providing evidence-based tools for shifting your inner narrative toward curiosity and resilience.
Essentials: The Science of Emotions & Relationships – Huberman Lab
Explains the neurobiology of emotions and human connection. Highlights how emotional awareness and regulation can be learned and trained—supporting the conscious pause between stimulus and response.
Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin – David Eagleman
A wide-ranging discussion on brain plasticity, perception, and self-awareness. Shows how our inner world is a construct that can be edited and reshaped, directly reflecting the Second Arrow practice of choosing how we interpret and grow from emotional experiences.
Enjoy!
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