10/30/2025
Dr. Dan Siegel helps us appreciate the amazing changes taking place in the adolescent brain and how they transform into thriving adults. Experiences such as testing limits and exploring the unknown builds courage and purpose. Read more about the important ESSENCE of teenage brain development and consider how you can support your teen as they grow and change.
Emotional Spark: The adolescent brain experiences a surge of dopamine, which enhances vitality and reward-seeking. This can lead to moodiness or reactivity but also gives rise to a greater sense of aliveness.
Social Engagement: The brain's social circuits are highly active during this period, motivating teens to forge strong bonds with peers and find new social connections outside the family.
Novelty-Seeking: This is the drive to explore new and unfamiliar experiences. While it can sometimes lead to dangerous risk-taking, this drive is necessary to push adolescents out of the familiar "home nest" toward independence.
Creative Exploration: This refers to the teen's ability to challenge the status quo and think in new ways. It is a time for identity exploration and envisioning the world as it could be, rather than just how it is.