Can you use science and your understanding of the human brain to change your own behavior — and even your own feelings? Dessa, a musician who’s been singing and rapping for years, decided to try to find out when the on-and-off relationship with a perennial subject of her music became too painful and she wanted to be out of love instead of in love.

Dessa will share her story at Inman Connect New York, January 29 through February 1 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

“A lot of the songs I write are what might be called torch songs — pining romantic songs,” she explained. “What I hadn’t been totally frank about with my audience is that a lot of those songs were written about the same dude.”

She struggled for years to try to get over this romantic partner, with “all the usual interventions of whiskey and friends,” but nothing seemed to be working. “There were lingering feelings and we were on again, off again, for more than 12 years, but nothing really became of us.”

Then Dessa saw a TED Talk about the brain in love by Dr. Helen Fischer, a biological anthropologist. As Dessa remembers it, Fischer discussed a study where “subjects who self-reported being in love were put in functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) machines. She’d show them the pictures of the people with whom they were in love, and she said there was a recognizable cortical pattern of activity — so a few specific parts of your brain light up in love, that are different than platonic love or maternal love.”

For Dessa, this was a revelation. “I thought, ‘If I can figure out where this love is in my brain, maybe I can get it out.’” So she started researching a technique, neurofeedback, that would help her accomplish this goal.

Find out how it worked — and what you can learn from Dessa’s experience to make your own real estate business stronger, only at Inman Connect New York.

Discover the opportunities in a changing market at Inman Connect New York, January 29 – February 1. Jumpstart 2019 with tactical takeaways, unlimited networking and thought-provoking speakers. Learn more.

Thinking about bringing your team? You may qualify for special group perks! Contact us to learn more.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×