All ages · Families · Adults
Fill in the Space
While most books tell you things, Fill in the Space asks you things — thought-provoking questions and partial illustrations you complete yourself.
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Neurons Away · Books for flexible minds
Your mind was made to explore.
Discover books, journals, and creative activities that challenge the way you think, inspire imagination, and encourage new perspectives. From childhood through adulthood, there’s always room to grow, explore, and think differently.
Books for kids, teens, adults & seniorsStudied in a SUNY Upstate projectUsed by schools & care teams
Mental flexibility
Explore different perspectives and possibilities.
Creativity
Make imagination part of everyday life.
Self-discovery
Explore beliefs, ideas, and identity.
Connection
Create meaningful conversations between people.
Home of The Flexible Brain — follow along on Instagram @theflexiblebrain.
Explore by age & interest
Find the right book for the mind you’re nurturing.
Different stages, different questions. Start with the people you’re shopping for.
Children & Families
Creative thinking, imagination, problem-solving, coloring, and activities that start conversations between kids and grown-ups.
For: Parents, grandparents & gift buyersShop the collection →
Teens & Young Adults
Self-discovery, emotional awareness, coping skills, confidence, and critical thinking.
For: Parents, young adults, counselors & educatorsShop the collection →
Adults & Lifelong Learners
Reflection, creativity, curiosity, perspective-taking, and mental flexibility.
For: Individuals, gift buyers & lifelong learnersShop the collection →
Seniors & Care Professionals
Engaging activities for cognitive stimulation, group participation, creative expression, and meaningful interaction.
For: Families, caregivers, senior living & activity directorsShop the collection →Professional & educational resources →Bulk orders for schools & organizations →
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Shop all booksOur most-loved books
Five titles that capture what Neurons Away is about: questions that open minds.
Creative thinking · Cognitive enrichment · Group-ready
Mental Flexibility Workbook
Interactive worksheets that stretch thinking and spark conversation — with instructions for leading groups or one-on-one sessions.
$24.99View book
Kids 8+ · Families
Creative Brave Brain
85+ quirky question-and-doodle pages that build imagination, healthy mindsets, and confidence — a screen-free alternative kids actually enjoy.
$10.99View book
Teens · Young adults · Counselors
Sense of Self: Coping Skills for Teens & Adults
Easy-to-read handouts and worksheets that draw from DBT, CBT, educational theory, and self-care practices.
$14.99View book
Teens · Young adults
Get to Know Yourself
Simple questions with big results: 72 worksheets that make self-discovery fun, interactive, and conversation-worthy.
$14.99View book
Take a look inside
Experience the books before you buy.
Every page is an invitation to respond — by writing, drawing, or talking it through. Here’s what that looks like.
What you’ll experience
- Questions with no single right answer — so every response is yours.
- Partial illustrations that you complete with your own ideas.
- Prompts that work alone in 5–10 minutes or as a group conversation.
- Activities for every stage of life, from toddlers to seniors.
The philosophy behind Neurons Away
Humans are meant to create, not just consume.
Sally Safadi started Neurons Away with a simple desire: to encourage people to think more openly and flexibly. Looking back on traditional education, she noticed how often school promotes one-directional learning — right and wrong answers, and little room for self-expression.
So she wrote Fill in the Space, a collection of mind-expanding questions that invite people to think outside the box. What began as a simple workbook grew into workshops and creative tools that promote mental flexibility, resilience, and self-expression for all ages.
“You must master a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.”— Marianne WilliamsonRead our story
Research highlights
What a published hospital study found
Neurons Away’s art-based mental-flexibility group was studied on a 23-bed acute inpatient psychiatric unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, during the nursing shift change.
- 132 patientstook part in the group, and 80 had enough data for the before-and-after analysis.
- 576 → 120As-needed medication doses dropped: 576 in the month before the group, compared with 120 across the three months it ran.
- 7 → 3 restraints · 8 → 1 seclusionsfrom the month before the project to the three months of the project.
- Happier, less sad, less angryis how patients rated themselves after their first session (mean changes: happy +0.46, sad −0.44, anger −1.15).
This was a single-site observational project with no control group, so it can’t show cause and effect. Neurons Away books are creative and educational resources, not medical treatment.
Leontieva L, Safadi S, Jain P, Tabi S, Roe C, Empey D. Journal of Hospital Administration, 2020; 9(2):41. doi:10.5430/jha.v9n2p41
What people say
Trusted by educators, clinicians & families
“This patient left a completely different person than the one that was admitted.”Dr. Luba Leontieva, M.D., Ph.D., SUNY Upstate Medical University — from the Neurons Away case study
★★★★★
“My clients love this activity.”Elaine — verified Etsy review, Aug 2025 (Group Therapy Conversation Starter game)
★★★★★
“I used these materials to tailor a work package for my father with Alzheimer’s disease.”Jacalyn — verified Etsy review, Jul 2026 (Dementia Activities Worksheets for Seniors)
[Photo placeholder]Add 3–6 real photos of people using the books (families, classrooms, care groups) — with permission.
Organizations we’ve worked with
Daily Brain Challenge
Can you think beyond the obvious?
A small taste of the Neurons Away experience. There are no right answers — only yours.
Imagine you woke up tomorrow and could change one rule about how the world works. What would you change, and why?
Enjoyed that challenge? Explore the books designed to keep your mind curious.
For schools & organizations
Classroom sets, group programs & staff training.
Schools, counselors, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, senior living communities, and libraries use Neurons Away resources with groups. Ask about volume pricing for 20, 50, or 100+ books — and about workshops led by Sally.
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