So it turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks. Brain plasticity is an amazing concept that everyone from top brain researchers to the Dalai Lama and Dr. Suess find fascinating. Whereas we used to believe that the brain was fixed in its abilities by adulthood and indeed often had an inevitable downward slide, we now know the brain to have infinite abilities to heal, regenerate and renew itself throughout the life span. We can learn to use the power of intention, different than habit in that it is conscious choice not automatic programming, to make powerful changes in how we see and interact in the world around us and to change our stories. |
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The Plasticity of the Human Brain · A 1998 landmark study found that the human brain had the ability to develop new brain cells. This research challenged the prevailing theory that the human brain was a rigid system with no ability to generate new brain cells. · Many research studies continue to demonstrate proof of how elastic our brains can be. When you exercise or stimulate your brain through new or merely unfamiliar activities, or challenge your brain in therapy, you can trigger changes in the brain, such as an increase of connections between neurons. When we are stuck in old patterns our brain can only respond in predictable old ways, thus the definition of insanity; doing the same things and expecting different results. · · |
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where to go. Dr. Seuss |
"So if you undertake an activity and practice it intensively, the part of your brain that controls that function will develop and change," Neuroplasticity is not simply about the brain's ability to rewire itself, but to physically change as well. The process of counseling involves creating new neural connections that can allow you to restore, heal and create new pathways of feeling, thinking and behaving. Ready for some outpatient brain surgery? What we know is that we all carry around a story that we tell ourselves and others. That story either reflects our truth and our potential or is part of someone else's truth or reflects some outdated, limiting chapters that keep us from being who we are truly meant to be. Through counseling we can rewrite, edit, and update our stories to allow for new possibilities and outcomes. . |