Human beings are designed to have remarkable innate abilities to grow, learn and adapt to our circumstances. We are not only capable of change but are designed to change. Neuroplasticity is the reason we can change and is how all learning takes place.
Neuroplasticity is why:
Our brain is not hard-wired to work a certain way.
This physical function allows us to think and react according to our circumstances.
We can heal and recover from trauma and mental conditions.
We can adapt to our surroundings and learn to become more resilient.
In fact, our brain has the ability to learn, adapt and grow at any time in our lives. Neuroscience has agreed that you can rewire your brain to improve motor, cognitive and emotional skills to form new neural circuitry throughout your life.
In the past, neuroplasticity was thought to only manifest during our childhood years.
How Does Neuroplasticty Work?
Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity is the ability of the brain and nervous system to learn and reorganize through the growth of new neural networks. This rewiring is the brains way to learn a new skill, heal from a past wound, trauma or psychological stress as well as adapt to environmental influences. So, in essence neuroplasticity is the body’s learning process that lies in the potential of the brain and nervous system to change in response to experiences in order to reorganize. Neuroplasticity is the method in forming habits and the mechanism involved in changing our behaviors.
This biological process is based on how neural functioning changes are a result of synapses and signaling cascades (the affected connections in between neurons) allow gene expression to modify. This simply means brain circuitry used to perform tasks can redevelop to learn new ways to communicate from the old ways.
Neuroplasticity is understood in the idea of new brain pattern organizational skills built upon experience-driven repetitive training. These mechanisms can be seen in brain scans taken before and after a skill has been learned or an experience has been lived over a period of time. Think of how muscles can grow and strengthen by adapting to stresses placed on them when we exercise. Our brain is capable of the same thing. But in this case, it is rewiring itself to become more efficient to optimize its functioning when learning a new skill. Incidentally, the brain and nervous system is also heavily involved in muscle growth.
The theory of neuroplasticity has been gaining popularity in the physical therapy field in explaining functional movement improvements for stroke recovery and traumatic brain injury patients. Evidence of cortical and sub-cortical reorganization has been credited to rehabilitation techniques.
So, every time you perform a task, think a thought or experience a feeling your nervous system is directed by your brain to send bioelectrical signals down neural pathways that deliver chemical messages to other neurons. The more frequent you send them the stronger the connections become and the quicker they travel. A well-travelled pathway becomes your default-mode setting for the activity you are involved. The corresponding brain regions can physically grow or shrink depending on how hard or often they are worked. So, “use it or lose it” and “practice makes perfect”.
Guiding Principles
Neuroplasticity is the brain state that allows us to achieve our goals as long as we know how to access and leverage its abilities.
First, we need to be alert and fully engaged to whatever we are trying to accomplish. Paying attention and staying focused is critical for the process to unfold.
Second, it takes three main chemical ingredients for the implementation of the ‘neuroplastic transformation’.
Neuroplasticity requires the support from the neurotransmitters, epinephrine (alertness), dopamine (motivation/ reward) and acetylcholine (focus) to be present for the transformation to take place.
Third, don’t forget about rest.
While we need to push ourselves to learn and experience in order for the state of neuroplasticity to exist. It’s during our sleep that the brain rewires itself into newer reorganized states. Neuroscientists report that after 90 minutes of intense studying or being cognitively engaged, we need to take a break. We learn better in bits and pieces over time.
Finally, making mistakes optimizes neuroplasticity. This fact will activate a greater portion of your brain in the learning process. Maintaining a certain level of difficulty ensures you are looking for errors and making corrections which keeps you alert and paying attention.
So being frustrated with making mistakes are actually a positive way to grow new neurons. Mistakes and errors are nothing more than your brain trying to figure out its new circuitry. So don’t be too hard on yourself. But it’s important to balance the difficulty level of a project, task or subject matter to maintain your interest and focus.
Neuroplasticity is the body’s ability to make new connections and neural pathways in response to learning or for repair following an injury. What was once considered a pseudoscience has been proven to be a remarkable achievement that involves neurogenesis (creation of new neurons).
I have been a LENS neurofeedback therapist for the past 10 plus years and have seen how the brain strives to optimize itself from all sorts of mental health challenges. With a minimal amount of intervention, I can help the brain and nervous system to take over and do its thing. What I do is to aid the body’s organizational process by targeting the most disorganized brain regions to activate homeostasis in those most needed areas. By working along with the body’s natural healing methods, I can encourage neuroplasticity. My goal is to can make the most favorable gains in the shortest amount of time.
LENS neurofeedback therapy is all about brain optimization and neuroplasticity.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain for a Happier Life-