This post speaks to another subject I’m passionate about and hopefully is meaningful and helpful to you, as well. It’s on some of the new brain science and its application for enhanced mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing. Since the advent of brain imaging technology (pet scans and fmris), the field of neuroscience has been able to see what is actually going on in the brain. This has enabled neuroscientists to know the workings of the brain as never before.
As a result, one thing we now know is that the brain is not set in stone as was once believed. Rather, the brain can grow and rewire itself. It’s called neuroplasticity and is the brain’s ability to re-organize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. New experiences change neurons, the organization of their networks and their actual functioning.
Thinking, learning, feeling and acting change the brain’s functioning and its physical anatomy. The science of neuroplasticity focuses on how the brain can re-wire itself through experience. How is this done you might ask? In large measure through a tenet of neuroscience called “Hebb’s axiom” which is: neurons that fire together, wire together. It’s how the brain is sculpted.
What this means is the more we have a certain thought or feeling the more neurons fire in that part of the brain and the more circuitry is wired to that part of the brain making us more likely to have that thought or feeling again (and again). This means that our thoughts and feelings can literally change our brains! How empowering!
However, this process works for good or ill. The more negative thoughts or feelings we have the more likely we are to think and feel those negative thoughts and feelings again and again. So if we are chronically stressed (and who isn’t these days), we’re sculpting our brains so that we feel that way more and more of the time, even if nothing particularly stressful is going on. It becomes our default mode for responding to life… irritated, worried, overwhelmed, guilty, anxious, depressed, etc.
Fortunately, we can make this process work to our advantage by intentionally self-directing our brain’s neuroplasticity to break cycles of negative thinking, feeling and acting so that we can offset the effects of stress and experience more and more ease, peace and happiness. Let’s look at how we begin to do this…
Wherever possible do reduce the stressors in your life and remove yourself as much as possible from negative or toxic people, places, and activities. Increase the amount of positive people and experiences in your life. And, (here’s the key) commit yourself to practices that promote positive neuroplasticity for enhanced wellbeing. I’ll be addressing these practices in future blog posts. For those reading this in the Lakeland area I’ll be discussing this at the upcoming February 21st workshop on Stress and Longevity.