NEUROPLASTICITY

Brain Training For A Better You

— LISA WIMBERGER 2 Imagine a time you found yourself thinking or Imagine a time you found yourself thinking outgrown… acting in a way you thought you had when Or had an outdated knee-jerk reaction . . . you no longer felt it represented you Or gotten frustrated with yourself for you “failing” to progress or grow because . . . were stuck in old thoughts or patterns These are frustrating, but the good news is this is all quite normal. patterns There is a legitimate reason why old don’t want continue to show up even when you them to. The answer lies in basic neuroscience: NEUROPLASTICITY. NEUROPLASTICITY 3 Let’s consider how the “thinks” a thought. The brain a thought. “thinks” brain the how Let’s consider (For perspective, neurons. billion 100 - 85 has between entire known the that’s as many galaxies as there are in universe!) tree branches like look which dendrites, has Each neuron to collect are made of grey matter. Dendrites tend and for a it to the cell body information and send incoming potential action. is looks like a tail and The cell also has an axon, which signal to take the tends matter. The axon white made of it where point its travel to an end guide from the cell and These dendrites. cell’s another reach to gap a jump can and axons reach out to the next nearby neuron, dendrites so on, ultimately to the next, and reaches out which creating a neural pathway. to becomes dedicated essentially Each neural pathway prompted, the When thinking. or pattern of a thought that message. neural pathway lights up and broadcasts This is essentially the brain thinking a thought.

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HOW THE BRAIN THINKS A THOUGHT THE BRAIN HOW Neurosculpting

and behaviors. patterns, habits, more supportive to create new and entrain their brain old patterns and release the grip of an individual strategically help process the can a 5-step meditation NEUROPLASTICITY 4

used neural pathway. The brain marks used it as important or “bookmarks” it if it is visited often. You can also think of it like the auto-fill in a to type you begin when function website address of a site you frequently is based visit. The computer’s prediction on your personal frequent activity. Your or evaluate judge not does computer path that predicts simply it website; the based on your past usage patterns. efficiencyon primarily operates brain The same the up bring you If predictions. and brain the frequently, pattern thought to make that thought itself organizes readily available. - THE BRAIN IS A PREDICTION MACHINE IS A PREDICTION THE BRAIN efficiently. This is just like a frequently the top of the page to reach them more page of the top the use daily, you can “bookmark” them at “bookmark” can daily, you use browser. If there are a few websites you Think of this as bookmarks in your Internet level. accessible on a physical, neurological physical, a on accessible marks it as important and makes it easily is used frequently, the brain essentially brain the frequently, used is pattern is simply usage. If a neural pathway neural a If usage. simply is pattern The basis for the significance of a thought a of significance the for basis The unhealthy, desirable or undesirable. es thoughts as good or bad, healthy or healthy or bad, as good es thoughts mechanism in the brain that distinguish is is a prediction machine. There is no when to activate? It predicts! The brain So how does a neural pathway know pathway a neural does how So HOW EMOTIONS INFLUENCE NEUROPLASTICITY

To add to our efficiency, the brain connects associations wherever possible through strong emotions like fear, joy or love; the five physical senses, especially smell, or recognizable patterns of thinking. Predictions are easier with more reference points like these sorts of associations.

This is known as Hebb’s Law: “Neurons that fire together, wire together!” For example, if you’ve smelled lavender in the past with positive emotions or a sense of calm then the next time the olfac- tory system detects the smell of lavender your brain may pull up the idea of relaxation.

It detects the smell and reaches to predict the associative emotional response its referenced be- fore. Or if a common pattern of thinking is “This is hard. I can’t do this” how do you think you’ll fin- ish the thought next time if you encounter a task that’s hard? Chances are you will respond to it with your default thought “I can’t do this”.

Our neuroplastic system can keep old patterns active long after we don’t need them or con- sciously think about them. Anyone whose ever tried to change a pattern knows that this is the main point of frustration. GROWING GREY MATTER

Great news! It is completely possible to harness the power of this system and re-train old patterns into new ones. To break down how this is physically possible, let’s examine what exactly happens in the brain during this process.

Remember our dendrites: the tree-like branches growing out of a neuron that are made of grey matter? Neuroscience has discovered that grey matter has the ability to physically grow or shrink in response to usage. You might imagine this to be like working out muscles at the gym and watching the shape of your body change.

When a neural pathway is used frequently, the dendrites connecting it will physically GROW more branches as well as further-reaching branches stretching out to more nearby neurons. The neural pathway takes up more physical space in the brain than it did before. This is measured by density changes in the brain. The growing pathway also connects to additional nearby pathways, creating more associations and becoming exponentially more accessible from other entrained patterns.

It’s physically easier to access this growing neural pathway due to its size and influence. It is literally, physically easier to think a thought the more often you think that thought. Even if you seek growth and change you are battling the efficiency and speed of old, familiar patterns you’ve grown. NEUROPLASTICITY 7 Your brain’s goal is to be efficient. If a neural pathway is no longer used matter reallocates grey the as much, more used something into itself frequently. The dendrite branches prune back to be energy efficient. harder to it’s fewer dendrites With activate the network; it becomes to more labor-intensive physically think that thought. This leads us to the amazing realization that we can literally re- intentionally can We ! our wire and systematically train which neural We efficient. more become pathways can choose which patterns of thinking or behaviors we want to develop. THOUGHT PATTERNS THOUGHT HOW TO RETRAIN OUR TO RETRAIN HOW That means if you stop using a using stop you That means if it frequently, neural pathway Imagine accessible. less becomes school in high learning a language for ten years. You use don’t that you it speak to how have forgotten will might at one time you even though have been proficient. Fortunately, if we can grow grey we can grow Fortunately, if use we can also prune matter with when like Just disuse. with back it your gym the to going stop you muscles shrink. Grey matter often follows a Use It or Lose It rule. So how do you adapt an existing adapt you do how So intoit train even or pathway neural something completely new? Which outdated pattern are you ready to recycle into something new?

Remember, our neural pathways are “Use it or Lose it.”

That means one of the most important keys to success is: REPETITION! REPETITION! REPETITION!

We cannot expect change simply because we have knowledge. The principles of usage require a practice with repetition. NEUROPLASTICITY

DO THE TIME YOUR BRAIN WILL CHANGE

You can’t go to the gym once and expect Consistent interruption of old patterns the ideal body, right? We have to treat causes the brain to re-label those net- the brain the same way. works and devalue their importance or relevance. Every day, practice thinking or behaving in intentional ways. Done frequently Frequent repetition dictates which pat- enough, the brain diverts resources to terns are given the most resources and this new pattern. the highest value.

Yes, we can intentionally direct how the brain values our own thoughts!

9 NEUROPLASTICITY 10 , we rely on these , we rely ® so that your desired pattern is readily desired pattern so that your not.is trigger or object an if even available In Neurosculpting association triggers. Using a simple hand a simple association triggers. Using pattern a new thought gesture during pattern. that to creates a somatic link by itself later can Using that trigger on a subconscious activate the pattern one. level, if not a conscious to exercise the This means you get to contributing neural pathway anytime, You can use it the repetition foundation. in the while driving in the car, shopping at the computer, grocery store, working or anywhere. layer of additional promotes an This accessibility to the new pattern. Consider brain the to going moments of little these gym. EVEN MORE EVEN WE CAN ENHANCE THIS ENHANCE CAN WE something you always have access to have always you something Consider making a connection with making a connection Consider available. option because it may not always be always may not it because option or object; however, it is not the best link with something like a scent, sound, sound, scent, a like something with link It is entirely possible to create a somatic possible is entirely It like a hand gesture. You might choose a sensation trigger trigger a sensation choose might You order to strengthen its accessibility. order to strengthen association into your new pattern in pattern your new association into You can purposefully incorporate an incorporate an You can purposefully thought, or behavior as significant. thought, or behavior additional way to mark an experience, additional Associations can be used as an used Associations can be that fire together, wire together!” Remember Hebb’s Law: “Neurons Law: Hebb’s Remember to compliment this repetition practice.to compliment We can enhance this at even deeper levelsdeeper even at this enhance can We NEUROPLASTICITY 11 brain is probably paying full attention full paying is probably brain This and novel experience. to this new neuroplasticity. state of heightened that an experience of is an example the (particularly brain the encourages to pay particular ) attention to an experience. done in a slightly Other familiar activities trying to include interesting way could brushing down, write your name upside hand, non-dominant your hair with your new experience or any other benign you’d like to try. type This peculiar yet non-threatening sense of of action brings a heightened awareness to any experience, helping you remember it better, encouraging the brain to assign it a higher value. Institute is by Institute ® OR STRENGTHEN THE BRAIN? THE STRENGTHEN OR DID CURIOSITY KILL THE CAT THE KILL CURIOSITY DID the Neurosculpting like to engage this brain dynamic at dynamic brain this engage to like One of the most common ways we we most common ways the of One neuroplastic exercise. neuroplastic exercise. your brain of more tiny moments novelty throughout your day can give give can day your throughout novelty or curiosity. That means creating or curiosity. That state of awareness, awe, wonder state of experiences it a heightened with as more notable when the brain when the brain as more notable an experience or thought is marked marked is thought or experience an Neuroscience has also shown us that us that has also shown Neuroscience depends on our ability to be curious. on our ability to be depends A final tip for neuroplastic success unusual this is. In this moment your moment this In this is. unusual dominant hand and feel how incredibly Try brushing your teeth with your non- your teeth with Try brushing non-dominant hand. performing a familiar task with your your a familiar task with performing HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE?

Patience! Lasting change is a the brain’s resources creates function of repetition over time. definitive, neurological change. The brain attempts to provide Outdated or undesired patterns you with what it assumes you can be physically recycled into want based on your familiar developing or favorable ways of patterns. thinking.

Patient re-direction of old These practices boost plasticity patterns and repetitive use of and become tools for purposefully new ones, frequently over time re-wiring the brain. With genuine trains the brain to allocate its practice and effective repetition, resources to the new, growing a new standard of natural patterns. tendencies will emerge.

With some practice, repetition, and additional tools such as associations and novelty, we can purposefully and methodically re-train our brains to our own design. The re-organization of NEUROPLASTICITY 13 community with any ®

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