Neuroplasticity

William James, the father of American psychology, proposed plasticity of the brain in 1890.  The idea was shot down a few years later.  For 110 years, neuroscience dogma held that the brain was done growing in early childhood and could only decay from there.  Only the last two decades has neuroplasticity become widely accepted.

Today we know that the neurons that fire together wire together.  That is great news for people that suffer from chronic depression, anxiety,  OCD and other now treatable mental health  issues.  Writing this Gratitude blog has used my mind (personality?) to change my brain thus changing my mind to be a happier, more optimistic and resilient person.

Sharon Begley’s book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, is a great read on the crossover between Buddhist meditation and western brain science. 

I am grateful for neuroplasticity.  It is a (all too often unacknowledged) fundamental element in my recovery from addiction, depression and self-pity.  12 step programs have changed my life for the better.  Reading about the underlying science of the changing mind brings me great comfort with a better understanding of how the process works and best practices.