How to Mould the Brain to Your Liking

LAST TWO DECADES HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD SOME GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF NEUROSCIENCE. NEUROPLASTICITY AS THEY CALL IT MEANS, OUR BRAINS HAVE INFINITE CAPACITY TO RESTRUCTURE AND REORGANIZE ITSELF.

Just about 25 years ago when I joined the medical school the standard teaching across the world was that human brain doesn’t grow beyond the age of five. Fortunately in the last two decades the neuroscience has gathered enough evidence to show that human brain retains its capacity to grow and reprogram neurons from cradle to grave. Dr Norman Doidge in his famous book –The Brain that Changes Itself– writes that how researches have observed the hitherto unknown property of human brain called neuroplasticity.

Simply speaking neuroplasticity means that our brains have the infinite potential to rewire and reorganize to hone our abilities to perform any given task. For instance if you decide one day to start learning piano, your brain starts responding and restructuring itself from that day itself. It doesn’t matter whether you have played piano in past or not or what is your age when you begin to learn it. Your brain continues to reorganize and rewire itself to make the new task easier for you as long as you continue to learn it. Moreover more intensely you practice, faster and permanent are the structural changes in your brain. Scientists have found that our brain has the ability to learn a new language or skill even when we are in our 70s or 80s.

This research has some important practical implications in our day to day medical practice. For instance, Neuroscientists have discovered that when a patient loses a part of his brain cells because of trauma or stroke the surrounding brain cells retain the ability to compensate for the lost function. If we continue to train the surrounding brain cells by intensive training called Constrained Induced Therapy (CIT) it is possible to form new connections to allow almost complete functional recovery. In his book –The Brains way of Healing– Norman writes about an eye surgeon who after having a stroke attack in his fifties and having a complete paralysis on one side of his body recovers completely to get back to his work with CIT. In the same book he also talks about an Anaesthetist who recovers himself of chronic pain condition by conscious visualization and also how a person battling with Parkinsonism learns to outgrow his disability by consciously recruiting his normal part of the brain. He shares many such real life stories there which are very fascinating to read.

These findings are in a way revolutionary because the scientists used to believe that human brain works like a computer machine where specific parts perform specific functions and if by accident or disease someone loses a part of the brain function then it cannot come back because machines are incapable of growing parts. In Norman’s words it spoke of nothing but Neurological nihilism. But neuroplasticity is a ray of hope for doctors and patients alike which shows that mother nature is kind enough to offer us ability to mould our brains to our own liking if we are committed enough to work towards it.

On the other hand it also puts more responsibility on our shoulders in staying vigilant enough to see how and in which direction we are using our brains because brain connections strengthen when we keep performing the same task again and again. Our brain works the same way when we continue to indulge in any action whether good or bad and each time we do it, the brain connections help us to become better at it. That’s why we say that habits are difficult to change because they get hard wired inside our brains. But the good news is that any bad habit pattern can be changed by reprogramming our brain by doing its opposite good habit.

In fact our ancient yoga science also testifies to the same truth. Paramhansa Yogananda a great modern yogi born in India exclaimed that habits can be changed in a day. So no matter how deeply entrenched we are into our old habit patterns by just doing its opposite more and more with intense focus he said you could free yourself from its clutches. Yogananda also emphasized the importance of Scientific Healing Affirmations which are positive statements repeated mentally multiple times in a day that can help us create a new brain pattern.

Truly speaking we are living in an interesting age where traditional Indian Vedic wisdom is getting corroborated with new scientific discoveries. Application of these nuggets has a potential to change the face of humanity in near future.

Author of this article is a Physician, Researcher and Lifestyle Educator, Yoga and Meditation Teacher from Ananda Sangha, Faculty at SKN Medical College, Pune