The human brain has its own unique way of healing, and when it is understood, many brain problems thought to be incurable or irreversible can be improved, often radically, and in a number of cases, … cured.
Light, sound, vibration … provide natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain that pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain’s own healing capacities.
– Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D. The Brain’s Way of Healing
New research in neuroplasticity (aka “brain plasticity”) indicates that people’s brains can be reshaped, sometimes dramatically, throughout life.
Previously, scientists thought that after about age 25, our brains were less able to rewire themselves significantly. However new research indicates that isn’t so.
While our brains are not made of muscle, they can create new pathways as we learn new skills or re-learn old ones where the pathways have been damaged or destroyed by life events. The retraining process is not instant and can take extended periods of time – weeks, months and sometimes even years. In this day and age, we want instant results, and we have a typical expectation that taking a pill will “fix it”. The approach that we’re using in our research (with music and art) flies in direct opposition. It takes time, repetitions, and involving commitment and effort — usually at least every day or sometimes many times during a day to build lasting results.
In fact it’s almost the reverse situation from muscle development say in your arm. You lift weights or exercise and over a period of time, you begin to notice some muscle tone and definition, and ability to lift or do more, and you don’t particularly notice any change while you’re lifting weights or doing the exercise. With your brain, numerous reports confirm that music and art offers immediate relief during the experience and only by repetition can you build relief that “sticks”.
Training changes our brain and our performance (abilities).
We do not fully realize or maybe we cannot even comprehend the amazing power that we carry around with us every day in our mind. With the brain as the biological “head” of our body, we are so much more powerful than we realize. For example, there are many reports of individuals using their imagination to learn, since our brain cannot differentiate between real and imaginary.
Our brain is like a “hidden” muscle. We cannot see it’s development like you can the muscles in your arms or legs. You can’t feel it getting stronger, or more defined. We don’t even know if it’s progressing or how the development of new pathways happens.
We are who we think we are. For example, if you think you are old, then you act old, you will feel old and you will look old. Why might you think you are old? Maybe you just had a birthday. Maybe you woke up this morning with an ache you’d never felt before.
People break their arm or leg and then learn to use the other, less agile limb to function. Individuals with other life changing injuries learn new ways to adapt and do what they want to do.
Our mind is so powerful, in mere milliseconds, our body reacts to danger, humour, fear, or delight. The feeling floods our entire body and our physiology changes.
In our research, we are attempting to harness the power of your brain — to make our participants literally change their minds to create new pathways and heal their brains.
More Reading
Articles
Training induces changes in the brain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2770457/
Researcher, Dr. Alice Cronin-Golomb, Ph.D.’s ground breaking work about the visual challenges and how they link to our cognitive abilities. http://www.brainhq.com/brain-resources/brain-plasticity/brain-plasticity-luminaries/alice-cronin-golomb-phd
Other Resources
The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, M.D.