Neuroplasticity & The Brain that Changes Itself

“The secret to change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates 

 What is Neuroplasticity 

What is the connection between neuroplasticity and anxiety or depression? Can people really change the way they think? We used to believe that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”; that our brain’s abilities were fixed. However, a branch of study in neuroscience, neuroplasticity, is showing that actually, new neuropathways are able to be created throughout our entire life and this process doesn’t stop at a certain age. As such, we can create new patterns, new habits of thinking, whenever we want. Changing thinking patterns then changes our neurochemistry, thus eliminating feelings of anxiety in the mind and the body. 

Neuroplasticity refers to the way our neurons, or brain cells, fire and wire together. Neuroplasticity increases our ability to change and reshape our neuropathways. Unlike computers which are programmed with certain specifications or algorithms and updated periodically, our brains form/create or discard new pathways based on our experiences. This phenomenon is defined as the brain’s ability to rewire itself in favor of a repeated action or habit or experience. As such, when we learn something new, we create new connections between neurons (the cells in our brain).  

Moreover, the brain is not in fixed state, but is malleable and adaptable and fluid-like. It is always able to grow, change and regenerate. When leveraged correctly, neurplasticity can help us reset our system thus reducing feelings of anxiety and depression. 

Depression, Anxiety & Neuroplasticity 

When it comes to depression or anxiety, neuroplasticity can go one of two ways. In the case of rumination, negative belief systems such as “I’m not good enough”, or behaviors such as avoidance of feelings can create and reinforce maladaptive neural  pathways and discourage healthy and adaptive ones. However, new experiences can enhance learning by resetting key brain circuits. 

There are people who live their whole lives on the default settings, never realizing you can customize” – Robert Brault 

How Therapy Influences Neuroplasticity 

Psychotherapy primes the client for self discovery. One begins to witness and evaluate the reality constructed within. A curiosity about her beliefs about herself, such as: “if I’m not productive, I am lazy” arise. He begins to evaluate his worldview – such as – “people are not to be trusted and the world is not safe for me”. Deconstructing such narratives, healing the underlying original trauma at the root of these false beliefs and creating new personal meanings creates new neuro pathways and upgrades our system. 

Moreover, psychotherapy involves an embodiment aspect which incorporates our central nervous system. When emotions are activated and our survival mechanisms are mobilized, the therapeutic container can provide the safety required to come out the other side of painful emotions. As Carl Jung said: “there is no coming to consciousness without pain”. This type of therapeutic experience provides a rewiring  of our brain prompting it to reset and make new neuro-connections. 

how mindfulness practice impacts neuroplasticity 

Studies have shown that practices such as yoga, imagery, meditation and mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and states of mind), activate the calm and relaxation response in the brain. This process rewires our pathways especially when faced with circumstances that would normally produce a stress response. It is for this reason that deep breathing is recommended when feelings of anxiety arise. 

What you can do to prompt neuroplasticity:

Incorporate HIIT (high intensity interval training)

Twenty to twenty-five minutes of HIIT has been shown to increase neuroplasticity as interval training allows cortisol (our stress hormone) to return to normal between intervals of high intensity training. 

Practice Visualization 

Studies are showing that the brain lights up the same way for people who were instructed to imagine playing the piano as people who actually were playing the piano. Athletes have known about this phenomenon for quite a while. Michael Phelps, Allyson Felix, and Lindsey Vonn are said to practice this technique regularly. In fact 70-90% of Olympians now regularly practice visualization techniques, also known as “imagery”, meaning they imagine themselves scoring or executing their technique flawlessly in their mind as a form of practice. So, the next time you are presented with a challenging task- visualize yourself executing it flawlessly. THEN add in a challenge, and run a second mental movie successfully overcoming the challenge within the challenge. 

Utilize a Growth Mindset vs. A Fixed Mindset

In a fixed mindset, when we come across a problem that we have not encountered before- we quit. This is because we don’t believe that we can figure out how to overcome it. This kind of mindset sets us up for anxiety and feelings of depression or helplessness because we’re living in fear and feeling unsafe believing we can’t rely on ourselves. Secondly, we constrict our lives and play smaller, feeling limited, unworthy and stuck- a breeding ground for depressive symptoms.

In a growth mindset, challenges are viewed as opportunities to learn and grow. In a growth mindset one utilizes the term  “yet” regularly – as in “I don’t know.. yet”, which implies that I believe in myself enough that with research and time, I will figure out any challenge. In a growth mindset, one embraces mistakes and reframes them as opportunities for learning something that was unknown before. 

Incorporate blueberries and chocolate into your diet

Studies are showing a relationship between the nutritional benefits of blueberries and chocolate and neuroplasticity and neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells). 

Lastly, if we can know the habits of our mind then we can be flexible, fluid. If we can know ourselves in a deeper, more forgiving way and if we understand our neuroscience, then we can begin to neuro-hack a pathway that can create a richer inner environment in which we can thrive.