You Can't Teach Old Dogs New Tricks

You Can't Teach Old Dogs New Tricks

By William A Rogers

A few weeks ago my good friend Alfie Wade who now lives in the South of France called me to discuss a book that he feels will change the lives of thousands of people. The name of the book is “The Brain That Changes Itself” by Dr. Norman Doidge. The Doidge book is a study of scientific success by scientist who are leading the new neuroplastic revolution movement; a movement with an identical base in concepts of ancient wisdom.

Modern science has long believed that after childhood the brain starts a long process of decline. Brain cells that were damaged or died could not be replaced. It was also believed in the same scientific circles that people who were born or suffered brain damage would be limited or damaged for life.

If the brain is socially programed it is wired and cannot change, if the brain cannot change the personality developed by an unchangeable brain was also fixed and unchangeable as well. Neuroplasticity research has proven these old beliefs about the brain be to untrue.

Neuroplasticity also known as brain plasticity refers to the now proven fact that the brain has the ability to change throughout life. It has the ability to form new connections between brain cell to repair and replace dead or injured cells.

Neuroplastic research has shown that the brain can grow new nerve endings to reconnect neurons (nerve cells) whose links were damaged or destroyed. The research also discovered that undamaged axons can grow nerve endings and connect with other undamaged nerve cells, forming new pathways to address a needed function.

Doidge provides a number of neuroplastic research case studies that showed patients treated by forms of neuroplastic trophy have learned to see again, overcome learning disorders, recovered from stroke enablement and memory lost. This research also shows how brain plasticity can be both good and bad. Thoughts can create a restructuring of the brain and brain cell communication in negative and positive ways. 

You are what you think you are and you can do what you think you can do. If you are not happy with your quality of life you have the ability to manifest a new reality. This understanding has a base in ancient wisdom. The new understanding of how the brain works provides a clearer understanding of how meditation, tai chi and ki training works.

All healing begins from within physical, mental and spiritual. This new and old way of looking at the brain will not only revolutionize the medical approach to brain damage and repair; it will also provide new avenues for personal development and change.

Neuroplastic science has proven that we have the ability to rewire our brain and our way of thinking for self-improvement and the improvement of our quality of life.

 I guess you can teach old dogs new tricks. Once again science has proven what wise men and women understood to be true thousands of years ago.