Informative Reading | The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of...

A few thoughts... | The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. ... | Norman Doidge

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	• The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. ... Norman Doidge Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 172 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fascinating

This book is an easy to read, approachable book about the miracles of the brain. It reviews, through various themes and anecdotes, many past theories about how the brain works, and reveals many new fascinating findings about how dynamic the brain really is. Much of the book centers around the brain's ability to self correct after injury, and it reveals fascinating research about treatments for stroke, autism, and many of ther issues of the brain.

The book combines science with human interest and history, discussing not only what is going on, but the people who are doing the research and who have made some key discoveries.

If you are interested in psychology or neurophysiology, but are not in the field, this is a great book and very thought provoking. (It might be great if you are in the field as well, but I'm not so I don't know to what extent the book covers material you will think is common knowledge.)

Definitely worth reading.

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Informative Reading

I found this book to be very informative and interesting.
It is written so that non-professionals can understand it very well.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the human mind.

A few thoughts...

This book ought to be read right after you read Learned Optimism. It will change the way you look at your limitations. "The Brain..." gives example after example of people that should not have been able to change their lives, at least according to outdated theories that are proven wrong in this work.

There have been so many excellent reviews, that I will not go into detail about the contents of the book, but I would like to share my thoughts as I finished reading it.

Several years ago, I read a book that struck a chord with me: Out Of the Box for Life. Many of the ideas in that book are right in line with Learned Optimism. As a person that grew up in a less than perfect home (didn't we all?), I found the frame of reference that I gained from reading these three books to be liberating. The thoughts that have grown from my reading these three books focus on my ability to control my life. "The Brain..." solidifies the scientific proof presented in Learned Optimism, which reinforced the paradigm shift that was presented by Out of the Box for Life by Berland.

I have learned that we all have agency to create what ever we can envision for ourselves. We can make a difference in the lives of those around us. It is better to believe that we are in control (because we mostly are) than to believe that we have no control. Those thoughts will most assuredly create failure. If a thought is based in truth, builds yourself and others, then it it should be nurtured. Thoughts that may be true, but do not build others, or opportunities, should not be focused on.

A lot of the self help books I have read through the years were really based in science. This is good news. We are in control of our destinies. We can think for ourselves. We can grow and have fulfilling lives. It is up to us.

Sorry for the ramblings... you may find yourself rambling like this after reading these books as well. Just get them a read them. See if you do not have a better outlook on life, and better control of your future.

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Things I wish I had known years ago

A friend of mine was recommending this book to another friend and I was intriqued by what she was saying. I had no idea that the book would contain as much information as it does, fascinating information. I am loving it!

One of My All Time Favorite Books

What follows is a comment I made to a reviewer who gave this book a 1-star rating. As I put this much effort into it, I thought to post it as a stand alone review. Keep in mind, this is in response to a severe critic of the author.

"All I can tell you is that I have myself applied his principles towards personal efforts and finding the results in my view, dramatic. You are trashing him in a way I often see author's trashed, I would call it nit picking. I see this done on histories, other books of merit. You fail to appreciate that the book is full of very wise advice. I don't care if other books have wise advice, that does not diminish from this book. It does not matter that much if it is correct of not. Who cares? Most people want to find an efficient way to get from point A to point B. I find myself applying his model, and am finding the results to be very remarkably positive. Specifically on guitar I am achieving finger independence (essential for real artistry) by changing my way of practicing, understanding that practicing in a manner where my fingers were not moving independently was reinforcing a mushed up brain mapping. The author makes it clear that change requires discipline and concentration. I really was not aware that I did not concentrate as I should, and am finding that when I concentrate precisely, the changes come even faster, as the author has stated. I also have applied his principles towards other endeavors, such as learning Spanish. I don't care if he is fully correct or not, he has wonderful practical advice if one listens to him. This book can help people. However it clearly takes discipline and careful observation of your habits to put his model into practice. The two major guidelines I feel are (1) Do things correctly, go back to square 1, patiently do things correctly and let the undesirable synapses weaken, build up a new desirable network, don't continue the bad habits, find a way to proceed where you don't you don't reinforce the bad habits (this required some careful observation and thought in my case), be patient and disciplined, and (2) Concentrate! It works for me, I am sure of that. Also in anger control. I have 8 cats that used to drive me nuts with their needs and being annoying, jumping on me when I am trying to concentrate while practicing, etc. I came to understand I just had a neural network that triggered anger. I started letting that pass, to catch myself, looking at it as just a wired response. Just now one of them jumped up, knocked a bunch of stuff off, broke something. I did not even get mad, not at all. The neural network in my mind has changed, the anger response has weakened and no longer fires. I don't care if it is correct, that what the author claims, actually happened or not. Following the model has worked for me, dramatically. I don't know if regular exercise and new mental challenges will keep me sharp at age 90. However, regardless, I don't see myself kicking myself on my death bed because I kept physically fit in my life, and intellectually involved. I realize your point of view. But you focus on what really has no importance, it is not like the author is going to determine where research money goes. This is a book for the average person, and if it helps the average person, or can help, it is a great book, regardless of irrelevant (for any practical purpose) flaws that you might find."

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An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they?ve transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.

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