| |
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsQuestions and AnswersBlog EntriesMaking a Work Plan Work for YouHow to Stop Worrying3 Ways to Know If You’re Saying Yes Too Much3 Simple Shifts for a Stress-Free Holiday: A Busy Person's GuidePoetry as Pregnancy: When "The Shrink Rap™ on Mental Illness" Gives BirthWhy Are We So Busy?How to Get Out of a CrisisGive Yourself a Break!The Truth About StressLearn to Manage Your Stress ProactivelyThe Fastest Way to Boost Your MoodSlowing Your Life to Enjoy it More and Get More DoneThe Key to Overcoming ProcrastinationAntidote to Busy: 5 Simple Ways to Find Time for YouNatural SPEED: Stress Resiliency Shrink Rap™: Safe Stress Survival Strategies10 Things to Stop Caring About If You Want to Be HappierUsing Your "Free" Time to Enrich Your LifeIs Laughter Really the Best Medicine?Life is a Struggle - or Is It??The World of Work - Have We Got It All Wrong?Forms of EscapismRest in CenterBeware of Secondhand StressWhy Worry?Enjoy The Freedom Not ToSimple Tips for a Stress-Free HolidayHoliday Coping with ADHD Children Accept DifficultyThe Beauty of Saying "No"Maybe It's Time to Come Out of the ClosetLate Sociologist Warned About Multitasking's Effect on WellnessMeditation and AnxietyTypes of Stress and Their SymptomsWhy Do We Dread Sunday: The Power of Anticipation?The Six "R" Road to Burnout Recovery - Part V: The Final "R"s - Relating and Risk-TakingA Generational-Digital Diatribe: Still, Don’t Be Afraid to Pet the Dinosaur (aka “Dinos & Digits”)Feel The SupportThe Six "R" Road to Burnout Recovery - Part IV: The Next Two "R"s - Retreating & WritingStress and Anxiety: The Impact the Government Shutdown and The Fiscal Cliff Had on PeopleThe Missing Parent Syndrome (MPS): How Psychosocial Loss Impacts Adult Children & Strategies for Building Bridges and Reworking the Grief - Pt ISports, Fans and StressFive Ways to See a Problem in a New LightThe Six “R” Road to Burnout Recovery – Part III: The First Two Strategic “R”s – Running and ReadingStress, Anxiety and Mindfulness MeditationThe Six "R" Road to Burnout Recovery - Part II: The Stress Doc's Strategic Brain-Body Map Can Stress Diminish the Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?Be the Boss of Your Smartphone Personal Discovery as Burnout Recovery: An Intimate Story of Hell to Glory - Part IWork, Stress and HealthAre You Self-Blaming and Self-Critical?Defining and Defeating ProcrastinationThe Four Stages of Burnout: The Erosive Spiral - Shrink Rap™ VersionTo Escape the Box, Embrace ParadoxBuilding Stress Resilience and Organizational Hardiness Despite Doing "More with Less"A Cool Shower for Icing a Blame-ThrowerRelax, You're Going to be CriticizedOf Self-Hatred and Self-CompassionIs the Stress Carrier a Modern Day Vampire? - Part II Safe Stress Tools for Survivin TNT Heaven - Part IWhat You Should Know About How Stress Shapes the BrainDrop the LoadSleeping, Eating & Gaming, Oh My: The Blood Sugar-Blood Pressure-Out for Blood TriangleOne Strategy to Put Your Technology on a LeashIt's Not Just Whether You're Stressed - It's Whether You Think You're Stressed3 Ways to Stop Worry24/7 SPEED/Resiliency Shrink Rap™:Safe Stress Survival StrategiesThe Impact of Small Stresses in Daily LifeJournaling and Mental Health Can Stress Make You Fat?Stressed at Work? You're Not AloneOf Anxiety and Stress Strengthening Stress Resiliency and Brain Agility with Humor and Natural SPEEDTake Back Your Time: How to Reduce Overwhelm in a Few Minutes a DayBooster Breaks at Work: Hit or Bust?Overcoming Stress by Volunteering With Your DogBoston: Compassion During a Terrorist AttackAnger and Stress, Letting It All OutYour Body Under Stress: DNA, Cells and AgingWhat is Radical Acceptance Anyway?New Research Shows Chronic Stress Accelerates Alzheimer's DiseaseThe Power of Mindfulness for TeensDepression and Learned HelplessnessTake a Dip in PleasureCome to CenterStress and Shingles, Mind and Body are OneYour 14:57 Minute RuleCan Understanding Neuroscience Free Us from Downward Spirals?Is It Possible? Stress and The Older AdultOnline Tools for Managing StressLoneliness, A Health HazardStress and Depression, Those Monday MorningsCan Mindfulness Make Us More Productive and Happier?Just Breathe: A Practice to Calm the Anxious MindStrategies to Keep Work Stress at BayThe Importance of ForgivenessRescuing and Rejuvenating a Manager at the Bureaucratic Burnout BattlefrontHoliday Stress QuizIt's the Holidays! Four Ways to Calm the Stressed MindNow and Then, Stress Is a Good ThingObesity, An Addiction?Cultivating Patience in Everyday LifeDo Stress Can Kill You Articles Cause You to Worry More? 6 Ways Mindfulness Can Improve Your Daily Life Are Self-Hate and Prejudice Against Others Different?How to be Wise About FearPractice a Self-Care Diet5 Signs of Emotional Exhaustion at Work The Brain in Your GutHow to Relax When Faced With School and Work StressWhat are the Real Roots of Workplace Stress?Some thoughts About Returning to School and LearningStrangers and The Need For Personal SpaceFind StillnessRecognize How Precious Your Life IsHuman Behavior, My Brain Made Me do It?Stress and the Dangers of AlcoholWhen Keeping Calm and Carrying On is Not EnoughHugging is Good MedicineBurnout and (Vicarious) Trauma-Inducing Work Environments: Part IIIProvocation, Anger and ReactionA Mindful Way Through ProcrastinationStress on the Rise? Two Simple Practices to Find ReliefThe Cascade Effect of Emotional StressOn Laughing and LaughterExercise: Building the "Can Do" MuscleWhy Are People in Such a Hurry?On Being OptimisticA 3 Day Plan to Break Free from IrritationDepressed, Forgetful? Take a Walk in the ParkFast Food, Health and DepressionHaving Trouble Exercising? Cultivate a Mindful HabitOlfactory Sensations (Smell) and Stress ReductionAvoid the RushThe Transitional Objects and Self ComfortChange Your Body, Change Your MindStress Reduction, Tropical Fish and AquariumsThe Erosive Grief-Ghost Spiral - Part III: Burnout Exposing the Burn-in...Burn-in Exploding the BurnoutSome Comments on Belief, Religion and Mutual RespectThe Impact of Stress and AngerA Fun and Mindful Way to Transform Your Child's StressBurn-in, Burnout, and Workplace Griefbusting: Part IA Classic Tip for Stress Reduction at Work Leave the Red ZoneHow to Use Mindfulness Meditation in your LifeThe Secret Ingredient to Making Change StickPut Yourself on Your Priority ListResentment vs.ForgivenessTwo Communicational Tools Providing Perspective, Patience and PresenceThe Pain of Breaking Up, Are You Self-Compassionate?Simple Life Wisdom from Comedian Louis C.K.It's the SAD SeasonBreaking Bad Habits in the New YearWant a Healthier Life? The Mindful DietPerception is Everything, Watch Out for Advertising TricksEconomic Difficulty? The Importance of Self-Compassion and Strategy for the HolidaysA Radical Way to Bring More Joy into Your LifeWhy Did this YouTube Video at 3 Million Hits? Step into the Clouds: Relieving StressStay in Shape in 5 Minutes a DayAngst in the Face of Economic Meltdown: Managing Your Anxiety When The Stress Won't Go Away! Part IIAngst in the Face of Economic Meltdown: Managing Your Anxiety When The Stress Won't Go Away! Part IThe Top Seven Sources of Stress and Their RemediesLower the PressureWanting Relief? Find Quiet a Few Minutes a DaySensory Overload, Tension and Stress New Video: Why Women Get StressedNational Debt, Stress and Perception, Is It Really That Bad?Got IBS? Study Says to Try a Little MindfulnessIs Mindfulness Uniquely Buddhist? Psychotherapy: Clarifying Some MisconceptionsThe Benefits of Owning a PetThe Frustration of Arguing About the TruthA Manifesto on Curbing the Technology TrapFeeling Overwhelmed? Take a BreakThe Cycle of Life: War, Peace, Happiness, and...On SuperstitionsThe Frustration of WaitingDrop this Thought in and See What Truth ArisesA Simple Yet Important Phrase to Bring into Your LifeHave You Tried the Freedom Practice? Parents and Coping and the Terrible TwosAnxiety, Worry, Stress: Living in the MomentStress, Emotions and Body ResponseTake My Advice, I'm Not Using ItProfessional Sports, Stress and DepressionMindfulness in Daily LifeI Found That Story Very "Touching"Cortisol: Why You Need to Know About ItRecharging Yourself Through Relationships and Giving to OthersNewly Married Couples and Sexual FrequencyCash Still Tight Around the Holidays? A 3 Step SolutionManaging Holiday Stress: Families + Holidays Do Not Always = Warm and Fuzzy TimesMindfulness, Intuition and the BrainThe Art of Pacing - Live Long and ProsperThe Pleasure, Beauty and Power of MusicDialectical Behavior Therapy Skills that Help Women Survive Stress Mindfulness for Stressed Teens: An Expert Interview With Gina Biegel, MA, LMFTDid You Know? Some Surprising Data about Stress An Expert Interview with Darrin Zeer on Managing Work Stress Where You Need to Look to Change Your LifeMake Your Life as Inconvenient as PossibleHow to Be Sick: A Mindful GuideA Lesson from Psalm 126New Research: Mindfulness and Adolescent Boys A Bit of Humor that Can Change Your DayHow a Flexible Body Makes a Flexible MindThe Mind Traps that Hold Us BackRewiring Your Brain for the Digital Age: A Good Thing?Software to Help with our Web Addictions? Bad Habits: Do You Have a Choice? The Most Important Way to Start Your DayIs the Storm Outside or In Your Mind? Thx: A 1 Minute Exercise Opening to the Space in Your Life: A Needed Reflection12 Hours Unplugged: Cravings, Urges, and Insights Oh My! Saturday: The 12 Hour Unplug Challenge What You Need to Know about the Dangers of Meditating for Relaxation Facebook: Research Shows Your Privacy at RiskThe Link Between Anger and StressNeuroplasticity: The Good, Bad and How it Affects YouUsing Your Brain to Work with Difficult Emotions3 Practical Steps to Making a Happier BrainHow to Find the Wisdom Inside to Mend Your Life Forgot Resolutions Already? 2 Strategies to Get You Back on TrackTrauma: A Mindful DialogueThoughts are Not Facts: A Story Everyone Should KnowHow to Slow Down Your Racing Heartbeat When Feeling AnxiousWhat Everyone Should Know About the Dangers Facebook Poses to Your RelationshipsElisha Goldstein's Top 10 Blog Posts for 2009Your Worry or Your Life? Sensory OverloadDo You Have the "I am a Fraud" Syndrome?An Interview with Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. on Mindfulness at WorkBeyond Thanksgiving: Your Next Stop...How Your Mind Sabotages Your Best Intentions: 3 Steps to Breaking FreeDepression? Stress? How Sweet they Are? A Dissertation on Dark ChocolateWhat is the Key to Less Stress at Work and Life?4 Steps to Losing the Electronic LeashKeeping You Sane: Do You Need a Day Out? You vs. Procrastination: 1 (Mindful) Secret to Winning the BattleAn Evaluation of Self Help Books and AffirmationsIn a Falling Economy, Trust Your Gut Or Reason? Can Anxiety Be a Good Thing? An Interview with Ilan Meyer, Ph.D, on the Effects of Stress on Minority Mental HealthFeeling Stuck? Two Things You Need to Know to Make a Change Elisha Goldstein's Top 10 Mental Help Blog Posts3 Steps Out of Helplessness 4 Steps to Spiritual Health and Well-BeingDo You engage in Emotional Eating?Hope: Our Greatest Antidepressant5 Factors of Resilience to Engage Today! What About the Good News? The Psychology of Twitter, Mindfulness and Your Mental Health Stress Relief: A Simple FormulaEco-Altruism and Your Mental Health3 Ways to Stay Up in a Depressed Work EnvironmentIts Enough to Make You Sick, News Coverage of the Swine FluLife Feel Overwhelming? Lessons From a DishwasherTax Day: Overcoming Stress 1 Strategy for Everyday Mental HelpTrain Your Mind to Tame Your StressIf you lived here…Unhappy Wife = Unhealthy Life? 5 Ways to Achieve MiseryHow Mindfulness can Help You Walk Away from Stress Today"All Work and No Play Make Jack and Jill Dull...."How this economic recession can pull you into an emotional recession without you even knowing it. 5 key steps that can helpBreaking down Martin Luther King's psychology of faith and how it can help you today...Rising teen anxiety! 4 strategies to help your kid todayCollege Stress and Pets:How this new economy can threaten your family without you even knowing itHandling The Stress of the 2008 Holiday SeasonTinnitus, The Annoying Sound Inside Your Head"Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage Breast"How to take advantage of the holidays and stave off stress, anxiety, and depressionFacing Economic Stress: women are taking it harder than men.Itching, Another Example of Mind-Body InteractionHow you can be in the flow of life more often and increase your happinessOne strategy you’ll want to know to be less stressed and more focused at work and life! What does an Iraqi war veteran have to teach you about stress? The mental help of a smile, what's in it for you? Anger…constructive, destructive, or both?Too smart for our own good? How we perpetuate stress and how to change! Stock market crash, mortgage crisis, rising inflation: What you need to know for stress relief and sanity! Liberal morality versus conservative morality: Understanding the difference can help you avoid argumentsWhen will the next addictive trigger hit you? One practice to make sure you’re ready for it. What do Barack Obama and Sarah Palin have to do with your mental health?How stressed out are you? 2 brain nuggets to help you break free today We've all heard of dental floss, but mental floss to prevent stress, anxiety, and depression? TIME OUT! 2 Things you can practice today to stave off anxiety and depression in this hectic time. Is work stress threatening your sanity? This approach will help you make a change now! The X Factor in HappinessThis habitual way of dealing with emotions causes more harm than good; 3 tips to change it now! Coping with the Challenges of Daily StressesNew and Improved Stress Reduction Topic CenterToo Muchness: When Life Gets to Feeling Like it's All Too MuchBurnout, What It Is and What To Do About ItMaintaining Mental Health During the HolidaysStress and Obesity, It's Official: Relaxation is Necessary for HealthI Want to ForgetMen and Anger and Heart Disease RevisitedMeditation: More BenefitsOur Fast Paced LivesWhy Do You Wash the Dishes?Humor Is A Laughing MatterDogs, Social Support and Health: A Winning CombinationA Primer on Coping (and some Holiday applications)Insufficient Arousal - Activation: From Emptiness to Inertia VideosLinksBook Reviews |
| | |
Neuroplasticity: The Good, Bad and How it Affects YouElisha Goldstein, Ph.D. Updated: Mar 9th 2010 I just came from a wonderful conference in UCLA where psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science discussed the nature of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is simply the new-ish finding that our brain continues to grow connections throughout the lifespan. This has been very encouraging and provided people with a lot of hope because of the fact now that we can actually alter our brains for the better. And as with anything that becomes a trend or popular we can sometimes miss the whole picture. So what are we missing?
Norman reminded us that neuroplasticity isn't inherently a good thing. The brain can grow new connections, but also in ways that hinder us. For example, if someone is exposed to a trauma that leaves them with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), no doubt there have been new neural connections that have been created that are now created a major stress reaction. Or if someone continually paves the path of automatic negative interpretations in life, those neural connections continue to get strengthened and become more difficult to unwind or reshape.
When I heard him talk about this piece I sighed and a feeling of relief came over me. Why? Because we can really be more effective in life when the lenses we're looking through are clear and we can see the entire picture, not just part of the picture.
So here we are. We have this exciting news and research showing that we can actually change the neural pathways in our brains based on the actions we take in life. Millions and millions of evolution of the brain have given us this awe inspiring organ that has more connections than we can comprehend.
This brain is so powerful and we are starting to understand that we can use our minds to shape our brains to help our minds. We can also use our minds to shape our brains to hinder our mind. Did you get that? Read it over again a few times, it will begin to become clear.
In other words, what and how we pay attention in this world has a tremendous effect on the growth of our brains. The way our brain is lends itself to an auto-pilot effect that can lead us to automatically be a certain way in this world. It takes an intentional practice of awareness in life to understand that there is a space between the moment we are triggered and our reaction.
In that space lies choice, in that space lies to moment where we can break from auto-pilot and begin using our minds to shape our brains to help our minds.
I hope this post wasn't too much of a brain twister. Feel free to read it over again and again and see what it means to your own life.
As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from. Thank you!!! - Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. - Mar 10th 2010
Thank you for doing such wonderful work Martin, it looks very interesting! Mindfulness and Brain Training - Martin Walker - Mar 10th 2010
Hello, Dr. Goldstein.
The way that the science of the brain and the practice of mindfulness have begun to merge is fascinating and exciting.
With new techniques to quantify and measure the impact of mindful exercises on brain function, such exercise and therapy can and will I'm sure establish a more prominent role in our lives. And rightly so!
My company publishes brain training software that requires intensive mindfulness and in turn strengthens our ability to be mindful in other parts of our life. This kind of serious brain training is quickly taking a place in the repertoire of practitioners who seek to help people build mindfulness, break habits, boost self esteem, increase general attention and productivity, and address dysfunctions related to attention and working memory.
Best wishes, Martin Walker www.mindsparke.com Neuroplasticity - feldypt - Mar 10th 2010
Thank you for this posting, and many of my Feldenkrais colleagues attended the UCLA workshop, I was sorry to miss this.
I wondered if you were familiar with the Feldenkrais Method? I was fortunate to be one of the organizers for the Feldenkrais and Neuroplasticity Expo at Cedar Sinaii Hospital
http://www.feldenkrais.com/method/article/featured_region_southern_california/
Since you are in LA, please drop on by for a class sometime if you are interested.
http://www.feldenkrais.com/method/article/neuroplasticity_and_the_feldenkrais_method/ Actions change neural pathways - Rajesh yedida - Mar 10th 2010
It's very interesting to see that we can change the neural path ways by the actions we take in our life. But who controls our actions??? This is a bit confusing. |