If you think you're hard-wired to be a certain way, act a certain way, or think a certain way, then I hate to break it to you but that's simply not how the brain works. The concept of neuroplasticity is that the human brain is ever changing, adapting, and reorganizing. Even after traumaº or deep stress (acute or repeated) which in itself impacts the function and structure of the brain, our brain can rewire itself. We are very changeable, healable even- we just have to do the work.
As we know, the brain is composed of different areas all responsible for individual functions, and to really understand neuroplasticity, you must understand how the brain works.
First and foremost you'll need to understand what neurons are. Neurons are "cells within the nervous system that transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells." [1] They function by using electrical impulses and chemical signals to transmit information [2] via "pathways" in the brain.
When we learn something new, neurons begin to fire and wire together, creating new "pathways". The more we repeat what we've learned, the stronger that pathway becomes. Think of it like driving on a dirt road. The first time you drive on an undiscovered dirt road, it may take a while to drive it because the dirt is soft and dusty making it tough to drive on. But if you drive down that dirt road every single day, eventually the tires create imprints in the dirt, the dirt gets packed down, and you breeze down it without issues. That's what happens in our brain. The more we repeat something, the more imprinted it becomes.
When we have negative thoughts and core beliefs, or even certain ways of being and living, we are strengthening those neural pathways. Eventually, our brain memorizes these ways so much so that it all becomes automatic- we don't have to think about it. We are essentially running on autopilot.
In order to change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, we need to change which neurons are firing and wiring together. We need to intercept those automatic thoughts and replace them with new ones so that new "pathways" can form.
Think of the dirt road example. Let's say that to get home you've driven down the same dirt road your entire life. Suddenly you realize you want to change things up- you don't like that old dirt road anymore and you want to create a new road. However, it's not that easy now because every time you go to drive home, you are automatically going to head toward that same old dirt road because that's what your brain has memorized. In order to change that, you have to consciously think, "I'm going to go a different way". You may even have to go as far as to place a giant concrete road block at the front of the old road to stop you from mistakenly driving down it.
Now you start to drive down a new road. You start to form new tracks. Every time your brain remembers the old dirt road and you start driving towards it, the roadblock stops you and you turn around and head towards the new road.
Over time, you don't even think about that old dirt road. That road becomes covered with weeds and the rain eventually washes away those imprinted tire tracks. It's not even really a road anymore.
You making the choice to put down that road block is the same as you choosing not to have that same negative thought, behavior, or belief. You're choosing not to "go down that road" anymore. As a result of that, the direction changes. As a result of that, the brain changes.
Got it? Great. Because there's more.
The limbic system is an important area to focus on when talking about neuroplasticity, especially in the case of trauma, illness, and mental health because it's involved in our emotional and behavioral responses.
It's comprised of the hippocampus (associated with memory and learning), the amygdala (responsible for our emotional response i.e. threats in our environment/ties emotional meaning to our memories) and the hypothalamus (responsible for keeping our body in homeostasis through hormones and by influencing the autonomic nervous system).
When we experience chronic or continuous physical, mental, and/or emotional stress, eventually our brain memorizes that as well and it ultimately impairs our limbic system.
It's important to understand that our limbic system can save us. If we're walking down the street and suddenly a tiger who escaped from a nearby zoo is growling at us from behind, our limbic system is the one that fires up; We'll get a rush of adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine, and we'll run faster than we've ever run in our lives to find safety and save ourselves. Once we are there, the limbic system will realize we are safe and lower the dial back to "normal", stopping the release of those fight/flight hormones.
However, when we experience chronic or continuous stress and/or any type of ºtrauma to the body, such as viral or bacterial infections, extreme emotional or psychological stress/anxiety, toxic exposure to mold or different types of chemicals*, physical injuries, physical or emotional abuse, emotional trauma, along with so many other forms of trauma, it can "cause the circuits in the brain's limbic system to fire more rapidly...In some cases the brain’s limbic system can get stuck in a chronic fight, flight, or freeze response where it (and our body) remains on high alert even if the initial threat or trauma is no longer present and [therefor] becomes impaired [3, 4, 5]**."
In order to get our limbic system "unstuck" and out of this high alert state- also known as a maladaptive stress response or limbic system impairment- we need to change how our brain and body responds in mental, emotional, and physical ways. Though it may be automatic, we have the amazing opportunity to stop it in its tracks. To do this, we do what we did back on that old dirt road. Every time it fires a memorized physical or mental sensation or symptom, we put that road block down in front of it.
Let me make something very clear. Rewiring the brain takes dedication and hard work. When I started my neuroplasticity training after learning the DNRS program, I repeatedly heard the phrase, "Rewiring your brain takes olympic athlete dedication", and I didn't really understand what that meant, until one day it clicked.
I had to become aware of every negative thought possible, whether it was anxiety based, depression based, pain or physical symptom based. When I became aware of those thoughts, I couldn't just recognize them and move on. I had to stop. I had to shift my attention from the negative to the positive and spend time in that state. The longer you spend time in the positive, the better. (More on this in another post where I dive a bit deeper into what neuroplasticity "work" looks like.)
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Keep in mind that this was a very brief and general description of the brain and neuroplasticity- I could go a lot deeper and get more complex, but for the sake of an introduction to neuroplasticity and brain function, I kept it simple. Below you will find a (VERY) short list of some examples of what functions the limbic system can support, and what symptoms can present when it becomes impaired.
The limbic system supports a range of functions including (but not limited to) [6]:
Evaluating and processing emotion, as well as emotional reactivity and response
Sexuality
Learning
Memory consolidation and recall
Regulating aggressive and combative behavior
Sense of smell
Some motor behavior (including voluntary and involuntary movement)
Limbic system impairment can cause symptoms including, but certainly not limited to [6]:
Strong reactions to mild stimuli from sounds, light, fragrance, touch, stress, etc.
Various digestive issues
Mast cell activation
Low energy, chronic fatigue
Anxiety, fear, and anxiety disorders
Low motivation, depression
Brain fog, disorientation, memory loss
Over-, binge-, or emotional eating
Changes to sex drive
*This does not have to be hazardous laboratory chemicals- it can be things we are exposed to easily such as pesticides on food, toxic beauty products, etc.
** In some cases, for editorial purposes, I've merged sentences together and added connecting words, however the main sentences are still from the noted source.
Citations:
1- Brainfacts.org
2-https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/patient-caregiver-education/brain-basics-life-and-death-neuron
3- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637449/
4- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938403001616
5- https://retrainingthebrain.com/understanding-the-science/
6- https://www.tcimedicine.com/post/the-limbic-system-a-little-known-system-that-can-cause-huge-dysfunction
Other sources
https://positivepsychology.com/neuroplasticity/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/limbic-system.html
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Limbic-System-and Behavior.aspx#:~:text=A%20dysfunctional%20limbic%20system%20is,disorder%2C%20schizophrenia%2C%20and%20autism
