Juicy Neuroplasticity Resources
Introduction
So this subject is as vast as my love for chocolate (literally infinite), but these are the routes in that have been helpful for people I work with.
I choose these to recommend to people as they are a guide to our own power, every single one. The age of the guru is done. We don’t need people to fix us. We need to understand our power - accrue tools for harnessing this, and implement them with compassion, care, and a lot of laughter for being human, imperfect, and wonderful just as we are.
For my clients - please do your HeartMath or a neuroplasticity round before beginning approaching a new book/learning to check you are in a baseline of curiosity and trust - and not searching from fear. All other humans reading this - please approach all new learning with a gentle sense of curiosity and care.
Learning is to inform and empower our actions and ways of being. We do not need to be fixed. There is never anything wrong with us. If we approach learning from a baseline of fear - we will see only the information that feeds that emotional state, as that is how the limbic brain processes information when it is on high alert and trying to keep us safe (more on this in later posts). So go gently, observe your self, and enjoy every moment of learning how powerful you are.
If an author’s tone isn’t your jam, don’t abandon the neuroplasticity ship - find another, or a different medium like audio or video. Cultivate a curiosity if anything feels challenging and you feel defensive - as this is a sign of protection for something in you coming up, and can be acknowledged with a gentleness and compassion.
Learning is a small part, the rest is experiential; of changing thoughts, habits, emotions and behaviours. Knowledge is a rumour until it moves through us in our new choices. This will be full of failure, dips and inevitable healing. Use this knowledge to help you move :)
Neuroplasticity Explained Simply
For a quick tour of what this even is - please read my little introduction on it here. Email me if you need it explained differently please through the site and I will help you.
Neuroplasticity In Healing
A film I feel everyone would benefit from watching: HEAL
I also am not a fan of a lot of mainstream TV when healing the brain. I highly recommend if you’d like to watch cool things - get Gaia.
Learn about what you are capable of, how unbelievably miraculous we are. THIS is good TV :). You also will want to. limit screen time as we are re balancing brain chemicals and teaching your brain and body to get its dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin from its own power, not from social media or other outside means.
My clients - you guys already know no action films, no horror, anything that will activate your system whilst we are re wiring it!!!
Dr Joe Dispenza (one of my teachers)
You are the placebo - Dr Joe Dispenza
Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself - Dr Joe Dispenza
These books are also available as audio books for those that have difficulty reading at this time.
Dr Bruce Lipton
The Biology Of Belief - Dr Bruce Lipton
The above video may help placate some of my clients who have to endure my excitement over gratitude haha.
Dr Gregg Braden
The Spontaneous Healing of Belief - Dr Gregg Braden
Neuroplasticity and Emotion
How emotion influences health and the brain. A gorgeous understanding of how brain pathways and neuropeptides (little chemical messengers that whizz around the brain and body) affect the physical body. Hurrah for this female scientist and her discoveries. I will also post more on this.
The Molecules Of Emotion - Dr. Candace Pert
Trauma and Brain Change
Trauma can have many faces. It is what ever the nervous system perceives as too much to process in that moment for that particular being. This could be childhood attachment, abuse, neglect etc. Or it could be over time a build up of chronic longer term stress that then hits a point where the body cannot process more and so it is stored by brain and body and cells until such time as the person is able to move it out. We are not taught this - so we are a population in a state of fight/flight - but most of all, in FREEZE. This fight/flight/freeze state has distinct signatures in the brain and nervous system, and can be released and healed beautifully.
Those with PTSD - be gentle with your tolerance levels for this information. Learning how the brain and body work in trauma is deeply empowering for us. At the same time it can evoke emotion and sensation. Be compassionately aware of your levels of tolerance for this and go gently, you are always able to slow down, process and digest before continuing.
In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness - Peter Levine
A spoken version is also available on youtube.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel Van Der Kolk
PolyVagal Theory
Yes, sounds super exciting doesn’t it haha. Our vagus nerve is like a the brake for our fight flight. It helps us switch in and out of sympathetic tone (get up, go, fight/flight) and parasympathetic tone (chill, rest, repair). In chronic stress and/or trauma, the poor vagus nerve freezes up and can’t do its job.
There are a lot of ways, both from ancient eastern practices, and modern day practice - to communicate with our vagus nerve and help it to unwind and relax again. It has profound implications for brain, body, digestion, allllll the things.
The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory - Stephen W. Porges
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve - Stanley Rosenberg
Mind Body Illness
So for those with chronic pain, this is hugely important to read, to understand how the brain and psyche bring about actual physical and measurable changes in the body and functionality. The title is for back pain but it can be extrapolated to chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions. you will find an enormous amount of testimonials on youtube for chronic pain and Dr Sarno’s work.
John Sarno
Healing Back Pain - Dr John Sarno
The Divided Mind - Dr John Sarno
Unlearn Your Pain - Howard Schubiner MD
In closing - these are simply resources to get started. I will next post about ways to implement this knowledge. Practitioners, modalities, and self practice.
I hope this is helpful to you! Please know that this is a lifetime of joyous learning so there’s no need to feel we ‘should’ read or learn all the things. What ever feels juicy - go for it. Something may call you in five or ten years! You can also work with people who can help guide you to what might be useful for you if you simply don’t know where to start. Contact me if this is you! I love being a bridge builder for people to gently get back to their bodies and hearts.
For those who feel they’d like to explore neuroplasticity in their own self practice, please feel free to look over how I work, and if it calls you, contact me. I myself have walked this path to recovery and I would be delighted to hold your hand as you discover your own bottomless pool of brain and heart badassery. I also have an incredible network of people I refer out to if I am not your jam but you’d like to have access to other people and ways of working. All I care about is that when someone reaches out - there is hand waiting for them to facilitate their next steps.
With care always
Nadia
