Neuroplasticity and Mental Health
What is neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. The brain is capable of changing and growing throughout the life-span. This means we can break habits and create new ones, whether that relates to the process of learning, thinking, or feeling. It doesn’t matter what age you are—you can always break old patterns and create new ones.
Dr. Michael Merzenich is the neuroscientist known as “the father of neuroplasticity.” Dr. Merzenich’s research has found that skills previously learned by damaged tissue can be learned again in other areas of the brain. Research has found that by stimulating areas near the area of dysfunction in the brain, the brain can learn to fire neurons in parts that weren’t functioning previously. By approximation, or stimulating areas of the brain close to dysfunction, growth can occur.
What is the connection between neuroplasticity and mental health?
Recent research has found that response inhibition may play a role in depression and ruminating thoughts. Response inhibition is the brain’s ability to suppress an automatic response and instead create a planned response. For a person experiencing depression, the brain gets stuck on depressive thoughts and trapped in the cycle of rumination. Response inhibition can be learned through awareness, slowing down and considering other possible thoughts or perceptions aside from the depressive ones. In getting un-stuck, it can help to have a therapist, doctor, or medication to help reorganize your brain out of these habitual patterns.
When you’re stuck on the same thought and can’t seem to get a different perspective, it can be difficult to consider any other way of thinking. Turning to someone who is capable of holding space for you right where you are is a great plan of action. There is a concept used by social workers and psychotherapists referred to as “meeting people where they are at.” When you join with another person and meet them where they are, connection is possible. First, a therapist connects with you where you are, then they start exploring where you want to go.
Therapy supports neuroplasticity in the way of meeting people where they are at, and in providing support in approximation to where they want to go. Things that you believe will be a part of you for the rest of your life don’t have to be. Your brain is capable of great shifts and this miraculous brain change is just a connection away.
How do I support the process of neuroplasticity in my brain?
Concepts of brain science can be intimidating to learn about. However, supporting your own neuroplasticity is more simple than you would think. Adapted from neuormovement creator, Anat Baniel’s 9 essentials for creating new connections in the brain, are these steps in supporting neuroplasticity for your mental health:
Focus - bring your attention to the present moment.
Slow Down - Slow down your thoughts and physical movements so you can focus even more on what is going on in your brain and body sensations. Don’t try to move out of what you are experiencing immediately or judge it.
Identify - name what you are noticing about your thoughts, feelings or sensations.
Ponder Possibilities - identify other possibilities. What could you think instead? Is the thought helpful? What could be a more helpful thought?
Choose - choose something outside of your habitual thoughts or behaviors. This may take some thought. Just consider the variations. Choose a different thought or something productive you could do physically in the moment. Choose something that can redirect your attention away from whatever habit of thought or behavior you are attempting to break.
Act - act on whatever thought you decided is more helpful. Or, do the more helpful activity you chose. The more helpful thought or action is the one that makes you feel lighter, relaxed and grounded.
Notice - notice how you you feel with the alternative thought or activity. Slow down again and feel slight shifts in your thinking or feeling. The more you notice small shifts, the more they cause big change and growth in your brain.
Focus, slow down, identify the pattern, ponder the possibilities, choose a different way of responding, act on it, and notice the small shifts. The more you practice, the more these reactions can be instantaneous. You can create neural networks in your brain that identify the unhelpful thoughts and behaviors quickly. It can happen in an instant.
Your habitual pattern can be to first consider ways of thinking that make you feel good, rather than having automatic negative thoughts. It helps to notice that ruminating thoughts are repetitive and often the same. BUT, the brain loves new things. We don’t have to take ruminating thoughts personally. Instead, we can recognize the thoughts as a sign the brain needs something new and to consider other possibilities.
The brain thrives off of learning new ways to think, feel and behave. The possibilities of neuroplasticity are always waiting for us. We can greatly impact the speed in moving brain change along with some effort and focused attention.