Brain Plasticity Therapy Concepts
Brain in Pain … by Dieter Luske – N.D.-D.C.H.-D.M.H.-D.H
Book Recommendation:
Brain Plasticity has become familiar in recent years due to the release of excellent scientific research. I recommend everyone interested in that topic to read …..
The Brain That Changes Itself – by Norman Doige, MD
Introduction:
It must be acknowledged that Brain Plasticity and its therapy concepts are part of Holistic Natural Therapy.
Any brain plasticity concept-based therapy requires the “active, whole-hearted involvement” of the “whole patient“, not just their pain-associated body parts.
Most patients are passive in their medical treatment.
In contrast, with brain plasticity-based therapy, the patient does most of the work towards their own healing. This approach originated in traditional medical history, paramount for all holistic healing principles. Hippocrates saw the body as the main healer, and the medical practitioner and patient worked “together with nature” to allow and support the body to activate its own healing capabilities.
The holistic view of using the brain, mind, body and its energy pathways together to heal is still rejected by the “Modern Western Medical System”. Natural brain/body therapies include Traditional Chinese medicine, Energy-based medicines, Meditation, Visualisation, Yoga, Thai Chi, Naturopathy, Kinesiology and many other modalities.
Neuroplasticity is the missing link between modern Western Medicine and traditional Eastern Medicine.
Note: Before working treatment protocols can be developed, it helps to understand the underlying principles of Brain Plasticity.
Principles of Brain Plasticity:
Stating principles in no particular order, as in all holistic healing principles, one principle does not rank higher than another. As more wholeness can be achieved, better results can be expected.
“Use it or lose it” is an age-old principle, but one must be careful in applying it. To start, it obviously means if you don’t use your brain/mind, you may lose it. However, to emphasise this principle, one needs to know more about the brain’s tendencies to make matters worse against all judgments.
Consider you have chronic pain in your leg; by reacting repeatedly and in the same way towards the pain, the brain will deepen the pain pathways. It may, in the end, become the leading cause of the pain, also called “learned pain”.
This concept is well-known as being “stuck in a groove”. In this instant, “use it or lose it” means you used your brain in a “reactive automatic” way. Constantly using the same pathways deepens the initial pain and makes it chronic.
For brain plasticity treatment principles, we need to become “active” and use our brains specifically to facilitate healing.
This means you must take charge and make the brain do what you want. That leads to therapy techniques and activities, such as meditation, visualisation and other activities to “climb out of the groove”.
Intend with Intensity:
I just have invented this principle, but the principle of intensity is an important one.
Anyone who has used “affirmation” for healing purposes will know that the emotionless repeating of a certain affirmation may not result in the expected outcome. However, by intensifying it, applying emotions and strong convictions, the affirmation will do its positive work.
For anyone not believing in affirmations, please be aware that if you worry about something and you get stressed, you have successfully used “negative affirmations” to trigger an unwanted outcome.
Affirmations are just as effective as worries, the choice is yours, and you can use the former principle of use it or lose it to sort this out.
Actively use positive affirmation to bring on the desired change.
For brain plasticity therapy, you need a positive activity with the intent to heal with the highest intensity you can muster. This opens up a whole box of treatment treasures to consider, and the question: “What are the best techniques for intensifying the needed brain-changing activity?
In addition to meditation and visualisation, you can use emotional, and verbal affirmation. The trick is to stack techniques in an intense and useful manner.
Techniques to intensify: Affirmation – Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis – NLP techniques – EFT – Kinesiology – Feedback – Faith and Belief strengthening – Mantras – Specific Nutrients for brain activity – Yoga – Thai Chi, and possibly many more.
If you worry, the intensity is automatic and without effort. In contrast, to achieve intensity with an affirmation, visualisation, or any other technique takes concentration and effort; in other words, it takes “activity and effort” on your part.
Other Principles we know :
- Activity – Intensity and Motivation
- If you do what you always do ….. change destructive habits.
- Mind over Matter – as we now know, this holds true.
- Placebo – placebo is now accepted as mind-changing brain structure aid. – Can be medicine or physical treatment based.
- Pain is an Illusion ( concept ) – fighting a faulty illusion with a stronger one – visualisation techniques.
- Body Image – Our brains work with a body map, a body image, not with the real body … this principle also explains why visualisation works.
- Competitive Plasticity as in chronic pain .. the pain pathways have taken over, and you compete with your own pain.
- Combining Mind, Brain and Body Healing processes provides a more intense healing path.
- Brain Plasticity type of therapy efforts lots of time. To change habits, or form new ones, to un-learn and re-learn, will take six weeks or longer.
… next, Brain Plasticity – Activity – Intensity – Motivation
Article by Dieter Luske – N.D.-D.C.H.-D.M.H.-D.H
Non-fiction writer – Memoirs – Holistic Lifestyle Philosophy
*Disclaimer: The information provided is intended for general/personal use only. It should NOt be understood as medical advice.
