The phrase “Change Your Mind” has taken on new meaning for me recently.  Changing one’s thought patterns can actually alter the physical brain, according to recent developments in neuroscience.  Think of the implications of this:  an ephemeral thought can change the neurochemistry of the brain, the connections between neurons, the way a brain reacts and learns and processes information and emotion.  A mere thought. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people connect how their thoughts impact their feelings and behaviors, which, in turn, impact their thoughts.  For example, a common symptom of depression is “negative self-talk.”  When the tape in a person’s head repeatedly tells them that they are not good enough (usually with much stronger language), depression increases.  With the increased depression, the person does not even want to get out of bed, behavior which further fuels the damaging self-talk.  Cognitive-behavioral therapy would first help this person become aware of the constant stream of negative thoughts, then become aware of how the negative thoughts impact behavior, and vice versa, and then help the person learn to stop the cycle, with replacement thoughts and behaviors. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is evidence-based, meaning that it is supported by research that proves it is effective in helping people recover from depression, anxiety, substance abuse and a range of other issues.  And, of course, while what is important is whether people respond to the therapy and recover, it is also interesting that neuroscience is beginning to show how these changes are manifested physically in the brain.

Sharon Begley, in her book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, provides an extremely readable review of scientific developments in the field of neuroplasticity.  (For a brief online summary of key findings, see Begley’s article in Time Magazine, January 19, 2007, www.time.com, entitled “How the Brain Rewires Itself”).  The malleability of the brain – how much it can change – is referred to as the “plasticity” of the brain, or neuroplasticity.  Prior to the last two decades, there was general scientific agreement that early experiences could change the neurochemistry and physical “mapping” of the brain, and that this malleability declined to almost nil by adulthood.  Within the last two decades, the scientific community has come to accept that experiences continue to change the physical structure of the brain throughout life. 

An example?  Research conducted by Dr. Arthur Kramer at the University of Illinois demonstrated that an increase in physical exercise among the elderly had a dramatic impact on the brain.  The participants in his study began to walk for exercise three times a week.  In a period of only six months, they showed a 15% increase in the portion of the brain dedicated to memory and attention. 

Other scientific studies clearly demonstrate that continuing to learn throughout our lives can stimulate the brain in such a way that it becomes easier to learn, memory improves, and concentration strengthens.  The brain is a muscle we can productively exercise as we age.

So, clearly, our actual activities impact our brain.  What about just thinking about an activity?  Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, the Director of the Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (www.tmslab.org), and a Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, conducted a fascinating experiment in the mid-90s.  Volunteers learned a simple piano exercise, and played it every day for two hours each day, five days a week.  After a week, these volunteers showed an increase in the motor cortex of the brain responsible for these finger movements.  Pascual-Leone took the research one step further.  He had another group of volunteers learn the exercise but simply think about playing it in their heads, holding their hands still.  At the end of the week, these volunteers had a similar expansion in the same motor cortex region as the volunteers who had actually played the piano.  I imagine that you’ve heard you should practice your golf swing in your head – now, we know why.

Various neurobiological studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy quiets activity in the brain regions that can cause endless depressive ruminations; quiets activity in those regions that activate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; and calms the interaction between the portions of the brain that exacerbate social anxiety.  Research is also beginning to explore how changes in thought patterns, and activities such as meditation, increase happiness.  The work of Richard J. Davidson, PdD, Director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu) argues against the theory that people have a “happiness set point” which is basically immovable throughout their lives. 

For many years, scientists believed that the mind was controlled by the physical brain.  Now, it seems, the mind controls the brain.  This, of course, leads to the thought – from whence do thoughts arise?  Where is this higher self located, the higher self that says, “I need to change my negative thinking”?  The answer to this question will vary depending on one’s spiritual beliefs.  Yet, no matter what spiritual beliefs we hold, the practical implications are the same: what enormous empowerment there is in the concept that we can change the course of our lives by consciously altering our thoughts.

This article was published in the New Canaan News-Review on March 6, 2008 and in the Darien News-Review on March 13, 2008.