Is change possible?
Back in the 1990s, there was a belief among many in the field of psychology that the mind is “set” after we reach a certain age. After all, our frontal lobes appear to be fully developed by age 27.
However, current neuroscience research suggests that this is not the case. Our minds are capable of change, healing and growth throughout our lifespan. The term, neuroplasticity, is used to describe the process in which the brain adapts in response to new experiences. Our brains are capable of changing in structure and function.
And, counseling can play a role in the process of change. Psychotherapy has the potential to effect change by strengthening synaptic connections and changing the anatomical pattern of interconnections between nerve cells (Doidge, 2007).
I would encourage anyone interested in the topic of neuroplasticity to read “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge. On a personal note, this is one of the first books that I read after my daughter’s brain injury. It provided me with a solid foundation of hope during many years of rehabilitation as I watched my daughter relearn how to speak, read, write, process information and regulate emotions, as well as navigate a very new, unfamiliar (and often cruel) world.
This quote by Samuel Decker Thompson, sums up what I have learned in the years that I’ve had the privilege of working in this field: “We are all just one car crash, diagnosis, unexpected phone call, broken heart away from becoming a very different person. How beautifully fragile are we that so many things can take but a moment but alter our lives forever.”
Emily Watson, MA, LMFT, GC-C
Reference: Doidge, N. (2007). The Brain that Changes Itself. Penguin Books.
