Neuroplasticity in a brain with large cavity
Do you know that there are people who were born missing parts of their brains and because of the power of neuroplasticity they fooled everyone by LIVING completely normal lives?
There’s a lot of contradiction in brain science (neuroscience) and brain plasticity (neuroplasticity.) But I’ve said for a while now that there are just two organs that can regenerate: the liver and the brain. And the brain you can do it consciously. But it’s not simply about plasticity; it’s about adaptability.
Neuroplasticity doesn’t come from playing video games or doing crossword puzzles. The jury is still figuring that out. This kind of advice is almost insulting to intelligent and intuitive people. We have to use all our mental faculties including our emotional and thinking ones to really get our brains to change. Nothing works better in a POSITIVE way, than to have juicy goals to work on, that get our creative juices going. That ENLIVEN us. That create CURIOSITY in us. Creativity is a mind/brain thing.
The thing I want to make known to you is this:
“I am a woman of science and what I know is that every illness and every injury that happens to you has a reason behind it.”
We are not helpless beings. Quite the opposite. And we can change our lives around any time we want. If we’re willing to go further than anyone else. Recently I’ve been picking the names of people as I see them. Nothing in life is truly random. I get intrigued and wonder what made these people successful. When I dive into their lives, over and over again, I see a pattern.
Whatever they do, they take risks to be dissed, belittled, shut down, laughed at. By smaller minds. They have many challenges and they find a way around them. All these people did literally everything they could do to move themselves and others to do what was best.
The small minds of the world probably don’t have a lot of positive neuroplasiticity going on!
They didn’t do it for fame or fortune, although many end up that way, within their niche and sometimes world-wide. But those things weren’t the primary motivation. They achieved great success because they WANTED to do something with the talent they had, in their chosen field. Some were pioneers, never had anyone done what they did. Men. Women. Especially take note, the women weren’t crying discrimination or anything like that. They were strong though. And pushed and pulled their way through.
That’s what strong people do. Regardless of gender. You and I can be just as successful.
Neuroplasticity in brain missing the cerebellum
So when it comes to the brain, there are many myths.
One is that the brain you have by adulthood is the way it’s going to be the way it is now and forever.
Another is that you need all the different parts working together.
With regards to treating concussions, you need to rest the brain, and the more the better! See my article about that!
There are stories about people who were discovered due to a “unrelated” health problem who had their brains examined and discovered that they had most parts of their brains missing.
Like the 44 year old French civil servant who had only 10% of a brain. His brain surrounded the periphery of his skull and the space inside his brain was filled with fluid. Yet he functioned normally throughout life, fathered two children and worked at his day-to-day job. Successfully.
Like the young Chinese woman who was examined by her doctors in China, only to discover that her entire cerebellum was missing. Amusingly, the article says that this young person is among “an elite club of just nine people who are known to have lived without their entire cerebellum.” But how the heck do we know if many other people don’t have the same circumstances.
Usually, the cerebellum receives information from your sensory systems (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and balance), the spinal cord, and other parts of the brain and also regulates motor movements, such as voluntary movements including posture, balance, coordination, and speech which result in smooth and balanced muscular activity. This young woman was a bit clumsy throughout life, but other than that, she was fine. This is quite a feat.
Or the baby who was born with just 2% of his brain in 2012. Noah Wall just had a documentary done about him which will air later this year, called “The Boy with no Brain.” Doctors had a fatal prognosis for him, but he obviously had different ideas. Now his brain is actually growing. His doctors are stunned by the progress he’s made. He may yet accomplish something for himself and the world just by his presence to show us the way.
Our perception of what is actually normal continues to evolve. And shows that when we don’t know any better, we can do and achieve ANYTHING. And that neuroplasticity is very strong force in each one of us, if we don’t fall into rigid forms of thinking!
Because it really is the thought that counts!
May the force be with you!
My work is all about possibility and possibility thinking. It changes the brain. It heals the brain. Neuroplasticity works both ways. You’re either shrinking the brain which is therefore a sick brain or you’re growing it. As you expand your life by WHAT you are THINKING, you are encouraging the birth and growth of new healthy brain cells and creating new healthy neural networks.
Because you’ve chosen to think constructively and positively and then taken those thoughts and put them into action to produce the results you want!
So, what about you?
Are you pouring your heart and soul into something that has a lot of meaning for you?
Are you ready to make tough decisions and go after what you want?
Success is not easy, not matter how you cut it. But the results are mighty fine. Stop living small. Dream big. Do big. Take a leap of faith. And be your own person all the way!
Dr. Joanny Liu, TCMD, B.Civil Eng, International #1 Best Selling Author and founder of Extraordinary Sports Medicine, where we help athletes reverse injury, get back in the game they love and improve their quality of life.
P.S. Watch Nathan’s Successful Recovery from Post Concussion Syndrome:
If you or someone you care about has a concussion or post concussion syndrome then pick up Dr. Joanny’s best seller: Heal Your Concussion: How to Quickly and Effectively Get Back in the Game
