Can ?ou Change ?our 8raln by 1hlnklng ulfferenLly?

8y ur !oe ulspenza
CurrenL neuro-sclenLlflc Lheory Lells us LhaL Lhe braln ls organlzed Lo reflecL everyLhlng we
know ln our envlronmenL. 1he dlfferenL relaLlonshlps wlLh people we have meL, Lhe varleLy of Lhlngs
we own and are famlllar wlLh, Lhe cumulaLlve places we have vlslLed and have llved ln, and Lhe
myrlad of experlences we have embraced LhroughouL our years are all conflgured ln Lhe sofL plasLlc
Llssues of Lhe braln. Lven Lhe vasL array of acLlons and behavlors LhaL we've repeaLedly performed
LhroughouL our llfeLlme ls also LaLLooed ln Lhe lnLrlcaLe folds of our gray maLLer. lor Lhe mosL parL,
our braln ls equal Lo our envlronmenL.
ln a normal day, as we respond Lo famlllar people, as we encounLer common Lhlngs ln
known places aL predlcLable Llmes, and as we experlence recurrlng condlLlons ln our personal world,
we wlll more Lhan llkely Lhlnk and behave ln auLomaLlc memorlzed ways. 1o change, Lhen, ls Lo Lhlnk
and acL greaLer Lhan our presenL clrcumsLances. lL ls Lo Lhlnk greaLer Lhan our envlronmenL.
We have been Lold LhaL our bralns are essenLlally hardwlred wlLh unchangeable clrculLry-
LhaL we possess or, beLLer puL, are possessed by a klnd of neurorlgldlLy LhaL ls reflecLed ln Lhe Lype
of lnflexlble and hablLual behavlor we ofLen see exhlblLed. 1he LruLh ls LhaL we are marvels of
flexlblllLy, adapLablllLy, and a neuroplasLlclLy LhaL allows us Lo reformulaLe and re-paLLern our neural
connecLlons Lo produce Lhe klnd of behavlors LhaL we wanL. We have far more power Lo alLer our
own bralns, our behavlors, our personallLles, and ulLlmaLely our reallLy Lhan prevlously LhoughL
posslble. Conslder Lhose lndlvlduals ln hlsLory who have rlsen above Lhelr presenL clrcumsLances,
sLood up Lo Lhe onslaughL of reallLy as lL presenLed lLself Lo Lhem, and made slgnlflcanL changes.
lor example, Lhe Clvll 8lghLs MovemenL would noL have had lLs far-reachlng effecLs lf
someone llke MarLln LuLher klng, !r., had noL, desplLe all Lhe evldence around hlm (!lm Crow laws,
separaLe buL equal accommodaLlons, snarllng aLLack dogs, and powerful flre hoses), belleved ln Lhe
posslblllLy of anoLher reallLy. 1hough ur. klng phrased lL ln hls famous speech as a dream," whaL he
was really promoLlng and llvlng was a beLLer world where everyone was equal. Pow was he able Lo
do LhaL? Slmply puL, he saw, felL, heard, llved and breaLhed a dlfferenL reallLy ln hls mlnd Lhan mosL
oLher people aL LhaL Llme. lL was Lhe power of hls vlslon LhaL convlnced mllllons of Lhe [usLness of hls
cause. 1he world has changed because of hls ablllLy Lo Lhlnk and acL greaLer Lhan convenLlonal
bellefs.
noL only dld klng conslsLenLly keep hls dream allve ln hls mlnd, he llved hls llfe as lf hls
dream was already unfoldlng. 1he ldea was so allve ln hls mlnd LhaL Lhere was a good posslblllLy LhaL
hls braln looked as lf Lhe experlence had already happened."
neurosclence has proven LhaL we can change our bralns [usL by Lhlnklng dlfferenLly. 1hrough
Lhe concepL of menLal rehearsal (Lo repeaLedly lmaglne performlng an acLlon), Lhe clrculLs ln our
bralns can reorganlze Lhemselves Lo reflecL our very lnLenLlons. ln one sLudy, people who menLally
rehearsed one-handed flnger exerclses Lwo hours a day for flve days demonsLraLed Lhe same braln
changes as people who physlcally performed Lhe same movemenLs.
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1o puL Lhls lnLo perspecLlve,
when we are Lruly focused and slngle mlnded, Lhe braln does noL dlsLlngulsh beLween Lhe lnLernal
world of Lhe mlnd and Lhe exLernal envlronmenL.
1hls Lype of lnLernal processlng allows us Lo become so lnvolved ln our dreams and lnLernal
represenLaLlons LhaL Lhe braln wlll modlfy lLs wlrlng wlLhouL havlng had experlenced Lhe acLual
evenL. When we change our mlnds lndependenL of envlronmenLal cues and Lhen sLeadfasLly lnslsL on
an ldeal wlLh susLalned concenLraLlon, Lhe braln wlll be ahead of Lhe acLual exLernal experlence. ln
oLher words, Lhe braln wlll funcLlon as lf Lhe experlence has already happened. As we embrace Lhe
very clrcumsLances LhaL challenge our mlnd, we wlll have puL Lhe approprlaLe clrculLs ln place Lo
allow us Lo behave conslsLenLly wlLh our lnLenLlons. Slmply sald, Lhe hardware wlll have been
lnsLalled so LhaL we can handle Lhe challenge. When we change our mlnd, our braln changes, and
when we change our braln, our mlnd changes.
WhaL made ur. klng-or any greaL leader, for LhaL maLLer-unlque was LhaL hls mlnd and
body were unlLed Lo Lhe same cause. ln oLher words, he dld noL Lhlnk one Lhlng and Lhen behave
conLrary Lo hls lnLenLlons. Pls LhoughLs and acLlons were compleLely allgned Lo Lhe same ouLcome.
1hls ls noL a bad worklng deflnlLlon for Lrue leadershlp. When we can focus our mlnd on a deslred
goal and Lhen dlsclpllne Lhe body Lo conslsLenLly acL ln allgnmenL wlLh LhaL end, we are
demonsLraLlng greaLness. We are llLerally llvlng ln Lhe fuLure, and our body wlll begln Lo change ln
order Lo prepare us for Lhe new experlence. ln one sLudy, men who menLally rehearsed dolng blcep
curls wlLh dumbbells for a shorL perlod of Llme every day showed (on Lhe average) a 13 percenL
lncrease ln muscle slze wlLhouL ever Louchlng Lhe welghLs. 1helr bodles changed Lo maLch Lhelr
lnLenLlons.
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So when Lhe Llme comes Lo demonsLraLe a vlslon conLrary Lo Lhe envlronmenLal condlLlons
aL hand, lL ls qulLe posslble for us Lo be already prepared Lo Lhlnk and acL, wlLh a convlcLlon LhaL ls
sLeadfasL and unwaverlng. ln facL, Lhe more we Lhlnk abouL or formulaLe an lmage of our behavlor ln
a fuLure evenL, Lhe easler lL wlll be for us Lo execuLe a new way of belng because Lhe mlnd and body
are unlfled Lo LhaL end.
So whaL ls lL Lhen LhaL Lalks us ouL of Lrue change? 1he answer ls: our feellngs and our
emoLlons. leellngs and emoLlons are Lhe end-producLs of an experlence. When we are ln Lhe mldsL
of any experlence, all of our flve senses are gaLherlng sensory daLa and a rush of lnformaLlon ls senL
back Lo Lhe braln Lhrough Lhose flve dlfferenL paLhways. As Lhls occurs, gangs of neurons wlll sLrlng
lnLo place and organlze Lhemselves Lo reflecL LhaL evenL. 1he momenL LhaL Lhese [ungles of nerve
cells become paLLerned lnLo neLworks, Lhey wlll flre lnLo place and release chemlcals. 1hose
chemlcals LhaL are released are called emoLlons.
LmoLlons and feellngs, Lhen, are neuro-chemlcal memorles of pasL evenLs. We can
remember experlences beLLer when we can recall how Lhey felL. lor example, do you remember
where you were on 9/11? ?ou probably can clearly recall where you were LhaL day, aL LhaL exacL
Llme, because you can remember Lhe novel feellng LhaL woke you up enough Lo pay full aLLenLlon.
More Lhan llkely, lL was a dlfferenL feellng Lhan you'd had ln a long Llme.
8ack Lo Lhe concepL of change. lf emoLlons brand experlences lnLo long-Lerm memory, Lhen
when we are faced wlLh currenL obsLacles ln our llfe LhaL requlre Lhlnklng and acLlng ln new ways,
and we use famlllar feellngs as a baromeLer for change, we wlll mosL cerLalnly Lalk ourselves ouL of
our ldeal. 1hlnk abouL Lhls. Cur feellngs reflecL Lhe pasL. 8uL Lo change ls Lo abandon pasL ways of
Lhlnklng, acLlng and feellng so LhaL we can move lnLo Lhe fuLure wlLh a new ouLcome. 1o change ls Lo
Lhlnk (and acL) greaLer Lhan how we feel. LmoLlons llke fear, worry, frusLraLlon, greed, and self-
lmporLance are famlllar feellngs LhaL, even ln Lhe mldsL of LransformaLlon, lf we declde Lo succumb
Lo, wlll surely polnL us ln Lhe wrong dlrecLlon.
Can we Lhen begln Lo conLemplaLe change for ourselves? 1o learn Lo Lhlnk lndependenLly of
Lhe barrage of envlronmenLal sLlmull ls a sklll LhaL, when properly execuLed, wlll change Lhe braln,
Lhe mlnd, and Lhe body Lo prepare us for Lhe fuLure. 1he arL of self-refecLlon may seem as lf lL ls
dylng ln a Lechnologlcal culLure LhaL saLuraLes us wlLh so much lnformaLlon LhaL we become
addlcLed Lo Lhe exLernal world Lo sLlmulaLe our own Lhlnklng. Pow free are we? MosL are losL
wlLhouL Lhe Lhrlll of enLerLalnmenL, LexL messaglng, phone calls, and Lhe lnLerneL. 1o make Lhe Llme
Lo medlLaLe, Lo plan our fuLure, Lo menLally rehearse Lhe behavlors we wanL Lo change and Lo Lhlnk
abouL new ways of belng wlll surely advance us beyond our predlcLable geneLlc desLlny.
!CL ulSLnZA, u.C., has a bachelor' s of sclence degree wlLh an emphasls ln neurosclence from
Lvergreen SLaLe College ln Clympla, WashlngLon, and a docLor of chlropracLlc degree from Llfe
unlverslLy ln ALlanLa, Ceorgla. Pe ls one of Lhe sclenLlsLs feaLured ln Lhe fllm WhaL Lhe 8LLL uo We
know! Pe has lecLured ln over 17 counLrles abouL Lhe role and funcLlon of Lhe human braln. Pls new
book Lvolve ?our 8raln: 1he Sclence of Changlng ?our Mlnd, explores Lhe blology of change, and ln
hls research lnLo sponLaneous remlsslons, ulspenza has found slmllarlLles ln people who have
experlenced so-called mlraculous heallngs, showlng LhaL Lhey have acLually changed Lhelr mlnd,
whlch Lhen changed Lhelr healLh.
8LlL8LnCLS
1. ascual-Leone, u., eL al (1993). ModulaLlon of muscle responses evoked by Lranscranlal magneLlc
sLlmulaLlon durlng Lhe acqulslLlon
of new flne moLor skllls. !ournal of neurophyslology 74 (3):1037-1043.
2. 8anganaLhan, vlnoLh k., vlodek Slemlonowa, !lng Z. Llu, vlnod Sahgal, Cuang P. ?ue. lrom menLal
power Lo muscle power,
galnlng sLrengLh by uslng Lhe mlnd. neuropsychologla 42 (2004) 944-130,936.

Can ?ou Change ?our braln by 1hlnklng ulfferenLly 2009 Lncephalon, LLC