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Brain That Changes Itself, The: Stories Of Personal Triumph From The Frontiers Of Brain Science
by
Jim Bond
?Fascinating. Doidge's book is a remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain.? ? Oliver SacksThe discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains ? even into old age ? is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries. In this revolutionary look at the brain, bestselling author, psychiatri...more
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When I saw this book initially I thought that I would have nothing but unequivocally good things to say about it. I am very fond of ‘brain’ books and prefer to believe that the mind is ‘plastic’ – that it can change itself or re-wire itself. I haven’t got much to pin this hope on. But hope is a good thing. However, in the end my response to this book has been much less black-and-white than I thought it would be.
I’ve also just finished Fooled By Randomness. This has made me hyper...more
I’ve also just finished Fooled By Randomness. This has made me hyper...more
view all 16 comments
So far this book has taught me two things.
1. That I am far more affected than I expected to be by the phrase "sew a kitten's eyelid closed for three weeks..after which the kitten remained permanently blind in one eye."
and
2. Using the word "till" instead of "until" is acceptable in scholarly writing.
For the rest of the information, stay tuned.
Okay, so I finished the book. It was a fulfilling emotio...more
1. That I am far more affected than I expected to be by the phrase "sew a kitten's eyelid closed for three weeks..after which the kitten remained permanently blind in one eye."
and
2. Using the word "till" instead of "until" is acceptable in scholarly writing.
For the rest of the information, stay tuned.
Okay, so I finished the book. It was a fulfilling emotio...more
This book was absolutely fascinating. I have always been intrigued by how the brain works and, even though I am not a "science" person, I found this book easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable.
The book is about the recent notion that the brain is "plastic," or malleable. Our brain has the ability to change - through learning, through experience, through our thoughts. It was once thought that the brain was "hardwired," and that certain parts of the brain p...more
The book is about the recent notion that the brain is "plastic," or malleable. Our brain has the ability to change - through learning, through experience, through our thoughts. It was once thought that the brain was "hardwired," and that certain parts of the brain p...more
This book was a very interesting read. I found it to be a pretty "light" read, in that the science mumbo-jumbo had been effectively translated into English. But that doesn't mean Doidge's claims are unsupported--throughout the text, and in extensive notes, he cites published research results, giving the book plenty of credibility.
The Brain that Changes Itself discusses the (apparently controversial) subject of neuroplasticity. Although many of its claims seem perfectly i...more
The Brain that Changes Itself discusses the (apparently controversial) subject of neuroplasticity. Although many of its claims seem perfectly i...more
This book is about the plasticity of the brain. That is versus "Localizationism" which holds that the brain is static and each part performs only one function. Modern science, thru the use of MRI, Catscan and observed recoveries of function loss have disproved the long-held notion of localizationism.
The book is really a set of stories about people who have regained or developed senses they either lost or never had. The stories are quite inspiring. For example, one man...more
The book is really a set of stories about people who have regained or developed senses they either lost or never had. The stories are quite inspiring. For example, one man...more
This is an absolutely fascinating book about how neurologists have discovered in the past thirty years or so that the human brain is much, much more resilient and plastic than it was believed to be for a long time. Neurologists used to think that everyone's brain map was basically the same, with functions like sight or hearing in pretty much the same place, and that if those sections of the brain were damaged, then the function they controlled would be permanently impaired. This didn't explain...more
Merilee
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
teachers, those interested in the brain
Recommended to Merilee by:
Vicki
This book was amazing. Not a real page-turner, but a fascinating look at the brain's ability to rewire itself and grow/change beyond our expectation.
Praise the Lord who made our brains so complex and adept at fulfilling their purpose!
I especially liked the chapters that dealt with autism, and overcoming disabilities. If you are interested in neuroplasticity, brain maps, or just want some ideas about keeping your brain in shape as you age - you may want to read this book...more
Praise the Lord who made our brains so complex and adept at fulfilling their purpose!
I especially liked the chapters that dealt with autism, and overcoming disabilities. If you are interested in neuroplasticity, brain maps, or just want some ideas about keeping your brain in shape as you age - you may want to read this book...more
This book is so dense and fascinating! It really makes you realize 1.) how little we know about how the brain works and 2.) how much possibility there is for making huge strides in things like brain injury and mental illness even based on that small amount that we now know.
Sam Ley
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommended to Sam by:
Madalene Fetsch
Shelves:
science
A great book about neuroplasticity, the relatively new concept in neurology describing the ability of the brain to reorganize itself based on the environment around it. More than most lay-science books, "The Brain That Changes Itself" includes a real aspect of personal triumph. There are many cases of people with severe strokes, severe birth defects or injuries who have taken advantage of the science of neuroplasticity, combined with personal drive and will, to make amazing recoveries ...more
There's a lot of research going on about the idea of the brain as "plastic". This book talks about different scientists and the research they have done in this area. Especially intriguing was reading about people who have suffered damage to their brains in some form and how the different therapies out there have helped them to lead better lives. As someone with a hearing impairment, I was also intrigued by how different areas in the brain can take over for those that might not work ...more
The book is about neuroplasticity: the idea that our thoughts and experiences can rewire and change the structure of our brains. This may sound like a revolutionary idea in an age when too many people talk about a brain hardwired by our genes, and the author certainly dramatizes this point and wants to portray his book as representing a novel and ground-breaking idea, but somehow what the book says didn’t come across to me as revolutionary as it claims. Maybe because I’ve already read Ramachandr...more
Given that I'm unlikely to study a popular science book in order to commit to memory the details, I consider it to be a success if it influences my general knowledge of an area; my understanding of its underlying assumptions or principles. In that respect, this book failed: nothing it said changed or contradicted my understanding of the brain and neuroplasticity.
It was, nonetheless, quite interesting, though badly written in many places, and it did expand my understanding of the bre...more
It was, nonetheless, quite interesting, though badly written in many places, and it did expand my understanding of the bre...more
Carol
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jeanne, but my Mom all ready has!
Recommended to Carol by:
I stole it from Mom ~ you can have it back now . . .
Having struggled through numerous medical and psyhological studies and texts during my college years, I can safely say that this book is amazing in its straight-forward, educated approach, while still speaking a language that anyone can understand. It would have been incredibly easy to have written this using medical terminology and while some of it is used, it is not done in a "speaking down to you" sort of way.
Doidge is clearly fascinated by his topic and, more import...more
Doidge is clearly fascinated by his topic and, more import...more
This was a fascinating book discussing the human brain's incredible potential for change -- called plasticity. As I read it, I felt like I was reading about the beginnings of a huge revolution in our understanding of what the brain is capable of and how to cure disorders of the brain.
I felt like I was also able to correct some of my outdated knowledge. For example, the brain does grow new neurons -- you're not born with all you will have for the rest of your life. Also, there are no...more
I felt like I was also able to correct some of my outdated knowledge. For example, the brain does grow new neurons -- you're not born with all you will have for the rest of your life. Also, there are no...more
I was wonderfully surprised by this excellent book, which I devoured last weekend when Attila was in Boston. I'd never heard of Dr. Doidge, and I'm endlessly skeptical of, as well as extremely interested in, (intended to be) plebeian accounts of brains. The brain that changes... is profoundly insightful, brilliantly integrating anecdote with historical and contemporary accounts of systems neuroscience research. Highlights include celebrating Dr. Edward Taub's life's work and exploring persona...more
This will tickle your mind. This discusses some studies plus real life experiences where the brain has reprogrammed itself. The book promotes and defends the concept of plasticity in the brain.
A couple of highlights:
* If you became blind, the brain would find another use for all of those neurons in the occiptal lobe.
* Neurons that fire together, wire together. If you taped 2 fingers together, they would begin to fire together, making it difficult to tell th...more
A couple of highlights:
* If you became blind, the brain would find another use for all of those neurons in the occiptal lobe.
* Neurons that fire together, wire together. If you taped 2 fingers together, they would begin to fire together, making it difficult to tell th...more
At last, a review of the plasticity of the brain, which Moshe Feldenkrais has been espousing for the last 50 years. A wonderful read. A must for all of us, who are interested in maintaining, and yes, improving, our mental function and capacities as we grow older.
Doidge describes many case studies of neuroplasticians who improve the lives of clients in many many ways.
Doidge describes many case studies of neuroplasticians who improve the lives of clients in many many ways.
Henk-Jan van der Klis
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Shelves:
neurologie,
hersenen,
psychoanalyse,
psychiatrie,
brain,
neurology,
blindness,
deaf,
plasticity
Norman Doidge , zelf psychoanalist, psychiater, onderzoeker, schrijver en dichter beschrijft in The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science de laatste inzichten uit de school van neuro or brain plasticity . Met deterministische en Darwinistische inzichten over de hard wired aard van onze hersenen wordt afgerekend met veel praktijkvoorbeelden, gekoppeld aan spraakmakende onderzoeken. De jarenlang gepropageerde paradigma's rondom de stricte indeli...more
This book made me reexamine what I believed about human behavior, in particular our ability to change. The author refers to neuroscience and brain studies to argue that every time we engage in a behavior, we create or reinforce pathways in our brain. Intuitively we know that the more you practice a skill, the better you get at it. The better you get at something, the less effort it takes. Brain scans demonstrate this process. The concept is known as brain plasticity, which means the brain's abil...more
A literally life-changing book, The Brain That Changes Itself uses case studies of people who have suffered brain injury to illustrate how the brain changes throughout life, adapting to new conditions with amazing speed and efficiency. This is the kind of book that, while you’re reading it, seems relevant to every conversation and experience.
I happened to be reading it while taking a long-anticipated vacation. For months, I’ve imagined each stop along the way. Now, confronted with t...more
I happened to be reading it while taking a long-anticipated vacation. For months, I’ve imagined each stop along the way. Now, confronted with t...more
An amazing book that opens new horizons on the way we think our brains work. (And the way we think.)
The brain is not just a storage facility. We can train it to grow, change direction, tranfer activities from a damaged area to a 'spare' area and to operate parts of our bodies that were long thought to be damaged and useless. It now seems likely that our brains can repair themselves through the power of positive thinking. The possibilities are endless.
"Links scientific...more
The brain is not just a storage facility. We can train it to grow, change direction, tranfer activities from a damaged area to a 'spare' area and to operate parts of our bodies that were long thought to be damaged and useless. It now seems likely that our brains can repair themselves through the power of positive thinking. The possibilities are endless.
"Links scientific...more
Interesting to read reviews which state neuroplasticity as "controversial" or "theoretical". The use of Brunstromm's Movement and other neuro-developmental therapies to alleviate hemiplegia or spasticity in peolple with strokes, sensory integration in children with autism, even crossword puzzles to prohibit the onset of Alzheimer's, are all well-documented examples of the brain's plasticity. Recent books on the brain's ability to heal and transform by Jill Bolte Taylor (My ...more
A really interesting read about the brain and all its potential. I had been taught, like many of us, from an early age that nerves grow when you are a baby, and then stop. After that, your nerve patterns are fixed, and as the cells die you eventually fade away. That is so wrong, and this book gives many examples of the "neuroplasticity" that makes the brain so adaptive.
Brains are constantly growing and changing, and not at all like a vessel that gets filled with memories a...more
Brains are constantly growing and changing, and not at all like a vessel that gets filled with memories a...more
At least for me, a large portion of my upbringing in anatomy, physiology, and psychology at University lead me to the conclusion that different areas of the brain are hardwired for different things and that from there on out it is pretty much just simon says. Because I knew little about the plasticity of the brain, or much of the notion that this is how the brain worked I think the book really got me around seeing a different side of what a marvelous organ the brain truly is and how complex and ...more
Review of: by Norman Doidge, M.D.; The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science; VIKING Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. 2007 by Norman Doidge. 285 pages + 160 pages of Appendices, Notes and Index.
Human Beings can think about thinking, my philosopher son is training to make a career out of exercising that discipline. Until recently, how we “tho...more
Human Beings can think about thinking, my philosopher son is training to make a career out of exercising that discipline. Until recently, how we “tho...more
Norman Doidge's "The Brain That Changes Itself" offers a great starting place for those of us interested in understanding the physiology behind our learning process. Those willing to take the time to read the entire book will follow Doidge's explorations documenting how a variety of terribly challenged people have overcome tremendous physical and psychological disabilities far beyond the day-to-day issues confronted in our training-teaching-learning efforts. Those with less time to spa...more
I recommended this book to at least 10 people while I was reading it. It is a fascinating synthesis of multiple areas of neuroplasticity research, focusing most intently on that of Michael Merzenich of UCSF. It tackles balance, motor, learning, and psychological problems, and pain as well as aging. It only goes into mechanical and behavioral strategies for addressing all of these issues (except SSRIs to help with memory in severe depression or OCD). Tacitly, it seems to imply that most of the dr...more
If you are dear to me then I implore you to read this book. Consider it part of my living will. Read this book before making dramatic decisions about my health, especially if I am unfortunate enough to suffer a debilitating stroke or brain injury. If you know me at all then you must be aware - my force of will shall overcome. I will find a way to recover... and Doidge has shown that the ability is within us. This is a fascinating read. The human brain is phenomenally complex, we already know tha...more
Absolutely fantastic. Doidge is at the forefront of neuroscience, and presents information that for the lay reader might just be overwhelming. Brain plasticity is the book's focus and the mantra "use it or lose it/use it to improve it" is found throughout the book. From Bach-y-Rita's electric spoon treatment or his father's incredible recovery from a stroke, to Edward Taub's incredible stroke therapy, to the punk genius MD/PHD V.S. Ramachandran and his mirror box solution to phantom li...more
I have read few books that contain as much new information on a subject as this one does. In the past year or so I have read about fifteen or so books on the subject of the brain and neuroscience and only one or two mentioned neuroplasticity in passing or mentioned neuroplastic discoveries and advances without saying they were neuroplastic. This book lists many examples and instances where neuroplastic discoveries and exercises had made are lives significantly better.
It has made me ...more
It has made me ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing and Inspiring Information About Brain Growth | 4 | 42 | Oct 22, 2011 10:51am |
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“Psychoanalysis is often about turning our ghosts into ancestors, even for patients who have not lost loved ones to death. We are often haunted by important relationships from the past that influence us unconsciously in the present. As we work them through, they go from haunting us to becoming simply part of our history. (243)”
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“Analysis helps patients put their unconscious procedural memories and actions into words and into context, so they can better understand them. In the process they plastically retranscribe these procedural memories, so that they become conscious explicit memories, sometimes for the first time, and patients no longer need to "relive" or "reenact" them, especially if they were traumatic. (229-230)”
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