PREVIOUS : SAGE – Dark Side, #2

SITE : “The brain & our habits: Natural pathways to wellness”

READ POST first : N-P= Retraining the brain (some overlaps)

NEURO (brain) PLASTICITY = Shifting the Balance of Power   🔆 “Neurons that fire together wire together” – Donald Hebbs
It’s the brain’s ‘biological, chemical & physical capacity to keep reorganizing its structure & function – allowing positive changes to occur (saboteur-to-Sage) .
Science tells us that our brain is not fixed – it’s a dynamic ‘environment’ with the possibility of continuous improvement – the remarkable ability to learn & adapt throughout life.
While younger brains are more malleable, humans can still keep learning past age 18-21 well into seniorhood – one key to protecting us from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia & Huntington’s.

🧠 Neuro-plasticity occurs in 2 places :
• the hippocampus – focused on long-term & spatial memory,
• the cerebellum –  operating short-term & muscle-memory.

🧠 Brain’s 2 Neuro-plasticity abilities :
• structural = to physically change its ‘architecture’ as a result of experiences & learning 
• functional =  to restructure itself to compensate for damage or injury. So if one area is no longer working properly, others can take over. (MORE….)

The BRAIN is made up of neurons , tiny messengers that fire electrical & chemical signals throughout our body.  When we’re born, we have around 2,500 synapses per neuron in the cerebral cortex. Within 2-3 years, that grows to about 15,000. But by the time we’re adults, they have more than halved – known as synaptic pruning.

When a signal (from a thought or action) activates a neuron, it triggers the others it’s connected to, & when that happens they get somewhat joined. There are several directions that signal can go – dominant, well-formed routes, and lesser, fragile new ones. EXP : When the brain processes a new thought, it starts out as a lesser pathway. But when it gets activated again, it’s more likely to go down the same path.

❗️Over time repetition of the same thoughts & actions becomes a “neural pathway,” which become automatic habits – helpful or harmful.
Building new Neural Nets to increase personal growth happens by creating & strengthening more beneficial pathways —> through the repetition of positive mental & physical habits, which can be observed with MRI imaging.

EXP : Like a baby trying to walk for the first time, neurons connect from —> the brain to —-> various muscles, for balance… & battle for a while before stabilizing. Eventually, as adults, we don’t need to think about walking anymore, it’s become a well-ingrained pattern.

🌿 SAGE vs SABOTEURS
REVIEW : Our physical brain is made up of two halves & we need both.  However, in terms of imagery – think of the right side as healthy , & the left as unhealthy.
♠️  LEFT : The Survive Region –  houses harmful Saboteurs which destroy any attempt to increase our emotional happiness & practical performance. ⬅️
Most people go through life with the 2 halves continually playing tug of war, with their Saboteurs winning most of the time – if not always.

♥️ RIGHT : the Thrive Region (PQ brain), provides available mental sanity & stability.  The Sage lives in a different region of the brain – in the middle prefrontal cortex , the amygdala’s “empathy circuitry”, & parts of the right brain.  Activating this combination releases endorphins that counter the negative impact of stress-induced cortisol. (IMAGE w/ definitions ↗️ )

To reach our potential – as far as possible – requires strengthening the ‘Right’ & weaken the ‘Left’ sides.  Fortunately, the Sage provides the power to do this because it’s anchored in who we are at our core, & can resist the drama & lies of the toxic beliefs.
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✧ Sage-strengths generate positive emotions even when dealing with life’s challenges, such as compassion, empathy, gratitude, the joy of self-expression…
✧ It also allow us to be calm & have clear-headed, laser-focused thinking, with big picture awareness of what’s important, to choose the best course of action.

Using Sage-wisdom, we gain perspective, finding the opportunities we need & the gifts we long for.  With perseverance, intercepting Saboteurs & activating the Sage rewires the brain at the root level, rather than just treating symptoms. This has a wide-ranging impact :
🔅 internally, providing a sense of safety & peace
🔅 externally, as better stress management & improved performance in creativity, leadership, relationships, persuasion, resilience, selling ….
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NEXT : Sage & PQ