Heal Your Mind, Heal Your Body
"If a brain that has missing parts can learn to work around the gaps, then surely a brain that has all its parts, but is misfiring, can learn how to function harmoniously again!"
-Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself
The cool thing is that you don't have to go to a top notch medical facility to "rewire your brain." YOU yourself can teach your brain to function harmoniously again. One place to begin is through noticing your self-talk, or that endless stream of unspoken thoughts running through your head. Anyone who has meditated (or has tried to meditate - we all have to start somewhere) probably has a good understanding of self-talk, aka the "monkey mind". As hard as you may try to focus on the breath or a mantra, the thoughts just continue to scroll through your mind, like images in a movie reel. That's okay. That's what the mind is meant to do. But, much of the time these thoughts aren't serving us.
Our minds are pretty much wired to default to negative thoughts. This is because our primitive limbic brain, our internal watchdog, means well and wants to protect us. Unfortunately, the well-meaning watchdog has gone a bit rogue in his efforts to shield us from danger. For those who have been living with mystery illness for years, or even decades, this negative self-talk has likely gotten increasingly strong. Not only do the thoughts initially attempt to keep us out of danger, but we've begun to identify so strongly with our illnesses that our thoughts revolve around the diagnoses and symptoms as well. We tell ourselves "I'm too sick" and "I don't have the energy for that" and "that would be too painful for me" and "I'm too sensitive (to smells/noise/toxins) to go out into the world."
The first step is to simply begin to notice these pessimistic thought patterns. Just become curious and watch the movie playing out in your mind. The simple act of noticing and becoming the compassionate observer of your self-sabotaging thoughts leads to the creation of new neural networks in your brain. The ability to rewire our brains is backed by science and it's why I believe so strongly in the power of neuroplasticity - that, and my own personal experience. Neuroplasticity is not some new age term for a psychological process, it's more like a bodily function such "digestion" or "circulation." With new technology such as fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), science has confirmed this incredible morphing ability of the brain beyond a doubt.
THIS WEEK: Bring awareness to your self-talk. Can you see the movie reel of thoughts playing in your head? Simply notice. Without judgement. In the noticing you naturally create a bit of space between you and your monkey mind. And, yes, this small step will actually begin the process rewiring your brain!