Our brains are awe-inspiring. We
use our brains to ponder on the wonders of our brains. Our brains allow us to
think of what we are thinking and why we are thinking, and even further. This
organ which sometimes I think it is not a separate organ from other organs
since it just goes into every single aspect, so it must be of a higher rank
than organs. Some days ago, I was looking at someone who has some body
deformity yet he has an intact brain that he was able to talk and think for
himself, and serve himself and express what he wants, and he was somewhat old.
In the same house, there was a guy in his thirties who has a severe form of
autistic disorder, ( I am aware that those who are really aware of
neuroplasticity will also counter my words by saying that our brains have the power
of countering what an autistic brain can cause. That we can work in the right
manner to alleviate the hardships that face a patient of autism) if I am not
mistaken, but his body seems rather healthy to some extent. The latter was in
the eyes of many to be nothing but a “useless being” roaming around the house.
Looking at the issue from an economic point of view, the one with brain issues
is just consuming energy and resources without giving any useful product.
Literally, he is a burden.
Our brains are striking
neuroscientists constantly and as they probe deep in it, they realize that they
knew only an iota about it and till now, most neuroscientists who realize the
power of the brain assert that they have reached nowhere deep in unraveling the
wonders that this wonder provides.
Yet, today we could relate many
happenings and also feelings that arise within us to certain mechanisms taking
place in our brains. Cajal paved the way to know the morphology of the neuron
and others refined this and searched on it. Scientists came to learn about neurotransmitters
and how these are greatly entwined to the feelings that arise within us. When I
come to understand some of the wonders that are done by dopamine, I question
myself, how can people ask us to separate the rational from the emotional realm.
Dopamine works in our brains in many ways sometimes causing certain feelings to
arise within us, so when one is emotional, the brain is actually playing the
big part.
Scientists today are touching
many topics all reliant on the power of the brain’s wiring capacity. Neurons
that fire together, wire together. If I learn to type as I am whistling, over
time whenever I type, I will get the urge to whistle, cause those two brain
maps were formed together and possibilities are there that they have been
merged to some extent. Many habits can be traced to this aspect and it sounds
so logical.
Another aspect is the opposite
of this and how one can unlearn some things. When we look at behavioral
therapy, especially CBT, (C for cognitive) we shall realize that therapist
using this technique relied on this aspect. It feels that they had this
understanding but yet some couldn’t put it in words that contemporary
neuroscientists who are interested in neuroplasticity are explaining it. The
process of unlearning habits is also one that goes deep into this wiring issue
and it sounds so valid. So these are the steps of unlearning something and
coming up with new brain maps.
First, get away from the things
that are connected. If you remember a sad scene by listening to a genre of
music, stop listening to that genre for some time to weaken the merged map.
Then, after a while try to
separate those two things by making separate maps for each. Try remembering the
scene in an isolated way without relating it to any form of music and overtime
it will have its own brain map. Listening to that genre in different setting
will then make your brain realize that it is not confined to a certain scene
and a different brain map shall form and over time each will be following
different neuronal paths.
Then the new maps are formed.
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