Neuroplasticity and Neurofeedback — Why It’s Important
Why is neuroplasticity important for you – and for neurofeedback?
It’s very important – it’s been exciting seeing neuroplasticity mentioned so much in the media lately. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s lifelong capacity to generate new neurons. “Lifelong” is the big news – our prior understanding – not that long ago – was that this ability went away once we reached adulthood. Not so – you can make new neurons indefinitely. One of the things the brain uses them for is new learning – and learning is what your brain is doing with neurofeedback.
For more about neuroplasticity, if you enjoyed Sharon Begley’s Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, you’ll also like The Brain That Changes Itself, by Norman Doidge. Each fascinating chapter tells the story of how people are able to use the highly adaptive brain (that we each have) to recover from or adapt to a wide variety of conditions and injuries.
My next post will be about how you can enhance your own brain’s neuroplasticity.
Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
