Your brain is wired to produce change, a constant in the brain, as it is in life.

Athena Staik, Ph.D., in a very stimulating article, talks about the interactions that bring about change, the major players in the process and who or what is in control.

Dr. Staik sums up how to change toxic thinking patterns thusly:

It’s up to conscious you.
How you think and relate to events and life around you spark molecular changes in your brain. They are your own unique responses to the events or persons in your life.

In most situations, you can choose how sad or happy you are to be. You can consciously choose your responses to events, and in this way, wire new associations in your brain. It’s not easy, and yes in many cases, the support of a professional may be necessary.

By practicing methods of conscious relating to your self, your breath, your mind, your emotions, your body, your thoughts, you can alter the way your brain cells communicate.

Why not let your brain work for you with optimal efficiency by discovering the power of making conscious changes and living an overall conscious life?

In the next post, more on conscious change processes and the types of neural changes that control the flow of information in the brain. http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relati...rns/#more-3988

I look forward to the second part.

[gma45]

Thank you! This topic of change was just discussed by a member of my na group tonight. Another great article that I needed to read!

[splitimage]

Thanks for posting this link. It was an interesting read. I'm looking forward to part 2.

splitimage

[Open Eyes]

This is a really good way of identifying the capability of the brain. And the key is identifying subconscious thought patterns that each of us develope or even adapt as we grow up and live our lives.

One of my constant reminders not only to myself but others is that "WE ARE WHAT WE KNOW" and that each of us CAN change IF we LEARN TO KNOW SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Though there is a brief discussion on how children make brave attempts to gain approval and love, it fails to truely touch on what happens when those needs or attempts do not gain a normal needed response to develope a good base for the subconscious. A much needed base to develope heathy messages that produce the desired effect for the brain to proceed in a positive direction of strong self sustaining thought patterns.

The fact that the article devotes time to explain the entire function of the brain in what is automatic, or hard wired and what is self produced or controled is important.
It is significant in that it finally tells us that we do not have to accept the thought patterns that we may have adapted by experiencing negetive re-inforcement in our early years.

It has been my belief that IF we can get to the point where we can TRUELY recognize the brains capacity to overcome a download of negetive and disruptive developement of self sustaining thought patterns, we can finally BELIEVE that we CAN change and learn to KNOW better GRADUALLY. And by finally ACCEPTING this therapy can take on a MUCH STRONGER ROLE in learning and actually KNOWING we can improve instead of just GUESSING AND DOUBTING AND WONDERING.

It is PROMISING, VERY PROMISING Byz, because in order to truely CHANGE WHAT WE KNOW we have to BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE. And what this means is that IF THOSE FIRST BOLD STEPS THAT WERE TAKEN WERE NOT REWARDED, we can STILL LEARN HOW TO DO IT even if we are older and convinced we may be doomed or will never RECIEVE THE BENIFITS WE NEEDED WHEN WE WERE YOUNG.

The article you posted that talked about three words "UP UNTIL NOW" is also part of this information. But the KEY is to take time to UNRAVEL what ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE "UP UNTIL NOW". Many people often look at others who seem to GAIN and PRODUCE and simply wonder WHY they cannot do the same. And the answer can lay in the past when the efforts were made and no response was experienced or even if a frightening response was obtained.

Therefore, once that is truely known than a new effort (that takes time and guidance as described in this article) can be made to once again TAKE THOSE STEPS TOWARDS LEARNING TO MAKE EFFORTS AGAIN "CAN" gain the proper attention needed so long ago.

We cannot do something WE DO NOT KNOW how to do. BUT WE CAN LEARN and in order to LEARN, we have to understand THAT WE ACTUALLY "CAN" LEARN. But we also have to understand HOW and that IT TAKES TIME and effort to CHANGE some negetive SELF TALK that we UNKNOWINGLY LEARNED.

I am also looking forward to the next post. And I still think that there should be a separate forum here that contains these very helpful supportive articles that SAY WE CAN.

TheByzantine, with your talents for research I think that maybe you should set up a library here at PC. You do have a lot of helpful links already. I know that there is a Self Help forum, but the information you have been putting forth is a bit different in my opinion.

Open Eyes

[addcolin]

Thanks TheByzantine and Open Eyes for this.
That would be a great idea - to set up a library here at PC, so that important information is easily accessible, such as these articles.

[madisgram]

(Upsetting emotions also may be telling you that you’ve picked up some toxic thinking along the way, and that this will not take you where your heart yearns to go. More on this in the next section.)
Soft-wired information.
This information tells your subconscious how you personally interpret your world at any given time – in relation to fulfilling your inner strivings to both survive and thrive. Soft-wired information is both verbal and nonverbal.
It consists of language-based thoughts, words, belief systems, etc., that are inseparable from the nonverbal emotions and feeling sensations they spark.
When you experience certain emotions and physical sensations at any given time, it means your subconscious mind (body) is letting you know how you currently interpret (think about), and thus, feelabout one or all of the following:
The data your five senses are picking up from life around you: visual (sight), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste).
The thoughts you are thinking in the moment, your “self-talk” – which may be focused on past, present or current experience, or a combination of these.
The current beliefs or belief systems your subconscious mind holds up as perception filters to interpret any incoming data, as well as what is going on inside you, i.e., thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, wants, inborn strivings, etc.

this an excellent article for me. i have so many toxic beliefs. it is often a struggle tho i work and practice change. it can be very painful. sometimes i don't even know how to transition to an improved way of my belief system or understanding i am a worthwhile person. i've used therapy to learn how to help myself. i am not willing to stay in an unhealthy existance. i know change for me is good so i continue this journey tho i am forever unpeeling the onion and finding more that needs fixing. i too am eager to read more.
sorry for the long post. i underlined parts that jumped out at me. knowing intellectually how this all works is helpful. it's like behavior modification of the mind.

[Open Eyes]

I agree madisgram, I appreciate the changes you have made, so glad you made them, and showed me how to make some as well. You are a perfect example of how displaying positive things can inspire others to do the same.

Open Eyes