The Key to Lasting Transformation
Neuroplasticity & Taking Directed Action
It’s easy to be misguided about transformation. We tend to think it should happen fast, and when it doesn’t, we assume there’s something wrong with us. We think we failed somehow, because nothing actually sticks.
But this feeling of failure is actually because we miss the absolutely pivotal piece of understanding neuroplasticity.
I know this because I’ve been there myself.
I started down this path of personal growth because I was seeking relief. Relief from loneliness, from the pain of watching myself repeat patterns, and from the sense of knowing that things could be different - of knowing I was more than who I showed up as, but not knowing how to get there.
I had amazing and transformative experiences, but not lasting transformation. I experienced sweeping insights and short lived transformations from “medicine” work, personal growth workshops, and one on one therapy. But things would only stick for a month or less. It was less transformational, and more temporary.
It wasn’t until I discovered Neurosculpting® and the concept of neuroplasticity, that I developed the ability to intentionally self direct the change I desired and experience lasting transformation.
What is neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity in this context is the ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or environmental stimulation; to make new pathways and prune away underused pathways.
One of the most common patterns I see in my clients is anxiety and overthinking. Another way of saying that is thinking your feelings instead of feeling your feelings. To get better at feeling your feelings, you would want to not only strengthen the pathways that allow you to feel your feelings, but also prune away old, habitual overthinking pathways.
As one of my favorite people recently said: When you feel your feelings, you show people more of you, and you give them more of you to love.
Leveraging your system’s capacity for neuroplasticity can help you make the lasting changes you want, whether it is to rewire your relationship patterns, or increase healthy habits. The main ingredients to helping lasting change along, are Time, Focus and Repetition.
The Holy Trifecta – Time, Focus & Repetition
Change over time, focus on the specific change, and repetition of the new behavior/thought are the keys to sustained Neuroplastic change.
Time
It takes time for a new habit to become the dominant path your mind chooses. I like to imagine the ruts made in a dirt road by a wheel going over it – it takes time to make the groove, but once it’s there, the wheel follows it effortlessly.
Contrary to some of the popular opinions on the internet, there is no set length of time that it takes for a new pattern to be embedded. There are many variables, including the complexity of the new pattern and the intensity of the learning process.
A simple habit, like remembering to drink more water might take about a month to become embedded in your routine such that you no longer have to think about it, whereas a more complex habit like transforming the way you respond to an emotional trigger could take six months or more of focused, intentional practice that might also include additional nervous system support practices like acupuncture or diet and nutrition supplements.
So, remember that not all patterns are created equally, and yours might need a little extra time!
Focus
Focus is defined as the act of concentrating your interest or activity on something specific. However, it’s more than that. In choosing to put your attention on something specific, you are by default choosing to look away from everything else. This is the act and action of Focus.
When you practice focusing on a new habit or pattern, you are increasing the levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and acetylcholine in your body. These are neurotransmitters that work in tandem to help your brain pay attention to what you want it to, to help filter out everything else, and to embed the new learning into your memory.
By focusing your attention on your new, desired pattern, you increase the neurochemicals that help ensure your new pattern will be strengthened and remembered. In the wheel on the road analogy, “focus” would have the effect of adding pressure by pushing down on the wheel, to intensify the indentation created.
Repetition
When you do something over and over again, it becomes easier and easier. Neurobiologically speaking, it takes less and less energy to accomplish. The more times a wheel rolls along the rut in the dirt road, the deeper the rut becomes, and the easier it becomes for the wheel to follow along that particular path without guidance.
To create repetition for a new habit or pattern in your life, pairing it with something you do every day already is a good place to start. For example, if you’d like to begin a practice of two minutes of mindful breathing a day, then popping a sticky note on your bathroom mirror to do it as soon as you are done brushing your teeth can be an easy way into the practice. After 7 days, you’ll have repeated it at least 7 times, and we know from experience, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
So, to experience lasting transformation by leveraging the trifecta of neuroplasticity:
Practice the new behavior over time.
Focus intentionally on the new behavior - don’t multitask while doing it.
Do it over and over to strengthen and build desired new ways of being, so that they eventually become who you are - not just something you do.
Taking action to consciously choose the direction of your growth puts you in the driver’s seat of your life. I’d love to support you along your journey. You can find out more about one on one sessions with me HERE.