Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves

Begley, the well-known science writer from Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, is a genius at translation. She has the ability to go from scientific research to the application of that research to life. Typically, scientists stick to their science, and practitioners stick to their professional practice. Begley has a near-unique ability to make the successful translation between the two disciplines.

She's also an interesting--even fun read. This book, among the first to show the practical relevance of the mass of neuroscience research churning out of our best institutions, challenges much conventional wisdom regarding our minds and our intelligence. I'm well aware that overturning conventional wisdom doesn't change the orthodoxy, yet I'm also curious about the degree to which these well-researched ideas are beginning to spread.

Begley emphasizes that the brain is a dynamic organization--and that stasis is illusory. Significantly, the research shows that enrichment is key for humans--our brains are shaped by our experiences. Couch potatoes are in for long-term trouble.

I'd summarize this fine work by debunking three widely held beliefs: it's all downhill after age thirty, you lose 100,000 nerve cells a day, and you can't teach an old dog new tricks. That's very encouraging, nay exhilerating research for this member of the silent generation. ([.......])

Train Your Mind Change Your Brain is a very insightful book and has special meaning for me because I started my career as a nurse working in medical neurology. For me, probably more than for most readers, some of the old mantras about damage to the nervous system are familiar, since I worked with stroke and accident victims, among others, who were told they would only recover the function that arose after the edema from the incident subsided. In the old days, rehab was initiated more to facilitate the patient's adjustment to his or her limitations than to increase function. I've seen amazing things over the course of my career that indicated that "it ain't necessarily so;" the nervous system can and does regenerate tissue, redirect impulses, and improve with work.

The author presents her case by describing a series of meetings between neuroscientists and the Dalai Lama. It is refreshing to see that these sessions were a two way dialogue rather than a patronizing monologue by scientist to metaphysicist. Certainly the experience of those who have made a career of mind-over-matter meditation has much to say to scientists wishing to understand the abilities of the mind and its effect on anatomy and physiology.

Since I was working in neurology during the period of dogmatic attitudes about the brain and nervous system that the author describes, I recognize many of the road blocks that stood in the way of progress for so long. It's amazing that workers in the field persisted long enough to actually sway their more staid peers in the end. It must have seemed like an uphill battle to many of them. The resistance to the concept of plasticity in the nervous system that the author describes was incredibly fierce. It certainly shows that science, like every other human endeavor, is subject to ulterior motives, closed minds and other resistance to change. One is reminded of the major paradigm shift that occurred in geology after the introduction of ocean basin data that overwhelmingly supported plate tectonics and continental drift theory in the 1950's and 60's and of the battles between the steady state and big bang theories in cosmology during the 1970`s.

More than anything, though, the neurological concepts in this book and the theories mentioned above prove the effectiveness of the scientific method. The method is more important than any single individual, the data is more significant than the status and reputation of any given researcher in the field. The Method is everything.

For many of those interested in the brain, questions linger about the relation between the brain and the mind. While science typically avoids dealing with the philosophical and religious implications of this dichotomy, this book explores head-on the relationship that has been growing between the new discoveries in neuroplasticity and the ancient traditions of Buddhist meditation practices. I hope to provide a brief overview of Train Your Mind Change your Brain and describe what a fantastic job Begley does of presenting the recent dialogue between neuroscience and Buddhism.

Overall Opinion of the Book:
This is an absolutely terrific read. Clearly written, well-structured, and engaging, this book does a great job of presenting in laymen's terms both the seminal research and the recent studies which validate the now accepted concept of neuroplasticity, and how Buddhism is playing a role in our understanding of this phenomenon. I personally found the book to be intriguing, informative but light, and a pleasurable read.

Recommendation:
With plenty of background and simple explanations, the author does a great job presenting this complex material for all to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone (high schoolers and above) interested in learning about neuroscience, plasticity, or just explore an area where a great religious tradition and modern science are finding common ground.

Synopsis:
This book really comes as the result of one man's striking curiosity for science, the Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1990, as part of the Dalai Lama's personal quest for understanding science and seeking Buddhism's footing in the modern world, the Mind and Life Institute began as an annual conference hosted in Dharamsala, arranged as a week of lectures and discussion between Western scientists and the Dalai Lama. The dialogue of the 2004 conference - the focus of this book - centered on the advancements in understanding neuroplasticity and the results of the then recent experiments studying its relationship with intense meditation and mental training. It is from these proceedings that the book gets its major content and structure - discussing the topics and appropriate background of the ideas presented to the Dalai Lama.

While Begley structures the book around the presentations that occurred during the Mind and Life Institute of 2004, she frequently interjects the stories and experiments that carved out the heated debate over plasticity that spanned many decades in neuroscience. The book effectively intertwines the personal stories of the scientists and the research performed by the leading figures on both sides of the historic debate. From describing Merzenich's famous experiment's to the Silver Springs controversy, the author weaves the hard science and research with enriching personal anecdotes and experiences of those behind the discoveries.

First the book explores the discovery of neuroplasticity followed by a treatment on explaining the recent evidence supporting neurogenesis. Next follows discussions on plasticity in developing brains in children, then how sensory experience can induce changes in adult brains, and eventually reaches the debate of whether the mind can influence the structure and function of the brain through plasticity. All the while, Begley adds in commentary from the discussion between the Dalai Lama and the scientists and makes ties to the Buddhist philosophies that relate to the neuroscience being discussed. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of the experiments carried out on monks and the changes that occur with years of mental training and meditation and how the relationship between Buddhism and science has illuminated new areas of research for neuroplasticity.

Complaints:
While I overall enjoyed the book thoroughly and thought it did a terrific job educating the reader on the advancements and the debate on plasticity, I wished there would have been a slight bit more background on the Buddhist principles and meditation practices mentioned throughout. Begley does a terrific job summarizing the science behind plasticity, but I think lacks in fully explaining the Buddhist concepts that provoked the study of the monk's minds near the end of the book.

Favorite Parts:
I most thoroughly enjoyed how Begley kept the book from being solely focused on the academic side of plasticity. Frequently throughout the book she describes the efforts that research on plasticity has enabled in aiding the treatment of diseases such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and dyslexia, but even more so, how the science of plasticity and the practices of mental training can help improve the general daily lives of anyone, not just those suffering from a disability or injury. Additionally, I appreciated reading of the respectful dialogue that is bridging the gap between modern science and religious traditions - as both disciplines have a tremendous amount to learn from each other as this book shows.

The power of thought has more influence in our physical and mental health than we can imagine. A group of Western and Eastern influencial people work together to discover how our own thinking creates changes in our brain. This book has already changed my brain This is one of many great books that talk about neuroplasticity. I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

This was a very good read on a subject--the brain, neuroplasticity, and the power of the mind--that I have long found particularly interesting. The author writes very eloquently, and at times, in just such a way that I felt was also quite touching. I found this to be an absorbing book, both due to the nature of the subject matter and the writer's wonderful ability to present it. I would highly recommend this book, especially to anyone with a bit higher than average curiosity regarding this particular sort of subject matter. If you are looking for a "self-help" style of book, written in a more personal style, this is not that book.