Neurophysiological studies have confirmed that in order to change the brain - and therefore beliefs, behaviors and attitudes towards life - it is enough to start thinking differently (in other words, it is not necessary to change something in the external world).
When we mentally rehearse an action (that is, when we repeatedly imagine the process of performing it), neural connections are rearranged in accordance with our goals. We can make our thoughts so real that the changes in the brain will be the same as if this event had already happened in reality.
Each of us is able to tune the brain to stay ahead of the outside world.
Here's an example: In the book "Develop Your Brain" I talked about one study: members of one group for five days, for two hours a day, mentally rehearsed piano exercises for one hand, without touching the keys. The second group, during the same period, practiced similar finger movements live, on the keyboard.
As a result, almost identical changes occurred in the brains of participants in both groups.
A functional brain scan showed that all participants showed activation and an increase in the number of neural clusters in the same part of the brain. That is, those who played scales and chords only in their thoughts formed almost as many new neural connections as those who did it physically.
Two important conclusions follow from this.
First, we can actually change the brain by starting to think differently.
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And secondly, if we are focused on any idea, the brain generally ceases to distinguish the inner world of our thoughts from the outer reality.
Thus, our thoughts literally become reality. Understanding this principle directly depends on whether you will be able to change old habits (break old neural connections) and acquire new ones (form new neural networks).
Therefore, let's take a closer look at how the acquisition of the skill went from those subjects who practiced playing the piano in their thoughts, but never touched the keys.
The process of acquiring any skill consists of four stages:
assimilation of information, practical development, focusing and repetition. Each stage is accompanied by certain changes in the brain. It does not matter how the skill is acquired: in practice or at the level of thoughts.
At the stage of assimilation of information, new neural connections are formed; in the process of practical training, the body is connected, which must experience the corresponding sensation. And focusing attention and repetition leads to changes in the brain. Those participants who played chords and scales on the piano developed new neural connections, since the learning process was built according to the specified formula. Those who practiced only mentally, still followed this formula, but with one exception: without involving the body in the process.
However, they easily imagined themselves playing the piano. As you remember, after repeated mental training, the participants in the second group experienced the same neurological changes as their colleagues who actually hit the keys. New neural networks were also formed in their brains, which means that these people did indeed practice playing the piano, albeit outside of physical experience.
We can say that their brain has “been in the future”, anticipating the real experience of playing music. We humans have an enlarged frontal lobe and the unique ability to make our thoughts feel real. Therefore, our forebrain can calmly "turn down the sound" of the external environment, and nothing will distract the mind from processing one single necessary thought.
Such an internal process allows one to dive so deeply into mental pictures that the neural connections of the brain change in the same way as under the influence of a real event. When we learn to change the brain regardless of the external environment and then purposefully plunge into the desired reality, constantly keeping it in the focus of attention, the brain will be ahead of reality.
This is what mental rehearsal is - an important tool for breaking the habit. If you constantly think about one thing, excluding all other topics, then at some point our thoughts will begin to feel like reality. When this happens, the neural networks of the brain will rearrange in accordance with the new sensation. This is how thoughts change the structure of the brain, and therefore the state of the mind.
To get out of the habit of oneself, one must understand that a change in the neural structure is possible without physical interaction with the environment. Think about the horizons that the experiment with playing the piano opens up for us. By applying the same process - mental rehearsal - to any desired action, we can change our brains without waiting for any specific events.
By changing the structure of the brain before the desired events occur, we create the necessary neural connections that will help us behave in accordance with our intention even before it becomes reality. By regularly “replaying” more effective actions, thoughts and states in our minds, we “install” neural equipment that will prepare us for new events.
But that's not all. As you remember, by equipment I mean the physiology of the brain, its anatomical structure, right down to the neural level. By constantly downloading new hardware and improving its performance, you will get a new neural network that can be compared to a computer program.
And now this program (for example, a behavior model, attitude, or emotional state), as expected, will be launched automatically. So, we prepared our brain for new events, and - voila! - now the mind is ready to move to a new level. When we change the mind, the brain also changes; when we change the brain, the mind also changes. And when the time comes to show loyalty to our ideal, despite external refutations, we will fully cope with this task and will be ready to think and act in a new way.
The most important thing is to maintain a firm, unshakable confidence in the reality of the future. And the more detailed you imagine your behavior when the desired event occurs, the easier it will be for you to move to a new level of existence.
So, are you ready to believe in a future that cannot be seen or felt, but which you have thought about so many times that the desired experience is already reflected in the neural structure of the brain, although the event did not happen?
If you answered yes, it means that from the chronicle of the past your brain has turned into a map of the future. Now you know that we can change our brain by starting to think in a new way. But how realistic is it to make similar changes at the level of the body, so that it will experience the sensation of the desired event in advance? Is the mind so powerful? You will soon see for yourself.
By Joe Dispenza