How Brain Change Isn’t Just for Kids or Trauma – It’s for All of Us, Every Day
npnHub Editorial Member: Gordana Kennedy curated this blog
Key Points
- Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
- Contrary to popular belief, neuroplasticity is not limited to childhood or recovery from injury.
- Everyday habits, emotions, and thoughts shape our brain circuitry – either helping or hindering growth.
- Understanding neuroplasticity empowers neuroscience practitioners to design more effective interventions.
- Myths about neuroplasticity can prevent people from tapping into their true potential.
1. What is Neuroplasticity?
Imagine a seasoned well-being coach guiding a 58-year-old client through a lifestyle transformation. The client sheepishly admits, “I’m too old to change.” The coach smiles and pulls out a sketch of the human brain. “Your brain isn’t a fossil,” she quips. “It’s more like clay – it reshapes every day.”
This story is illustrative, but it echoes a mindset seen in many coaching and therapeutic spaces. Neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change structurally and functionally – has long been misunderstood as something that only applies to children or stroke patients.
In reality, research from neuroscientists like Dr. Michael Merzenich, often called the “father of neuroplasticity,” has shown that the adult brain is remarkably adaptable. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies reveal that new experiences, learning, and even thoughts can reinforce or weaken neural connections in adults.
By understanding how dynamic the brain truly is, we can begin to unravel myths that limit growth and potential – whether in therapy, education, or everyday life.
2. The Neuroscience of Neuroplasticity
During a professional development seminar, a group of educators debated whether a struggling student could “catch up” in reading. One veteran teacher shook her head. “You can’t rewire a teenager’s brain,” she said. A neuroscience-informed coach gently countered, explaining that the brain never stops adapting, especially with the right input.
This story, while illustrative, captures a prevailing myth that the brain becomes static in adulthood. In fact, the opposite is true.
Neuroscience reveals that the brain is a constantly evolving organ. Long-term potentiation (LTP) – the strengthening of synapses through repeated activity – is one mechanism behind neuroplasticity. Key brain areas like the hippocampus, crucial for memory, and the prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and self-regulation, are continually remodeling based on our actions, thoughts, and environment.
Neurotransmitters like dopamine, which facilitates learning through reward-based feedback, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which supports neural growth, are both integral to this process (Park & Poo, 2013). These systems remain active across the lifespan, fueling not just recovery, but everyday learning and transformation.
3. What Neuroscience Practitioners, Neuroplasticians, and Well-being Professionals Should Know About Neuroplasticity
A neuroplastician coaching high-performing executives noticed a familiar refrain: “I’m just wired this way.” But over several sessions, their internal narratives began to shift. They realized that what they thought were personality traits were actually well-worn neural habits, ripe for rewiring.
This is a common moment in applied neuroscience work. And yet, many myths persist. Practitioners must continually educate themselves and clients on what neuroplasticity truly entails:
- Myth: Neuroplasticity only happens in children.
- Fact: Adults show robust neural adaptation, especially in regions like the prefrontal cortex, as shown in research by the University of Oxford (Schlegel et al., 2012).
- Fact: Adults show robust neural adaptation, especially in regions like the prefrontal cortex, as shown in research by the University of Oxford (Schlegel et al., 2012).
- Myth: Brain change requires extreme effort or trauma.
- Fact: Even microshifts – like adopting a 2-minute daily gratitude practice—can reshape emotional circuitry over time.
- Fact: Even microshifts – like adopting a 2-minute daily gratitude practice—can reshape emotional circuitry over time.
- Myth: You can “rewire” anything instantly.
- Fact: Neural changes require repetition and consistency; there are no quick fixes.
- Fact: Neural changes require repetition and consistency; there are no quick fixes.
Frequently Asked Questions Practitioners Encounter:
- How long does it take to form or break a neural habit?
- Can cognitive-behavioral interventions really change brain structure?
- Are some people more “plastic” than others?
Backed by resources like Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child and the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, the science is clear: neuroplasticity is real, lifelong, and more accessible than most people believe.
4. How Neuroplasticity Affects the Brain Over Time
Neuroplasticity is shaped by what we repeatedly do, think, and feel. Just like physical training strengthens muscles, mental repetition reinforces neural circuits. Conversely, neglected pathways weaken, a process known as synaptic pruning.
For example, a mindfulness practitioner who trains clients in daily breath awareness is also helping them build prefrontal control over the amygdala, lowering reactivity. Meanwhile, repeated rumination on negative events strengthens neural pathways linked to anxiety or depression.
A 2011 study led by Dr. Sara Lazar at Harvard Medical School used MRI to show that just eight weeks of mindfulness meditation increased gray matter density in the hippocampus and reduced it in the amygdala (Lazar et al., 2011).
Practitioners who understand this dynamic can design daily practices that literally rewire the brain – not through magic, but through mechanism.
5. Neuroscience-Backed Interventions to Improve Neuroplasticity in Everyday Life
Why Behavioral Interventions Matter
Clients often come with entrenched beliefs like “I can’t change” or “this is just who I am.” These beliefs limit neural growth by reinforcing the same cognitive and emotional patterns. By introducing simple, science-backed strategies, practitioners can activate dormant pathways and promote lasting brain change.
1. Deliberate Practice for Skill Building
Concept: Neuroplasticity thrives on focused, effortful repetition – what Anders Ericsson termed “deliberate practice.”
Example: A coach helps a client build emotional regulation by rehearsing difficult conversations through role-play.
✅ Intervention:
- Break skills into micro-goals.
- Practice regularly in real-life scenarios.
- Offer feedback and refine techniques weekly.
- Track perceived effort and reward progress.
Source: Ericsson, K. A. (2006)
2. Positive Emotional Priming
Concept: Positive affect enhances dopamine release, which increases synaptic plasticity and learning speed.
Example: A wellbeing facilitator starts sessions with a client’s “highlight of the day” to activate emotional reward circuits.
✅ Intervention:
- Use gratitude journaling or daily wins.
- Begin sessions with uplifting narratives.
- Incorporate humor and creativity exercises.
3. Environmental Enrichment
Concept: Enriched environments – cognitively, emotionally, and socially – boost dendritic branching and BDNF levels.
Example: An educator redesigns a classroom to include music, movement, and choice-based learning zones.
✅ Intervention:
- Introduce novelty weekly (e.g., new topics, formats).
- Foster peer collaboration and play.
- Create visually and sensorially engaging spaces.
Source: Rosenzweig & Bennett, 1996
6. Key Takeaways
Neuroplasticity isn’t a buzzword. It’s the living, breathing reality of our brains, and it continues throughout our lives. Whether guiding clients, students, or patients, understanding the brain’s capacity for change unlocks new levels of transformation.
By debunking myths and grounding practice in neuroscience, professionals can help others replace old limits with new possibilities.
🔹 The brain rewires itself daily based on input, attention, and emotion
🔹 Adults retain powerful plasticity, especially with intentional practice
🔹 Science-backed strategies can enhance emotional, cognitive, and behavioral change
🔹 Neuroplasticity is not just for recovery, it’s for everyday thriving
7. References
- Merzenich, M. M. (2013). Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life.
- Park, H., & Poo, M. (2013). Neurotrophin regulation of neural circuit development and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Link
- Schlegel, A. et al. (2012). Training induces changes in white-matter architecture. Cerebral Cortex.
- Lazar, S. et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research.
- Ericsson, K. A. (2006). The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance.
- Ashby, F. G., Isen, A. M., & Turken, U. (1999). A neuropsychological theory of positive affect and its influence on cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
- Rosenzweig, M. R., & Bennett, E. L. (1996). Psychobiology of plasticity: Effects of training and experience on brain and behavior. Behavioural Brain Research.
