What is Self-Directed Neuroplasticity?

When we take time to really think about how the brain works and the multitude of processes it constantly needs to maintain, it can sometimes seem a bit chaotic – as if we don’t have much control over our health. The more the brain and its functions are studied, the more we continue to find. It’s now understood that we have more autonomy over how the brain functions than it was initially believed…

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First, What is Neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity is the natural ability that each person has throughout their whole life to rewire existent neural connections and to get rid of networks that aren’t used. And this can be used to benefit and enhance the quality of life in many instances, such as when it comes to learning and retaining new information^[1]. We can also utilize neuroplasticity to improve our health, especially when we’re faced with chronic conditions like anxiety, brain fog, and fatigue. Certain areas of the brain, namely the limbic system, can become impaired and heavily affect how an individual feels both physically and mentally.

What is Self-Directed Neuroplasticity?

Self-directed neuroplasticity refers to an individual’s ability to affect positive changes on their own brain through the use of relatively simple exercises. People can apply useful and science-backed techniques on their own, like reframing their internal dialogue, to help halt negative thinking patterns and processes^[2]. One of the wonderful aspects of self-directed neuroplasticity is that it can be individualized to a higher degree since every person and every brain is so unique and different.

When taking a closer look at self-directed neuroplasticity and how it works, it’s theorized that there are four main steps and components that are a part of this process. The four steps involved in self-directed neuroplasticity are as follows:

1. Attention, this is when you bring awareness to a given stimuli,
2. Willpower, or making the conscious effort to think or act in a different manner, also known as “pattern interruption”
3. Brain activation, which is what happens after you guide your thoughts to the new desired place
4. Consistency, which is repeating these steps and is the key to securing the new neural connections in your brain^[3].

How Does Self-Directed Neuroplasticity Work?

With self-directed neuroplasticity, we’re really placing a focus on the individual and what they may require to improve their brain function. For example, imagine one person that thrives and feels totally relaxed, energized, or focused when listening to loud and intense music. Someone else might feel the exact opposite when the same music is played – instead they are triggered by it and feel nervous, anxious, and overwhelmed. If the second person mentioned here wants to get rid of the negative feelings when they hear loud music, they can apply self-directed neuroplasticity to target this specific concern. Following the right neuroplasticity training program makes all the difference in a scenario such as this, as it can provide the right guidance and foundation to then implement self-directed neuroplasticity successfully.

Who Can Benefit from Self-Directed Neuroplasticity?

One of the many incredible aspects about neuroplasticity is that anyone can apply it in their lives, but it can really benefit those who have been struggling with concerns such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, and fatigue. As we mentioned above, every person and every brain is so different and unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to neuroplasticity and brain training.

Self-directed neuroplasticity is ideal for the individual that really wants to target one or more specific concerns, and they can have increased freedom and flexibility to apply this approach in their life. If someone’s particular concern was feeling high anxiety when engaging in social scenarios, they could then use self-directed neuroplasticity to ease their mental, physical and emotional response with respect to social situations.

Advantages of Self-Directed Neuroplasticity

When there is a consistent focus on training the brain and working to rewire it, massive and beneficial changes can be felt in due time. Placing conscious and intentional focus on the root of any problems that come about when faced with certain scenarios can eventually mitigate the intense, negative feelings. Self-directed neuroplasticity can be  great because it is about as personalized as neuroplasticity training can get, and there does not have to be a reliance on outside factors such as technology, doctor visits, or biofeedback.

The Importance of a Right Neuroplasticity Training Program

We know that there are seemingly endless benefits of utilizing neuroplasticity and learning a quality self-directed approach, but what really makes all the difference is connecting with the right neuroplasticity training program. There are several different brain rewiring programs out there today, but you’ll quickly find that most are not optimized for helping people work on their specific needs. Sure, there are programs that aim to cover a wide range of common concerns, and these can of course benefit some people, but these programs are not able to offer the tools and specialized approaches that programs like re-origin presents.

re-origin is a community that is built around individualization and science-backed techniques that have helped yield a high rate of success among its members. Our team at re-origin fully understands that a self-directed neuroplasticity approach is often what someone may need, because when we place an emphasis on the factors that make each of us unique, better results can be seen and felt. We strive to help each of our members identify their own personal limbic system loops and teach them to rewire the precise neural pathways that are involved. Having a community of people that comes together to share, encourage, and uplift one another also makes an absolute world of a difference when following a neuroplasticity training program, and we’re proud to be able to offer you this through re-origin.