Neuroplasticity

Without neuroplasticity, no adaptation or learning would be possible!

The word "plasticity" comes from the Greek "plastikos" which means modelling what is malleable (like clay or plasticine). Neuroplasticity is the ability of our nervous system to adapt, to acquire new knowledge or adaptation strategies or, on the contrary, to disconnect, for example, from sensations in the body when these are not properly alleviated in infants and hence cause intolerable feelings.

Neuroplasticity is a totally unconscious process. We obviously talk a lot about learning, but it doesn’t come up so often in the context of mental disorders, even minor ones, and yet it is often this process that comes into play when talking about over-adaptation, defence mechanisms or mental blocks... Thought patterns, emotions, feelings or behaviours are repeated almost identically. Learning or rather unlearning is hampered if plasticity becomes damaged or seized up.

The Americans say "use it or lose it". The more diverse environments and experiences we face, the better we develop our ability to adapt and learn. The less we have been minded, pampered, secured and encouraged, the fewer positive experiences we have had, the less flexible and curious our brain will be. For instance, a child who is abandoned or lost and raised by animals (often described as a wolf-child) will have difficulty walking upright and developing language.

In any case, Neurofeedback restores the brain’s flexibility and strength.
While illness or the vagaries of life can cause it to freeze up, our neurological infrastructure is still plastic, until our last breath, even if that happens 100 years after our birth!