# You CAN change your brain



## HereIsEverywhere (Dec 22, 2008)

So after a try and a few DP/DR specific books, the outlook seemed bleak. One in particular seemed to say that even with the best expert in the field of DP/DR and cognitive therapy, the lives of the people involved only saw small improvements and slightly less DP/DR. HUH? Why even write a dang book then?

So I pretty much gave up... for a time thinking there was no hope. I know... silly right? Pretty much stopped thinking about it and just let the symptoms be what they were and went on to focus on other things. I was a psych major so that doesn't help things. I get obsessions, read about them, obsess more, and not just DP/DR but all sorts of disorders I think I or my friends and family may have.

Anyway on to the books. The first is "Train your Mind, Change Your Brain". Its basically all about the plasticity of the brain. For a long time there was this very dangerous belief that the brain was a fixed thing. It was hard wired, didn't change, you just had what you had. That has been proven completely false. The brain is capable of immense changes all throughout life by training.

You aren't born with the ability to play an instrument. You aren't born a soccer pro. You aren't born with an education. You have to train yourself. You have to practice. This idea of practice has hit almost every aspect of human life except mental health! (well, until recently that is) Of course, I mean in more western life. The Buddhists have known for hundreds of years that the mind does need mental training. The book is actually set in the context of yearly meetings with the Dali Lama and other Buddhists to share ideas and knowledge. It's a really great way of seeing both sides of this topic and making a complete picture.

That book however is very technical and I could see it being quite boring for someone that isn't into psych. This book however:

The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Eric Swanson and Yongey Rinpoche Mingyur

I highly recommend. It's the same theme, the combination of science and Buddhism but it comes from the Buddhist perspective. It's written in a much easier to understand language, and gives practical every day examples of how to actually put it to use (where as the other book just demonstrates the possibility, this book starts to lead you to the "how").

I'm sure the fact that its Buddhist will turn some folks off but you don't have to be Buddhist to appreciate the teachings. It's more just about looking inside yourself for answers. I truly believe DP/DR can be completely cured without the help of drugs or therapy.

So I'll end this on a quote from the book I quite liked:

"The mind in many ways is like the ocean. The 'color' changes from day to day or moment to moment, reflecting the thoughts, emotions, and so on passing 'overhead,' so to speak. But the mind itself, like the ocean, never changes. It's always clean and clear, no matter what it's reflecting."

Fear, anxiety, anger, all emotions are just a passing feeling and when they are not there, we still, always have our minds which are clear, clean, and at rest. So the next time you feel something that bothers you... just watch it as an outside observer and think... hmm. Interesting. This will pass and is completely normal. Think of how are lives would be if with every storm we got so scared, confused as to why it was there, afraid of when the next one would hit! We would never go outside! Well its the same in our minds. Storms are not impressive. They are just life. But unlike the weather, with practice, we can calm the storms of our minds.


----------



## fieldsmatt31 (Dec 16, 2009)

good post. absolutely. people often enough mistake "mental illness" and "depersonalization". you mentioned buddhist philosophies and ideas. the buddha strives to be more "awakened" or "enlightened" ewww, or more aware. every human developes an ego, its inevitable, i mean sometimes it takes us to see what is false to see what is true. but anyways its natural for humans to become more aware, more awakened...thats just how evolution has always been. consciousness constantly "evolves" or becomes more and more suited for survival. and the best way to become more suited for survival is to become more aware of your environement. you see that with single celled organisms when they "team up with" or share information with other cells so that the two can become more aware of their environment and thus better fit to survive..

all im tryin to say is that, "depersonalization" is just something all humans avoid. it is the opposite of becomeing "awakened" or "enlightened". you will find that the more integrated your consciousness becomes, the more present you feel, and the more love, joy, and comfort you will experience. but if you become completely seperated from your self or what you truely are, due to repression or a collapsed ego, you will see that you are not very integrated, you are not very aware, or awake, you dont really experience the energy of life, feelings, emotions, and all the different levels of consciousness. but again, when you become more "whole" or integrated within your self, you become more awake more joyful, more present, and there will be more love. love is a free flow of consciousness, or energy. when your energy is blocked or disfigured or whatever, your consciousness doesnt really work as well, you are not very "awake" or "enlightened".

so on one end of the spectrum you have "depersonalization", completely seperated, blocked, unaware, unawakened, or whatever you wish to call it. there is not a free flow of consciousness.

and on the other end of the spectrum you have "an awakened one" or "enlightenment" eewwww ahhh. more integrated, more whole, aware, awake. there is a free flow of consciousness.

thats kinda how i see it. doesnt really matter though. everyone has to find truth and see it within themselves. just interesting topic.

oh i sorry if it seems like i changed topics. i didnt, the brain serves as a power house, source or a moderater if you will of all the different levels of consciousness. maybe not the best words to choose but my point is, is that, if your state of consciousness isnt constant (which is impossible), than the functions, actions, and reactions within the brain are certainly not going to be constant. its amazing how human conscioiusness works. blows my fuckin mind


----------

