Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves
Book Review: Worth Reading
Summary: 5 Stars
There is now proof the brain can be changed, and the changes possible will in the near future have a major impact on education, raising our children and how we treat strokes, depression and other concerns related to our overall well being.
The public is only now being introduced to what our neuroscience people have learned.
You will need to struggle to get through all the scientific information related to neuroscience, but it is will worth the effort.
This book introduced me to neuroscience and I am now on my third book related to the research and the application of the research to many of the problems we face in terms of our health and learning.
Book Review: Summary of neuro research intersections with Buddhism
Summary: 1 Stars
"Train Your Mind Change Your Brain" is NOT a guide to training your brain. It IS a summary of some of the history of neuroplasticity research, including research conducted with meditation adepts. ("Neuroplasticity" being the term that covers structural and activity changes that can be detected in a brain adapting to injury or new stimuli.)
There ARE a few things the reader can infer (exercise is apparently VERY beneficial to mental health, meditation techniques can lead to useful changes in overall types of brain activity, etc.). There ARE NOT any specific techniques described in sufficient detail that the reader can adopt to help make the changes. I DO NOT mind reading another book. I DO MIND wild goose chases.
So, after reading a chapter or two of "gee, here's the good news from the experimental neuro laddies," and "wow, the Dalai Lama is really a lot more hip to neuroscience than I ever realized," the reader will detect there isn't a lot more additional content.
Book Review: Do not believe everything you think
Summary: 4 Stars
Another good book in a series of mind and body learning techniques that can make a difference in how one perceives another's pathology. The connection is extremely helpful in creating appropriate treatment techniques and interventions for people in recovery.Book Review: Pro animal research
Summary: 5 Stars
One thing I admire about this book is that the author was courageous enough to defend animal research at a time where demagogues are halting scientific advances by trying to prevent animal research.
As the Dalai lama puts it : "I [acknowledge] that I exploit this animal to bring greater benefit to a great number of sentient beings." You must feel the sacrifice, in your heart. It is never made lightly."
Hatem A Tawfik, MD
Cairo, Egypt
Book Review: One of the best information sources about the brain
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a psychologist,a psychiatrist, neuropsychiatrist nor a neurologist but I am an enthusiastic reader about psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and the brain. I have read many books and listened to CD's on these topics. This CD titled: " Train your Mind change your brain " by Sharon Begley and read by Eliza Foss is one of the best sources among many on this topic that I have read or listened to. It explains many latest scientific experiments carried out on animals and humans regarding the brain and the resulting findings. There has been a paradigm shift in brain science during the last several years. Sharon Begley explains that Buddist Monks and Yogis who meditate had known for a long time what neuroscience is just discovering about the human brain.
Sharon Begley clearly explains and backs up her explanations by refering to specific scientific experiments regarding to the loss of validity of long time beliefs of neuroscientists about the brain. These are :
1 - The number of neurons in the brain are not fixed at birth as once thought to be. The brain is not only capable of creating new synaptic ties between neurons, in addition the plasticity of the brain enables it to produce new neurons well into old ages.
2 - It was once thought that specific regions of the brain that are specialized in specific functions such as seeing for the visual cortex were capable of performing only that function. If that area of the brain is damaged or if the person were to go blind neurons in the visual cortex would decay and no longer function. On the contrary, according to the latest research the brain neurons can asume alternative functions thanks to the plasticity of the brain. The visual cortex in blind people does not die but assumes for example the function of touch and language along with areas of the brain already processing those functions. Other areas of the brain also have the capability of assuming alternative functions should the need arise. A person who has a stroke and can no longer move a limb can be trained to use other undamaged parts of the brain to assume the function of moving the limb. This finding is promising for people who are paralyzed due to a stroke. It was once thought that stroke disables the brain's ability to perform that function for ever. However, according to Sharon Begley latest research on the plasticity of the brain shows otherwise.
3 - Only upto several years ago it as thought that the brain controls the mind and not the other way around. The Buddist Monks have known for a long time that the mind also has the capacity to physically change the brain. Neuroscience is just coming to admit the mind's power over the brain. This has very favorable implications for psychotherapy, esspecially cognitive therapy whereby people can be trained to think in a certain way and chemically alter the brain to cure for example obssessive compulsive disorder, depression etc. It was once thought that chemical changes in the brain could be achieved only through medication, not by changing thinking patterns. One does not need to be psychopathalogical to benefit from the mind's power over the structure of the brain. Psychologically healthy individuals can also learn to train their minds to achieve beneficial structural changes in the brain and increase their potential. Mindfulness meditation is one of these mental training methods. Sharon Begley does not just claim these, as I wrote above she gives examples of many scientific experiments on humans and animals to support these assertions.
The voices recorded in most audio books are masculine, I got tired of this even though most of the gentlemen spoke very clearly the shortage of female speakers in audio books was boring for me. At last this audio CD is read by a lady. Eliza Foss speaks very clearly, at an understandable pace and she has a voice that is very pleasant to listen to. She is a very good speaker / loud reader.
Anybody who is interested in the brain and / or psychology profesionally or as a hobby must carefully listen to this CD.