Neuroplasticity– The Key to Change

Welcome to the second in a short series of articles on 'The Brains Behind Coaching', where we explore the contribution that neuroscience plays in coaching.

What does neuroplasticity mean?

Let’s break it down, neuro means the nervous system which consists of the brain, the spinal cord and all the nerves that send and receive information to and from the brain and plasticity comes from the Greek word plastos meaning mouldable.?So, neuroplasticity means mouldable brain.?

You may have heard of the Russian psychologist called Pavlov, who in 1904 conducted an experiment that essentially rewired the brains of his dogs to salivate at the ring of a bell. He did this by repeatedly ringing a bell every time their food was given to them until the bell alone stimulated the salvia response.?This was neuroplasticity in action, but it wasn’t until 1906 that an Italian psychiatrist coined the phrase neuroplasticity to describe how the brain can change throughout life, to adapt, learn and recover from injury.??

Every time we learn something new, we are experiencing neuroplasticity.

At school, you may remember having to learn your times tables or the capitals of the world for a test, how did you study for the test??Did you recite your tables over and over or use flashcards over and over again until the answers came naturally? Capital of France – Paris, Capital of US – Washington DC, 7 x 8 is 56.

This is what you and Palov’s dogs have in common??You were both exposed to a stimulus, with enough repetition and intensity to change or ‘rewire’ your brain function. So, neuroplasticity is essentially learning, and it takes place every single day. Every day your brain will make new connections.?Neuroplasticity doesn’t just apply to cognitive skills but also to physical ones, like riding a bike which again takes practice and repetition.

So now we know that our brains are not hardwired from birth, and that we can change the very architecture of our brain and physically ‘sculpt’ the shape of our minds, it should be easy right but and it’s a big but – change is difficult.

Neuroscience tells us that old habits require less energy, new habits require more brain processing therefore more energy.?For change to occur, the new process must be embedded. Your brain will tend to remember things that are reinforced in an emotional context and that your brain will not register rewards for new changes if there is high anxiety.

All of these things must be taken into account when you are guiding someone through a process of change, so whether you are coach, a trainer or a teacher, understanding how the brain changes its very architecture, is essential is achieving real, sustainable change.

Understanding neuroplasticity is fundamental to understanding change and is one of the key principles that underpin PRISM, our online behavioural profiling tool. PRISM has applications in coaching, leadership and team development.

If you would like to know more about how neuroscience & PRISM can inform your coaching, then please get in touch.

Missed the first article or want to learn more??Then please watch our free to view video presentation 'The Brains Behind Coaching'?