The brain's way of healing : remarkable discoveries and recoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity / Norman Doidge, M.D.

"A James H. Silberman Book."

Includes bibliographical references (page 367-394) and index.

Physician hurt, then heal thyself : Michael Moskowitz discovers that chronic pain can be unlearned -- A man walks off his Parkinsonian symptoms : how exercise helps fend off degenerative disorders and can defer dementia -- The stages of neuroplastic healing : how and why it works -- Rewiring a brain with light : using light to reawaken dormant neural circuits -- Moshe Feldenkrais, physicist, black belt, and healer : healing serious brain problems through mental awareness of movement -- A blind man learns to see : using Feldenkrais, Buddhist, and other neuroplastic methods -- A device that resets the brain : stimulating neuromodulation to reverse symptoms. A cane against the wall ; Three resets: Parkinson's, stroke, multiple sclerosis ; The cracked potters ; How the brain balances itself--with a little help -- A bridge of sound : the special connection between music and the brain. A dyslexic boy reverses his misfortune ; A mother's voice ; Rebuilding the brain from the bottom up: autism, attention deficits, and sensory processing disorder ; Solving the mystery at the abbey : how music: raises our spirits and energy.

"Norman Doidge's revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us--light, sound, vibration, movement--which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing"-- Provided by publisher.

"The New York Times bestselling author of The Brain That Changes Itself presents astounding advances in the treatment of brain injury and illness. In The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge described the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years: the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience-what we call neuroplasticity. His revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us-light, sound, vibration, movement-which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing. As he did so lucidly in The Brain That Changes Itself, Doidge uses stories to present cutting-edge science with practical real-world applications, and principles that everyone can apply to improve their brain's performance and health"-- Provided by publisher.