The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity

409 Pages·2015·1.03 MB·English

by  Norman Doidge

PENGUIN BOOKS
THE BRAIN’S WAY OF HEALING
Norman Doidge, M.D., is a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Brain That
Changes Itself, which was chosen by the Dana Foundation from over thirty thousand titles as the best general book on
the brain. It has sold over a million copies around the world. He is on the Research Faculty of the Center for
Psychoanalytic Training and Research at Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry in New York City, and on
the faculty of the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry. He lives in Toronto.
Praise for The Brain’s Way of Healing
“Brilliant and highly original. Neurology used to be considered a depressing discipline with patients often displaying
fascinating but essentially untreatable symptoms and disabilities. Drawing on the last three decades of research,
Doidge challenges this view, using vivid portraits of patients and their physicians. The book is a treasure-trove of the
author’s own deep insights, and a clear bright light of optimism shines through every page.”
—V. S. Ramachandran, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist, neuroscientist, and director of the Center for Brain and Cognition,
University of California, San Diego, and author of The Tell-Tale Brain
“A tour de force. In one of the most riveting books on the human brain and its mystery powers ever written, Doidge
addresses the role of alternative medical therapies to reset and re-sync the dynamic patterns of ‘energy’ in our brain,
with the ability to restore relatively normal health to those whose fate seems hopeless. . . . These are people that
traditional medicine all but abandoned as hopeless, untreatable. But they were rescued. . . . It’s possible to start
anywhere in the book and be mesmerized.”
—The Huffington Post
“Bold, remarkable . . . paradigm challenging . . . The Brain’s Way of Healing is brilliantly organized, scientifically
documented, and a beautifully written narrative that captivates the reader. The reader is left with the profound message
that the brain, similar to other organs, can heal.”
—Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D., Distinguished University Scientist, Indiana University Bloomington; author of The
Polyvagal Theory
“A Michelin Guide to this hopeful new trove of knowledge and insight.”
—The Boston Globe
“A stunner—the sort of book you want to read several times, not because it is difficult to understand, but because it
opens up so many novel and startling avenues into our potential to heal. Norman Doidge enthralls us with a rich
combination of lucidly explained brain research and pioneering . . . approaches to recovery. With an eloquence
reminiscent of Oliver Sacks, Doidge bolsters the latest advances in brain science with a series of extraordinary case
histories of people for whom all hope seemed to be lost, but who healed as a result of great personal courage, and by
changing the ways their bodies and brains processed sensations and movement.”
—Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., medical director, the Trauma Center, Brookline, Massachusetts; professor of psychiatry,
Boston University School of Medicine; and author of the New York Times bestseller The Body Keeps the Score
“Stunning . . . Another groundbreaking book by Norman Doidge. His style keeps you going into the deep dark secrets
of how the brain works. . . . His reframing of remarkable treatments that I had categorized as gimmicky left me
fascinated and humbled. He brings a whole new level of insight into the body-brain-mind connection that will impact
any reader.”
—John J. Ratey, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and author of Driven to
Distraction
“This is a book of miracles: an absorbing compendium of unlikely recoveries from physical and mental ailments offers
evidence that the brain can heal. Fascinating . . . brings to mind Oliver Sacks.”
—The Guardian (London)
“A dazzling collection of stories about neuroplasticity and the ever-changing brain. Doidge truly takes a holistic
approach to his subjects, getting to know them and their doctors and sharing every detail with his readers. . . . Each of
Doidge’s examples suggests tangible treatment ideas for patients who may have thought they were out of options.”
—BookPage
“Beautifully written . . . inspiring . . . astounding and unexpected . . . timeless and fascinating personal stories. The
Brain’s Way of Healing grabs onto the reader at once and compels them to keep reading.”
—The Vancouver Sun
“Doidge’s book is filled with compelling stories about radical improvements in conditions often deemed hopeless. It
points to a future of remarkable and unprecedented brain healing.”
—Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and
coauthor of The Autism Revolution
“A powerful and brilliant book that gives hope to those with illness and creative inspiration to the whole medical
community.”
—Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., author of A Path with Heart
“A vivid, robust, and optimistic read . . . an essential addition to our growing understanding of the mind-brain-body
connection. Doidge argues quite convincingly that when the brain is damaged or incompletely formed, whether from
stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, autism, ADHD, or a host of other conditions, it’s entirely possible to
‘rewire’ the circuits by training a different part of the brain to take over the task. . . . Doidge has an uncanny knack for
addressing questions just as they arise in the reader’s mind. . . . While never dumbing down the science, he’s
positively elegant in his crystalline explanations of brain science for a lay audience.”
—Toronto Star
“If you’re looking for the next big thing in neuroscience, the best person to speak to is Norman Doidge, a physician,
psychiatrist, and writer. Norman Doidge has developed a brand-new field of science that revolutionizes the way we
think about our brains.”
—BusinessInsider.com, “50 Groundbreaking Scientists Who Are Changing the Way We See the World”
“Exhilarating science . . . addictive . . . page-turning stuff.”
—The Sunday Times (London)
Praise for The Brain That Changes Itself
“Fascinating. Doidge’s book is a remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain.”
—Oliver Sacks, M.D., author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
“Mind-bending, miracle-making, reality-busting stuff . . . with implications for all human beings, not to mention
human culture, human learning, and human history.”
—The New York Times
A N D
LSO BY ORMAN OIDGE
The Brain That Changes Itself

PENGUIN BOOKS
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New York, New York 10014
penguin.com
First published in the United States of America by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2015
Published with a new afterword in Penguin Books 2016
Copyright © 2015, 2016 by Norman Doidge
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates
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Illustration on page 338 by Laura Hartman Maestro
:
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS
Doidge, Norman.
The brain’s way of healing : remarkable discoveries and recoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity / Norman
Doidge, M.D.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-698-19143-3
1. Neuroplasticity. 2. Brain. 3. Healing. I. Title
QP363.3.D66 2015
612.8—dc23
2014038471
Cover design: Nick Misani
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact
information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for
changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader.
The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with
your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher
shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this
book.
Version_4
For Karen, my love
Just as the hand, held before the eye, can hide the tallest mountain, so the routine of everyday life
can keep us from seeing the vast radiance and the secret wonders that fill the world.
Chasidic saying, eighteenth century
Life is short, and Art long; opportunity fleeting, experience misleading, and decision difficult. It is
the duty of the physician not only to provide what he himself must do, but to enable the patient, the
attendants, and the external circumstances to do their part as well.
Hippocrates, father of medicine, 460–375 BC
Contents
About the Author
Also by Norman Doidge
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Note to the Reader
Preface
Chapter 1
Physician Hurt, Then Heal Thyself
Michael Moskowitz Discovers That Chronic Pain Can Be Unlearned
Chapter 2
A Man Walks Off His Parkinsonian Symptoms
How Exercise Helps Fend Off Degenerative Disorders and Can Defer Dementia
Chapter 3
The Stages of Neuroplastic Healing
How and Why It Works
Chapter 4
Rewiring a Brain with Light
Using Light to Reawaken Dormant Neural Circuits
Chapter 5
Moshe Feldenkrais: Physicist, Black Belt, and Healer
Healing Serious Brain Problems Through Mental Awareness of Movement
Chapter 6
A Blind Man Learns to See
Using Feldenkrais, Buddhist, and Other Neuroplastic Methods
Chapter 7
A Device That Resets the Brain
Stimulating Neuromodulation to Reverse Symptoms
I. A Cane Against the Wall
II. Three Resets: Parkinson’s, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis
III. The Cracked Potters
IV. How the Brain Balances Itself—with a Little Help
Chapter 8
A Bridge of Sound
The Special Connection Between Music and the Brain
I. A Dyslexic Boy Reverses His Misfortune
II. A Mother’s Voice
III. Rebuilding the Brain from the Bottom Up: Autism, Attention Deficits, and Sensory Processing Disorder
IV. Solving the Mystery at the Abbey: How Music Raises Our Spirits and Energy
Afterword
Appendix 1
A General Approach to TBI and Brain Problems
Appendix 2
Matrix Repatterning for TBI
Appendix 3
Neurofeedback for ADD, ADHD, Epilepsy, Anxiety, and TBI
Acknowledgments
Notes and References
Index