The healing brainThe healing brain
All In The Mind
The discovery that our brains can adapt their physical structure in response to mental experience was put in the spotlight several years ago by Dr. Norman Doidge. This adaptation has become known as neuroplasticity, and in his latest book Norman Doidge writes about the brain even being able to heal itself without surgery.
28:50•19 Apr 2015
The Healing Brain: Stories of Neuroplastic Change and Recovery
Episode Overview
- The brain is plastic and can alter its structure and function in response to activity and mental experience.
- Conscious, deliberate movement combined with regular walking may help reduce Parkinson’s symptoms by activating dormant brain circuits.
- Consistent moderate exercise is strongly linked with a reduced risk of dementia and supports general neuronal health.
- Chronic pain can sometimes be reduced or eliminated by repeatedly pairing pain with visual imagery, using the competitive nature of brain maps.
- Modified music and voice-based interventions can gradually retrain auditory processing in some autistic children, improving communication and relationships.
“"You don't have to believe this. You just have to be willing to do it."”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This episode of *All In The Mind* looks at the brain’s surprising ability to change and heal itself, offering a different angle for anyone curious about recovery from long-term conditions, including addiction-related brain changes. Psychiatrist and researcher Dr Norman Doidge talks about neuroplasticity – the brain’s capacity to rewire in response to experience – and what this means for healing.
As he puts it, "Because we know the brain is plastic, we have a first level roadmap for understanding what we need to do to drive it back in an improving direction." Rather than relying solely on drugs or surgery, he shares stories of people using movement, attention and sound to reshape their brains. You’ll hear how John Pepper, living with Parkinson’s, developed a "conscious walking" technique by breaking each step into deliberate movements.
Combined with regular walking, this approach seemed to trigger brain growth factors and ease some of his symptoms. Doidge notes the simple power of activity: everyday walking, done consistently, was linked in one major study to a large reduction in dementia risk. Chronic pain gets special attention too. Pain physician Michael Moskowitz tested neuroplastic principles on his own severe pain, repeatedly using visual imagery whenever pain appeared.
Over months, he gradually reduced and then eliminated his pain, leading Doidge to say, "You don't have to believe this. You just have to be willing to do it." There’s also a striking account of autistic children whose brains respond to carefully modified music and their mother’s voice, gently retraining the "auditory zoom" that helps us focus on speech in noisy environments.
The tone stays grounded and practical, with Doidge stressing that these non-invasive methods need proper study but shouldn’t be dismissed as "false hope". If you’re interested in how habits, attention and simple physical practices might support brain change, this episode could spark fresh questions about what recovery really means – are you ready to rethink what your brain might be capable of?
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