Willie Horton's Personal Development Ezine

Neuro-psychology tells us that neural pathways within the brain wither and die without use. As we begin to specialize our activities in early life - for example, we are all born with a multi-lingual ear but very quickly specialize in our mother tongue - some of the neural highways in our mind become redundant. We may lose up to fifty percent of our neural connections during our early years.

At the same time research has shown that active use of a particular part of the brain actually contributes to a building of new neural networks and even a growth in brain size. The classic 2001 study of London Cabbies' hippocampi confirmed that, because of the manner in which taxi drivers in London must learn 'The Knowledge' (how to get from any A to any B using any number of routes) their hippocampus was up to 50% larger than normal - and the longer they were taxi drivers, the larger the hippocampus.

Now, Canadian research has demonstrated that deep stimulation of the brain, using electrodes, can have the same effect - with possibly major medical consequences in the field of Alzheimers.

The point I would make though is that you don't need electrodes plunged into your brain. You can stimulate yourself. In 2000, Maunsell & McAdams confirmed that parts of the brain that are never otherwise activated literally light up when we hit a natural high. The same effect is experienced when we meditate - because meditation focuses the mind in the same way as a natural high.

So stimulate yourself - take control of your mind. Rejuvenate your brain. Take charge of your own mental health.

TO SUCCEED... JUST LET GO