The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

by Penguin Books

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Neuroscience, Self Help, Psychology, Health

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micro plastics ending up in your brain brain? NOT cool.

Neuroplasticity? Very cool!

“The same applies to mobility. Just doing the dances you learned years ago won't help your brain's motor cortex stay in shape. To keep the mind alive requires learning something truly new with intense focus. That is what will allow you to both lay down new memories and have a system that can easily access and preserve the older ones.”

[Gabe Herrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great book! However, it's only stories like it says in the title, and not tons of information. Also, if you plan on reading it, I would advise skipping chapter four >_<. But it's very interesting to learn about those with disabilities whose brains have rewired to overcome those disabilities.

For instance, one girl was born with out the left side of her brain, as she grew, it was able to almost totally rewire itself on the right side, so her one side of the brain worked almost as well as both of ours combined!

[Annie Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 because I have a hard time with scientific non-fiction. I feel like I’m back in school and I have to learn and I had to I make myself to listen to this every time I was in the car the past few weeks.

It was very informative and shared a lot of interesting triumphant stories! I was really interested in the speech/ communication related stories and how that relates to my job. I learned about the brain and how it has the ability to adapt, heal, and even change in response to injury or learning new skills.

[Grace Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norman, you are a genius. This was so dense and hard to read but the neuro geek in me went crazy.

[Robin Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Somewhat technical. Learned a lot about the brain and how it compensates for lost or damaged parts.

[Ollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated and unsympathetic

[Brianna Doo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norman Doidge's 'The Brain that Changes Itself,' was a very interesting read about neuroplasticity and the complexity of the brain. As someone who deals with neurologic issues on a daily basis I've often wondered how do you change, or retrain, your brain. Does it really work? Can it really help? This book helps break down some of the inner workings between the brain and the body, and tells some incredible stories of triumph from people suffering from different ailments that seemed virtually impossible to overcome. The brain isn't some fixed machine, it is malleable, adaptable, and can change. Keeping your brain active is pertinent, doing little things like puzzles and crosswords literally make you younger, from a neurological standpoint. The book also tackles neurodivergent issues like OCD, autism, and PTSD by explaining what happens to the brain with these ailments and what you can do to manage or even overcome them. Anyone can change habits and learn new skills, given they make concerted and consistent effort. The inner workings of your brain will follow suit to the lifestyle you adapt it to because your brain wants to keep living and powering you through this life.
Fav quote: When Pablo Casals, the cellist, was ninety-one years old, he was approached by a student who asked, "Master, why do you continue to practice?" Casals replied, "Because I am making progress."

[Nathalie Altidor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave The Brain That Changes Itself a 3.5 out of 5 because while I appreciated the book’s insights and storytelling, I found certain sections difficult to read...particularly the experiments involving kittens. The story about the kitten having one eye shut, which caused blindness in that eye, felt like animal cruelty to me...even though I understand these experiments were done in the name of scientific breakthroughs that have benefited many, including myself as someone with MS. Those stories still sent chills down my spine 😞

That said, I thought Doidge did an incredible job explaining complex brain science in a way that’s accessible to the average reader like myself.

My favorite story was the woman who, despite uncontrollable shaking, was able to walk normally with the help of a device worn under her tongue. I also found the final chapter about Michelle, the woman with half a brain, INCREDIBLY inspiring!! Her eccentric personality and enthusiastiam resonated deeply with me. As someone with a degenerative disease, I was moved by her resilience. As a therapist, this book gave me hope and a deeper understanding of the brain’s incredible capacity for change and I can't wait to share what I learned with my clients!!

[Kavs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting in its approach talking about the case studies regarding neuroscience and neuropsychology. I like how Doidge gave us more of a narrative perspective (as we look at the backstories of the patients and even the researchers) letting the audience also piece together the research that took place. Also, it has potential to be a huge topic for the future where it is already in conversation now such as with Cognitive Science. Some of the reading can get dense if you don’t have background in neuroanatomy or neuroscience, but the author does explain it well, which the reader needs to keep in my for the chapters. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found the concepts and studies fascinating

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read! A lot of interesting information about the brain, neuroplasticity, and current research in neuroscience. I think this book provides a good amount of technical detail that is really fascinating while still being an accessible read for people from diverse backgrounds (you don't need to be a neuroscientist to get something out of this book!).

[Melanie Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the books I’ve ever read, this one impacted me the most. It had an effect on shaping my personal worldview and unlocked a whole new way of understanding myself, and other humans around me; that I have continued to build on and learn about since this time. It’s been 15 years since I read it and it is still a standout as the most personally important book that I’ve read.

[MeanyPanini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely informative, interesting, and inspiring book about an emerging and exciting field of science waiting to be further explored. I love Norman Doidge's friendly writing style. I highly recommend this book for anyone if they want to better understand themselves.

[Barbara Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impulse was to rate this book a 5. I changed it to a 4, not because I didn't enjoy it and learn from it, but I don't think I comprehended everything. Maybe I need to reread it in a few weeks again.

[CeLisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides the fact that I felt like I was reading a textbook at certain parts… so much of this was fascinating and informative. I learned so much and am so amazed with the brain, its intricacies, and its ability to keep learning, growing, changing, and making up the difference for weaknesses.

[Lisa Duvall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapters were awesome and I love the testimonials of healing. The brain and body are truly amazing and I believe created to heal and adapt. Towards the ending it fell off a bit and got hard to get through but still an amazing read

[Steven Vollmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very wide breadth of neuroscience topics, ranging from treatment of patients with phantom limbs to the most plausible theory of autism formation that I’ve read. Would definitely revisit in a couple years

[Rebecca Asi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enriching book, really enjoyed reading it, except for THAT chapter - it was traumatizing.

But overall a good book, I enjoyed the overlap of information between the book and my neuroscience lectures.

[Ryan Carrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
0🌶️

Read the book on Kindle.

This book is as advertised stories about neuro plasticity, but the approach give the idea there is more science and the approach give a bias point of view. The discussion on stroke and the recover gave unique stories with positive outcomes but failed to show that their methods have a place in modern science. Some of the stories had undertones of politics and some homophobic ideas towards the end.

[Jordan Humphreys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only got to page 34. The science is INCREDIBLE, but the way it is put together, and therefore, how it reads, is SO difficult. Even getting to page 34 was daunting - I didn’t find it a page turner like the other book I had just read. I wanted to love it, I just didn’t. Very jumpy.

[Chris Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of interesting case studies which provide an optimistic look on the applications of plasticity, in the face of some unfortunate health situations. Written in an easy to digest way.

[Kate Doucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply phenomenal

Signed, a neurology nerd

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will finish this book!!😂 It’s got so much information! I have set it aside and read something else sometimes bc it’s a lot!

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting read, took months to finish

[Anna Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all the stuff in this book is true, than its amazing. The way the brain works itself is fascinating and this book proves it.

[Pedro Henriques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Everyone should read it.

[Annie Sicotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! Mind blowing. It gives hope to everyone with who wants to enhance their brain abilities. Everything is possible.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be over my head and ‘dry’ but it was one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Absolutely fascinating and so well written. The information contained in this book is critical and I often wonder why some of these topics aren’t being talked about more. We are in a mental health crisis and these discoveries need to be talked about. I will definitely purchase his other book and every book he writes going forward. I savoured every moment while reading this book and I didn’t want it to end. I highly recommend this book.

[Sydney Spink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and informative! Not my typical book but it was a nice change. Understanding our mind and body and how they work together is so important

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped midway because I cannot finish the book. It has good insights but discussions were too verbose. Although I learned quite a lot about the brain. The struggle to read this was not worth it though.

[Morgan Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book when I was in undergrad. This book fundamentally changed the way I viewed psychology/neuroscience. It is a must read for anyone interested in this field of science.