Norman Doidge - The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books)

It is not the eyes that see; it is the brain that sees. Therefore, one might as well begin to 'see' with the tongue, the most sensitive part of the skin. One has already heard the phrase, seeing the sound and hearing the light. Paul Bach Y Rita the father of Neuroplasticity is becoming a most popular figure in recent times. His researches form the basis for much of what has already been established in practice and goes by the name of the self-improvement movement.  

The book 'The Brain that changes itself' is nothing less than a scientifically proven testimony to the increasingly popular 'Law of Positive Thinking'. This 'law' evokes mixed reactions ranging from reverence to ridicule and that in itself justifies interest. For, when there is something that holds a powerful fascination for diverse sectors of humanity, one may take it that there is an element of reality in it. The law of Positive thinking is not a scientific law. It is nevertheless, a causal law, one that holds its stand in life. Whatever the objections that physical science may confront it with, it is undeniable that experience is the sole test of this law. Rather than bringing forth objections from the physical universe, it is wiser to investigate empirical life phenomena and draw conclusions after due statistical testing, and then and only then set forth or accept pre-established theories. Here also theories may indicate the lines of investigation and one should not be in a haste to reject them. Napoleon Hill's example is a case in point. Hill carried out nothing less than an investigation into this law as it applied to the lives of over five hundred immensely successful people and gleaned insights that he later welded into a theory or model if you will. The law of Positive thinking as was so called emerged in the popular consciousness quite recently as 'The Secret'. In my own opinion the key element in this law is nothing but the power of the cognitive filters or belief systems. One does not believe what one sees but what one sees, one believes. Most often one is so subject to one's own belief system that one takes it as truth and is unaware of that very act as a matter of predetermined choice. What Norman Doidge's book does for us at this moment is to marshal evidence from Neuroscience that brings home the law of Positive thinking in all its amplitude. It bases itself neither on purely popular opinion nor on the pronouncements of physical science. It strikes a midway and is founded on concrete brain facts. The most powerful message that this book conveys is through the personal breakthroughs of key personalities it portrays. There is Bach Y Rita's father who recovered from a massive stroke due to the intervention of Paul's elder brother who unknowlingly played out the role of a self-improvement Life Coach and healer simultaneously.  Then there is 'the woman who cured herself'. The star of this book is of course Paul Bach Y Rita, the Neuroscientist, polymath and discoverer of Neuroplasticity and pioneer of Neurotechnology. This is an irresistible book, one that will forever alter the way one looks at life. It ranks with Deepak Chopra's 'Ageless Body, Timeless Mind' in its life-giving message and freeing one from the meshes of one's own cognitive chains. If there is one book that you would like to read to awaken yourself to your deep hidden inner power, this is the one.