Rating  - This Book delves into Brain Heal Thyself, new theories...
This book goes thru new findings on brain plasticity--read the other reviews for details on chapters. It is a great book for laypersons wanting to understand the new neuroplasticity theories and how the brain can re-wire itself, heal itself, and improve with 'brain exercise'. That our brains ARE capable of GREAT changes even after trauma, stroke, or aging have changed them for the worse. It bogs down in places. There are chapters on neurosis, sexual habits, personality 'dark sides', mental illness, stroke, positive thinking...and how this new format for the brain "re-wires" people wanting to CHANGE something formerly thought PERMANENT and unchangable. It is NOT an infomercial as some reviewers have stated, as they donated a program (Posit Science brain rehab programs) to this Wounded Warrior from the US Army who has a brain injury from Iraq...so I could rehab. It is being used by many soldiers with brain injury and they are enjoying it, and seeing changes. We are all still applying it--so the outcome is anyone's guess. BUT W/O THIS BOOK, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS. Buy it! 1/4 of the book is references and notes--all good sources for websites and more data.
Rating - cutting edge science
a must read book for those interested in the latest knowledge of how the brain functions and the stories make it fun reading.
Rating  - worth reading, with caveats
I have a general professional interest in psychology and brain science, which often leads me to be frustrated by the tendency towards reductionism and exaggeration. This book looked promising to me because the author is advertised as a psychoanalyst--something that usually does not mesh well with neuroscience. I was intrigued to see how Freud might think about modern psychology's biological determinism. On that score, I found The Brain That Changes Itself reasonably satisfying; the chapter on how neural plasticity can help us understand the impact of psychotherapy was among the best in the book. I very much appreciate the emphasis on how experience (including talk therapy) and culture, not just genes and drugs, shape the brain. That is something that is easy to miss in viewing the pretty brain scans of contemporary popular science. I also found the appendix on how culture works through neural plasticity interesting, although I don't find it helpful to define culture as Doidge seems to--something akin to cultivation and taste (a definition that leads to a problematic hierarchy of cultures based on somewhat arbitrary criteria). It is, however, important to recognize that culture and the brain have a reciprocal relationship.
My main concern with the book is that much of the argument seems to imply that the brain is infinitely malleable with the right exercises and effort. Though Doidge does note at points that plasticity is not infinite, he also seems to endorse the very American cultural script that individuals have total control over everything that happens to them. If babies are properly stimulated they will all be geniuses! If ADHD children go through the proper attentional exercises they will suddenly excel! If the elderly go to brain gyms they will never lose their memory! These, unfortunately, are primarily openings for marketers rather than scientific realities. Of course we have some control, and the key findings of neural plasticity research have been helpful in supporting that, but there are some things that are not just about effort--but also about care and community. Overall, I did find this book interesting and worth reading, but also found myself worried about what seemed to me strategic exaggeration.
Rating - A fascinating book
This book gives new hope to many people who would be left to face a very limited life. Well written and accessible to non-professionals.
Go to the Product Information page
page 7 of 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Customer Reviews for Penguin (Non-Classics),0143113100,9780143113102,0143113100,612.8 |
