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"The Brain that Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge (2008)
, 4 Oct 2014
Norman Doige, a
well-respected psychiatrist and psychotherapist, has written one of the
most impacting books you have read in the last years. So much so, that
despite this being a book on Medicine, Medical Research and the Brain,
has been read by million of people who came to it by worth of mouth. The book is written in a very simple language, accessible to the lay, to people like you and me who are not medical professionals or know too well the intricacies of our brain or neurology. At the same time, the book is scientifically rigorous, with the expected footnotes and bibliography needed to be so. Moreover, Doidge has the rare virtue of being entertaining when writing about medical experimentation and about medical researchers.
The book, in the first place, narrates the painful birth of neuroplasticity within the Medical world, showcasing the many different experiments and research projects that lead to the official recognition of this field by the Academia. It also exemplifies, to me, the dogmatism and rigidity of our modern scientific community, that rejects ideas that are scientifically sound and logic, even proven, beating up those who dare to propose them, until the evidences are so overwhelming that they have to recognise the obvious but without any apology. Secondly, and most importantly, you will find an explanation of what neuroplasticity is and how it works, and what means in practical terms for our health, for the treatment of brain damage and malformations, and for the understanding of what our brain is, and how mind and body are intricately related.
I spent the first 70-80 pages of the book saying WOW to myself, unable to put the book down. It is not just me. Most people who have read it, will tell you the same.
A book that anybody with a brain should read. So run and grab your copy.
Posted in
Book Reviews,
Medicine,
Neurology,
Non-Fiction,
Norman Doidge,
The Brain,
The Brain that Changes Itself
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