How to Reprogram Your Brain
You no doubt have heard 
the expression, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, it turns out you can. The human brain is quite elastic and can be molded and changed, even in older people.
Imagine a ski slope that has a fresh fall of snow. At first the slope is a dream come true because you have full control, and the slope is not too fast. As time goes on and more people use the slope, the grooves get deeper and faster because of ice build-up. You have less freedom to veer from the path, but you can go faster.
The Brain is similar in that you can purposely increase the speed of processing. The synapses that provide the connections within the pathways will shrink the gaps with more use. This will also add more synapses for the purposes you program your brain to do. This applies to whatever you want to learn, whether it be math, history or a language. Brain washing techniques use this to reinforce ideas that are being promoted, but you can purposefully do the same to yourself. It is no mystery that when you focus on a topic and repeat exposure to it over and over that you will master the subject.
In a study at Harvard Medical School it was found that not only was repetition of a particular task necessary to rewire the brain, just the mere thought of doing the task also had a similar result! Check out this article from Time: https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580438,00.html
“Mental practice resulted in a similar reorganization” of the brain, Pascual-Leone later wrote. If his results hold for other forms of movement (and there is no reason to think they don’t), then mentally practicing a golf swing or a forward pass or a swimming turn could lead to mastery with less physical practice. Even more profound, the discovery showed that mental training had the power to change the physical structure of the brain.
This is great news for those of us who think they aren’t smart or strong. Because we CAN teach “an old dog new tricks”. The neuroplasticity of the brain extends even into old age. Even with damage, such as a stroke:
“If a stroke knocks out, say, the neighborhood of motor cortex that moves the right arm, a new technique called constraint-induced movement therapy can coax next-door regions to take over the function of the damaged area. The brain can be rewired.“
There is a verse in the Bible that is useful in understanding this effect:
Philippians 4:8-9 (ESV)
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
The impact focused thought can have on your life is amazing. When you think on good things as the verse says, your brain rewires itself to be much more open to such things and less so towards others. If you want to have a positive outlook, fill your mind with positive thoughts. The inverse is also true, when you think “unhappy thoughts” you will bring these thoughts to fruition, and your brain will actually make it easier to have such thoughts in the future.
So what does this have to do with learning MaTh? For one, if you start training your mind to think in mathematical patterns, even simple ones, then your brain will rewire and accommodate your efforts. Practice with simple math puzzles and logical problems. If you don’t know where to start, we at MaThCliX can help. It will expand your mind and help you to learn other similarly patterned subjects. Attaching positive emotions to the process will also help your brain rewire It is more difficult to learn something you don’t like. There is a saying among motivational speakers: “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, either way you are right”. It seems that there is a physiological explanation for this phenomenon.
Reprogramming your brain for success is possible with focused effort, but you can do it!