The Brain's Way of Healing

This book is about the discovery that the human brain has its own unique way of healing. For centuries we believed that the price we paid for our brain's complexity was that, compared to other organs, it was fixed and unregenerative - unable to recover from damage or illness. In this revolutionary new book, Norman Doidge turns this belief on its head.The phenomenon of neuroplasticity - the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience - is the most important development in our understanding of the brain and mind since the beginning of modern science. Here, Doidge shows how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. When it is understood, it is often possible to radically improve - and even cure - many conditions thought to be irreversible.Doidge introduces us to the doctors, therapists, and patients who are healing the brain without surgery or medication. We meet patients who have alleviated years of chronic pain; children on the autistic spectrum, or with ADD or learning disorders, who have used neuroplastic techniques to complete a normal education and become independent; and sufferers who have seen symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain injuries, and cerebral palsy radically diminish; and we learn how to lower our risk of dementia by 60 per cent. Through hopeful, astonishing stories, The Brain's Way of Healing explains how mind, brain, and body, and the energies around us, work together in health and healing.

“'An exciting overview of powerful new neuroscience theories that connect mind, body, and soul ... Brain science offers all kinds of useful techniques to care for our infinitely complex selves. A Michelin Guide to this hopeful new trove of knowledge and insight.'”

'A lively, anecdotal account of potential new directions that may point the way to major therapeutic breakthroughs.';- Kirkus Reviews;;;- Boston Globe;;'Doidge explains the processes of the brain and body in a clear and understandable way, even to those of us who previously couldn't distinguish a hippocampus from a hippopotamus. He tells of patients who hobble into labs and medical offices on canes and leave without them after their first visit. His enthusiasm for these recoveries is no less than that of a faith healer who has just brought sight to the blind ... For someone who suffers - or knows someone who suffers - from an injury or illness related to the brain, both this book as well as Doidge's previous will provide information - and perhaps hope- that the brain can heal itself.';- Seattle Times;;'A dazzling collection of stories about neuroplasticity and the ever-changing brain ... cutting-edge treatments that use the body's senses to access, and improve, neurological functioning. In friendly vignettes reminiscent of Oliver Sacks' case studies, Doidge chronicles the heroic efforts of patients with a wide variety of apparently intractable ailments, from chronic pain to multiple sclerosis ... Doidge truly takes a holistic approach to his subjects, getting to know them and their doctors and sharing every detail with his readers ... Each of Doidge's examples suggests tangible treatment ideas for patients who may have thought they were out of options. Doidge's penchant for considering unconventional approaches to healing offers hope for all.';- Boston Globe;;'Exhilarating science ... In an era of ever-increasing medicalisation of the human mind, and the medication of it, the appeal of neuroplasticity outlined by Doidge is addictive. It is inspiring, page-turning stuff.';- Sunday Times;;'A fine blend between scientific substance and literary style. While never dumbing down the science, he's positively elegant in his crystalline explanations of brain science for a lay audience.';- Marcia Kaye, Toronto Star;;'A vivid, robust and optimistic read ... an essential addition to our growing understanding of the mind-brain-body connection. Doidge argues quite convincingly that when the brain is damaged or incompletely formed, whether from stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, autism, ADHD or a host of other conditions, it's entirely possible to 'rewire' the circuits by training a different part of the brain to take over the task ... Doidge has an uncanny knack for addressing questions just as they arise in the reader's mind ... An award-winning literary writer and journalist as well as a psychiatrist, Doidge has achieved a fine blend here between scientific substance and literary style. While never dumbing down the science, he's positively elegant in his crystalline explanations of brain science for a lay audience.';- Toronto Star;;'In his new book, Doidge again scouts the frontiers of neuroplasticity to bring tidings of the next-generation therapies that promise to stimulate and harness the brain's regenerative capacity ... Doidge is an ardent herald of the new science.';- The Saturday Paper;;'This is a book of miracles. Fascinating ... An absorbing compendium of unlikely recoveries from physical and mental ailments offers evidence that the brain can heal';- Lisa Appignanesi, The Guardian;;'Beautifully written ... inspiring ... By merging scientific information into timeless and fascinating personal stories, Doidge makes his discoveries extremely readable ... In some cases, the results are completely astounding and unexpected ...The Brain's Way of Healing grabs onto the reader at once and compels them to keep reading. This is an important and encouraging book.';- Vancouver Sun;;'Reviewers hailed Norman Doidge's 2007 The Brain That Changes Itself as a book that showed its author's rare talent to explain science to the rest of us: 'You don't have to be a brain surgeon to read it - just a person with a curious mind.' Now the physician who was then paired with Oliver Sacks and Stephen Jay Gould returns with a captivating new tome about neuroplasticity, the brain's astonishing capacity to repair itself after injury or illness. Dr. Doidge's clear descriptions of exciting breakthrough brain research will give readers a heartening new sense of the dynamism of the body we live with daily.';- Barnes and Noble;;'Doidge is the master of explaining how the brain's plasticity can be harnessed to improve the symptoms of brain-related disorders, ranging from stroke to autism';- The Independent;;'Doidge is persuasive and curious as a writer, and rigorous as a thinker, though what he writes about is at the edge of our current understanding of mind and body.';- Tim Adams, The Observer;;'[Doidge] writes in an urgent, enthusiastic voice ... He couples anecdote with science: describing patients and scientists with respect and warmth, explaining complex neuroscientific theories clearly and in great detail.';- The Australian;;'[E]xplores the phenomenon of neuroplasticity - the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience. This is regarded as the most important change in our understanding of the brain and mind since the beginning of modern science ... Doidge shows how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works.';- Phil Brown, Adelaide Advertiser

Norman Doidge, MD, is the author of the bestselling book, The Brain That Changes Itself- personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science, which has sold over one million copies worldwide. Dr Doidge is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher, author, essayist and poet. He is on the Research Faculty at Columbia University's Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, in New York, and the University of Toronto's Department of Psychiatry. He is a native of Toronto. Visit him at

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