Neuroimaginal World and Neuroplasticity: Our Power to Change How We Think and Feel

Dr. Lee Lipsenthal was a cardiologist who had spent his career teaching patients about prioritizing their health. He lived his life the way he encouraged his patients to live theirs: maintaining a nutritious diet, following an exercise routine, managing stress, filling life with things and people he loved. After experiencing what he told himself was heartburn he went to see a doctor friend, learning soon after that he had terminal cancer, with statistics of 10% chance of living beyond a year.

As he learned to come to terms with dying, he began to focus on how to live. Through his journey he wrote a book, "Enjoy Every Sandwich". At the surface the book is about gratitude. Appreciating the small things, learning to communicate, express love, and learn to live in the present rather living in moments of fear or regret. However, it's so much more than that.

A concept that comes up over and over is Neuroimaginal world. This means that the way we see the world- our overall understanding of reality- is deeply rooted inside our brain and even though the worldview might be false, it really doesn't matter. "We see the world around us through the filter of our experiences, our emotions, and our physiological drives and desires. We can see the world only through this lense".

We've wrapped ourselves so tightly around these views that to us it's completely real. When we argue with someone over basic opinions or more serious values, it may be incredibly tough to see how they could possibly see things the way they do. How can they be so wrong? Why are they refusing to look around and see what we so obviously see? According to Dr. Lipsental, the Neuroimaginal world may be behind it. It's a combination of things we learned from our upbringing, cultural and religious influences that we live by, things we've experienced that had deep impact like trauma or success. We take our experiences and subconsiously develop beliefs about the world and where we fit into it and then that becomes the lense through which we see the world. It doesn't matter if it's right, wrong, or how much sense it makes; it's what we know.

Dr. Lipsenthal used his Neuroimaginal world to cope with cancer. However, he also learned to challenge it. Whereas our worldview is initially constructed with a purpose to make us feel safe, at some point circumstances change, yet we still apply the same worldview to our everyday life. And if we're still living by the same beliefs and using the same behaviors that worked for past circumstances, at some point we're going to face new problems and consequences that aren't a result from our actual problems, but are because of the problems we create by repeatedly using those old outdated solutions. This might be shutting people out because we're seeing them as posing a threat where there actually isn't one. This might be sabotaging relationships when we feel insecure. Or maybe quitting a job after receiving criticism. Or constantly feeling on edge when things are going well, "waiting for the other shoe to drop". We cope with the problems we don't realize we created ourselves by blaming external situations and things like eating and drinking too much. Our nervous system becomes on high alert, expecting danger at every turn. Relaxation and sleep become a problem.

The reality is that when this starts to happen rather then looking inward for the problem we look outwards (and side note, if this isn't already complicated enough, rather than facing outwards to reach for the people or things in our life that support us, we face inwards and feel isolated and misunderstood). Who/what is to blame for my feeling this way? Do I need to change jobs? Are the people around me the problem? Why is everyone doing everything so wrong? What we aren't seeing is that not only is everyone responding to their own Neuroimaginal world, but we're forcing ourselves to stay stuck in ours, even when it's not working. Neuroplasticity is the ability of our brains to change and adapt based on our experiences. The folds and grooves in our brains are literally created by the way we see the world. I have spent my whole life never living in Florida, where bodies of freshwater (and sometimes saltwater!) means alligators are likely nearby. Even swimming pools need to be checked. The grooves in my brain for "freshwater= alligators" are incredibly deep. When I visited Lake Michigan it took hours for my brain to adapt. It's a huge body of water but not saltwater, and I can jump in without looking for alligators. After spending a week there I might have developed a very small groove from the experience, though if I ever visit again my brain will still go through the moment of processing what I'm looking at. If I were to visit there more often that groove would grow until it becomes an automatic understanding.

We can change our brains if we really want to. The bigger the habit, whether a habit of thought or of behavior, the harder it is to break. The harder it is to recreate the brain grooves and folds for something new. But not impossible!

If you want to learn to change, again whether it's changing a physical habit or a habit of thought, keep in mind how worth it it will be. The confidence you'll gain in doing what you want to do. Confidence of doing something so hard, and actually doing it. The realization that you are truly in charge of how you show up in your world and how you choose to see the world around you.

This is no easy thing! I've tried, failed, and tried again in many ways, sometimes eventually succeeding and sometimes eventually putting the effort on pause. Change is hard! But it's so worth it! I would love to help you on your own journey. And check out "Enjoy Every Sandwich" by Lee Lipsenthal, MD. I'd love to hear your thoughts!