Neuroplasticity and coaching

Imagine you are in the forest, carrying a big backpack or trolley, and you see a path in front. You have always used that path and you know that there is a big muddy puddle on the way, and you don’t really like it, but you also know that it will get you where you need.

And now also imagine that on the side there is a barely visible small path, you have never tried it, but heard that it is actually not bad. By default, our brain will choose the first path, because it is known and kind of safe, and most probably will ignore the second one. What we can do is we can consciously turn on the second path and the more we use it, the wider and popular it becomes. And apparently there might be no mud and puddles. So now the trick is to spot the moment when we need to turn.

Very similar situation happens with our habits and behaviors: our brain has “wires” where the signal goes, and it is very difficult to change the “wire”. What we can do is creating a “new wire” and train ourselves to use the new one to make it closer to becoming default.

Good news is that adults still can learn, thanks to neuroplasticity. This is ability of our brain to form new neuron connections, meaning we can build new habits, learn new things, and have impact in our own lives.

We will not deep dive into very complex chemical processes behind, of course, I have simplified and exaggerated the process, but it still describes the idea. And coaching can help to spot different paths and support in building new ones.