Can Neuroplasticity Radically Alter Your Life?

Yes, According to Neurosculpting® Institute Founder Lisa Wimberger

Brain science has always fascinated me. My interest began back in the 70’s when through the use of an IBM Selectric typewriter I wrote my very first high school term paper on how the brain functions.

This curiosity has never left me, which is why I have since become enamored with the work of Lisa Wimberger, founder of the Denver-based Neurosculpting® Institute and co-founder of the NeuroPraxis App. I had the pleasure of meeting her last year at a local coffeehouse where we explored her ongoing groundbreaking work in the field of applied brain research. 

Having coined 2022 as my “Year of Personal Expansion,” I turned to Lisa’s book “New Beliefs, New Life: Free Yourself From Stress and Fear” for a fresh new brew of insights into my transformative journey.  Particularly valuable during these post-pandemic times, the book offers her thoughts on how we can rewire our neurological pathways to overcome our stress and fears. 

Lisa’s work takes a deep dive into the realm of Neuroplasticity, which is where the neural networks of the brain have the ability to change through growth and reorganization. I was particularly intrigued by her discussion in the book around a concept known as “Interoception” which is defined as a “raw awareness of our inner stories and patterns.” As she shares in the book’s introduction:

“Every story has a beginning, the point from which all action, perception, and exploration unfolds. Each story we read or tell ourselves holds within it the potential for transformation, learning, and healing.”

She refers to the practice of meditation as a method of intentional thought designed to “give one internal and external awareness capabilities. In other words, an experience of interoception.”

Like us all, my mind has a tendency to create stories that can impact this narrative often in an unfavorable way. It’s here where Lisa offers some valuable prescriptions for overcoming this tendency to get at what’s true for your life. 

Below are five profound insights I’ve extracted from her book for tapping into the hidden parts of the brain. My hope is that they will benefit you as they are now benefitting me. 

Lisa Wimberger — “We define ourselves by overcompensating for what we lack, rather than basking in our inherent strengths.”

As an independent journalist, I often find myself sucked into the prevailing narrative around social media and how important it is to one’s success. But what I’m discovering over time is that it's just not my jive. 

My inherent strength and greatest gift is that of a face-to-face, voice-to-voice connector. So instead of beating myself up over my lack of Twitter followers, I’m back to embracing what Mark Schaeffer explores in his bestselling book The Tao of Twitter, namely that our sole aim should be to get those we connect with into an offline conversation where a much deeper relationship can be built. 

Lisa Wimberger — “Neuroplasticity proves that we can change our stories, rewire our defaults, and create new perspectives at will—YOUR will.” 

We all have the ability to change the narrative of our life story in a moment. Many of the powerful, self-created stories we tell ourselves however are simply not true. Because they are often deeply embedded in our subconscious, they are often difficult to identify and address. 

The good news is that by holding space and awareness around these stories as a moment-by-moment practice, we can often bring them to a level of consciousness, allowing us to address them. Lisa’s book can help you along with this process. 

Lisa Wimberger — “While it sounds fantastical, the truth is that the inner world often creates the outer experience—not the other way around.” 

For a good part of my life, I had this backward. In other words, I allowed my outer experiences to drive my inner compass. In other words, how I approached things was largely predicated on how I saw others approaching life and achieving success.  

Today, thinking for myself is my mojo. By way of example, when the Covid pandemic began to rear its ugly head, I began to look outside of the ‘herd mentality” for ways to remain healthy and safe. This health practice worked with precision. 

I also avoided getting into senseless, protracted conversations about who’s right and who’s wrong in terms of the pandemic and the politics of it all. Whenever someone ever has an issue with how I approach life, my “inner game” message to them is…

“How about you take care of you and I’ll take care of me. To the extent to which we are both about the business of taking care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially is the extent to which we can not only live our best lives but avoid harming others.” 

Lisa Wimberger — “If we spend most of our internal energy on setting up references to our past experiences or preparing for our expected experiences, then our attention is mostly in the past or the future. Holding items in our attention requires lots of brain energy. So when we spend most of that energy attending to things that are not really in the present moment, we leave very little to recognize the here-and-now. How much of now do you miss by being in the past or the future?” 

This has been so true for me. For the longest, I held quiet grudges about people and circumstances from the past only to discover that they have no bearing on my present mindset and possibilities.  That is unless I allow it. Today when these past unpleasantries arise, I say the word “CANCEL” and move on. 

Bottom Line — It is virtually impossible to steer our lives forward by remaining present in a meaningful way by looking through our rearview mirror with our engine in reverse. 

Lisa Wimberger — “Not only does the brain rewire itself, but it also births new brain cells well into old age—an idea once thought preposterous. This ability is called neurogenesis. The bottom line is that the brain is not set in stone.”

Despite the success I’ve had in life, few would consider me rich. But recently I read something that gives me hope if I elect to pursue this route. Nearly 94 percent of billionaire Warren Buffett’s wealth was earned after he turned 60. Success comes at any age. Although Buffett was extremely successful before the age of 60 -- his net worth was a noted $376 million when he was 52 years old -- 99 percent of his wealth came after he turned 50.

If this isn’t evidence that one can change their narrative in life, I don't know what is.