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  • The Brain that Changes Itself

  • By: Norman Doidge
  • Narrated by: Jim Bond
  • Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (361 ratings)

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The Brain that Changes Itself

By: Norman Doidge
Narrated by: Jim Bond
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Publisher's Summary

An astonishing new scientific discovery called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human brain is fixed and unchanging. It is, instead, able to change its own structure and function, even into old age.

In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed.

©2007 Norman Doidge (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic Reviews

“A remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain.” (Oliver Sacks)
“Mind-bending, miracle-making, reality-busting stuff with implications for all human beings.” ( The New York Times)

What listeners say about The Brain that Changes Itself

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A stimulating and challenging experience

This book offers a wide range of facts, examples and relatable concepts that deeply engage

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WOW

I love every bit of this book. This must be among my top 10 books of all time.
Well researched.
Thank you, Dr Doidge, for this masterpiece.

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mind blowing bringing in the winds of change

loved it.. challenging to fond beliefs. . uncomfortable truths cannot be denied. . make friends with your brain as it adapts to your thoughts .. and actions..

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, less than inspiring reading

Excellent book, the reading performance was pretty bad, but you get used to it after a while.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating - if a little morally questionable

This is a great read. I was a little surprised and disappointed that a man as intelligent as Doidge seems totally nonplussed about the fairly egregious ethical violations described in this book in relation to animal welfare of test subjects. Stapling kittens eyes shut and stitching body parts of monkeys together is obviously shaky moral ground to say the least and at least some measure of representation for PETA's argument (as awful as they are) in a non sarcastic or dismissive manner was lacking in my opinion. This is a fascinating read though and a must for understanding our most powerful organ.

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10 people found this helpful

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enlightening!

Everyone whether they're interested in Neuroplasticity for themselves or someone else, or not, needs to read this book. People need to start understanding the power of their brain and start looking for programs which will help them get their lives back. Complacency is not an excuse, when access to this kind of educational material is so easily available. MCS, CFSME, Fibro, all these things are a Limbic System injury, which is making the body sick, this injury/illness can be fixed.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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An eye opening book, audio needs improvement

I really enjoyed this book, learnt a lot about neuroscience and how much potential there is for the brain to tune itself, especially in adults.

However the audio needs attention, as it's missing a lot of treble and midrange, making it hard to listen to in the car (even with the high quality audio format)

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Life changing

If you could sum up The Brain that Changes Itself in three words, what would they be?

Insightful, Relevant, Inspiring.

What other book might you compare The Brain that Changes Itself to, and why?

The new psycho-cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz. The Brain that Changes Itself, like psycho-cybernetics, uses research, reasoning and real world examples to bring to life interesting facts about the human brain, and practical solutions to take control and optimise our use of it.

What does Jim Bond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Jim's cool, calm tone made it feel very much like having a conversation with a friend.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The personal revolution within.

Any additional comments?

A really great read. I got so much out of this personally, both for me and for my family. I was particularly interested in the early developmental sections, which I have already begun to apply with great effect with my son. This is probably the most practically useful book I have ever read.

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  • D
  • 24-03-2017

Fantastic

Where does The Brain that Changes Itself rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book was full of facts that lead onto other interesting books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chapter one - I love the solutions found for wobblers. Paul Bach-y-Rita is a legend.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting

A great overview of the people who brought neuroplasticity into the mainstream. Could have done with a bit less detail about the experiments, but I understand their importance to the story.

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