Training and developing the tools and skills to pursue health, quality of life, and sustainable high performance is dependent upon the process of neuroplasticity.
For more information about integrating the framework of complementary healthcare into clinical practice to manage metabolic syndrome, reduce chronic inflammation and chronic stress, and improve health, visit www.buoyhealthcare.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
The framework of complementary healthcare provides a paradigm through which we are able to pursue and enhance health, quality of life, and performance. This is achieved across multiple inputs as described in past articles. Each of the inputs are selected to best position ourselves to improve nervous system balance, which is recognized as the direct output that provides the foundation for health, quality of life, and performance. Ultimately, in order to achieve our objectives within this framework, it is necessary that we learn, train, and develop psychological and physiological skills.
The development of the necessary tools and skills is dependent upon learning and implementing the skills and tools within our day-to-day lives. The core foundational physiological process by which we are able to do this is dependent upon neuroplasticity. In essence, the process of neuroplasticity is one in which we update and strengthen desired neural pathways that are associated with the actions, behaviors, and external manifestations of interest. Specifically in this context, this relates to the emergence of the desired skills and tools across the selected inputs in pursuit of the output of interest. At its core, neuroplasticity is the process by which we learn new information and skills and develop the capacity to implement these tools.
Ultimately, our ability to pursue health, quality of life, and performance is therefore predicated upon the underlying process of neuroplasticity. This is a function which is available throughout the lifespan within our nervous system. While it is most active amongst younger individuals, it is nonetheless present and available to us at any age.
Given the interest within the framework of complementary healthcare is the development of the necessary skills and tools which, for the reasons described above, are ultimately dependent upon neuroplasticity, it becomes important to understand how best to leverage this physiological process. This is the focus of this article.
In order for the process of neuroplasticity to function, several steps are needed. We must first learn the information and skills underlying the selected tools. We must then make the conscious and deliberate choice to implement the chosen and desired skills and tools. In order for these to become an automated habit, intentionality is necessary. This also requires a deliberate effort in order to choose the desired skills and tools. With time, the repeated choice of utilizing these skills and tools activates the associated neural pathways. With repetitions over time, these pathways become strengthened and, as a result, more automated such that they can be activated and selected with little to no intentional and deliberate choice or effort. A common example of this is an individual learning to play music. At first, significant effort is needed in order to read the notes for a given piece of music and then position fingers appropriately to perform and play the necessary note. With time, however, this process becomes more automatic. This paradigm equally holds when we are considering the skills and tools within the framework of complementary health.
At the neurophysiological level, there is a strong link between vagus nerve activity and neuroplasticity. In order to optimally make use of the process of neuroplasticity, it is important that we have sufficient activation of our anchored and grounded states. Furthermore, it is important that we are able to shift our state towards the optimal performance state. This ensures that there is sufficient focus and attention on the activity that we are doing and trying to learn. If there is insufficient focus on the activity, then we will not optimally be able to utilize the process of neuroplasticity, leading to a lessened degree of learning and likelihood of incorporating the specific skill or tool.
Additional contributors to the overall process of neuroplasticity involve the elements of the central autonomic network and associated neurotransmitters. In particular, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a necessary element for the process of neuroplasticity. In order to optimally learn any new tool or skill, sufficient vagus nerve activation to ensure appropriate prefrontal cortical activity and the presence of BDNF are necessary. This can be accomplished through the strategies and tactics to increase anchored and grounded states. Specifically as it pertains to BDNF, physical activity in particular high intensity interval training is known to be associated with increased levels of BDNF and therefore improved capacity for neuroplasticity.
While a degree of increased focus and attention is needed for learning and skill development, if we have shifted into protective and defensive states it will be substantially more difficult to optimally learn and train new skills and information. Through the central autonomic network, we can recognize that sympathetic nervous system activation will lead to decreased prefrontal cortical activation which limits our capacity to learn new information and make the necessary deliberate and intentional choices. The optimal biological state for this process of learning and implementing new skills is essentially the same as that for performance. This describes a blended or hybrid state in which we are within anchored and grounded states with a degree of controlled activation of the sympathetic nervous system without shifting fully into protective and defensive states.
As it pertains to biological states, learning and implementing new skills is best supported within the optimal performance state. By developing the skills and tools within the framework of complementary health, we are best positioned to utilize strategies and tactics to shift our biological state into this preferred state.
It is important to emphasize that any type of tool and skill that we are attempting to learn and ultimately automate within our toolbox of psychological and physiological skills requires training and development. This is also based upon the process of neuroplasticity. This applies equally to cognitive skills as it does to physical skills and the formation of habits. Ultimately, the ability to perform any of these types of skills or to establish desired habits is dependent upon several factors. This requires the ability to learn the necessary information and skills. It also requires many repetitions in order to develop a proficiency with performing the various tools and skills. In order to be able to implement these on a regular basis, establishing a degree of automaticity within our nervous system for activation of the needed neural pathways to perform the various tools and skills is also required. Neuroplasticity is an essential element in each of these processes.
It can also be understood that our ability to shift our biological state in response to shifts away from anchored and grounded states, as well as into the optimal performance state is a manifestation of a skill. The greater degree to which we are able to automate the necessary skills in order to achieve these biological state shifts the better we will be able to enter into the desired biological states, including the optimal performance state. In part this also serves to improve the process of learning and skill development as these automated skills to shift into the optimal performance state are an essential supportive feature of learning and skill development.
As can be appreciated from the above discussion, utilizing various inputs within the framework of complementary health in order to achieve the output of nervous system balance is essential. This is necessary not only for our pursuit of health, quality of life, and performance, but also in order to be able to learn and develop the necessary skills in this process. In essence, we utilize the neural function of neuroplasticity to develop the necessary skills, as well as to shift into the desired biological states to support our pursuit of the output of interest. In so doing, we further strengthen the foundation necessary in order to pursue our overall objectives across the domains of health, quality of life, and performance.
To learn more, including about biologically complementary coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
For more information about integrating the framework of complementary healthcare into clinical practice to manage metabolic syndrome, reduce chronic inflammation and chronic stress, and improve health, visit www.buoyhealthcare.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.