When presented with the idea of learning the Taubman Approach, people will often ask me, “Am I too old for this?” In my personal experience and that of my colleagues, age doesn’t make a difference, as long as the person is willing, flexible and wants to learn.
Typically, the science aisle lies well away from the self-help section with hard reality on one set of shelves and wishful thinking on the other. However, Norman Doidge’s fascinating synopsis of how the current revolution of neuroscience straddles this gap, “All distinction between the brain and the mind is crumbling fast as the power of positive thinking finally gains scientific credibility. The creed of this revolution is neuroplasticity, the discovery that the human brain is as malleable as a lump of wet clay. Not only in infancy as scientists have long known, but well into age…”
I'm not a neuroscientist, but I know that this is indeed what happens when learning the Taubman Approach. It is a new behavior and it's a behavior that stays and sticks.
Dr. Doidge’s work is indeed mind bending, miracle making stuff with implications, as Dr. Doidge notes, not only for individual patients with neurological diseases, but for all human beings, not to mention human culture, human learning, and human history.
To me this is really something incredible to take into consideration. People are constantly breaking through limitations, injuries, and situations they never thought they could. All this comes from the fact that the electronic circuits in a small lump of gray tissue are malleable.
This malleability, coupled with the correct information, makes growth possible, no matter what age you are. So, remember, whether you’re just getting started or have been on this journey for a while, there is no such thing as being “too old” to learn.
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