Holy Rewired - "Rewiring the Brain"

In the previous chapter, David Phillips addresses the need for dealing with emotional memories so that we can then recognize why we react to present events as we do and be enabled to begin to respond rather than react. "Rather than an emotional reaction that we do not understand, we can inhibit he automatic reaction and make the best decision - if we choose to. This allows us to think clearly without the distortion from a difficult experience. Clarity of thought allows us to think differently. Thinking differently allows us to rewire those neural paths we discussed in a previous chapter..."

In this chapter the author talks about some practical means for rewiring the circuits of our brain that have been "wired" wrongly through destructive reactions to incidents in our past; these practiced reactions result in sinful and unhealthy behaviors.

This rewiring of the brain can also be applied to habits that we want to change that may not necessarily be rooted in past trauma. For example, the author speaks of the habit he developed of opening his computer first thing in the morning and getting "sucked into" doing emails and even writing blog posts before he did anything else. This was resulting in the day often going by without his having had time waiting before the Lord and His Word in prayer and worship..."I did not even realize that I was wiring a circuit that would lead to potentially addictive behavior. Rewiring the behavior meant that I needed to unlearn one behavior and learn another behavior."

Phillips warns that changing a behavior can require "an enormous amount of energy. It can also require the pain of others' disapproval." He gives the example of a woman who was trying to quit the habit of chain smoking. Her husband and children said they were all for it, but when she would become very irritable because of not smoking, the family pushed her to go back to the habit so that they did not have to go through the painful transition time of her quitting. It's important to face the reality that changes in our behavior isn't always necessarily received well by those closest to us who have learned to live with our behavior and can even use it to their advantage at times.

The rest of the chapter deals with countering techniques for rewiring the brain. "Countering is 'substituting healthy responses for problem behaviors.' Undesirable behaviors have benefits...they help us cope with our emotional distress. When we try to change a habit or behavior, part of our journey could mean we have to replace that undesirable behavior with another behavior...Countering finds preferable substitutes."

The author suggest five countering techniques:
1. Active diversion - "involves refocusing your energy, finding an enjoyable behavior that precludes the problem behavior." So instead of engaging in the unhealthy behavior, one can clean house, take a walk, read, garden, etc., etc.
2. Physical exercise - "'Omitting exercise from a...change plan is like fighting a foe with one hand tied behind your back. You may still win, but the odds are against you. Inactive people are not only in poor condition for dealing with physical problems, they are frequently also in poor psychological condition for coping with the distress that can accompany change.'" (James O. Prochaska)
3. Relaxation - when exercise is not possible at certain times, relaxing can be helpful when one is tempted to engage in a harmful habit that he/she is changing. "Deep relaxation has been shown to produce a mildly altered physical and mental state. This can be done with simply quitting all one is doing and listening to relaxing worship music, meditating on the Word, contemplating the beauty of the Lord. Even a few minutes of this along with taking some deep breaths can be helpful...
4. Counterthinking - this is replacing wrong and troubled thinking with truth. Our wrong "self-talk" can trigger wrong behavior; by the same token, our right "self-talk" can help us engage in good behavior. "Counterthinking allows you to ask the question, 'What am I telling myself that is getting me so upset?'" One very effective way of dealing with self-talk is to memorize Scripture, and/or to keep an encouraging book at hand to read. I am being blessed by listening to long portions of Scriptures daily, thereby immersing my heart and mind in truth.
5. Assertiveness - the author uses this word in the sense of living out your true identity in the Lord, not bending into others through the fear of man.

The chapter ends with the author's admonition to also change your environment and to enjoy rewards when you have overcome an unhealthy habit. If you find that your surroundings keep you from engaging in healthy habits, then look for another environment. The author speaks of his need to get out of his house in order to do a writing project because of the pull to watch TV too much when in the house.

"Countering, environmental controls, and rewards all facilitate the rewiring of our neural circuits. By creating new patterns of behavior, we see new circuits formed...by not using the old circuits, their synaptic strength degrades, resulting in reducing the frequency with which they will fire together."

Next week I will conclude this book by covering the role of community and looking at real, genuine inner transformation (in contrast to mere external behavior change).