Neuroplasticity: A Secret Super Power for Healing

Lisa Wimberger quote | Dianna Bonny Photography

I have a collection of indoor + outdoor plants that have traveled along with me from house to house during my last three moves. I am attached to them in an odd way that I haven’t yet been able to define. Perhaps because I had to let go of so much, I needed something to anchor me to a part of the past that was good and true.

My garden was certainly that for me.

I used to spend countless hours pruning, watering and tinkering out there amidst the fauna and flora. It was a place I retreated to for solace and problem solving. Leaving these potted plants at the old house felt like leaving a piece of myself that I needed to preserve.

So I have carried them along with me in spite of the hassle.

My ivy plant, which is by no means anything special, was perched atop an old pot for height. One day I noticed that it was looking unhealthy so I fertilized and trimmed it back a bit. It continued to decline.

Thinking it needed sun, I was about to haul it to the back yard when I noticed there was smelly brown water in the pot below and the roots were steeping in it. The ailing plant before me now made perfect sense. My efforts to create a healthy plant on top were no good if the roots were drowning in muck.

It struck me that this is a beautiful metaphor for the way I have lived much of my life. Attempts to polish, prune and pretty our outer life can only go so far if our roots aren’t planted in healthy, life-affirming soil.

The more time I spend cultivating my inner world now, the more I realize what I was up against in my other life, because my roots were planted in a soil steeped in fear and limiting beliefs that only allowed me to grow so far. I stayed small, and eventually began to wither and rot, just like my ivy.

The murky water was easy to see, but beliefs are rather insidious because they are invisible to the naked eye. Our behavior might showcase them, but unless one has the presence of mind to follow a particular way of behaving to its origins, it will cleverly pass itself off as a personality trait. This is unfortunate because it keeps us locked in never-ending patterns and cycles that can ultimately be destructive.

As children, we are sponges that absorb our surroundings: the good, the bad and the ugly. This creates a kind of soup that our psychic roots are immersed in for the rest of our lives — until the day we realize we can pull them up and transfer them to healthy, life sustaining soil.

We have the ability to change our habits and behaviors through self-inquiry and awareness. I did not used to believe this concept, but I am a wholehearted convert. Our brains are equipped for change via the magic of neuroplasticity and grasping this concept is like discovering a secret superpower.

Healing souls need super powers.

I think the simplest way to unearth your own ability to change is to begin the simple act of noticing yourself interacting with the world, moment to moment. Where do you get triggered? When do you feel yourself shrinking or expanding? Are there patterns to your reactions?

You will most likely find common denominators to your behavior that will lead back to a couple of beliefs that ultimately drive your behavior.

The next step is releasing these beliefs, which requires regular attention and practice, and is well worth the effort. The best way I have found is through energy therapytapping and the meditation work of Dr. Joe Dispenza.

We are privileged to live during this amazing time ripe with tools for transformation and infinite possibilities for healing. Be a force of good and make the choice to replant your roots in nourishing soil so your true radiance can flourish in the world.

May you always be loved, connected and cherished.

-db

Who is Dianna Bonny?

Hi, my name is Dianna Bonny. It’s my mission to candidly share my journey with you. For me, it’s all about the healing: to create a radiant healing energy for others who have befallen a similar fate. Together, we can forge beautiful lives of belonging and connection. Thanks for joining me today! I look forward to hearing from you.

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