It’s a whole new world

Have you ever had a complete shift in the way you view yourself or radically changed your behaviour or beliefs? Not just for a few days or weeks but completely no looking back to the old ways?
I have had it happen a few times in my life, going on a diet (the last of many) losing more weight than ever before and never putting it back on again. I cannot even remember how I used to eat before, when my weight kept going up and back. What I think is different now is that I watch what I eat all the time and I can also tell if I really really want that biscuit. Will it scratch the itch? If not I don’t eat it!
Uprooting my life, buying a practice down here; which had quite a few consequences divorce being one of them (to be honest I knew it was coming). Becoming a different version of myself; writing this I realise that the diet was the first link in the chain. I looked completely different, I felt completely different I liked myself more and I felt empowered.
Strong enough to leave my familiar life, take on a new business in a completely different part of the country where I knew no-one. Finally cutting all ties, getting divorced (my ex still lived in London), buying a house on my own and surviving.
Actually the first link in the chain was a friend saying “do you want to come to Weightwatchers?” which I reluctantly did and then whole heartedly embraced. 

Six months later new me.

As some of you know I am embarking on part 2 of the Pain Science and teaching course, this part is about how we teach and learn. 
One type of learning is Conceptual Change it can be deep or superficial. Superficial learning is where you hear about or understand some new information i.e. stretching regularly is good for you. You may start a stretching routine for a few days or weeks but the practice of it withers and fades if something else either distracts you or you just get bored. Sometimes though you start stretching, you feel good and maybe start to read a bit more about it, join a class even make changes to your diet. Gradually your habits alter and it can lead to greater changes going for promotion maybe, moving house, a new landscape. 

This is deep conceptual change.

This happens at a cellular level; when we think or believe certain things neurones in our brain fire off and join up with other neurones (nerves that fire together wire together), these bundles (coined neurotags) get bigger and stronger. So when a new idea comes in the neurones can start wiring up with other different neurones and the neurotag becomes bigger and stronger. The original neurotag bundle gets fired less often and gradually loses its strength and may fade completely. This is called Bioplasticity and it is one of the coolest things about us, we can change until the day we draw our last breath.

Change is always possible.

One of the uses of the principles of deep conceptual change to help people with chronic pain, partially with education and working collaboratively with them towards a different conception/belief of the causes and potential solutions to the problem. 
As you can seen these ideas can be used in many different areas of life, for me the $64,000 question is WHY does the change start and the cascade begin? I don’t know yet and may never know, any ideas?