Can you change your own brain chemistry?

[Powder_Reality]

I'm interested in what other people think about this. If you have a mental disorder, do you think that you can change your own brain chemistry through mental exercises (such as cognitive behavioral therapy) to cure/help your condition? Now I know that are some conditions which need medications, such as advanced schizophrenia, but I'm talking about less extreme conditions, such as anxiety disorders, depression, etc. If someone dived deep enough into their mind and practiced a number of different exercises, could they actually train their brain to ignore or alleviate the symptoms?

[rxbandit]

i think this is definetly possible. you can alter your brain chemistry by altering your diet and by excercising your body regularly as well by increasing the blood flow and oxygen content that gets to your brain and triggering your body to produce more neurotransmitters.

you can also use supplements and nootropics with sucess. as for just mental exercises i believe meditation and other mental exercises can replicate the effects of alot pyschoactives on the brain. merely breathing in more deeply and focusing will provide your brain with more oxygen which is beneficial for brain cell function.

[a baked joey]

yup i definetly agree about being able to change your brain chemistry. I don't wanna sound smart or anything cause I'm really not lol. But I know a friend who actually suffers from depression, and the way he deals with his isn't medicine but actually excersizes on a daily basis, and has a pretty healthy diet.

Now swim has a little depression not much I think it's just cause he's to hard on myself but anyway swim finds it that if he stays inside all day eating little debbies and watching tv or hanging on the comp. He's easily aggitated, not really happy and he usually develops a headache, but like today he woke up ate some fruit went to work came home and did a little working out. He seems a little tired but in a pretty good mood. The feeling of acomplishment I believe can take an individual a long way.

I think alot of "depression" and other not so serious psycho problems are just caused from unhealthy diets and not enough physical and mental excersize. Or just to much stress.

[quili]

I agree. The term mental disorder is debatable to begin with- at least at the rate at which they are diagnosed these days. I think diet and exercise can be important factors- and I also think that changing the way you think or your "lens" can be accomplished through, as you called, "mental exercises." I think that it is hugely impacted by cultural factors and values that are deeply ingrained in us. And that is not to suggest it is any less real for a person experiencing it. If anything, I see it as hopeful because I think that people are different and they need to learn what way of living works with them. So if you're prone to depression, I do think there are ways to learn how to cope with those tendencies of yours. Ways that don't necessarily involve medication.

[Bajeda]

I believe you can. Swim hasn't suffered from any really potent problems, and the only psychological condition he has is ADD, but he feels that when he took MDMA for the first time he became somewhat of a different person.

Before Swim took MDMA for the first time he was still a fairly normal kid. He was a bit on the shy side and most social aptitude tests would label him as an introvert. He had been at the same school for some time and had a good amount of friends but he just wasn't very confident about himself in general, which led to some poor social skills, mainly around people he hadn't met before and in larger groups of people.

When he took MDMA he truly expressed himself, even to the people he hadn't met before who were present. He danced like crazy to the music even though he would have never even considered dancing in front of people before. It was an incredible experience for him.

After it was over however, Swim noticed that some of the effects seemed to be persisting. He had a more positive outlook on life, and the self-confidence that goes with it. He began to be more aggressive in meeting and getting to know people, and is much more social now than he was before. He went from introvert to extrovert pretty much, while picking up a love of electronic music along the way.


I don't know if the long term changes in Swim are psychological or pharmological, but MDMA definitely made a difference, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of the two.