"I am passionate about brain science (neuroscience) underlying Coaching. Let us work together to create new, better, healthier neural pathways in your brain so that you can effortlessly live a happier life".

Sarah Braithwaite

Founder of head space Coaching

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Scientific research has proven that your brain is able to form new neural pathways and synapses through what is known as neuroplasticity (see definition below). Basically that means that you can teach your brain to do and think differently by creating new pathways in your brain. Once the new pathway is there it is then matter of time and effort on your part to engrain that pathway so it becomes a HABIT. And that is when your life will change.

Each of our brains are 'hardwired' uniquely depending on our thoughts, emotions, behaviours and experiences. 'Hardwiring' is like a mental map of our neural pathways in our brain. For example someone may be hardwired to think that they will always fail - this neural pathway is so engrained in their mind and as a result they will keep behaving in that way and attract situations that result in failure. Like the law of attraction, you will attract what you think, no matter what.

The trick is to stop the cycle of negative thought patterns and to create new and better neural pathways in your brain. The more attention we give a neural thought pattern and the more emotional we become when thinking or talking about the 'problem', the more that pathway of thinking becomes stronger and more hardwired. Why? Because when we focus on our 'problem' and give it loads of attention and become emotional about it, we trigger our Limbic part of the brain which is our seat of emotion and this slips us into a state of 'fight or flight'/panic mode. At this moment our Prefrontal cortex part of the brain dampens down to deal with the stress. The prefrontal cortex, located behind your forehead is used to think creatively, logically, clearly and calmly. Our emotions and stress will cloud out our clear thinking and it will be very difficult to see a solution or have rational clear thoughts.

Coaching is able to bring about a process whereby the Client is able to harness their clearest thinking of the Prefrontal cortex and settle the emotions of the Limbic brain. Once the Client is thinking creatively and logically the Coach will facilitate a process whereby the Client will create new neural maps and pathways in the brain - ones that never existed before. Coaching helps progress the Client forward from a state of 'stuckness' to a position of power and control. 

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is an umbrella term that encompasses both synaptic plasticity and non-synaptic plasticity—it refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses due to changes in behavior, environment, neural processes, thinking, emotions, as well as changes resulting from bodily injury.