In the field of Neuroscience there is a concept called "neural recruitment." Basically, we are born with a set number of neurons (brain cells) and, in fact, lose many along the way (some of us more than others) as we age. Our bodies can not manufacture new neurons, but we can utilize something called neural recruitment to assist our recovery after an injury.
Once we experience a stroke or a head injury our existing neurons can literally, and figuratively, reach out to others to make new connections and strengthen current ones. We see the result of this recruitment as we heal and function starts to return. Basically, to encourage this "recruitment" we need to stimulate the brain in ways that are challenging for it. For instance, someone who suffers a stroke and has difficulty expressing themselves verbally- needs to be challenged to produce more and more language. Or, maybe someone has a significant hemiparesis and needs to be challenged to stand or walk.
Doing challenging things, makes our brains stronger. Ralph Waldo Emerson said something similar, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
Recently, I was at a party discussing a totally different topic- people's various levels of willingness to be vulnerable and how being vulnerable with other human beings is what allows us to heal our souls, strengthen community and make progress as a civilization (yes, I may lean a smidge to the dramatic side of things, but whatever, that's me). Well, this sounds a lot like a new concept I am going to coin right here and now "soul recruitment."
As we open up our souls and show glimpses of them to others, especially given a challenging situation or topic or time in our lives, this encourages our soul to reach out and make new connections with other souls or strengthens connections with existing souls, thus making us all better, all stronger and encourages collective healing!
Being vulnerable has not always been a strong suit of mine, but I find that certain people bring it out in me and these are the people I like being around the most, probably because I can sense the healing and building up of my soul.
Thank you Renata for opening yourself up to me, for encouraging me to be less guarded and for helping me to make this all too important "connection."
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