《自我改变的大脑》读后感

这本书我没有认真读完，前半段读得很认真，后半段大致浏览了一下，所以严格来说不是读后感，算是粗读体会吧。

这本书有很多有趣的案例。

一位出生时大脑一半严重受损的女性，按传统医学观点，这类人基本无法拥有正常生活。但她的家人不愿放弃，通过长时间的训练和刺激，大脑的另一半逐渐承担起了语言、运动等复杂功能，最后她可以上大学、参与社交，几乎和正常人一样。这种案例非常多，说明大脑的某种功能并不是固定在某个区域的，当这个区域受损的时候，会在其他区域发展出同样的功能。检查发现来受损的区域并没有恢复。

我们常说用脚趾头想一下，也许有朝一日脚趾头真的会思考。

可见人是多么的复杂。可是我们经常用偷懒的方式、让自己感到舒服的方式、已经形成的固定模式看待周围的人和事。这时候我们可能已经错得离谱了，自己却浑然不知。

有一个词叫不能自拔，意思就是说必须借着外力来打破自身的平衡，实现封闭系统的突变和跃迁。

读优秀的书与优秀的人对话，就有这种奇效。这本书非常优秀，作者也非常优秀。可惜我没有找到中文版的。

I didn’t read this book thoroughly from beginning to end. I read the first half carefully, but only skimmed through the second half. So strictly speaking, this isn’t a full book review—more like some rough reflections from a partial reading.

The book contains many fascinating case studies.

One case describes a woman who was born with severe damage to one half of her brain. According to traditional medical views, people like her would be expected to lead severely impaired lives. But her family refused to give up. Through long-term training and stimulation, the other half of her brain gradually took over functions such as language and motor control. Eventually, she was able to attend university, engage in social life, and live almost like a normal person.

There are many such cases in the book, showing that certain brain functions are not permanently fixed to specific regions. When one region is damaged, other parts of the brain can develop the same functions. Medical scans even revealed that the damaged region itself had not recovered—yet the person regained function.

This shows just how complex human beings are. Yet, we often view the world and others around us through lazy habits, comforting perspectives, and fixed mental models. When we do that, we may be completely wrong without even realizing it.

There is a phrase in Chinese: “unable to extricate oneself.” It means that sometimes we need an external force to break our internal balance—to trigger a sudden transformation or leap in a closed system.

Reading an excellent book or engaging with a great mind can have that transformative effect.

This is an outstanding book, and the author is remarkable.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a Chinese edition.