Shop portable fans
Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
  • Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $20.25
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Norman Doidge M.D. (Author), Jim Bond (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.7 out of 5 stars 5,282 ratings

An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, MD, traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed - people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed.

Using these marvelous stories to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and education, Dr. Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 25 minutes
  2. Author
    Norman Doidge M.D.
  3. Narrator
    Jim Bond
  4. Audible release date
    September 8, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0863FRHQ7
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 25 minutes
Author Norman Doidge M.D.
Narrator Jim Bond
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 08, 2020
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0863FRHQ7
Best Sellers Rank #8,488 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#7 in Medical Neuropsychology
#9 in Anatomy & Physiology (Audible Books & Originals)
#11 in Popular Neuropsychology

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
5,282 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read, providing a great overview of neuroplasticity and offering hope for people with brain injuries. They appreciate the book's entertainment value and consider it worth the price. The brain's adaptability is well-explained, with one customer noting how it can reroute impulses. The pacing receives mixed reviews, with several customers finding it dragging.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

604 customers mention "Insight"583 positive21 negative

Customers find the book insightful, describing it as an interesting and understandable read that provides a great overview of brain science, changing their understanding of the subject.

"...His book is full of well chosen and detailed stories about scientists and their discoveries as well as case reports of triumph over unbelievable..." Read more

"...That Changes Itself" is an extensive and thoroughly enjoyable look at the history of neural plasticity, albeit from the point of view of a staunch..." Read more

"...that is beautifully written and easily read, but which also changes my understanding and fills me with hope...." Read more

"...Dr. Doidge's book is a beautiful presentation of the human story behind the scenes -- including that of the researchers who committed their lives to..." Read more

544 customers mention "Readability"526 positive18 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read, with one customer noting that the text is written in an entertaining style.

"...This book is a good complement to Sharon Begley's and if you can afford it, then I strongly recommend that you get both books...." Read more

"...I would say that this book is a good read for any audience, but less interesting for those that already have an extensive background in neuroscience...." Read more

"This is my "Book of Hope". Rarely do I read a book that is beautifully written and easily read, but which also changes my understanding and fills me..." Read more

"...Seriously, READ THIS BOOK. You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably get really mad...." Read more

82 customers mention "Brain plasticity"82 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of neuroplasticity, describing it as a new horizon in brain science, with one customer noting it serves as a great introduction to the topic.

"...Neuroplasticity is a topic of enormous practical importance...." Read more

"...You will be touched by neuroplasticity and its ability to gain some hope in people who are discouraged by their neurological conditions...." Read more

"...During young age the brain is very plastic and through a process implanted in our genetic code and practiced millions of years cognitive functions..." Read more

"This book serves as a great introduction to neuroplasticity, a paradigm shift on neuroscience's thinking of what is possible in brain rehabilitation...." Read more

70 customers mention "Hope"70 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate how the book provides hope for people with brain injury, with one customer noting it offers an optimistic prognosis for neurological disorders and another mentioning stories of recovery from strokes and developmental delays.

"...about her experience when using this device and how it helped her keep her balance...." Read more

"...of individuals ridding themselves of phantom limbs, recovering from strokes to a degree that was thought impossible, living with half of a brain,..." Read more

"...There are heart warming stories of stroke victims who had gone through traditional rehabilitation but after extensive rehab based on the theory of..." Read more

"...These stories give hope and new therapeutic possibilities to many of the debilitating and challenging medical issues many face...." Read more

46 customers mention "Brain adaptability"46 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of brain adaptability, noting that it is a fantastically adaptable unit that undergoes constant change throughout life.

"...The increasing evidence that the brain is a highly adaptable structure that undergoes constant change throughout life is a far cry from the idea..." Read more

"...We now know the Brain is not a static organ, but is capable of great flexibility or "Plasticity"...." Read more

"...He shows how adaptable the human brain really is and that the different parts of it don’t have their designated, fixed functions...." Read more

"...The basic concept is simple: the brain can change itself--rewire itself, so to speak...." Read more

17 customers mention "Value for money"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth its price and incredibly valuable.

"This book is fascinating and incredibly valuable for anyone with any number of neurological disorders...." Read more

"...This was a real value for the money book and I compliment the author. One winning book!" Read more

"It was an affordable price. I needed the book for study." Read more

"The first few chapters are worth the price of the book. They are fascinating and engaging, and inspiring...." Read more

10 customers mention "Entertainment value"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and funny.

"...Seriously, READ THIS BOOK. You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably get really mad...." Read more

"I liked the author's style. He is a fun and educational writer." Read more

"...It is not very hard to read like other books of its kind, and quite fun...." Read more

"This book presents cutting edge neuroscience in an entertaining and accessible way...." Read more

10 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with several finding it dragging, while one customer describes it as a keeper.

"...even though this was a good book, it started to bore towards the end...." Read more

"...Never give up. Never, never, never give up. The brain is a amazing piece of work." Read more

"...The final chapters petered off for me, and I had to make myself keep reading. However, that wouldn't stop me from recommending the book." Read more

"Very interesting, but after a few chapters it drags a bit for me...." Read more

Keep Learning and Exercise!
5 out of 5 stars
Keep Learning and Exercise!
Excellent book: To keep your brain healthy into old age, do physical exercise and keep learning new (challenging) things. Now you don’t have to read it. :-) But do anyway if you’re interested in learning what they knew about how the brain functions way back in year 2007.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jersey Devil
    5.0 out of 5 stars The most important book you will ever read!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    READ THIS BOOK if you have children, if you are a children, if you are young, if you are old, if you plan to get older. Seriously, READ THIS BOOK. You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably get really mad. (Or at least really, really disappointed...especially if you're an educator!) Oh yeah, READ THIS BOOK IF YOU'RE AN EDUCATOR. If I could make you read this book...I WOULD. If I could make everyone in the education and/or medical fields read this book...I WOULD. If I could make everyone standing in a field read this book...I WOULD!!! Just read it already...you'll thank me...and probably Dr Doidge...you'll thank him too.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Guided Tour of Neural Plasticity
    Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    As the title implies, "The Brain That Changes Itself" is an extensive and thoroughly enjoyable look at the history of neural plasticity, albeit from the point of view of a staunch supporter. I found the book to be very well organized, and Doidge's arguments to be very cohesive. The book chapters are filled mostly with stories and case studies regarding a common theme in the study of neural plasticity.

    Doidge begins by relating the story of Paul Bach-y-Rita's research and efforts to debunk the widely held localizationist theories of the 20th century. He presents some more dramatic case studies such as Cheryl who used her tongue to learn to stand after a debilitating brain injury or Barbara, a seemingly retarded woman, who ended up with advanced degrees and a successful research career (these stories are every bit as interesting as they sound). Doidge relates again and again how massive and usually debilitating brain injuries were overcome by physical and mental therapies.

    Following his analysis of catastrophic brain injuries and defects, Doidge gives examples of more everyday plasticity. He relates how common disorders such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia can be attributed to (often minor) traumas and incidents during the critical childhood period. He talks about several schools which have had great success rehabilitating victims of those and other disorders through concentrated and prolonged efforts to retrain the brain. He also gives examples of how plasticity can affect even our emotions or sexual tastes.

    In the final chapters, Doidge relates what he calls the "paradox of plasticity." He explains that, while plasticity can be used to treat crippling injuries, it can also be responsible for equally crippling mental disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder. He explains how rewired neural circuitry can create phantom pain in amputated limbs, reinforce bad habits into addictions, and give rise to compulsive behavior. He further delves into the field of psychoanalysis and reveals the power of thought. He describes many cases where psychoanalysis and new ways of thinking provoke measurable changes in the structure of the brain. He relates one study where a group of people were able to strengthen their finger muscles just by imagining daily finger exercises. As Doidge puts it: "...But now we can see that our "immaterial" thoughts too have a physical signature, and we cannot be so sure that thought won't someday be explained in physical terms. While we have yet to understand exactly how thoughts actually change brain structure, it is now clear that they do, and the firm line Descartes drew between mind and brain is increasingly a dotted line."

    Finally, for those that make it past the last chapter, the appendices and notes section actually contains a wealth of interesting information. Doidge annotated and explained all of the case studies and references that he uses in the preceding chapters, and included some interesting additional arguments about the nature of culture and its effects on the brain.

    As with any book that isn't a textbook, "The Brain That Changes Itself" is filled with opinions. Fortunately, many of these opinions are well supported, but readers new to the field could benefit from some time spent in the notes section. Overall the writing style is casual, easy to follow, and very engaging. I particularly enjoyed Doidge's heavy use of case studies to prove his points. Most of the case studies were tremendously interesting, and I regard them as one of the book's best features. I would say that this book is a good read for any audience, but less interesting for those that already have an extensive background in neuroscience. As a final note, I would highly recommend the Kindle version of this book. Unlike some electronic books I have read, the formatting was great, there were no typos, and the book was organized in such a way that I didn't waste time constantly scrolling or flipping pages back and forth.
    24 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Customer from the US
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read for anybody willing to deal with slightly technical material
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Anybody interested in the workings of their mind or brain or how we can deal with things like learning disabilities, strokes, dementia or pain, should read this book. In fact, I would say everybody in the world should read this book. I look forward to the day when medicine in general in the world takes all this scientific research into account.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Quadradox
    4.0 out of 5 stars Using Neuroplasticity in Real Time -- is required for the Kindle version of this book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    The content of this book was a delight. Very well explained. The author presents a credible and logical development of the story behind localization of function (a somewhat pessimistic and dominating paradigm in education and medicine that has limited our potential for growth and recovery now for decades) versus a solid and fascinating array of evidence for not-so-strict localization supplemented by very substantial plasticity. While the latter is not new, the evidence supporting it has been harder to demonstrate and the hope it offers has unfortunately been deferred.

    Dr. Doidge's book is a beautiful presentation of the human story behind the scenes -- including that of the researchers who committed their lives to this work as well as of the patients who discovered hope and help through it. No particular science background is required, because he does a wonderful job of explaining just what's needed in lay language. I had a hard time putting it aside even to sleep!!!

    _________________________________________________

    Comments specific to the Kindle Edition Only

    My major reservation and why the book receives 4 rather than 5 stars regards a dilemma with presenting it on Kindle media. Interestingly Dr. Doidge starts to evaluate the role of technology and media in influencing our brain function -- given its ready plasticity. He discussed TV, internet, video games, and the printing press, but unfortunately not Kindle versions of e-books, including his.

    Itt would be valuable to address what was gained and lost with the Kindle version. Because Kindle is still a relatively new media -- now is the best time to exercise its own plasticity toward better wholeness.

    Positive sparks for the Kindle: I indeed like the ability to receive the book within minutes of purchase. I like not needing to prop it open on the table in order to keep my place. I like not being tempted to fold over a page edge when the book won't stay propped or needing to scramble for some scrap paper to tear up and insert. It is a relief to be able to add notes which don't clutter up the margins with scribbled lines and highlights.

    However, some negative Kindling was ignited as well trying to make my way through this book -- particularly over the loss of context and critical visuo-spatial clues. Reading is not a strictly linear activity. There were key features of the global spatial organization that are sadly missing in the Kindle version. Examples:

    1. There are no clues as to what chapter you are reading once you have dived into one. So if you lay down your Kindle and resume latter...who knows? Many non-fiction books would have a header or footer on every page as a reminder or you can rapidly flip a chunk of pages in a matter of milliseconds to find out. Much more tedious to page backwards or forwards an unknown number of "location blocks" to find out. (Instead of page numbers you are shown locations blocks.) There are several potential solutions -- having a menu item that zooms out to context information like this, or implementing better use of the horizontal position bar at the bottom of the screen so that instead of showing you the percentage of the entire book you have passed through, the bar at least shows where you are with respect to major chapter divisions as a contextual map.

    2. Finding natural rest breaks is nearly impossible. I like to have an idea how far into a chapter I have progressed, and whether reading just a couple more pages will leave off at a "good stopping point" (i.e. after a good night's sleep). Not possible. The progress marker at the bottom of the text refers to what percent of >7000 locations you have completed -- which refers to the percentage of the whole book. The only thing less useful would be to tell me how many words or characters I've completed out of the whole.

    3. Use of supplmentary material is very cumbersome. After the first chapter or so, I like to know the scope of the remaining text, how much is really text versus supplements. How good the supplements and illustrations are and how they would be used while reading the text. Yes...I really do want to know what is actually in the appendices so I can see if I will use them as I am reading. Again. Not much to go on here. In this book the appendices do contain several items but these are not cataloged in the table of contents -- its a total mystery box. Once you start into Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 you can't tell what is coming up next or where you are within and between the internal sections. You don't know whether you will miss something valuable or not without going through every single screen. You can't perform a search for something you don't know yet is there.

    4. The index likewise is not helpful other than to serve as a reminder of key phrases in the book. These do not work as links back to the relevant part of the text. No location or page numbers are shown. No frequency of occurrences is given. Nothing to suggest any relative perspective about where in the book the information occurs.

    Instead you must type the phrases one at a time into the search box. I do like some features of the the resulting list of occurrences for that word or phrase, the 2-4 line capture of the surrounding sentence(s) and the ability now to link back to the text. However, most of the critical context is still lost. There is no easy way to "zoom out" and see whether the clip you have been transported to is in chapter three, five or chapter nine. You don't know if the topic covers a range of several pages and is a major occurrence or whether it is single line/paragraph hit. You can't tell whether it is before, after or anywhere near the passage where you remember reading about a favorite or related phenomenon. Looking up the related phenomenon next might help; however, it is likewise floating adrift in a contextless sea. I do realize that one can look at the location numbers. But these are so ridiculously large and not subdivided into chapters -- they are relatively meaningless. At least some memory functions work by chunking -- but these chunks need to have meaning!!

    5. Similar constraints limit the usefulness of the notes section. they are not easily associated with the text to which they refer, nor is it easy to find them chapter by chapter -- only as giant a "clump" at the end.

    It seems possible that an unfortunate side-effect of engaging in Kindle- reading, until these contextual and spatial clues are restored, would actually interfere with the forms of photographic memory unconsciously employed by most of us and especially by those who have a gift for photographic memory. It becomes nearly impossible to stamp into memory 7000 locations devoid of almost all other landmarks and that change based on text size. A truly functional and fascinating part of our brain function is potentially sacrificed.

    Thus, I think it would be useful to gather some master publishers of printed works along with Dr. Doidge and the best of these surviving neuroscientists/neuroengineers he interviewed and put them into a think tank project -- these creative minds and Amazon's Kindle developers need to invest a bit more thought into ways to maximize the Kindle interface with: a)this book, and b) the human brain.

    Surrendering so many visuospatial and organizational cues for contextless leaps between linear text clusters does not seem like a productive tradeoff to me. Neuroscience professionals working out these dilemmas on his intriguing book could solve similar problems for many other books -- the nonfiction and academic books are most in need. Navigating a novel with only a few trail markers may be fine. But not so fine for the less narrative works; its an especially vulnerable way to travel for anything academic.

    Over time publishers have acquired a great deal of information about the organization and contextual patterns which truly improve understanding, learning, recall and motivation to return to a book for reference purposes. I really don't want to give up this acumulated wisdom. So far computer assisted publishing has added substantial depth to the ordering and visual aspects of the printed page. So...now with the Kindle...let's truly improve rather than just subtract contextual and multisensory clues.

    I'd rather not rewire my brain backwards toward chaos through my exposure to Kindle books.
    26 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • amrit
    1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of time
    Reviewed in Singapore on May 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Very draggy, too many words but too less matter, same concept as LIVEWIRED by David Eagleman but way poorly written , comparatively
    Report
  • Dr. Eckhardt Gehde
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr gute Zusammenfassung
    Reviewed in Germany on April 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Für Experten nichts komplett Neues. Aber eine sehr gute Zusammenfassung wissenschaftlicher Ergebnisse zur Wechselwirkung zwischen Körper und Seele — besonders für alle Zweifler daran, ob es Zusammenhänge zwischen psychischen und körperlichen Vorgängen gibt bzw. ob psychische Prozesse gezielt dazu eingesetzt werden können, körperliche Reaktionen und Krankheitszustände positiv zu beeinflussen. Dabei zeigt sich — wie vielfach seit Jahrzehnten beobachtet und in Einzelstudien belegt — daß auch traditionelle Verfahren wie Yoga hierzu besonders gut geeignet sind und intensiv wirken. Mich persönlich hat dieses Buch darin bestärkt, im psychotherapeutischen Behandlungsalltag unsere Patienten zu eigenem Engagement zu ermutigen.
    Report
  • King Brosby
    5.0 out of 5 stars tremendous book about NEUROPLASTICITY
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This is a terrific book. I highly recommend it.

    The book focuses on neuroplasticity (the terrific functional flexibility of the brain), and very often is able to tell the story of the latest ideas in that field whilst relating them to particular human stories. It is written in a clear, thoughtful, engaging way. It's an important book because it is popularising important new ideas. I rather agree with the reviewer who says that Doidge overstates his case and tends to explain everything in terms of neuroplasticity, ... but I am very impressed by the quality and clarity of the book as a whole.

    I have had a stroke, and I read with interest chapter 5 (which deals with stroke). I felt it was well written and convincing. I found the basic message (that the brain's ability to recover from injury is enormously greater than conventionally understood) tremendously encouraging. That is not to say that my problems of hemiplegia have been solved, but my understanding of the potential for recovery, and how to achieve it, has been improved.

    As I read the book, I felt that important insights and clues to research were sometimes introduced briefly with little fanfare. E.g. 1) I think the discussion about neuroplastic change and evolution should lead us to question further the orthodoxy about how species evolve, that is natural selection is not the only force at work; and 2) isn't it a puzzlement that in a plastic environment anything is stable and solid? I wonder if the plastic brain is analogous to a fly-by-wire aircraft?
    Report
  • John D. Michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most interesting and rewarding books I have ever read.
    Reviewed in Italy on January 5, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book reads well and the organization is easy to follow. Much more importantly it delves into a subject which I think is critical to understanding ourselves, essentially how our brain functions. There are things so pertinent and fundamental that I could effectively put them to work while reading the book. It is also reassuring that the writer and people in this field understand that there are negative aspects as well to the tenets of the book.

    I have already given the book as a gift to friends and relatives close to me and recommended it to many others. I am now starting to read it a second time in order to create an outline of all the themes and in order to better understand how this may change and improve my life as well as my relationships with others.
    Report
  • taayann
    5.0 out of 5 stars 野球大好きおやじ
    Reviewed in Japan on November 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    日本語版を読むより、内容理解がスムースでした。なぜかは、ご推測ください。人間の「脳」の素晴らしさ、神秘さを知り、自分でも更に何か出来そうだぞと確信でき、元気が出てきました。　まずは、TOEICテストに、６７歳にして初挑戦しようと計画しております。以上
    Report