Neuroplastic Grace: Where Healing Meets the Way!

Neuron drawn by me in 2018

I wanted to overcome rejection, so God allowed for people to ignore me. He wouldn’t do it so that I would relive the childhood trauma; he let it happen so he could heal it in real time. I wanted to become more patient, so he has allowed me to live one day at a time, starting with a knee surgery and taking me to the desert. Now, the desert is a biblical reference for when God allowed Moses to guide the people of Israel to the promised land where there would be milk and honey. Delicious treats and even better lives. In the desert, the Jews were frustrated, afraid, and reminiscing about their lives back in Egypt. What’s ironic was that back in Egypt they were enslaved, but it was what they had known all their lives. What they were comfortable with. Now, they didn’t believe or accept that past the desert God had a better plan for their lives because they were still too caught up with their past. I, too, have been like the Israelites in my desert. I’ve wanted to go back to my Egypts—yes, plurals—many times. Out of fear, I’ve also rejected what’s good for me. Crazy, right? That’s humanity right there for you. Abused pets may lash out at their new healthy owner because they’re facing unfamiliar behaviors. It takes time, learning to manage emotional and physical symptoms, and reinforcing healthy behaviors over time to gain safety and trust. This isn’t about dogs. This is about you and your unhealed wounds. And obviously about me too!

I wanted anxiety to go away. God allowed chaos to unfold in a very timely way as to not destroy me because he loves me dearly. Little by little, walls tore down—desires, thoughts, plans, relationships, lies I’d believed about myself—and facing the unknown surrounded me in all areas of my life. Truth is, all that would cause anxiety occurred. And guess what? I learned what was causing the anxiety and its roots. God showed me crystal clear the triggers. The feelings of being seen or heard because I wasn’t before, of showing myself vulnerable, of me being at risk, of fighting for myself, or feeling weak, and funny enough, tired were some of the symptoms. It was the need of having control of every single outcome because I didn’t want to go through more pain. And yes, he and I destroyed all those walls. It was and has been painful. But it was done, and I believe in the process to heal. Will anxiety go away forever? No. Anxiety also helps in situations, and I’m learning to appreciate it. Will impatience or fears go away? Not indefinitely. But I’m certainly seeing and learning that I don’t have to act or react from the wound. Sir Isaac (Newton) was so right, not just with explaining why an object’s action causes a reaction on the other it exerts the force onto. It also applies to our human behaviors.

I wanted to heal the wounds in my soul and learn how to “remain calm in the storm” (John 6:20) so, God is placing people, situations, and blessings in my present that allow me to see what hurt, who I need to forgive, and what I need to let go of to enjoy the present without bleeding scars. Many times we block our blessings because we’re too afraid. We think that what’s on the other side may hurt us or is unknown and uncomfortable. I’ve seen it in people I love dearly where I know something that would be good for them is something they’re constantly trying to sabotage or walk away from and unfortunately, I’ve seen it in me, too. We’re all guilty of charge due to our unhealed wounds.

I had believed in the lie that trauma or abuse had to be really “heavy” like physical, sexual, violent. Therefore I hadn’t experienced it, thank God. But there was trauma in the silence, in the missing, in the finger pointing, in the people leaving, in the being looked down upon, in the being called out in front of everyone, in the being out casted, and even in the migration to a new country while not knowing where to belong anymore. You can’t heal what you don’t know or you won’t admit to.

All the suffering caused by the unresolved led me to believe, think, and even say out loud: I’m too broken to be fixed. That is a lie. This lie was covering deception and hopelessness. It was a sign of sadness. Sit in with that feeling for a moment or two. Not nice, right? I was also too stubborn to admit it. I refused to feel, but God also showed me it was a sign of fear. There’s more to come; He’s still working. He’s always working.

I love the brain because it is one of the most complex organs. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon growing up because I wanted to understand it. Although I have no plans of becoming a neurosurgeon (watch me in 10 years, idk, and I’m weirdly ok with that), I still know my physiology and some psychology stuff. Also, therapy is great to learn besides working through things. Thank God for my therapist! Anyways, there’s this concept of neuroplasticity, which is our brain’s natural ability to reorganize and change neural connections, also known as synaptic plasticity, in response to experience, learning, or injury. God created us so perfectly that he gave us the ability to heal naturally—not that having a doctor is not useful. On the contrary, working with a therapist or someone clinically qualified can help us in the process of improving our brain health and redefining the core memories in our brains. There are various kinds of therapies for that, and it is not scary, unlike movies with lobotomies. It doesn’t take cutting the brain open or conducting an external electrical current into it. It’s not so much in the physical, but it definitely is emotional.

You or I may not understand everything now. We sure won’t. And there’s a reason for that. But, as broken as we think we are, as hopeless as we are due to hearing the news in this world, or as frustrated as we are about the things we can’t change or we haven’t been able to change—including ourselves—there is a way. I don’t recognize myself in areas I once thought I’d always be the same in. Like sharing so much about me like I’ve just done now. John 14:6 says, I am the way and the truth and the life. So, when you worry about things being the same, when cycles repeat, when you hear the bad news, when you hear the diagnoses, when you leave your country, when that person leaves, when you get the call, when you don’t get the call, when you don’t get the job, or get the job but are doubtful of your potential, when you relive the childhood trauma, when you feel guilt or embarrassment about what you did, who you are, or where you come from, when you fall deep, when you can’t get up, or can’t stop but want to, just know that He (God) can help you just how he’s helped me.

If you wanna talk it out, I’m a DM away, but most importantly, if you can’t reach me because I’m people and people are going to people, know that God is there. He is always there when no one else is. Remember this, you are one neural connection away from him!

Blessings,

Nathalya Ramirez

P.S if you think this can help someone you know feel free to send it to them. You never know the power this word could have on someone.

References:

Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978)

The neuroplastic brain: Current breakthroughs and emerging frontiers. (2025). Brain Research, 1865, 148085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2025.148085