Editing Norman Doidge

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| birth_place   = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
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| occupation    = [[Psychiatrist]], [[Psychoanalyst]], Author
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| nationality   = Canadian
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| website       = {{URL|http://www.normandoidge.com/}}
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'''Norman Doidge''', {{postnominals|FRCPC}}, is a [[psychiatrist]], [[psychoanalyst]], and author of ''[[The Brain that Changes Itself]]'' and ''The Brain's Way of Healing''.

==Education==
Doidge studied literary classics and philosophy at the [[University of Toronto]] and graduated "with high distinction".<ref name="bio">{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.normandoidge.com/?page_id=1046|access-date=2015-03-10|work=Norman Doidge}}</ref> After winning the [[E. J. Pratt]] Prize for Poetry at age 19, Doidge was given early recognition by literary critic [[Northrop Frye]], who wrote that his work was "really remarkable... haunting and memorable."<ref>{{Cite web|title={{!}} University College U of T|url=https://www.uc.utoronto.ca/alumni-influence/dr-norman-doidge|access-date=2020-09-11|website=www.uc.utoronto.ca}}</ref> He obtained his medical degree at the University of Toronto, then moved to New York, where he had a residency in psychiatry and obtained a degree in psychoanalysis at [[Columbia University]] Department of Psychiatry,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-05-20|title=Alumni News|url=https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/alumni-news|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Columbia University Department of Psychiatry|language=en}}</ref> and the [[Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research]].<ref Name=bio/> This was followed by a two-year Columbia University/National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellowship, training in empirical science techniques.

==Career==
Returning to his native Toronto, Doidge served as Head of the Psychotherapy Centre and the Assessment Clinic at the [[Clarke Institute of Psychiatry]] (now part of [[Centre for Addiction and Mental Health|CAMH]]).<ref Name=bio/> He was Faculty at the University of Toronto's Department of Psychiatry and Research Faculty at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Columbia University, New York for 30 years.<ref Name=bio/> He is a training and supervising analyst at the Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roster {{!}} Toronto Psychoanalytic Society & Institute|url=https://torontopsychoanalysis.com/about-us/roster/|access-date=2020-09-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Doidge authored empirically based standards and guidelines for the practice of intensive [[psychotherapy]] that have been used in Canada and America. These were published in the "Standards and Guidelines for the Psychotherapies" edited by Cameron, Deadman and Ennis.<ref name="EnnisCameron1998">{{cite book|author1=Jon Ennis|author2=Paul M. Cameron|author3=John Deadman|title=Standards and Guidelines for the Psychotherapies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KHPmsbzWoIEC|year=1998|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-7166-8}}</ref>

In 2008, he was awarded the Mary S. Sigourney Prize for his scientific writing on neuroplasticity and research in psychoanalysis.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Recipients|url=https://www.sigourneyaward.org/recipients-1|access-date=2020-09-11|website=The Sigourney Awards|language=en-US}}</ref>

More recently, Doidge published an important and critical article discussing and examining the impact the Covid-19 narrative has had on scientific development of Covid treatments and management in addition to policy. <ref>{{Cite news|last=Doidge|first=Norman|date=2022-01-22|title=Opinion: Vaccines are a tool, not a silver bullet. If we’d allowed more scientific debate, we would have realized this earlier|language=en-CA|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-vaccines-are-a-tool-not-a-silver-bullet-if-wed-allowed-more-scientific/|access-date=2022-01-26}}</ref>

==Writing==
Doidge has written over 170 articles, a combination of academic, scientific and popular pieces. Doidge has been sole author of academic papers on [[neuroplasticity]], human limitations and notions of perfectibility, psychotherapy treatment outcomes, dreams about animals, [[Schizoid personality disorder]] and trauma,<ref>{{cite journal |year=2001 |title=Diagnosing the English Patient: Schizoid Fantasies of Being Skinless and of Being Buried Alive |journal=Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association |volume=49 |issue=1 |url=http://apa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/49/1/279 }}</ref> [[psychoanalysis]] and neuroscience, e.g., a popular article he wrote in 2006 for ''[[Maclean's magazine]]'' in which he argues, using empirical studies, that understanding unconscious thought is relevant in modern-day psychiatry and psychology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sigmund Freud: The doctor is back in|url=http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content%3D20060508_126391_126391 |access-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527193631/http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20060508_126391_126391 |archive-date=May 27, 2012 }}</ref>

Doidge was editor of ''[[Books in Canada: The Canadian Review of Books]]'' from 1995-8, and editor at large for several years after that. His series of literary portraits of exceptional people at moments of transformation appeared in ''Saturday Night Magazine'', and he won four National Magazine Awards, including the President's medal for his ''Saturday Night'' interview with [[Saul Bellow]], ''Love, Friendship and the Art of Dying'', in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Magazine Awards Archive|url=https://archive.magazine-awards.com/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=archive.magazine-awards.com}}</ref>

Doidge's first book ''The Brain that Changes Itself'' (2007) was an international bestseller and widely recognized to have introduced the concept of neuroplasticity to broader scientific and lay audiences alike.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Zuger|first1=Abigail|last2=M.D|date=2007-05-29|title=The Brain: Malleable, Capable, Vulnerable|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/health/29book.html|access-date=2020-09-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-09-09|title=The brain man|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-brain-man-20080909-4d2o.html|access-date=2020-09-11|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-02-08|title=Norman Doidge: the man teaching us to change our minds|url=http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/08/norman-doidge-brain-healing-neuroplasticity-interview|access-date=2020-09-11|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> It showed people with learning disorders, blindness, balance and sensory disorders, strokes, cerebral palsy, chronic pain, chronic depression and anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder being helped by neuroplastic interventions.

The book was acclaimed by many well-known scholars and researchers in the brain sciences, including neuroscientist [[V. S. Ramachandran]] and neurologist [[Oliver Sacks]].<ref name="scribepublications.com.au">{{Cite book|url=https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-brain-that-changes-itself|title=The Brain That Changes Itself {{!}} Book {{!}} Scribe Publications|date=2010-03-01|isbn=978-1-921372-74-2|language=en-AU|last1=Doidge|first1=Norman}}</ref> The prominent psychiatrist [[Iain McGilchrist]] praised it as “An utterly wonderful book—without question one of the most important books about the brain you will ever read.”<ref name="scribepublications.com.au"/> Writing in the journal ''Neuropsychoanalysis'', psychology professor Eric Fertuck wrote, “Doidge… has written a book that accurately conveys cutting-edge scientific discoveries while simultaneously engaging both scientific and popular audiences."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fertuck|first=Eric A.|date=2008-01-01|title=Book Review|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15294145.2008.10773574|journal=Neuropsychoanalysis|volume=10|issue=1|pages=99–100|doi=10.1080/15294145.2008.10773574|s2cid=220314955|issn=1529-4145}}</ref> [[Jeanette Winterson]] ([[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]) chose it as one of her books of the year in 2008, calling it “Brilliant…This book is a wonderful and engaging way or re-imagining what kind of creatures we are.”<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-11-29|title=Jonathan Raban to Jeanette Winterson: writers and politicians pick the best reads of 2008|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/nov/29/best-books-year-2008-review2|access-date=2020-09-11|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, the [[Dana Foundation]]'s journal ''Cerebrum'' chose ''The Brain That Changes Itself'' as “the best general book on the brain.''”''<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Great Brain Books, Revisited|url=https://dana.org/article/the-great-brain-books-revisited/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Dana Foundation|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2016, the ''Literary Review of Canada'' ranked it among the 25 most influential books published in Canada since 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The LRC 25 {{!}} The Literary Review of Canada|url=https://reviewcanada.ca/the-lrc-25/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Literary Review of Canada|language=en-US}}</ref>

Doidge's second book, ''The Brain's Way of Healing'' (2015), describes an expanding number of clinical conditions that may be treated by neuroplastic interventions. It was a ''New York Times'' bestseller and also received praise from both lay and specialized readership, with Ramachandran calling it “a treasure trove of the author's own deep insights and a clear bright light of optimism shines through every page.”<ref name="penguinrandomhouse.com">{{Cite web|title=The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge: 9780143128373 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/308751/the-brains-way-of-healing-by-norman-doidge-md/9780143128373|access-date=2020-09-11|website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|language=en-US}}</ref> The psychiatrist [[Stephen Porges]] called it “paradigm challenging. ''The Brain's Way of Healing'' is brilliantly organized, scientifically documented, and a beautifully written narrative that captivates the reader, who is left with the profound message that the brain, similar to other organs, can heal."<ref name="penguinrandomhouse.com"/> This book received the 2015 Gold [[Nautilus Book Awards|Nautilus Book Award]] in Science.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Winners Archive – Nautilus Book Awards|url=https://nautilusbookawards.com/archive/|access-date=2020-09-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Criticism ==
Developmental psychologist Diana Divecha (of [[Yale University]]) criticizes Doidge and ''The Brain's Way of Healing'' for promoting unsupported ideas about neuroplasticity and for promoting discredited auditory treatments for [[autism]]. She says that "Doidge relies mainly upon near-miraculous anecdotes of recovery to support his claims", and that he cites outdated psychoanalysts. She argues that Doidge's mechanisms of change in his book are "vague" and do not meet scientific standards, writing: "Most of the treatments he describes rely on the brain's capacity to rewire and reorganize, activating 'dormant' areas here, quieting 'noise' there, building new connections through repeated micro-practices, sometimes in combination with traditional rehab. That terminology is too nonspecific to convince me."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Divecha|first=Diana|date=June 2, 2015|title=Can Wishful Thinking Heal Your Brain?|url=https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_wishful_thinking_heal_your_brain|access-date=2020-06-21|website=Greater Good Magazine|publisher=UC Berkeley|language=en}}</ref>

==Film and television==
Doidge has appeared in numerous interviews on television programs in several countries. In 2008, Doidge co-wrote an award-winning documentary based on ''The Brain That Changes Itself'' for the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] in which he presents case studies and examples of [[neuroplasticity]] described in the book.<ref>{{Citation|last=Sheerin|first=Mike|title=The Brain That Changes Itself|date=2009-11-15|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1537914/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_5|type=Documentary|others=Norman Doidge|publisher=90th Parallel Film and Television Productions, ARTE, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)|access-date=2020-09-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Brain That Changes Itself|url=https://www.90thparallel.ca/portfolio/brain-that-changes-itself/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=90th Parallel|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2010, he participated in a follow-up documentary, "Changing Your Mind",<ref>{{Cite web|title=Changing Your Mind|url=https://curio.ca/en/video/changing-your-mind-907/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=curio.ca}}</ref> aired on CBC's ''The Nature of Things''. Both films were directed by Mike Sheerin and produced by 90th Parallel Productions, with [[Arte|ARTE]] co-producing and distributing them in Europe. ''The Brain's Way of Healing'' was also made into a documentary.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Brain's Way of Healing|url=https://www.90thparallel.ca/portfolio/brains-way-of-healing/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=90th Parallel|language=en-US}}</ref> In addition, he has appeared in several documentaries including ''Seeking Happiness'' in Germany (2011),<ref>{{Citation|last=Trüby|first=Larissa|title=Glücksformeln|date=2011-04-14|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1786499/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_4|type=Documentary|others=Luis Boschmann, Ed Diener, Norman Doidge, Michael Eid|publisher=Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Creado Film, Devifilm|access-date=2020-09-11}}</ref> [[Beeban Kidron]]'s ''InRealLife'' (2013)<ref>{{Citation|last=Kidron|first=Beeban|title=InRealLife|date=2013-09-20|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3101474/?ref_=nm_knf_i3|type=Documentary, News|others=Ryan, Ben, Sherry Turkle, Nicholas Negroponte|publisher=Studio Lambert|access-date=2020-09-11}}</ref> in the UK, and the Irish documentary ''Meetings with Ivor'' (2017).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meetings With Ivor official website|url=http://www.meetingswithivor.com/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=www.meetingswithivor.com|language=en}}</ref>

===Books===
* {{cite book |last1=Doidge |first1=Norman |title=The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science |date=2007 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9781101147115 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Doidge |first1=Norman |title=The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity |publisher=Penguin |date=2015 |isbn=9780670025503 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780670025503 |url-access=registration |language=en }}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|www.normandoidge.com}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Doidge, Norman}}
[[Category:Canadian science writers]]
[[Category:Canadian psychiatrists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian poets]]
[[Category:Canadian male poets]]
[[Category:Writers from Toronto]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian physicians]]
[[Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]