Your Mind Isn’t a Thing — It’s a Process

By Nigel Denning and Jordan Bakker

By reading this piece, you’ll discover:

• Why the common belief that the mind is a fixed “thing” can sometimes limit learning, wellbeing, and fulfilment.
• How our Map for Living, one of the frameworks we use at Integrative Psychology and Medicine, adopts a more accurate and liberating way of seeing the mind: as a living process that is always changing.
• How this shift in perspective may support self-compassion, foster more flexible ways of understanding diagnoses, and open possibilities for personal growth and wellbeing.
• Practical ways to notice your mind as a process in real time, so you can respond with more flexibility and confidence.
• The science behind neuroplasticity and growth mindsets, and how research suggests we can continue learning and adapting throughout life.
• How adopting this view of mind can help cultivate resilience, deepen self-understanding, and support a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

When Leila failed her driving test, her first thought was, “I’ll never get this — I’m just bad at driving.” For weeks she avoided practice, convinced her failure was permanent. But with encouragement, she tried again, noticing how each attempt taught her something new. A year later she passed with ease. Looking back, she realised the shift wasn’t just about driving — it was also about how she thought about herself – as a constantly evolving person, always capable of change. (Fictional vignette)

How do you think about your mind, do you have a sense of its presence?
Many of us grow up thinking of the mind as fixed — as if it were stable and unchanging. We say things like, “that’s just the way I am,” or “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”
But this view is actually not very accurate. The mind is not fixed.
It is a constantly changing process. From moment to moment it is woven from shifting sensations, feelings, images, and thoughts.
Realising this truth — that our minds are processes — can be a powerful shift that may support wellbeing and growth.

The old story: the mind is fixed

“I yam what I yam, and that’s all what I yam.” — Popeye the Sailor

The story that the mind is fixed shows up in many places. In school, a child who struggles with maths might be told they’re “just not a numbers person,” while another is praised as “the creative one” – labels that can follow them for years. 

In workplaces, we hear people described as “born leaders” or “not cut out for management,” as if growth and learning had nothing to do with it.

Even in families, roles often stick in ways that feel permanent: one sibling becomes “the golden child,” another “the troublemaker.” 

Yes, it’s true that different people have different traits, values and predispositions. But these are only part of the story. And, over time, the labels we use for one another can harden into identities. What begins as a passing description can, in time, become a cage.

The story of the mind as fixed might feel comfortable. If our minds don’t change, then there is no need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone to grow! 

But this comfort comes with a cost. When we see our minds as fixed, setbacks feel permanent. A bad grade means we’re not smart. A mistake at work means we’re not capable. A fight in a relationship means we’re not lovable.

The result? We shrink from challenges. We avoid risks. We accept limits that may not in fact be real. 

In this way, the old story, the fixed story, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

How Labels Can Limit Us

Seeing the mind as fixed has implications for our mental health and wellbeing too. When we believe the mind can’t change, we’re more likely to see painful states of mind as permanent features of who we are.

Think about the role of diagnostic labels. On the one hand, they can be very helpful. A diagnosis, such as generalised anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder, can give language to experiences that once felt confusing or overwhelming. It can create a sense of recognition — “Oh, that’s why I’ve been feeling this way.” It can also open the door to support, connecting people with treatments, communities, and professionals that can help.

But labels also carry risks. Once a word is given, it can quickly harden into an identity. Instead of saying “I am experiencing depression,” someone may start to think “I am depressed” as though this captures their entire being. They may carry a heavy weight of shame around this label, and believe that there’s something fundamentally wrong with them. Perhaps the person experienced a whole variety of traumatic experiences which, very understandably, led to the depressive symptoms in the first place. But the diagnosis alone can give the impression that the source of the problem lies within the person. In this way, what began as a useful description of a pattern can start to feel like a life sentence. Diagnostic labels can sometimes be internalised in ways that inadvertently reinforce feelings of limitation or shame.

This fixed way of seeing can deepen suffering. If sadness feels permanent, it easily turns into despair. If anxiety seems hardwired, we may avoid situations that could help us grow. If trauma feels like an identity, we can lose sight of the possibility of healing. Fortunately, there is another way of conceiving of the mind – one more aligned with science and more supportive of us reaching our full potential. 

The New Story: The Mind is a Process

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.” — Lao Tzu

If the old story tells us the mind is fixed, the new story shows us something far more dynamic and inspiring: the mind is a process. It is not a static object but an unfolding flow, always in dialogue with the people and environments that surround us. 

This view of the mind as a process is central to an integrative framework we use at Integrative Psychology and Medicine, called the Map for Living. It is one of several approaches we draw upon to help clients understand their minds and support wellbeing.

You can experience the process quality of mind quite quickly. Take a moment to pause. Close your eyes. Pay attention to your breath. Scan the sensations of your body, sensing them directly. What is present, right now? Were these body sensations the same yesterday, the same last year? Scan your present moment emotions in the same way, comparing them to the past. And now do the same with your present moment thoughts. 

What did you notice? Was anything truly solid and unchanging? Or was it all ephemeral, transient, and in flux? 

You’ve just been exploring the river of your own mind! Because, yes, the mind is more like a river than a block of stone – always moving, never exactly the same from one moment to the next. Or perhaps it is like a forest ecosystem, where countless elements interact and grow together. Both of these metaphors remind us that the mind is organic, dynamic, and capable of transformation.

Modern research in psychology increasingly supports this view. Neuroscience shows us that the brain is plastic — capable of forming new connections and pathways throughout life. Psychology demonstrates how learning, therapy, and practice can shift patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour. Even trauma research, while acknowledging the deep imprint of painful experiences, highlights the capacity for healing and re-patterning. A growing body of evidence suggests that the mind is not fixed — it changes and can continue to change throughout life

So how should we consider diagnostic labels then? 

Perhaps a helpful approach is to see them as descriptions of patterns in the river. A diagnosis can highlight currents — a tendency toward anxious spirals, or the heaviness of depressive moods — but it does not define the whole flow of a person’s life. And just as a river can change course with time, weather and human engineering, so too can the mind shift with support, practice, and compassion.

When we hold labels lightly, they can remain useful signposts for getting help, without becoming cages that limit who we believe we can be. They remind us that while certain experiences are real and sometimes painful, they are also part of a living process that is always capable of change. And indeed, humans often grow and become greater through the very things that once caused them difficulty and suffering. 

Harnessing the New Story

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” — Albert Einstein

If the mind is a process, then we can steer how it evolves. One of the keys is learning to see through the illusion of solidity and stability, and perceive the ever-present change that is always just right there in the rivers of our minds. Here are a few simple reflections and exercises you might explore to experience this more dynamic way of relating to your mind:

1. Notice Shifts in Real Time

Pause once or twice a day and ask: What am I sensing right now? What feelings are present? What thoughts are running through my mind? Then compare it to how you felt an hour ago, or yesterday. Simply seeing the change reminds you that no state is permanent.

2. Reframe Your Self-Talk

Replace “I am…” with “I am experiencing…” For example: instead of “I am anxious,” try “I am experiencing anxiety right now.” This keeps the door open to change and helps stop temporary states from becoming permanent identities.

3. Keep a Process Journal

At the end of the day, jot down one example of how your mind shifted. Maybe a feeling of irritation softened after a walk, or a problem that seemed overwhelming looked different after a night’s sleep. Over time, these entries build evidence that your mind is fluid and capable of transformation.

4. Experiment With Small Challenges

Choose one area where you’ve felt “stuck” — maybe public speaking, exercise, or setting boundaries — and take one small step beyond your comfort zone. Notice how your mind reacts, shifts, and adapts. These micro-experiments can train you to trust in the process of growth.

5. Practice Gentle Curiosity

When a difficult emotion arises, see if you can meet it with curiosity rather than judgment: Where do I feel this in my body? What happens if I breathe with it for a few moments? This simple stance of curiosity keeps you in touch with the unfolding nature of experience.

The more we practice seeing the mind as fluid, the less trapped we may feel by labels and setbacks. We can begin to live with the confidence that change is always possible — because the mind, like a river, is always moving.

Further resources

Research on fixed versus growth mindsets aligns with seeing the mind as a process. If you’re interested, you might like to read Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck. 

If you’d like to learn more about how the brain adapts and changes, you might like the book The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr Norman Doidge. 

One of the best ways to deepen in an appreciation of the ever-changing nature of the mind is through mindfulness practice. You might like the book Mindfulness for Beginners by Dr Jon Kabat Zinn.

Disclaimer:

This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing distress or mental health concerns, please consult a registered psychologist or qualified health professional.