Nikhil Kabadi

When we learn something new or gain knowledge, it’s easy to imagine our brains building new neural pathways.

A baby does this continuously from birth.

But what happens when you deliberately want to unlearn?

Do we break down these pathways? Do we generate chemical signals to block them?

Unlike a computer, where you can delete a file or disable an algorithm, our brain doesn’t come with a delete button.

What happens in the cranium has big implications for how we approach change.

At the neural level, unlearning is simply new learning. There’s only write and read. No erase.

When we let go of a long-held belief, we don’t wipe out the old neural path, we build a new one. And this new belief must eventually outcompete the old one, becoming the dominant path your brain takes when triggered.

This has two crucial implications for us:

1. Intentional practice is needed to reinforce the new perspective until it reliably dominates. Questioning beliefs is not a one-and-done exercise.
2. Supportive environments and relationships are crucial to prevent re-triggering the “old you.” Like attracts like when it comes to beliefs!

“Unlearning and learning are not opposites. They are intertwined. You must first make space, then fill it. Let go, and then grow.”

When we look at profound transformations in mindset, say the Buddha, Valmiki, Volodymyr Zelensky, Katharine Graham, Malala Yousafzai, or Angela Merkel, they aren’t just inspiring life stories. They are neural stories—of rewiring brains that once ran very different scripts and held very different beliefs.

Unlearning isn’t just a psychological challenge. It’s a biological one.

And like all biological changes, it takes effort, time, and repetition.

That’s why, in Mindful Productivity, unlearning is a skill—not just an outcome.

And it’s called Socratic Unlearning.