Defy Ageing – can you think yourself younger?

The psychology behind ageing and vitality

Ageing is often viewed as an unavoidable decline, an inevitable journey into creaky joints, slower thinking, and dwindling energy. But one leading psychotherapist says we may have been looking at it all wrong.

According to Terence Watts, founder of BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT®) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the way we think about ageing could be one of the biggest factors in how we actually experience it.

“Ageing is not just a matter of how many candles are on your birthday cake,” says Watts. “It’s as much about how your brain responds to the world around you – and the beliefs you hold about getting older – as it is about biology.”

In other words, the ageing process is just as psychological as it is physical — and that means we may have more control over it than we realise.

The first secret? You have to want to get old

While it might sound odd, Watts believes our internal dialogue about ageing plays a powerful role in how we live our later years.

“Most people say they don’t want to get old, even though the only alternative is… well, dying,” he says. “And the brain listens. It takes those thoughts seriously. If you consistently tell yourself that getting old is miserable, that life peaks in your thirties, or that you’re ‘too old’ to try something new, your brain starts to switch off the very systems that support vitality.”

Instead of fearing age, Watts encourages people to find a compelling reason to embrace it.

“Wanting to live longer isn’t about fear of death,” he explains. “It’s about having a reason to keep going. Purpose is the brain’s fuel.”

Your brain can be your greatest anti-ageing asset

Much of Watts’ work focuses on the oldest part of the brain — the ‘lizard brain’ — responsible for instinctive survival responses. This fast-acting system governs everything from heart rate to hormone production and is constantly scanning the environment for signs of threat.

“If the lizard brain senses danger – and that can include chronic stress, fear of the future, or deeply held beliefs that ageing means decay – it pulls resources away from long-term maintenance, like cell repair and immunity, and shifts them into survival mode,” he says.

That survival response may have helped our ancestors avoid predators, but in modern life, it can leave us burned out, anxious — and biologically older than we need to be.

“That’s when ageing accelerates,” Watts notes. “That’s why so many of the tools we use in BWRT® are about changing the perception of reality, not the reality itself. Because once your brain believes the world is safer, more hopeful, and full of possibility, it stops acting like you’re under siege.”

How to defy ageing with three simple brain shifts:

So how do we change the way the brain responds to ageing? 

1. Cultivate purposeful thinking

Watts recommends starting with a simple mental exercise:

“Complete this sentence: ‘I want to get old so that…’ If you can answer that with something compelling, you’ve already triggered your brain’s longevity system.”

Studies have shown that people with a strong sense of purpose live longer, healthier lives — and Watts believes that purpose is more than motivational fluff. It actively supports healthy brain chemistry and emotional resilience.

2. Train your brain like a muscle

“Neuroplasticity doesn’t stop at 30, 50, or even 80,” says Watts. “But the brain does need stimulation. Learning new skills, breaking routines, and embracing novelty all keep those neural networks firing.”

Even small changes, like handwriting a letter instead of typing, taking a new route on your walk, or picking up a creative hobby, can make a meaningful difference over time.

3. Use the power of visualisation

According to Watts, one of the simplest and most surprising tools for staying youthful is imagination.

“You can literally tone your muscles with your imagination,” he says. “Studies show that just imagining movement can help preserve muscle mass and strength, especially important if exercise isn’t always easy.”

Mental imagery, he explains, reactivates dormant neural circuits and reinforces a youthful state of mind.

A new approach to ageing: BWRT®

Watts’ own therapeutic method, BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT®), uses neuroscience-based techniques to help people change unhelpful patterns in the brain, including those linked to ageing.

“At its core, BWRT® isn’t about positive thinking or willpower,” he explains. “It’s about using the brain’s own systems to change how we respond to triggers, including those tied to beliefs about ageing.”

Rather than focusing on the past, BWRT® works directly with the brain’s decision-making processes before they even reach conscious awareness. The results? A shift in mindset that doesn’t require months of talk therapy.

“We’re not trying to persuade the conscious mind to feel differently,” says Watts. “We go deeper – and when we do, amazing things happen. Fear fades. Motivation increases. Old beliefs fall away. And in their place, we find space for joy, creativity, and resilience.”

Want to defy ageing for real?

If you’re ready to take control of how you age, not just physically but mentally and emotionally, BWRT® might be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.

Practitioners trained in the “Defy Ageing” techniques use cutting-edge brain science to help clients reignite motivation, release anxiety about the future, and rewire limiting beliefs around ageing and vitality.

Find out more or connect with a certified practitioner here:
www.bwrt-professionals.com/pages/defy-ageing

Because it’s not just about living longer, it’s about living better.