The How and Why - of Counselling & Psychotherapy. Part 1

2010-12-19T23:30:00.002Z

The function of the recently discovered smart nerve cells called “Mirror Neurons”

Have you ever watched on TV, say, a match or a tennis game, or somebody in a dangerous situation? Do you remember that as you watched the difficult shot being taken ... that you could almost feel as if your leg was going to kick the ball, or feel your body move in an effort to strike the tennis-ball? Or in observing someone in the dangerous situation, you had the feeling that you were going to jump or run or some other feeling of tension?

Or the classic example from everyday life .. someone yawns - and you yawn.

These responses are caused by a system of nerve cells which we all have - called “mirror neurons”.

What is happening goes something like this:
Imagine you do a specific physical action, like, you pick up a spoon, certain parts of your brain are activated and involved in co-ordinating your arm and hand to carry out this action.
Then, the really amazing part of this story is that if someone else is watching you picking up the spoon, then the EXACT same parts of THEIR brain is also activated. As if, THEY were picking up the spoon.

It is like a system that operates between all human beings. Indeed, it seems to be a feature of many animals; it was first noticed in a laboratory chimp which was watching a scientist in the lab. The animal was being monitored for an unrelated set of tests - and brain activity showed up as the chimp watched the human eat an ice cream. Further tests brought the scientists (headed by Italian Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti at Univ. of Parma ) to the conclusion that there was a mirror system at work.

This effect is thought to be one of the means by which we learn how to do things - through observing others and getting a “feel” for how something is done, before we actually do it ourselves.

This is how children learn - by observing their parents. This aspect is really important, as it is a parents’ ACTIONS that trigger a child’s mirror neurons. So the child learns from what it sees around it, and learns HOW the parent functions in the world. And then the child copies that. It’s not a choice the child makes - it is hard wired, instinctual.

So - if a parent says one thing, but behaves in a different way, then that is quite confusing for a child. The mirror neurons are moving one way - but the verbal instruction is asking to move in a different direction. Could this be at the very root of much of our confusion?

So, to follow on from that, a lot of what happens in psychotherapy, between the client and the therapist is at this very basic mirror neuron level. The client sees the therapist's responses to what the client talks about, and instinctively knows whether he/she is being heard and affirmed.

When someone is responded to in a nurturing and nourishing way, new nerve circuits are laid down. Actual physical nerve circuits or neurons. The more stimulation of this nourishing kind a person receives, the more dense the nerve cell networks become.

Such changes, at such deep levels in our bodies can only happen at a particular rate. The speed of that rate varies depending on many aspects, including for example, life history and physical makeup. That is why lasting changes need a reasonable amount of time for them to fully take hold in a deep way at this nerve-cell level in the body. The research is showing that the brain is actually creating new nerve circuits - or "neural pathways". The use of functional MRI (fMRI) scans are confirming this as fact.

And this takes time. This, to me certainly, explains the reason why counselling and psychotherapy need to happen over months and years for deep-seated issues to be resolved and new healthier ways to be absorbed. The research is more and more indicating an "absorbing", organic process rather than one of definite, linear, sets of instructions which can be followed to then give rise to a definite outcome.

It is what we witness that makes the difference. Sets of instructions are valuable in their own right. However, for lasting change to occur requires time, consistency and constancy.

Refs:

Iacoboni, M., “Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others”, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, NY (2008).

Cozolino, L., "The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, 2nd edition, Healing the Social Brain", WW Norton & Company, New York. (2010)

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Introduction to this Blog ....

2010-06-04T23:32:00.009+01:00

Some notes on how we, human animals, tick...

Hi.

For some time now, I've wanted to share around some of what I've been reading, about what makes us tick, why we are the way we are and .. most hopefully ... how we might help ourselves to improve.

My main intention is to communicate, as simply as I can, some of the recent research about how we develop and function, and also, how and why counselling and psychotherapies work.

I will also attempt to use as little jargon as I can.
Let me know if I could improve!

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RESPONDING TO EACH OTHER

All the latest scientific research is pointing strongly to the idea that we develop best when we are in relationship with other human beings. Even just simply, being in the presence of another human being.

THE SOCIAL BRAIN

One writer puts forward the idea that our brains are social organs - each wanting to "connect with other brains". Because that is how brains develop and expand. Unfortunately however, the opposite happens when our brains are not responded to in a way that is loving, nurturing and supportive.

For those of you interested - I will reference sources further along - but for the moment, take it as read that most of these notes are inspired by, and drawn from people like Daniel Siegel (Developing Minds, Mindsight and other books), Marco Iacoboni (Mirroring People), Bonnie Badenoch (The Brain-wise Therapist), Pat Ogden (Trauma and the Body), Sue Gerhardt (Why Love Matters) and a selection of other writers.

BEING "MENTALLY PRESENT"

It seems that we humans have been made in a particular way, such that we have a significant impact on each other .. at a very deep level. When we have an interaction with someone else - talking, doing some activity with them - or even just being in the presence of another person - we affect each others emotional chemicals. Literally. When we are in the presence of someone who is attentive to us and holds us in positive regard, something happens in our inner bodies - our brain chemicals change, new nerve connections are made, our range of experience expands and we become more creative and resilient, and happier in ourselves.

It is not JUST the physical presence that is important - it is the “mental”, or emotional and psychological presence and attention that is important.

This is why it is so important for parents to spend time being really with their kids - because children blossom, grow and expand when they are receiving the positive, encouraging glow of their parents.

When a child is with its Mum or Dad, and Mum or Dad is on the mobile phone - the child knows, at a very deep, subconscious level, that Mum or Dad is absent from them - because the parent is more "engaged" with the person on the other end of the phone.

When this continues for too long (and what is too long will depend on the age and temperament of the child ), the child will assume that he or she is not important enough to their parent, is not lovable enough. The child will then start drawing on coping mechanisms to help him or her deal with this situation. Amusing itself in some way, the child may withdraw into its own world, or "act out" by attention seeking behaviours (the list here is almost endless).

Whatever the child does to compensate, these coping mechanisms are often unhealthy - particularly as the young person grows and develops into an adult - these attempts to cope with their world soon show up as difficulties in relating to people, or the world around them, in some way.

HEALING

But hope is not lost - as we have brains that are keen and eager to heal - when they are given the right circumstances later in life. The good news is that no matter what age you are - no matter how old you are - our brains have the capacity to re-grow the connections that it missed out on making long ago.

One proviso is that one needs to be patient with oneself as this process takes time - no matter what age. A significant part of our healing work is involved with becoming more compassionate with ourselves.

That's all for now - a kind of general "taster" for what I hope to expand on in the future.

Love and care, and why they matter.

The How and Why - of Counselling & Psychotherapy. Part 1

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Introduction to this Blog ....