The brain is a formidable and formidably complex organ. And all we ever do and experience is relayed, filtered, and reflected through the brain. The fascinating new book argues that the brain needs to be considered with the lens of complexity it deserves and it holds some lessons for psychotherapists
Psychotherapy always seemed to have an ambivalent relationship with the idea of the brain being in charge of things. Somatic therapies are very popular and there is much talk of the wisdom of the body ("body keeps the score"). However, these are just useful metaphors. Whatever does happen, even if it is not within the realm of our cognition but only a bodily experience, is still experienced through the brain. Whether we like it or not, the brain is the hub for any experience.
Traditionally, neuroscientists have understood the brain using a "divide and conquer" approach, attempting to map specific brain area (X) to a specific function ( Y e.g., reward, speech, pleasure). This view is called localisationism.
In a nutshell, according to a localisationist view, different brain functions can be localised in different (and specific) areas of the brain.
Lately, localisationism has been getting a bad rep though. In his fascinating book The Entangled Brain, Dr Luiz Pessoa, a neuroscientist specialising in neuroimaging and the study of cognition and emotion, explains why. He presents his view and ideas on how to think about the brain from a systemic perspective and why thinking in terms of brain areas and function (localisationism) is not anymore supported by careful scientific scrutiny.
The idea is that the fundamental question of neuroscience "How does function relate to structure?" is answered in very different ways by these two competing views:
localisationism - an area codes for one function (amygdala for fear, posterior insula for addiction etc)
systemic (entagled) approach - things are complicated and it is all about the systems, networks and their interactions
How do we translate this fundamental neuroscience question into a question relevant to psychotherapists? It would be something like:
How does brain structure relate to important questions about the human condition that are core for the psychotherapy process: why do some behaviours remain deeply ingrained even when they are maladaptive? How is the brain structure affected by past experiences? And how does the structure impact the sense of well-being or even happiness?
Perhaps unsurprisingly given that it was a longstanding dominant view in neuroscience anyways, localisationalist thinking prevails in psychotherapy too including related neuro-informed well-being professions. However, there are some notable exceptions, such as the prominent ideas of Interpersonal Neurobiology.
Consider this: do you view the amygdala as solely responsible for fear, or do you attribute emotions to the limbic system? In my time as a psychotherapist, I've certainly encountered a fair share of over-confident and specific assertions regarding brain areas and brain functions.
And I'll hold my hands up as I have likely perpetuated such statements myself at times. Lately, however, I've been trying to integrate the new, more systemic view into my work and thinking about neuroscience and psychotherapy.
As therapists we are trying to navigate this unknown landscape and jump on the fast-moving train of neuroscience. Do we need to unlearn what we thought we knew about the brain before we've even fully grasped it? Or is it too ambitious to keep pace with the constantly shifting paradigms? To borrow from Master Yoda: "Make an effort, we must!"
Over the next year or so, the amazing Dr Chad Luke and I will be entangling our brain powers (pun intended!) to solve the conundrum of creating a simple yet (hopefully reasonably) accurate "Therapists' Guide To The Brain". The challenge lies in finding that sweet spot between the specifics of neuroanatomy relevant to psychotherapists and embracing the bird's-eye systemic perspective that sees the brain as much more than just the sum of its parts. And I already know that "The Entangled Brain" will be our friend on that rocky road.
Stay tuned for updates... and please share your thoughts if you happen to read "The Entangled Brain".
Comentários