The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com

Following on the heels of my recent quest to become informed on the topic of neuroscience, attachment and relationships as it relates to my psychotherapy work, I went to a workshop today led by Dan Siegel, MD, on his latest book, Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation.  I left even more enthusiastic and thrilled to be a clinician in this day and age than I was before I sat down.  (See my series, The Therapist Consultation Room to see the beginning of my interest in this subject, having just joined a new group looking at our psychotherapy clients through the lens of neuroscience and relationships.)

I’d like to share some nuggets of information obtained today which might be of interest to therapists and perhaps others:

• Definition of “Mind:” A regulatory process that is both an embodied and relational process and regulates the flow of energy and information.
• Definition of “Mindsight:”  An understanding of meaning and energy patterns in self and others.  You are an active author of your own unfolding journey of life - vs a passive rider.
• When you focus attention in a new way you can change the function and structure of the brain.
• There’s a direct connection between receiving empathy and neuron response in the brain.
• Clients either come to therapy with chaos or rigidity in their lives – or a combination of two. 
• The brain responds to childhood abuse by shrinking and having less regulatory response.
• Mindfulness meditation strengthens the integrative fibers in the brain.
• Every branch of psychotherapy uses awareness as an agent of change – though it might not be labeled as such.
• Shared awareness (therapist-client dyad for example) promotes integration in the brain.
• Healthy infant attachment promotes integration in the brain.
• Mindfulness meditation causes distinct shift in left side of brain – which also promotes immune function – and is an indicator of an increase in the type of happiness people experience around having meaning in life and compassion.
• Trauma leads to massive secretions of cortisol/adrenaline which increases implicit memory coding while shutting down the hyppocampus (required for explicit memory coding)
• Children with parents who did not attune to them experience shame with the defective belief that there is something wrong with them.  It is a survival skill preserving the attachment relationship at the time but unhelpful as they carry onward into adulthood still carrying this belief.
• Kindness and compassion to one’s inner world is the breath of life.

There was a lot of very complex information given today and the above only touches on a few of the ideas around Interpersonal Neurobiology.  I picked up the book and look forward to reading it.  There are some excellent resources out there if you’re interested in delving further into this topic.  Here are a few:

• www.DrDanSiegel.com
• www.MindGains.org
• Rewire Your Brain for Love: Blog on PsychologyToday by Marsha Lucas, PhD

——————————————-

Lisa Brookes Kift is a psychotherapist and writer.  She is the creator of Notes from a Therapist’s Chair: The Therapy and Counseling Blog for therapists, a feature of The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com.  Sign up for the Notes from a Therapist’s Chair Blog RSS Feed to get the most recent posts by Lisa.

Related posts:

1. The Therapist Consultation Room – Attachment and Neuroscience I met with my first therapist consultation group today led...
2. The Therapist Consultation Room: Empathic Failure, Adult Attachment Styles and Toxic Shame Three of the four in our group had attended Daniel...
3. The Therapist Consultation Room: Caring and Empathy in Relationships Rewires the Brain The second of our peer psychotherapy consultation group happened this...
4. Psychotherapy Advertising and Client Testimonials I’ve been noticing something lately with therapist’s websites.  More MFT’s are putting...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.