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In contrast to this view, recent theoretical advances in brain imaging have revealed that the brain is an organ continually built and re-built by one's experience. We are now beginning to learn that many forms of psychotherapy, developed in the absence of any scientific understanding of the brain, are supported by neuroscientific findings. In fact, it could be argued that to be an effective psychotherapist these days it is essential to have some basic understanding of neuroscience. Louis Cozolino's The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, Second Edition is the perfect place to start.In a beautifully written and accessible synthesis, Cozolino illustrates how the brain's architecture is related to the problems, passions, and aspirations of human beings. As the book so elegantly argues, all forms of psychotherapy--from psychoanalysis to behavioral interventions--are successful to the extent to which they enhance change in relevant neural circuits.Beginning with an overview of the intersecting fields of neuroscience and psychotherapy, this book delves into the brain's inner workings, from basic neuronal building blocks to complex systems of memory, language, and the organization of experience. It continues by explaining the development and organization of the healthy brain and the unhealthy brain. Common problems such as anxiety, trauma, and codependency are discussed from a scientific and clinical perspective. Throughout the book, the science behind the brain's working is applied to day-to-day experience and clinical practice.Written for psychotherapists and others interested in the relationship between brain and behavior, this book encourages us to consider the brain when attempting to understand human development, mental illness, and psychological health. Fully and thoroughly updated with the many neuroscientific developments that have happened in the eight years since the publication of the first edition, this revision to the bestselling book belongs on the shelf of all practitioners.… (more)
User reviews
There are actual differences in the brain structures of people with OCD, ADHD, borderline personality disorder and many more psychological disorders. These physical differences can frequently be traced to how the person was treated by its parents as a baby- being nurtured results in a brain shaped one way; being ignored shapes it in another way. PTSD changes the brain. We know that some of these differences are from environment rather than genetics because of animal testing. What this tells us is that depression, PTSD, and other mental disorders are actual physical illness, not the result of having a weak character, and that people with these disorders should not be looked down on and should not be ashamed to seek help.
The shape of our brains comes from evolution; our brains have evolved through the primitive lower brain and added on the midbrain and the upper ‘thinking’ part through the millennia. All our reactions must go through all these layers, and the amygdala, which is constantly on the alert for danger, reacts much faster than the upper, logical part of the brain- no matter how fast you can consciously think about something, your lizard brain has already reacted. Your lizard brain has already spewed out adrenaline many, many milliseconds before your upper brain can say “That’s just a backfire down the street, not gunfire aiming towards me” From this comes fears that seem irrational, and ‘fight or flight’ reactions to mental stress. This is but a small part of what our brain structure does to and for us.
Psychotherapy can change the brain. By allowing the person to explore stressors in a safe environment, the lower brain can be lulled and reshaped into something that doesn’t react with adrenaline to non-threatening situations. This doesn’t just apply to PTSD, but to many disorders where the person learned as a baby, a child, to react in certain ways to save themselves- even if it’s a case of a child learning to always be pleasant and accommodating to a parent or they’d be punished, thus setting them up for an adult life of being a doormat.
This is a very technical book. It’s mostly neurology and neuroanatomy, with psychotherapy laid over it. It’s not neurology vignettes a la Oliver Sacks. It’s very clearly written and all terms are well explained, but it is slow going if you aren’t at least somewhat knowledgeable about neuroanatomy. It wasn’t until near the end of the book that I discovered it was actually written for the therapist-in-training; that made me feel better about how long it took me to read it! But even as a layman who had to digest all the anatomy, I still found it very interesting and worth the read.