“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Individuals seek psychotherapy for a wide range of reasons, yet many are skeptical as to just how much can be accomplished by merely talking. The “talking cure” is commonly associated with clarity and insight, however psychotherapy is increasingly recognized (and appreciated!) as a neurobiological intervention – the therapeutic relationship is capable of counterbalancing some of the neural effects that may be underlying a wide array of difficulties. In his book The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain (2010), Louis Cozolino highlights eight problematic aspects of functioning that cause an individual to consider counselling:
1) The suppression of language and predictive capacity under stress
2) Divergent hemispheric processing
3) The bias towards early learning
4) The tenacity of fear
5) The damaging effects of stress hormones
6) The speed and amount of unconscious processing
7) The primacy of projection
8) Unconscious self-deception
In this first of an eight-part blog posting, I’ve chosen to explore the third item on this list as the bias to early learning is prominent in my clinical practice and is consistent with a growing body of work around the role of adverse childhood effects in both mental and general wellbeing.
The bias towards early learning frequently goes unnoticed since unlike some of the more obvious items on the above list, there is no clear attributable trigger (such as fear, stress, etc.) that shifts our brain into relying on it. Early learning resides in our thoughts and beliefs as “knowledge” and is rarely questioned.
For the sake of efficiency, our brains create “shortcuts” – unconscious drivers that influence our thoughts and behaviors (biases!). These shortcuts are products of our subjective experiences over the course of our lifespan, however many of the most influential experiences to shape our biases occur during peak developmental times –early childhood and adolescence. It is during this time that brain structures are shaped to support our most vital areas of learning: attachment, emotional regulation, and self-esteem. Understandably, the sense we make during those periods in our lives is vulnerable to many factors – any adversity in our environment, the beliefs/intentions of those influencing our own sense making, or even our own naiveté (just to name a few). Self-awareness, and other higher order processes, is a skill that develops with maturity. Despite potentially questionable reliability or generalizability, this sense making becomes a belief, and these beliefs become our bias. Problems can arise when a bias is skewed in a way that no longer serves us or is rooted in a childhood wound. In some cases, children who experience abuse and neglect during developmental periods often enter adolescence and adulthood with symptoms such as explosive anger, eating disorders, drug and alcohol problems, identity disturbances, poor self-image, and antisocial behaviors. When this happens, the brains of these children adapt to survive the combat of their day-to-day, but as a consequence can lack the skills necessary to navigate peace.
Intuitively, one would suspect that if the bias were off base or irrelevant, that you’d be able to simply stop relying on it, but it’s not that easy. Again, for the sake of efficiency, our brains are prone to a confirmation bias. This means that we have a tendency to gather, recall, and interpret information in a way that confirms preexisting beliefs – especially in situations that are emotionally charged or when a bias is particularly entrenched. For example, say a child is raised by parents who were cold or distant, the child may grow up with the belief that “I’m not enough”, every subsequent disappoint is then at risk of being viewed through that same lens, and each time this bias is confirmed it is strengthened – when this happens the bias not only provides false feedback, but also impedes an ability to accurately respond to life events.
Talking with a counsellor can help to reveal biases and challenge (or support) their current validity. The very act of articulating your experience to another (especially to someone skilled in bringing forth facets previously unrecognized or undervalued) changes it: adds depth and nuance to meaning, highlights insight, and celebrates your resilience. Making the unconscious conscious can facilitate sense-making and promotes the reintegration of neural networks associated with affect, cognition, abstract thinking, and bodily awareness resulting in decreased shame and increasing self-compassion. Counselling is an effective way to tap into your adult wisdom to help heal childhood wounds, and doing so has a profound effect on thoughts and behaviors going forward.
In order to become attuned, it is essential to integrate experience with our own wisdom, to question and to reevaluate – your counsellor is an objective ally trained to help you achieve just that.
“You may be unaware of how necessary struggles of your own unconscious mind, if misunderstood,will bruise your heart, arrest your efforts prematurely, and prevent your staying absorbed in your errand.Yet, the same struggles, appreciated, will enable your creativity and the larger processes of mastery.” – Janna Malamud Smith
References
Cozolino, L. (2010). The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain. W.W.Norton & Company: New York, NY