Talking?! Pfft!!! What good will talking do? PART 2: The Suppression of Language and Predictive Capacity Under Stress

“I can’t put my feelings into words right now. I don’t know what’s going on. My words won’t flow right now.” – William Glass

One of the reasons I was originally drawn to evolutionary psychology (EP) is that with this approach the function of emotions and behaviors are a significant consideration both in a fuller understanding of the presenting issue as well as in a more aptly targeted treatment. My biggest criticism (frustration!) of the commonly accepted medical model of mental health is the notion of “broken brains”. Evolutionary psychology refutes this, and rather than interpreting intervention as “fixing a broken machine” the focus is on restoring functional capacities that are better suited to an individual’s unique environment.

Issues around mental health are typically understood as something that has gone “wrong”, but when we include an EP lens we begin to see that (given the biology and environment) the brain has actually functioned perfectly and intentionally – but perhaps just not necessarily in a way that best serves the individual. This is exemplified in the first item on our list of common problematic reasons that bring individuals to seek counselling (Cozolino, 2010):

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

The suppression of language and predictive capacity under stress is an adaptive primitive reflex.  During high states of arousal (stress, trauma, etc.), speech production is inhibited to make us less likely to be heard as we prepare to respond to threat. The problem lies in the indiscriminate nature of this response to stress – our threats are not always physical nor are they benefitted from this response. In fact, when the ability to verbalize feelings is impaired, individuals are less likely to activate the cortical networks that serve to dissipate reactions to fear. Further, this lack of language can keep individuals from the healing effects of a positive connection to others.

To complicate things further, due to shared neural connections, this suppression also effects moment-to-moment sensorimotor functioning in addition to language. This can contribute to a compromised sense of prediction and anticipation -  contributing to our understanding as to why traumatized individuals often experience difficulties with the day-to-day activities that are usually preformed unconsciously and automatically.

To contend with this, counsellors encourage individuals to create adaptive narratives about the traumatic experience in the safety of a therapeutic setting. This promotes and supports the neuroplastic processes necessary for restoring function and adaptive learning. In short – putting feelings into words minimizes the suppressive effects of trauma on language. Talking, it seems, has a pretty profound impact!

“People start to heal the moment they feel heard.” – Cheryl Richardson

References

Cozolino, L. (2010). The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain. W.W.Norton & Company: New York, NY

"Talking?! Pfft!!! What good will talking do?" PART 1: The Bias Toward Early Learning

“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

Welcome...

... to Attuned Up! It is particularly meaningful for me to launch my private practice in fall. I adore this time of year. While it signifies the end of summer, it also holds the promise of new beginnings. For many years - with both my children, and myself - fall is the beginning of a new school year, and by association often an opportunity to reinvent. I think many of us are conditioned to feel those same feelings of fresh starts and impending experiences when the weather cools and leaves begin to fall – a whole new year stretches out in front of us waiting to be realized. What a great mindset for starting a new venture! And so it begins…

I want to say thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while now. My vision for this site transcends being a resource to inform potential clients about my services – I want this to also be a way to inform around a variety of mental health concepts, explore ideas, and perhaps inspire thought around topics not typically in the forefront of our day-to-day. I invite you to contact me with any feedback, questions, or suggestions.

To my current and future clients, I hope you approach counselling with the same mindset induced by fall. With the sense of a fresh start and optimism for all that is to come. This is an opportunity to reclaim, reinvent, and/or realize the vitality that is yours – you just need Attuned Up.