Transcript Mind
Brainwaves – where mind and body meet ‘Psychology for All’ BPS Event, March 2011 Melissa Foks – Neurofeedback Practitioner Mind The human mind is a relational and embodied process that regulates the flow of information and energy. Daniel J Seigel MD (clinical prof of psychiatry UCLA) ‘The mind uses the brain to create itself’ Daniel J Seigel MD (clinical prof of psychiatry UCLA) Author of: ‘The Mindful Brain’ ‘Mindsight’ www.mindsightinstitute.com The Nervous System Human brain Brain pic The neuron Brainwave frequencies International 10/20 mapping system Cerebral cortex - lobes Left hemisphere Language, logic, sequencing, maths, science, verbal memory, problem solving, seeing the detail, approach behaviour (curiosity/openness). Right hemisphere Social awareness, eye contact, humour, empathy, insight, intuition, music, spatial awareness, non-verbal memory, seeing the whole picture. Occipital lobe Visual processing, locating objects in space, seeing colours, recognising drawings. Temporal Lobe Verbal memories, word recognition, reading, audition, spoken language, emotion, music, facial recognition, social cues. Parietal Lobe Maths, naming objects, complex grammar, sensory integration, spatial awareness, sense of direction. Sensori-motor strip Motor skills, manual dexterity, sensory and motor integration/processing, physical stillness. Also attention, mental processing, calm emotion. Frontal lobe ‘the organ of civilisation’ Executive function & all pro-social behaviour. Working memory, concentration, planning, initiative, cause & effect thinking, memory, positive emotion, social awareness, empathy, insight, intuition, morality, regulation of autonomic nervous system. Cerebral cortex Cerebral cortex Nature or Nuture? What accounts for dysregulation? Environmental factors – even at a cellular level – Bruce Lipton Responding to environment=learning Neurons fire up in response to information – when? Conditions for learning Repetition Emotional arousal Novelty Careful focussing of attention Growth/death of neurons neurons that fire together wire together – when new synaptic connections are made, learning occurs. The neural architecture of the brain is changed (plasticity) Non-use leads to atrophy We are… “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Survival mechanisms Pre-date development of neo-cortex (complex learning) Pain drives us away from danger Pleasure rewards us for lifepromoting and reproduction activities Fight or flight response Endocrine & Sympathetic nervous system flood body with corticoids (cortisol & adrenaline) increases muscle tension breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure, brain wave frequency. Rest & repair functions switch off (e.g. immune response, digestion) Return to rest & repair Messages from thalamus go to 1. 2. 3. Limbic system (olfactory bulb, amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus) automatic action. Frontal cortex – rational evaluation. When threat has passed, return to parasympathetic mode. Creativity - a double edged sword Body cannot distinguish between an external or internal threat Thoughts can be as poisonous as snakes Thoughts of past & future cause emotions to switch on sympathetic arousal in the absence of a physical threat Inhabiting survival mode is dis-ease Experiential aversion Reaction to feelings is the problem What’s wrong with me? We develop an aversion to ourselves Thinking mind tries to fix it as if it were an external threat Mind the gap! From doing to being You don’t get out of quick sand by kicking harder Purely cognitive strategies are not the answer Responding differently to our thoughts ACT, MBCT, MBSR A major emphasis on ‘mindfulness’ Mindfulness ‘Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally’ Jon Kabat-Zinn The paradox By accepting what is, change is allowed to happen. An active process. When we stop trying to get across the gap it disappears. Mind and body re-integrate. (not positive affirmations, faking it til you can make it etc) Benefits of Mindfulness 8-weeks of MBCT causes measurable changes in brain function Increase in left frontal activation Positive mood, approach behaviour Increased immune response Davidson et al 2003 Books Mindsight, Daniel Siegal Buddha’s Brain - the practical neuroscience of happiness love & Wisdom Rick Hanson The Mindful Way through Depression, Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal & Jon Kabat-Zinn A Symphony in the Brain, the evolution of the new brainwave biofeedback, Jim Robbins The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris Links www.londoninsight.org www.mindfulnessinschools.org www.isnr.org Contact Melissa Foks at: [email protected] www.learningwithneurofeedback.co.uk Thank you for your attention