Brain Self-Repair in Psychotherapy: Implications for Education

1. Brain Self-Repair in Psychotherapy: Implications for Education Yao-Hui Liang 9/27/2006 EDLD 6323

2. Our Brain

3. The functions of Human Brain • The human brain contains more than 100,000,000,000 neurons, each of which is connected to thousands of others. The brain is responsible for “cognition, emotion, memory, and motor, and other forms of learning, … most sensory systems, movement, behavior, … heart rate, blood pressure, fluid balance, and body temperature.”

4. Introduction • This article is based on author’s 25 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist and an educator. • Brain self-repair is possible through the role of learning.

5. Psychological Trauma and Brain Self-Repair • Psychotherapy • Based on trusting relationship • Focus on emotions • Similar to handholding • Could not affect the brain as drugs do • Deemed ineffective • Psychiatry • Can treat and heal the brain

6. Psychological Trauma and Brain Self-Repair (Cont.) • Psyche, or mind, can change the brain • The reflective process that leads to insight has been shown to affect and change patterns in the brain

7. Cartesian’s Dualism and Mental Illness • Cartesian dualism • soul and body are separate • the foundation of biological reductionism and psychiatry. Mental Illness Abnormal Genes Abnormal Brain Function Abnormal Mental State All treatment interventions would be at the level of genes and brain biology

8. Psyche vs. Brain • Psyche, or mind, can change the brain • The reflective process that leads to insight has been shown to affect and change patterns in the brain

9. Colin Ross’s Trauma Model of Mental Disorder • A solution to the problem of comorbidity • comorbidity refers to in psychiatry is "the presence of more than one mental disorder occurring in an individual at the same time." • Based on a new, scientifically testable model of mind-body interaction • Causality in serious mental disorders and addictions runs in two directions: brain-to-mind, and mind-to-brain

10. Colin Ross’s Trauma Model of Mental Disorder (Cont.) • The Model predicts that psychotherapy can initiate and carry out brain self-repair, healing the damage to the brain caused by psychological trauma.

11. Education vs. Psychological Trauma • Education is a major component of psychotherapy for psychological trauma. • Individuals in successful therapy learn reflective skills and develop insight into their inner world. • Transformative learning use the same technique : challenging assumption, critical reflection, and restructuring belief systems.

12. Psychotherapy and Brain Repair • From brain imaging psychotherapy change and repair brain. • Evidence supports the contention that some therapeutic techniques change and repair brain. Some of these techniques adopt educational approaches. • Education emulate certain aspects of psychotherapy can repair and modify the biology of the brain.

13. Other Brain Self-Repair Researches • The idea that the brain can self-repair over the years challenges the idea that once a patient is diagnosed brain-dead, there’s no chance of recovery (Elliott Back, 2006). • Animal models have substantiated the fact that immature neural precursors can replace lost neurons, restore their function and promote brain self-repair (Bjorklund & Lindvall, 2000) .

14. Other Brain Self-Repair Researches (Cont.) • Human's brain spontaneously rewired itself by replacing the tiny nerve connections that were cut in a car crash (Delmarva News Leader, 2006). • Levison (2006) revealed how to repair the brain from those stem cells that are already residents of the nervous system, meaning that transplanting new brain cells derived from embryonic stem cells may not be necessary to cure some brain diseases.

15. Implication of Brain Self-Repair Education • Child’s brain become complex as the child mature. • Child’s brain has an amazing degree of plasticity. • Education in the broadest sense is essential for the brain to grow and organize. • Learning can therefore either foster healthy, rich brain development or retard it. • Through proper attention, children’s brain can be repaired.

16. Implication of Brain Self-Repair Education (Cont.) • An educational system that strives toward similar engagement of higher brain function might help people with stress-related problems. • Education strategies that engage and develop higher brain functions include narrative, reflection, and provision of a safe or “holding” environment.

17. Conclusion • The author suggest that certain aspect of education - those that correspond to tools used in psychotherapy – are interventions capable of repairing damaged adult brains. • Educators may collaborate with neuroscientists to find out which field of education may help people to achieve higher-order thinking.

18. References • Bjorklund, A. & Lindvall, O. (2000) Self-repair in the brain. Nature, 405, 892–893, 895 • Delmarva’s News Leader. (2006). Researchers: Brain is capable of self-repair after severe injury. Retrieved Sep 22, 2006, from Web Site: http://http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5109228&nav=MXEF • Elliot Back. (2006). Starbucks Tazo Tea Reviewed. Retrieved Sep 22, 2006, from Web Site: http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/category/health • Levison, S. (2006). Study Reveals Brain’s Capacity for Self-Repair Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Key in Creating New Brain Cells. Journal of Neuroscience.