Brain to Brain - Page 4


So we're challenged to become the third generation of brain-aware professionals. First came the neuroscientists—Antonio Damasio, Marco Iacoboni, Eric Kandel—who took this mysterious organ out of the black box and began generating gigabytes of data about what it is and how it works, its architecture and neural flow. The second generation is comprised of the synthesizers—Daniel Siegel, Allan Schore, and others—who continue building bridges between the raw data and comprehensive theories of brain, mind, and relationships. They encourage us to see the relevance of the brain to our work as therapists. Initially, it can seem like a huge leap to link abstruse and complicated brain science to the relational world of therapy. But, some day, it may seem absurd that we didn't study the processes we're expected to treat.

Now the work has been placed in the hands of a third generation of therapists, whose job it is to forge connections between the knowledge about the brain and our relationships in the counseling room. Our experience at CHH has taught us that this can't be accomplished by taking a couple of weekend workshops on brain science, listening to a lecture or two, or reading a book. We've found that there's enormous power in internalizing an understanding of the dynamics of the brain, making it as much a part of our own thinking as understanding individual and family dynamics, cognitive-behavioral techniques, or any other therapeutic model.

We need to let this new awareness permeate our psyche at many levels—to let it work on us so that it transforms our way of seeing. Knowing about the brain actually changes the brain, giving us new eyes with which to see our fellow humans, and a different kind of wisdom about what it means to be fully human.

Bonnie Badenoch is a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with clients, mentors intern therapists, and trains colleagues. She's president of the Global Association for Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies (GAINS), editor-in-chief of GAINS Quarterly, and author of Being a Brain-Wise Therapist: A Practical Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology. Contact: bonnieb@centerforhopeandhealing.org. Websites: www.brainwisetherapist.com and www.centerforhopeandhealing.org.

Letters to the Editor about this department can be e-mailed to letters@psychnetworker.org.

The following Networker U Courses related to this subject are available at www.psychotherapynetworker.org:

Audio Home Study
A-101 The Clinical Applications of Interpersonal Neurobiology
CE Credits: 6
Instructor: Daniel Siegel

A-105 Psychotherapy and the Integration of Consciousness
CE Credits: 6
Instructor: Daniel Siegel

A-201 The Brain-Savvy Clinician: A Practical Approach
CE Credits: 6
Instructor: Daniel Siegel

A-307 Psychotherapy from the Inside Out: The Brain of the Mindful Therapist
CE Credits: 12
Instructor: Daniel Siegel

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