Saturday, August 02, 2008
One more of my short essays:
I think the authors' claim that “a relationship is a physiologic process” comes from the fact that the emotional effects of being in a relationship not only affect mood state but also control physical functions of the body, evinced by the changes observed when animals are separated and isolated from important figures. Without an important figure with whom to connect at an emotional level in relationships (human or otherwise), sickness, weakness, and sometimes death occur because immunity, heart rate, hormonal balance, and other functions deteriorate. For humans, limbic resonance – the shared emotional experience in a relationship with mutual feedback and responsiveness – maintains healthy physical functioning due to its maintenance of balanced emotional functioning. Limbic regulation occurs because the limbic system of the brain (the seat of emotions) is connected to many physical systems. Evolution has developed mammals as social animals dependent on one another for survival, and these connective mechanisms keep them close together. Attachment therefore regulates physical functioning to the point that human babies die when insufficiently attended to and interacted with. Even in milder cases, there are undesirable symptoms such as colds, insomnia, and low mood.
The statement that “psychotherapy is physiology” refers to the idea that therapy is a process of relating in which an emotional connection is ideally made (just like other types of relationships), therefore having the capacity to alter physiological function. Limbic revision occurs when new emotional experiences in the therapeutic relationship gradually change the neuroanatomical structures of the brain that are affected by emotions, creating new ways of perceiving, attracting, and relating to people. Emotional repair from past unpleasant experiences requires experiencing a new and better relational bond with an attuned individual, unlike knowledge simply learned at a cognitive level.
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I think the authors' claim that “a relationship is a physiologic process” comes from the fact that the emotional effects of being in a relationship not only affect mood state but also control physical functions of the body, evinced by the changes observed when animals are separated and isolated from important figures. Without an important figure with whom to connect at an emotional level in relationships (human or otherwise), sickness, weakness, and sometimes death occur because immunity, heart rate, hormonal balance, and other functions deteriorate. For humans, limbic resonance – the shared emotional experience in a relationship with mutual feedback and responsiveness – maintains healthy physical functioning due to its maintenance of balanced emotional functioning. Limbic regulation occurs because the limbic system of the brain (the seat of emotions) is connected to many physical systems. Evolution has developed mammals as social animals dependent on one another for survival, and these connective mechanisms keep them close together. Attachment therefore regulates physical functioning to the point that human babies die when insufficiently attended to and interacted with. Even in milder cases, there are undesirable symptoms such as colds, insomnia, and low mood.
The statement that “psychotherapy is physiology” refers to the idea that therapy is a process of relating in which an emotional connection is ideally made (just like other types of relationships), therefore having the capacity to alter physiological function. Limbic revision occurs when new emotional experiences in the therapeutic relationship gradually change the neuroanatomical structures of the brain that are affected by emotions, creating new ways of perceiving, attracting, and relating to people. Emotional repair from past unpleasant experiences requires experiencing a new and better relational bond with an attuned individual, unlike knowledge simply learned at a cognitive level.
