Brain SelfRepair in Psychotherapy: Implications for Education

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Brain Self-Repair in Psychotherapy Implications
for Education

• Yao-Hui Liang
• 9/27/2006
• EDLD 6323

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Our Brain
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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.

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Introduction

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

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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

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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

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Cartesians 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
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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

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Colin Rosss 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

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Colin Rosss 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.

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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.

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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.

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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, theres 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) .

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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.

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Implication of Brain Self-Repair Education

• Childs brain become complex as the child mature.
• Childs 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, childrens brain can be
  repaired.

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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.

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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.

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References

• Bjorklund, A. Lindvall, O. (2000) Self-repair
  in the brain. Nature, 405, 892893, 895
• Delmarvas 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?S5109
  228navMXEF
• 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 Brains
  Capacity for Self-Repair Neural Stem/Progenitor
  Cells Key in Creating New Brain Cells. Journal of
  Neuroscience.