Podcast series: Taking the Mystery Out of Therapy-Episode 2: The 'Brain Lecture'

In this episode I discuss the parts of the brain that are relevant to our psychology, the fact that the limbic and prefrontal cortex are not naturally well integrated, and the neurological reality that under stress the limbic brain shuts down our prefrontal cortex — the most advanced brain that is responsible for us being ethical, adult humans who can regulate our behaviour and our feelings, experience empathy, self-awareness and much more. (You can also access my videos on my website)

The diagram below from a paper by Ansten, et.al. referenced at the bottom of the image, shows that under stress (threat) the limbic system weakens or shuts down the prefrontal cortex. When people ‘lose it’, or feel they can’t function or cope, or when they’re panicking and don’t know what to do with themselves, it’s not because they are stupid, weak or incompetent. It’s because of our natural human neurobiology, which under threat predisposes the limbic brain to shut down the ‘adult’ regulator. It is this very problem that psychotherapy addresses by supporting clients to integrate the two systems better. Integration is the topic of the next episode.

This diagram from the paper by Arnsten, et.al. referenced at the bottom of the image shows that under stress (threat) the limbic system weakens or shuts down the prefrontal cortex. When people lose it, or feel they can’t function, or aren’t coping, or when they are panicking and don’t know how to what to do with themselves, it’s not because they’re stupid or incompetent. It’s because of human neurobiology, which causes their limbic brain to shut down the ’adult’ regulator in the brain when they feel threatened. It is this very problem that psychotherapy addresses by integrating those two systems better.

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