New research by Francois Ansermet, a psychoanalyst, and Pierre Magistretti, a neuroscientist, shows how, rather than polar opposites, both fields are describing the same dynamics in the personality, behaviors, and motivation.
“The physical traces revealed in neuroplasticity correspond to a central tenet of psychoanalysis that life leaves its traces on the psyche as well.”
A common desire for my hypnosis clients is to be able to break through their subconscious resistance to change or a deep seated fear and anxiety. They are aware that something keeps holding them back, but aren’t sure what it is.
With the relatively new perspective of neuroplasticity, the knowledge that the “ever-changing brain is continually shaped by experience, . . . it means that we all have the capacity to change dysfunctional or unhealthy patterns.”
The Swiss researchers’ model suggests that therapy actually “resculpts” old patterns of thinking and reacting into healthier ways of being.
Psychiatrist Phillip Luloff stated that-
“It talks to the hope that one has that there can be change, that the brain is flexible and plastic. And that by the induction of just talk [analysis] they seem to be able show that there is a modification in the structure of the brain, which causes an evolution in perhaps the way the person functions and may lead to the healing in the troubled people with whom we work, including ourselves.”
Research into mind and brain could help patients with psychological disorders.