Can we really change?

Can we really change? Insights from Psychotherapy and Neuroscience

Many of us wonder if change is truly possible, especially when deeply ingrained beliefs seem to pull us back into old habits. The question arises: Can we really transform our behaviour and thoughts? To explore this, we can look at insights from psychotherapy and attachment theory, as well as advancements in neuroscience.

Psychotherapy and Attachment Theory

British psychotherapists, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth conducted studies on how a baby’s early attachment experiences with their caregivers influence their brain development. Their research demonstrated that children develop patterns of behaviour dependant on the type and level of care and attention they receive from their caregivers.

Today, scientific research supports these findings, showing the profound effects of early experiences on the human brain’s development and its neural networks. Attachment theory highlights that the quality of care and emotional support during childhood can significantly impact a person’s ability to manage stress and form healthy relationships later in life.

Our early experiences with our primary carers form a foundation for our emotional and psychological development.

Neuroscience: Understanding the Brain’s Role

Advancements in neuroscience allowed scientists to examine the brain structure, biochemicals and activity in response to environmental and relational experiences. It has become clear that the brain is a social organ, evolving and adapting based on external stimuli. A study in 1998 involving 17,000 adults with varying degrees of childhood adversities (such as neglect, abuse and violence) revealed a strong correlation between early adverse experiences and later physical and mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, heart disease.

Stressful situations trigger the production of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, establishing neural pathways that perpetuate stress responses. Chronic stress leads to constant amygdala stimulation, a part of the brain involved in fear and emotional regulation.

The Amygdala’s Role in Emotional Regulation

The amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure in the brain, plays a crucial role in processing fear and social behaviours. When it perceives danger, it activates a biochemical reaction known as the fight-or-flight response, energising the sympathetic nervous system to help us respond appropriate to threats, for example, by running away. Once the danger is gone, the parasympathetic nervous system helps calm the body down.

In cases of chronic stress, the amygdala remains overactive, continually releasing stress hormones. This overactivation can lead to difficulty in regulating emotions. Children rely on their parents to soothe and regulate their emotions. A mother’s presence, feeding and touch help protect a baby from stress, promoting the growth of cortisol receptors in the brain. These receptors are essential to manage the stress, and their lack will lead to chronic stress. When mother is absent or unable to provide the necessary level of care, children are forced prematurely to develop their own coping mechanisms. This places significant stress on the child, leading to heightened amygdala activity and hyper-reactive stress response. These children are more likely to experience emotional dysregulation, which can manifest as anxiety, depression, aggression or other mental difficulties later in life.

Therapeutic Interventions and Neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to change and adapt, known as neuroplasticity, offers hope for those seeking to transform their emotional and psychological patterns. Effective therapy and / or being in supportive environments, can help individuals develop emotional awareness and regulation. By repeatedly experiencing positive relationships and emotional support in therapy, individuals can form new neural pathways, altering their brain’s response to stressors and improving their overall mental health.

Gaining insight is great but without the sustained reflection and mentalisation (understanding and re-evaluating emotional responses), the insightful self-state may be replaced by the more habitual state. Our brain constantly interacts with the environment, quickly and automatically picking out important information. This process involves making unconscious predictions about what may happen next and how to react. Our brain therefore relies heavily on established neural patterns to do this efficiently. In other ways, our brain automatically favours already existing networks to the creation of new ones. Therefore repetition and reinforcements are necessary to develop new neural pathways in our brain which, in time, will become more automatic and replace the old pathways.

It is through sustained reflection and mentalisation that one’s amygdala’s activity can be modulated, reducing the intensity of negative emotional reactions, and promoting affect regulation. This process involves becoming aware of one’s emotions and internal experiences and articulating them. By articulating them, we may gain some more insight and re-interpret the experience, reducing a negative response to that experience. Essentially, by understanding and articulating your emotions, you can start to control and regulate them better.

Conclusion

Neuroscience and psychotherapy together provide a compelling answer to the question of whether we can change. Despite the deep roots of early experiences, the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity allows for the formation of new, healthier neural networks. Positive emotional experiences, supportive relationships, and therapeutic interventions can reshape our brains and help us develop better emotional regulation, healthier beliefs about ourselves and better mental health. We are not bound by our past, with the right support and strategies, meaningful change is not only possible but achievable.

Practical tips how to manage stress levels and calm the nervous system:

Breathing deeply, various breathing exercises – just by taking 3 conscious deep breaths we can feel more in our body
Meditation – helps to feel present in the here and now
Walks in nature – when paying attention to trees, grass, flowers we can create a sense of peace and space within ourselves
Exercise – dependant on personal preferences and abilities
Cooking and eating mindfully
Creative and other activities, e.g. painting, sowing, singing, gardening
Eating well and hydrating our body
Spending time with supportive family members and friends as we are relational beings and positive supportive environment helps feel connected

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Can we really change?