Neuropsychotherapy

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"...all the senses are connected in some way to the brain, consequently they are incapable of action if the brain is disturbed" (Foca, 2002).

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Neuropsychotherapy is an evidence based psychotherapy model drawn from interpersonal neuro-biology studies. The human brain is comprised of a neural network system - neural functioning and processes organises human responses, memory, sensations, emotions, thoughts, behaviours & interactions. Neural functioning is dependent on the interaction between human beings & their environments which influences psychological development towards resiliency and growth or the onset of psycho-pathology. 

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A developing brain needs a safe, enriched environment to mature into a healthy organism. Enriched environments down regulate the activation of primitive systems, whereas compromised or impoverished environments constantly activate the threat response that results in over-activation of protective patterns and stress responses. The over-activation of these stress responses found in neuro-chemicals can impair the neural networks of the brain, resulting in a brain that is wired to avoid and protect rather than towards growth and enhancement. A person organises their worldview based on these schemas (patterns) which are intrinsically connected to how humans are motivated towards having their   psychological needs met. These relational and behavioural patterns of avoidance or approach are found in the schemata model of psychotherapy.

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Neuropsychotherapy provides a map to understand how the brain functions when under threat, the neurons sends signals to other parts of the brain in response to danger, all the neurons are firing in response to threats, the threat system is switched on to high alert and can sometimes get stuck there. Early developmental trauma, relational & sexual trauma influences how some of these neurons fire in response to threats, and overtime they become fixed into a default network of systems. These default network of systems then become structured into maladaptive cognitive thought processes, emotional dysregulation and unhealthy relational patterns and behaviours - they are all survival patterns. Developing insight into these default survival systems found in schemata patterns that are either avoidant/protective responses or approach/ enhancement responses forms part of the therapeutic work with a focus on repatterning or reconstructing these schemata worldviews. 

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