Neurobiology and its Applications to Psychotherapy

Interpersonal neurobiology as the basis for psychotherapy that promotes integration of the mind-body system with lasting neuroplasticity

Dr Daniel Siegel explains the concept of interpersonal neurobiology as a discipline which seeks to understand the mind through the consilience of knowledge from a range of scientific disciplines. Siegel explains the healthy mind as an integrated system which has adaptability and flexibility in responding to external stimuli. This, he proposes, is at the root of self-regulation. Dr Siegel suggests that all self-regulation emerges from integration, defined here as the linkage of differentiated parts. When this integration is impaired, chaos and rigidity (in the nervous system’s response to external stimuli) lead to dysregulation and ultimately to psychopathology. He proposes that psychotherapists can become skilled in identifying the areas of chaos and rigidity in their patient’s life, and in promoting self-regulation via interventions that specifically promote integration at psychological and neurological levels. Effective psychotherapy improves the integrative growth of fibres in the brain (long-term neuroplasticity).