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This anthology is an accumulation of articles published in the Smith College Studies in Social Work journal (2014). Its aim is to illustrate current findings of interpersonal neurobiology that inform clinical practice. Given the oversimplifications and the gross generalizations on the effects of brain on mental disorders (not infrequently encountered in the wider mental health literature) psychoanalytic practitioners may experience uneasiness when they come across theoretical topics that link ‘biology’ with the treatment of mental disorders. The reader of this book, however, will learn that the findings of the neurobiology research regarding the effects of early childhood experiences on the unconscious emotions, substantiates the findings of psychoanalysis. Furthermore, many authors cited in this book are psychoanalytic.
In the introductory chapter, the editors present the theoretical perspectives influencing their understanding of neurobiology and provide a jargon-free description of the basic functions of the ‘relational brain’ and its behavioral and emotional manifestations. This includes the unconscious processes (facial expressions, vocalisations) that take place in the right-brain hemisphere and result in either soothing or anxiety responses (shame, guilt, depressive feelings) in the developing mind of the infant.
In their Chapter ‘Why We Need Therapy and Why it Works’, Cozolino and Santos explore the history of the research on the brain, paying tribute to Sigmund Freud and his discovery of the unconscious, which is now supported by neurobiology findings that illuminate how unconscious parallel processes in the mind affect motivation, feelings and thoughts. These processes are overwhelmingly present in primary relationships by means of connecting feelings and thoughts with experiences and behaviors, a process quite similar to psychotherapy. The authors identify the outcomes of negative experiences (anxiety, fear, symptoms) as ‘core shame’ which they regard as di