How does the brain produce the mind?
How does the mind affect the brain?
How do interpersonal interactions promote the development of the mind
and how do they change the function and structure of the brain?
How does psychotherapy improve the mental health of clients by promoting
the positive interaction of the brain, mind, and interpersonal relationships?
The book “Healing the Social Brain: Neuroscience in Psychotherapy (Third Edition)”, co-published by Leading Learning Oriental and the Beijing Branch of World Book Publishing Co., Ltd., will guide every psychotherapist on a journey of enlightenment in neuroscience.
In today’s fast-paced and high-pressure social environment, many people face emotional issues, and some even exhibit somatic symptoms. However, very few actively seek help from a psychotherapist. Their primary concern is: Is psychotherapy really effective?
The latest brain imaging theories reveal that the brain is an organ that is continuously constructed and reconstructed by human experiences. Many forms of psychotherapy, although developed without a scientific understanding of the brain, are now supported by discoveries in the field of neuroscience.
In this book, Cozolino explains how the structure of the brain is connected to human problems, passions, and desires. He meticulously argues that all forms of psychotherapy—from psychoanalysis to behavioral interventions—are effective because they, to some extent, increase changes in relevant neural circuits.
This book starts with the basic neural structures and uses the complex system of human memory, language, and experience organization to explain how the brain organizes and develops. It provides a clear explanation of how the brain works, including the neurobiology influencing social brains and attachment psychology.
In fact, we can even say that today, to be an effective psychotherapist, it is essential to have some basic understanding of neuroscience, and Louis Cozolino’s work is the perfect starting point.
Louis Cozolino
New Book Author
A clinical psychology PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University, with over thirty years of experience in psychotherapy, counseling, and psychology education. He has published more than ten monographs, several of which have been translated into German, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Romanian, Korean, and other languages.
Translated into Chinese version are “Why Therapy Works”, “The Development of a Therapist”, “The Making of a Therapist”, etc.
Listen to the author discuss the new book
Since the first edition of this book was published, our exploration of the brain’s structure, function, and social nature has become deeper, broader, and increasingly complex. Old theories are supported by new research findings, and new theories have developed alongside numerous research results, creating a wonderful fusion. We are gradually moving away from simplistic neurocraniology and towards understanding how the mind and conscious experiences emerge from the complex system interactions within and between individuals. We are viewing the study of social functions as an increasingly important aspect of neuroscience, and we also see that research in interpersonal neurobiology is further infiltrating standardized educational practices among psychotherapists and counselors across multiple disciplines.
Especially encouraging is that researchers are turning their attention to traditional taboo issues in the scientific field, with topics such as consciousness, emotions, attachment, love, and altruism finding their rightful place in research. This open attitude towards subjective experiences is supporting a great synthesis of knowledge across diverse fields of research, including Buddhism, wisdom philosophy, and feminist philosophy. In this edition, you will find my broader exploration of the brain’s executive functions. I describe a model that contains three executive networks, a system network equipped with various professional functions that enables us to cope with danger, successfully orient ourselves in the world, form and maintain attachments, and create a sense of self and internal reality. In a later chapter, you will see how this model relates to the long-term social and psychological impacts of early trauma, as well as the default mode network.
