Unlocking the Emotional Brain: Memory Reconsolidation and the Psychotherapy of Transformational Change

This highly influential volume, now in a much-expanded second edition, delivers major advances for psychotherapy, all empirically grounded in memory reconsolidation neuroscience. A clear map of the brain's innate core process of transformational change can gain therapeutic effectiveness, and 26 case examples show the decisive ending of major symptoms such as depression, anxiety, panic, shame, self-devaluing, anger, perfectionism, alcohol abuse, sexual aversion, compulsive eating, and obesity. This transdiagnostic, transtheoretical, lucid understanding of therapeutic action achieves a fundamental unification of the psychotherapy field, and practitioners who value deep connection with their clients are richly rewarded by the experiential depth that this core process accesses.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 406 pages
Publication date: 22 April 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book, now in a significantly expanded second edition, makes groundbreaking contributions to psychotherapy, all firmly rooted in the field of memory reconsolidation neuroscience. By providing a clear roadmap of the brain's innate core process of transformational change, this process is remarkably versatile and does not require the use of specific systems or techniques. This remarkable versatility allows for a significant increase in therapeutic effectiveness.

Twenty-six case examples illustrate the successful resolution of a wide range of significant symptoms, including depression, anxiety, panic, shame, self-devaluation, anger, perfectionism, alcohol abuse, sexual aversion, compulsive eating, and obesity. These symptoms are transformed through the deep resolution of underlying disturbances such as complex trauma, lifelong oppression by systemic racism and homophobia, childhood sexual molestation, parental narcissistic domination, violent assault trauma, natural disaster trauma, and childhood traumatic loneliness and neglect.

This is a transdiagnostic, transtheoretical, and lucid understanding of therapeutic action, based on rigorous empirical knowledge of an internal mechanism of change. It achieves a fundamental unification of the fragmented psychotherapy field, as diverse systems no longer appear to belong to different worlds. Instead, they form a wonderful repertoire of options for facilitating the same core process of transformational change, as demonstrated in case examples from AEDP, Coherence Therapy, EFT, EMDR, IFS, IPNB, ISTDP, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and SE.

It is now clear why therapy systems that differ strikingly in technique and theory can produce the same quality of liberating change. Practitioners who value deep connection with their clients will find this book invaluable, as it provides a comprehensive and practical guide to achieving transformative outcomes in therapy.

Weight: 622g
Dimension: 228 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032139128
Edition number: 2 ed