Pairing Positive and Negative to Fill the Hole in the Heart
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The document presents concepts from Rick Hanson's conference on utilizing positive experiences to reshape negative memories through a technique called 'TIG' (Taking In the Good). It emphasizes the neuropsychological mechanisms that allow for memory reconsolidation and the importance of self-compassion in processing trauma. The document also outlines how to integrate positive experiences as antidotes to negative emotions, fostering emotional resilience and therapeutic growth.
Pairing Positive and Negative to Fill the Hole in the Heart
- 1. Pairing Positive and Negative To Fill the Hole in the Heart FACES Conference La Jolla, 2012 Rick Hanson, Ph.D. The Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom WiseBrain.org RickHanson.net drrh@comcast.net 1
- 2. Topics Memory consolidation Pairing positive and negative Antidote experiences 2
- 3. Memory Consolidation 3
- 4. The Machinery of Memory When explicit or implicit memory is reactivated, it is rebuilt from schematic elements, not retrieved as a whole. When attention moves on, elements of the reactivated memory get reconsolidated. The open processes of memory reactivation and reconsolidation create a window of opportunity for shaping your internal world. 4
- 5. Reshaping Negative (Implicit and Explicit) Memories Rectivated material associates with other things in awareness (e.g., thoughts, sensations), especially if they are prominent and lasting. When this material goes back into storage, it takes these associations with it. Therefore, you can imbue implict and explicit memories with positive associations. 5
- 6. Pairing Positive and Negative 6
- 7. The Fourth Step of TIG When you are having a positive experience: Sense the current positive experience sinking down into old pain, and soothing and replacing it. When you are having a negative experience: Bring to mind a positive experience that is its antidote. In both cases, have the positive experience be big and strong, in the forefront of awareness, while the negative experience is small and in the background. You are not resisting negative experiences or getting attached to positive ones. You are being kind to yourself and cultivating positive resources in your mind. 7
- 8. TIG4 Capabilities, Resources, Skills Capabilities: Dividing attention Sustaining awareness of the negative material without getting sucked in (and even retraumatized) Resources: Self-compassion Internalized sense of affiliation Skills: Internalizing “antidotes” Accessing “the tip of the root” 8
- 9. Neuropsychology of TIG4 Extinction, through pairing a negative experience with a powerful positive one. Reinforces maintaining PFC-H activation and control during A- SNS arousal, so PFC-H is not swamped or hijacked Reinforcement of self-directed regulation of negative experiences; enhances sense of efficacy Dampens secondary associations to negative material; that reduces negative experiences and behavior, which also reduces vicious cycles Reduces defenses around negative material; thus more 9 amenable to therapeutic help, and to insight
- 10. Antidote Experiences 10
- 11. Psychological Antidotes Approaching Opportunities Satisfaction, fulfillment --> Frustration, disappointment Gladness, gratitude --> Sadness, discontentment, “blues” Affiliating with “Us” Attunement, inclusion --> Not seen, rejected, left out Recognition, acknowledgement --> Inadequacy, shame Friendship, love --> Abandonment, feeling unloved or unlovable Avoiding Threats Strength, efficacy --> Weakness, helplessness, pessimism Safety, security --> Alarm, anxiety Compassion for oneself and others --> Resentment, anger 11
- 12. The Tip of the Root For the fourth step of TIG, try to get at the youngest, most vulnerable layer of painful material. The “tip of the root” is commonly in childhood. In general, the brain is most responsive to negative experiences in early childhood. Prerequisites Understanding the need to get at younger layers Compassion and support for the inner child Capacity to “presence” young material without flooding 12
- 13. TIG and Trauma General considerations: People vary in their resources and their traumas. Often the major action is with “failed protectors.” Cautions for awareness of internal states, including positive Respect “yellow lights” and the client’s pace. The first three steps of TIG are generally safe. Use them to build resources for tackling the trauma directly. As indicated, use the fourth step of TIG to address the peripheral features and themes of the trauma. Then, with care, use the fourth step to get at the heart of the trauma. First of all, do no harm. 13
- 14. Keep a green bough in your heart, and a singing bird will come. Lao Tsu 14
- 15. Great Books See www.RickHanson.net for other great books. Austin, J. 2009. Selfless Insight. MIT Press. Begley. S. 2007. Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain. Ballantine. Carter, C. 2010. Raising Happiness. Ballantine. Hanson, R. (with R. Mendius). 2009. Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom. New Harbinger. Johnson, S. 2005. Mind Wide Open. Scribner. Keltner, D. 2009. Born to Be Good. Norton. Kornfield, J. 2009. The Wise Heart. Bantam. LeDoux, J. 2003. Synaptic Self. Penguin. Linden, D. 2008. The Accidental Mind. Belknap. Sapolsky, R. 2004. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. Holt. Siegel, D. 2007. The Mindful Brain. Norton. Thompson, E. 2007. Mind in Life. Belknap. 15
- 16. Key Papers - 1 See www.RickHanson.net for other scientific papers. Atmanspacher, H. & Graben, P. 2007. Contextual emergence of mental states from neurodynamics. Chaos & Complexity Letters, 2:151-168. Baumeister, R., Bratlavsky, E., Finkenauer, C. & Vohs, K. 2001. Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5:323-370. Braver, T. & Cohen, J. 2000. On the control of control: The role of dopamine in regulating prefrontal function and working memory; in Control of Cognitive Processes: Attention and Performance XVIII. Monsel, S. & Driver, J. (eds.). MIT Press. Carter, O.L., Callistemon, C., Ungerer, Y., Liu, G.B., & Pettigrew, J.D. 2005. Meditation skills of Buddhist monks yield clues to brain's regulation of attention. Current Biology. 15:412-413. 16
- 17. Key Papers - 2 Davidson, R.J. 2004. Well-being and affective style: neural substrates and biobehavioural correlates. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 359:1395-1411. Farb, N.A.S., Segal, Z.V., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., Fatima, Z., and Anderson, A.K. 2007. Attending to the present: Mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reflection. SCAN, 2, 313-322. Gillihan, S.J. & Farah, M.J. 2005. Is self special? A critical review of evidence from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Psychological Bulletin, 131:76-97. Hagmann, P., Cammoun, L., Gigandet, X., Meuli, R., Honey, C.J., Wedeen, V.J., & Sporns, O. 2008. Mapping the structural core of human cerebral cortex. PLoS Biology. 6:1479-1493. Hanson, R. 2008. Seven facts about the brain that incline the mind to joy. In Measuring the immeasurable: The scientific case for spirituality. Sounds True. 17
- 18. Key Papers - 3 Lazar, S., Kerr, C., Wasserman, R., Gray, J., Greve, D., Treadway, M., McGarvey, M., Quinn, B., Dusek, J., Benson, H., Rauch, S., Moore, C., & Fischl, B. 2005. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport. 16:1893-1897. Lewis, M.D. & Todd, R.M. 2007. The self-regulating brain: Cortical-subcortical feedback and the development of intelligent action. Cognitive Development, 22:406-430. Lieberman, M.D. & Eisenberger, N.I. 2009. Pains and pleasures of social life. Science. 323:890-891. Lutz, A., Greischar, L., Rawlings, N., Ricard, M. and Davidson, R. 2004. Long- term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice. PNAS. 101:16369-16373. Lutz, A., Slager, H.A., Dunne, J.D., & Davidson, R. J. 2008. Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 12:163-169. 18
- 19. Key Papers - 4 Rozin, P. & Royzman, E.B. 2001. Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5:296-320. Takahashi, H., Kato, M., Matsuura, M., Mobbs, D., Suhara, T., & Okubo, Y. 2009. When your gain is my pain and your pain is my gain: Neural correlates of envy and schadenfreude. Science, 323:937-939. Tang, Y.-Y., Ma, Y., Wang, J., Fan, Y., Feng, S., Lu, Q., Yu, Q., Sui, D., Rothbart, M.K., Fan, M., & Posner, M. 2007. Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. PNAS, 104:17152-17156. Thompson, E. & Varela F.J. 2001. Radical embodiment: Neural dynamics and consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5:418-425. Walsh, R. & Shapiro, S. L. 2006. The meeting of meditative disciplines and Western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist, 61:227-239. 19
- 20. Where to Find Rick Hanson Online http://www.youtube.com/BuddhasBrain http://www.facebook.com/BuddhasBrain w www.RickHanson.net www.WiseBrain.org 20