The Practice of Therapy and the Knowledge of Neuroscience

One of my passions is in the area of neurobiology and the neurosciences (I know I'm a little weird, but it's me!). My light reading when I curl up on the couch to relax consists of such "popular favorites" as The Emotional Brain by Joseph LeDoux, The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild, and The Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel. This keen interest in areas that tend to put many people to sleep originated while I was a therapist trainee under the tutelage of primal therapy pioneers Jules and Helen Roth. The Roths were not only phenomenally gifted as therapists, but were way ahead of their time.

Originally the Roths were affiliated with Arthur Janov at the initial Primal Institute in LA, but eventually left to start their own center in Denver, CO. Helen was one of the first patients and therapists at the LA Institute to recognize and honor the reexperiencing of preverbal trauma, including birth and in-utero history.

The Roths were a dynamic and talented therapeutic team. Jules was the original director of therapist training at Janov's Institute and Helen was renowned in primal circles for her expertise when working with birth and preverbal trauma. In fact, her skills and knowledge in these areas were legendary. Helen's gifted ability to work with preverbal trauma occurred during the period of time when Janov still did not believe that the re-experiencing of birth trauma in patients was real. I believe that the Roths' belief in biology as the "ground zero" of all feelings was a major reason that Helen could recognize and "name" emerging birth traumas in her clients while others dismissed these feelings and memories as fantasy. When the Roths left LA to come to Denver and open their own Center, people literally came from all over the world to undergo primal therapy there. So when I was able to go to their Denver Center, first as a client and then as a therapist trainee, I hit the proverbial "jackpot!"

Jules and Helen's influence and insistence that biology was the foundation of all feelings first sparked my interest in the neurosciences. I was incredibly fortunate to have had such exceptional mentors. To this day I am eternally grateful for this grounding in neurobiology as it keeps me centered while working with clients.

Over the years I have constantly sought to remain updated on what other researchers and scientists are discovering. When compelling, I integrate these new neurobiological pieces into my previous primal background. By keeping abreast of the latest in brain research when it comes to trauma and attachment (as well as other "psychological" domains, including sexuality, addictions, and anxiety and mood disorders) my clients benefit tremendously. And I also find myself continuously growing and evolving as a therapist.

As more and more research validates what we, in the primal community, have known (from our "insides") for years to be true, it is an incredibly exciting time to be alive. In the past five years in particular, research in neurobiology and developmental psychology continues to focus on earlier and earlier periods in the lifespan and the lifelong effects of trauma and neglect on the brain-and an individual's eventual adult life. In my experience as a primal therapist, birth can many times be the original PTSD event in a person's life (or in Janovian terms the "prototype"). Therefore, being familiar with and understanding the latest science on the effects of adult and childhood PTSD on the nervous system (as well as what neuroscientists now call "implicit memory") is invaluable when working with my clients. Recognizing how the specific trauma "signature" encodes in the autonomic nervous system from birth and in-utero events, and how catastrophic sensory overload skews the fetus or infant's fragile nervous system, is paramount when working with early trauma. Comprehending and integrating recent brain research on how the fear-conditioning response operates helps me recognize even more clearly where a client is "at" when re-experiencing preverbal material. Awareness and knowledge of how the brain and nervous system function normally as well as under duress, I have found, is essential in helping clients cognitively integrate implicit or what some people call "body memories."

Having plumbed the deepest depths of my being, one of the tremendous and unique advantages that I have is the ability to integrate and synthesize the newest scientific information from a primal feeling perspective. My experiential growth and learning over the years as client and therapist is invaluable as I am able to "internally" reflect on the scientific postulates and hypotheses emerging from the burgeoning research. When I read about some new piece of information, I am able to sort through and connect on emotional, physiological, and cognitive levels; a rare ability indeed which in many ways is unprecedented. This internal radar allows me to simultaneously separate the "wheat from the chaff" while also enabling me to be more open to new information that benefits my clients.

This new information helps me as a primal therapist to practice ever more effective therapy and to provide invaluable cognitive "pieces" to help clients integrate their preverbal and early attachment experiences. Proper timing, of course, is everything-so as to not overload the client with verbiage and ideas when they are just emerging from a deep experiential state. That said, the newest brain scanning and developmental studies are a powerful adjunct in therapy and also provide an opportunity to "fine tune" the therapeutic process.

I will be forever indebted to Helen and Jules Roth. Along with being remarkable therapists, they knew and appreciated that biology underpins everything else. They knew that access to body memories must be centered in these scientific principles or therapists can do great damage to clients. The Roths courageously "blazed a trail," providing a solid base of information on how to best work with birth and in-utero memories while the client is re-experiencing them "on the floor." Helen was a master of sensing where the client was at and how to safely facilitate where they needed to go. Her knowledge of the birth process and the myriad potential problems that routinely occur during labor and delivery was unsurpassed in my and many others experience. It is due to their talents and encouragement that I developed this keen interest in the neurosciences and now am able to add to their knowledge base while working with my clients. To me, awareness of the latest breakthroughs in brain research is not a luxury, rather it is absolutely essential to provide the very best therapy to my clients.

A few years back, while in my graduate counseling program, I remember a professor asking the class, "What courses would students like to add to the program?" The administrators were seeking to increase the credits required for graduation from 52 to 60. When I replied that a class specific to neurobiology and counseling would be a terrific addition, the professor looked at me as if I was from Mars. She then added, "I don't see how this would possibly benefit our clients" and proceeded to blithely dismiss my suggestion. Needless to say, I was speechless. Her ignorance, while very revealing, is not an excuse to remain uninformed, for it is only our clients who will suffer. I predict the day will come, in the not too distant future, when a class or curriculum in the neurosciences will be mandated in all counseling programs. It will be accepted as fundamental information to know and comprehend in order to best help our clients. Thank you Helen and Jules for inspiring my interest in neurobiology. I will continue to strive to add to the knowledge base that is your legacy.

Gary Wareham is a psychotherapist in private practice with over 25 years of experience as a client, therapist-trainee, and therapist in the primal tradition. Gary practices both primal therapy as well as other forms of more conventional counseling. He has an MA and BS in counseling, is a Nationally Certified Counselor, and resides and practices in the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado. His website address is: www.primaltherapydenver.com

This article appeared in the Summer 2003 IPA Newsletter.