Why Therapy Works: Using Our Minds To Change Our Brains

Description

That psychotherapy works is a basic assumption of anyone who sees a therapist. But why does it work? And why does it matter that we understand how it works? In Why Therapy Works, Louis Cozolino explains the mechanisms of psychotherapeutic change from the bottom up, beginning with the brain, and how brains have evolved-especially how brains evolved to learn, unlearn and relearn, which is at the basis of lasting psychological change. Readers will learn why therapists have to look beyond just words, diagnoses and presenting problems to the inner histories of their clients in order to discover paths to positive change. The book also shows how our brains have evolved into social organs and how our interpersonal lives are a source of both pain and power. Readers will explore with Cozolino how our brains are programmed to connect in intimate relationships and come to understand the debilitating effects of anxiety, stress and trauma. Finally, the book will lead to an understanding of the power of story and narratives for fostering self-regulation, neural integration and positive change.
Always, the focus of the book is in understanding underlying therapeutic change, moving beyond the particular of specific forms of therapy to the commonalities of human evolution, biology and experience. This book is for anyone who has experienced the benefits of therapy and wondered how it worked. It is for anyone thinking about whether therapy is right for them, and it is for anyone who has looked within themselves and marvelled at people's ability to experience profound transformation.

Reviews

"Why Therapy Works is a tour de force. Too often today the public thinks that one can read a book or watch a documentary and be transformed psychologically. Unfortunately, that is not how the human mind works. Humans require other minds for change and change is hard. We are 'embodied and embedded' in an interpersonal matrix. To understand the human experience and create change, we must move from a single-skull understanding to an intersubjective context of two or more minds. Louis Cozolino explains this phenomenon in a manner easy to digest, taking the reader from the evolutionary heritage of human psychology to an understanding of the experience of psychotherapy applied in common clinical circumstances." -- Drew Pinsky, MD, Internist/Addictionologist and Host of Dr. Drew on HLN "[A]n interesting read for anyone who has wondered about the mechanics of therapy and why it seems to work, no matter the therapeutic approach." -- Greater Good "[A]n authoritative guide... Anyone interested in therapy and the brain will find much compelling information here ... [A]n intriguing look at how anxiety, stress, and trauma affect the brain and ... how psychologists can help their patients 'connect and heal.'" -- Booklist "[W]ill be useful for anyone seeking to better understand the inner workings of therapy." -- Publishers Weekly "A beautiful book about the art and science of psychotherapy, focused on the process of attachment and interpersonal attunement. Louis Cozolino shows how our brains are fundamentally wired to function together with those of others in complex social systems, and that most forms of human suffering are the result of a breakdown in interpersonal synchrony, which therapy can help to repair. Written both for general readers and students of therapy, this book highlights what we have learned about the neurobiology of fear, shame, and relationships to eloquently demonstrate how psychotherapy can heal old hurts and restore self-leadership, love, and the capacity to feel fully alive." -- Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Medical Director, Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute; Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine "At some point, every clinician will question whether therapy can do any good at all. This book answers definitively with a resounding 'yes, it can.' Rooted in interpersonal neurobiology yet engaging, accessible, and chock full of sound practical advice illustrated by vivid clinical examples, Why Therapy Works will make you think deeply about what it means to be human, to be a therapist, and to heal from the wounds of the past. At different times, it made me laugh out loud, brought tears to my eyes, and surprised me with a refreshingly new way of thinking about the human condition and about therapy. Lou Cozolino shares himself and his thinking with a compelling depth, candor, humor, and originality that makes it hard to put this book down. Why Therapy Works is a treasure you don't want to miss." -- Pat Ogden, PhD, Founder/Director, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and author of Trauma and the Body and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Author description

Louis Cozolino, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and a private practitioner. He is the author of The Healthy Aging Brain, The Neuroscience of Human Relationships, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, and The Making of a Therapist. He lives in Los Angeles, California.