Coming into Mind - Margaret Wilkinson

When Margaret trained as an analyst with the SAP, Neuroscience was nowhere to be found on the syllabus – true for many trainings. When she first began to write her book of the same name, she could keep up with the current journals (2002). Now she finds it impossible – the field has grown immensely – neurons firing all over the place….

Margaret described herself as a historian of ideas, not a scientist, which makes it more palatable for non-scientists to take in what may seem indigestible material. Also, in the current climate of evidence-based practice, the need for ‘proof’ is all the more pressing. The three things she asked us to remember for the purposes of her talk were Associational, Relational and Implicit. The left hemisphere of the brain does not develop until around the 2nd birthday, so the early brain is mainly right hemisphere. The amygdala has strong links to that part of the brain, hence memories being held in the body – thus the basis of development and growth is not nature v. nature – it is ‘both and’. Margaret referred to the latest research on forward-facing buggies being better for the baby’s relational and associational with Mum. And ‘neurons that fire together wire together’, i.e. the baby is anxious about something, Mum makes action to soothe, and the baby’s mind develops this way. This is as I have understood what she has described – and found it fascinating that what makes the brain fire up the more than anything (illustrated on her book cover) is when using metaphor – a very solid piece of evidence for what many of us have always felt instinctively. (Dreams, stories, patterns in the mind….) She described other mothering instincts which had been ‘proved’ by neuroscientific research..

By the age of five, language has developed with the centre of this in the left-hand brain (or with a bi-lingual child, there or two centres). For stammerers, there was no transition from right to left, interestingly.

With regard to working with patients, particularly those who had undergone trauma, her motto was to ‘help patients practice thoughtful uncertainly’ – and she used the metaphor herself of a submarine, when damaged, shutting down part of the vessel with a steel door to protect the rest – recovering memories is or can be re-traumatisation. She also spoke of Michael Eigen (whose red book entitled Rage I can see on my shelf from here) describing ‘rage being fed by terror’.

The power point presentation notes are, as I understand it, available on the website for those who did not have the hand-out – this was all completed before tea! So I hope my summary of what I thought I heard does not cause any indigestion….

Margaret has been talking about neuroscience for some years, all over the world, and her name now seems inextricably linked with it (fired and wired, indeed – as above).

After tea there was an hour of question and debate, with some clients/patients coming to mind, and also regarding the use of the couch – not whether it is used but how it is used (referring back to the research about babies facing mother in the buggy) Perhaps it is possible that before long, neuroscience will be included in counselling and psychotherapy training as a matter of course………

Liz Hammond
December 08