The Story Behind Neuro Nuance - Neuroscience Informed Trauma Therapy
Neuroplasticity is our Biggest Cause for Optimism.
The history of neuroplasticity marks a significant shift in our understanding of the brain's capabilities, along with an evolution in trauma therapy. For much of the 20th century, the prevailing view was that the adult brain was essentially fixed, with little ability to change or adapt. This belief was rooted in early neuroscience research, which suggested that neural pathways were established in childhood and became immutable in adulthood. However, groundbreaking studies in the latter half of the century began to challenge this notion, demonstrating that the brain could indeed reorganize itself in response to learning, experience, and even injury. Pioneering work by researchers such as Paul Bach-y-Rita, Michael Merzenich, and others revealed that neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections—continues throughout the lifespan. This modern view of neuroplasticity has revolutionized our understanding of brain function, leading to new approaches in therapy, education, and rehabilitation, and underscoring the brain's remarkable ability to adapt and heal.
A Neuro Nuance is a Subtle Shift that can Lead to Transformation Over Time.
Learning theories, the adaptability of the brain to its environment, and the neuroscience of therapies like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy all point to a key concept - many of the ways the brain learns to function can also be unlearned. This is not to say it’s an easy process, years of trauma and reinforcing certain ways of thinking and reacting do not change overnight. But I’ve found that if someone can experience just one small victory, one change in how they are thinking, feeling, and behaving, it can be the springboard to hope that such a shift could continue and evolve over time. Facilitating these kinds of experiences and helping individuals reinforce the changes they want to make in their lives has become my passion. Hearing from past clients about the lives they are leading now is what continues to keep me going. It’s how I’m able to hold space for someone who can’t see how anything will get better right now, and know that we may be reflecting on this moment later celebrating how far they’ve come.
My Evolution From Talk Therapy to Neuro-Therapy
When I first began as a counselor in training at an addiction treatment center, I saw a lot of change occur simply by engaging with people in the traditional manner, by establishing a good working relationship with them, zeroing in on targets they wanted to change, developing behavioral strategies, and supporting them in implementing them. It’s tried and true, it creates changes in the brain, and no therapist would be complete without being effective at it. But I wanted to know more. I wanted tools that could create greater resolution of trauma beyond teaching someone how to cope and resist the ways their brain is trying to protect them. I was exposed to these strategies by other therapists and psychologists who were using EMDR and neurofeedback therapy. I was fascinated by the idea of having repeatable evidence based methods that a high percentage of people respond to. Thus I set out to get the training and began grounding my practice in therapies backed by neuroscience. Neuro Nuance represents the merging of science and the human spirit, collaborating to effect change from the cellular to the existential level.
To learn more about EMDR therapy click the link.
