The Whole Therapist BONUS EPISODE: What is Reflective Functioning?
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May 11, 2021 Explore the fascinating world of reflective functioning in therapy! Discover why mentalization is crucial for both therapists and clients. Learn how attachment trauma can hinder development and the neurobiology behind mentalizing. Hear about creative interventions like art to enhance emotional awareness. The conversation emphasizes the need for therapists to engage in their own self-work to effectively support their clients. It’s a thought-provoking dive into the roots of therapeutic relationships!
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Mentalizing Defined And Framed
- Reflective functioning (mentalizing) is the capacity to understand self and others in terms of mental states like feelings, desires, and goals.
- Dan Siegel frames it as holding another person's mind in mind while also sensing your own experience.
Regulation Enables Mentalizing
- Mentalization depends on a regulated nervous system and engagement of the social brain to create openness to others' minds.
- Cozolino and Siegel emphasize safety, hippocampal function, and the window of tolerance for mentalizing to occur.
Attachment Trauma Impairs Mentalizing
- Attachment trauma and lack of attunement stunt development of reflective functioning and can shrink hippocampal structures.
- Without an empathic witness in childhood, people may be unable to hold others' minds in mind.
