BIG QUESTION
Our latest “Big Question” is:
“Where are negative emotional memories stored in the brain and how are they best treated in psychotherapy?”
If you are knowledgeable in this area we would love to hear your answer, or at least speculation, to this question.
You can find answers on our Big Questions page
My role as a mental health therapist and NeuroBiofeedback practitioner is to examine the connection between our thoughts, feelings, emotions AND the neurophysiological substrates of cortical and sub cortical brain functions. “Where are negative emotions stored in the brain”, you ask? One might speculate that a hypo-activation of the frontal left lobe might reduce an individual’s motivation for social connectedness, approach motivation and positive emotions. This hypo activation of the frontal left lobe leads to an increased expression of negative emotions such as, depression, fear, motivation to withdraw and avoidance of others, all of which are deeply connected to the right frontal lobe and more interior Limbic structures, such as the amygdala. This frontal “asymmetry” has been shown to predict a biological predisposition to negative emotions and memories. Training the brain to correct this asymmetry through EEG Biofeedback and cognitive behavioral thought restructuring has proven successful in the treatment of negative emotions and memories.
Lindsay Hollmuller MS, LPC,BCN
Licensed Professional Counselor
Board Certified in Neurofeedback-Associate Fellow.