Welcome to a deep dive into recent thinking and research in humanistic, psychodynamic, relational, existential, and psycho-evolutionary psychology. In this post we explore modern understandings of positive self-awareness, and how neuroscience has been used in social science.

1. The Role of Self-Compassion in Mental Health

Recent research in humanistic psychology has highlighted the profound impact of self-compassion on mental health. A 2023 study by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer found that individuals who practice self-compassion experience lower levels of anxiety and depression. This study underscores the importance of fostering a kind and understanding relationship with oneself as a cornerstone of emotional well-being. “When we give ourselves compassion, this allows us to cope with the pain of life without becoming derailed by it”, they write. Therapy sessions can incorporate self-compassion exercises to help clients build resilience and a more positive self-view. In correlational studies, the trait of self-compassion is “consistently associated with decreased psychopathology”, while a meta-analysis found compassion-focused therapy “significantly relieved psychological distress” in a variety of diagnoses.

In therapy compassion can even be difficult to receive, as it inevitably stirs up “old memories and makes them available for reprocessing” but in so doing therapy can provide an opportunity to receive resonableness, “kindness and understanding that was lacking when the painful experiences originally occurred. As the resource of self-compassion develops, however, clients can develop the sense of safety needed to explore their inner and outer world.”

2.Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation

A significant advancement in relational psychotherapy over the past decades has been the use of Eastern mindfulness techniques to improve emotional regulation. Siegal explains “neuroscience suggests that when energy and information flow in the various circuits of the brain, we generate the neural correlates of mental experience.” Thus “mindful awareness may lead to enhanced well-being in the way this state of attentional focus alters our relationship - our internal stance - toward our own mental processes.” Being more aware of our thoughts – 'meta-cognition' can bring greater flexibility towards our own feelings and reactions, allowing other options to emerge cognitive-emotionally that are healthier and more adaptive. In a 2024 meta-analysis Truman-Wyss describes how mindfulness interventions “acutely increase both emotion perception and regulation in addicted populations”, though impact was also dependent on personality factors.

3. Existential Anxiety and Meaning-Making

For Hoffman “existential approaches focus on whole brain psychotherapy in an interpersonal context … existential approaches value the cognitive and emotional, the conscious and the unconscious/subsconscious, and the various shades of emotional experience”, which are the various 'brain states' or emotional states. "When cognitive and emotional sides of the brain are activated in therapy, therapy is likely to be more effective", Hoffman goes on to say “contemporary attachment theorists, are increasingly interested in the plasticity of the brain and attachment … 'earned secure attachment' results from individuals who over time, through later relationships developed a secure attachment.” This upholds the idea of progress in mental health being achieveable, and apparently represented in real brain changes.

Also writing on existential therapy, Temple and Gall (2016) argue “all human beings experience life’s givens or the ultimate concerns of death, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness. Whether there is awareness or not, these givens influence how individuals interact and relate to self, others, and the world. Failure to understand these existential concerns can lead an individual to behave inauthentically in relation to her core values” and thus that proper attention “to the client’s lived experience in a value-free way will provide space for the client to work through his or her existential anxiety toward authenticity.” This authenticity then is perhaps similar to what Hoffman argues can be positive integration of our experience, progress and a process that can even be seen neurologically.

4.Psycho-Evolutionary Perspectives on Resilience
Allan Schore, explores the neurobiology of emotional development and the evolutionary underpinnings of resilience in his 2021 article The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Intersubjectivity. He writes that humans evolved psychological mechanisms to adapt to and overcome adversity. Schore indenifies several key traits that help us psychologically. 'Adaptive emotional regulation' involves the ability to effectively manage and respond to emotional experiences, a skill that has evolved to help humans maintain psychological stability in the face of stress, and which is linked to the development of secure attachment patterns in early life. Psychological mechanisms that facilitate social connection and cooperation include the ability to seek and provide support, which enhances resilience by creating a network of resources and emotional backing. Optimism and maintaining a positive outlook is also helpful. Schore notes that this trait likely evolved as a survival mechanism, encouraging perseverance and problem-solving in challenging situations.

Optimism is associated with better stress management and increased motivation, contributing significantly to resilience. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt thinking and behavior in response to changing environments and which assists us, as does a calmer biological stress response, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. These systems regulate the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which prepare the body to handle threats. Proper (calm) functioning of these systems is critical for resilience, enabling individuals to respond to and recover from stress effectively.

Psychology, derived from the Greek words "psyche" (soul) and "logos" (study), is fundamentally about uncovering the psychological logic that drives our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Future posts in this series will continue to explore new research findings in humanistic, psychodynamic, relational, existential, and psycho-evolutionary psychotherapy. Please contact my practice here to make an enquiry. S.W.

Neff, K., & Germer, C. (2022). The role of self-compassion in psychotherapy. World Psychiatry.