Towards a Neurodevelopmentally Informed Model of Spiritual Growth - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Towards a Neurodevelopmentally Informed Model of Spiritual Growth - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dec 09, 2022 804 likes •1.29k views

Towards a Neurodevelopmentally Informed Model of Spiritual Growth Michael Johnson-College of Nursing-Dept. of Psychiatry michael.johnson@hsc.utah.edu How do we define spirituality? n Spirituality a personal affirmation of the

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Towards a Neurodevelopmentally Informed Model of Spiritual Growth

Michael Johnson-College of Nursing-Dept. of Psychiatry michael.johnson@hsc.utah.edu

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How do we define spirituality?

n Spirituality “a personal affirmation of the

transcendent…..often referred to feelings or experiences of connectedness or relationship with sacred beings or forces…….” (Paloutzian & Park, 2005, pg

26).

n “Spirituality is the sum total of the highest levels

  • f developmental lines” ( (human capacities or

forms of intelligence). (Wilber, 2000)

n “Spiritual perfection means compassion and

nothing less and nothing else” (Fox, 1999, pg 34)

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Common Stage Models

NORMAL EGO FUNCTIONING (Western Psychology)

Moral conduct, simplifying life, slowing down, etc NONDUAL

(Beyond words, or rational thought)

UNITY MODES

(Self-object dichotomy gone,

  • ne with nature, connected to

people)

CONTEMPLATION WITH INTNERNAL REFLECTION-CALM REALATIVE REALITY DUALITY TRANSCENDENTAL/TRANSPERSONAL/ MYSTICAL

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Words of wisdom from Charles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Manson

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"“After all.. ‘we are all one’. Killing someone therefore is just breaking off a piece of cooky.” (Zaehner,1974, p. 69).

Zaehner, R. C. (1974). Our savage god. Collins.

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Hence nearly all contemplative traditions have practices devoted to grounding the person into the “real world”

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Complete Model

NORMAL EGO FUNCTIONING (Western Psychology)

Preliminaries: Moral conduct, simplifying life, slowing down, etc NONDUAL

(Beyond words, or rational thought)

UNITY MODES

(Self-object dichotomy gone,

  • ne with nature, connected to

people)

MINDFULNESS & CALM REALATIVE REALITY DUALITY TRANSCENDENTAL/TRANSPERSONAL

No compassion COMPASSION

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Compassion

http://www.motherteresa.org/

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Mother Teresa

““I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord

  • Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?”

http://www.motherteresa.org/

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Horton the Elephant

n To find spirit or the One within each-dedicated

to valuing others. “A person’s a person no matter how small”

Horton hears a who / everyone's hero [Motion picture]. (2012). S.l.: 20th Century Fox . Geisel, T. S., & Richardson, M. (2004). Horton Hears a Who!. HarperCollins Children's Books.

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Integration of Paths?

n Kabat Zinn “Perhaps the most “spiritual” thing

any of us can do is simply to look through our

  • wn eyes, see with eyes of wholeness, and act

with integrity and kindness”

n Dala Lama “..Buddhahood is achieved through

the cultivation of both motivation and wisdom..”

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette Books . Dalai Lama. (2003). Stages of meditation. Random House.

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Tripartite conceptualization of spirituality:

COGNITIVE-EMOTIONAL (CULTURAL)

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (VIRTUES & STRENGTHS)

Creativity Curiosity Learning Authenticity Bravery Persistence Prudence Modesty Self-Regulation- Insight Gratitude Hope Humor Religiousness

TRANSCENDENT

Sacred Mystical Beyond Words Ultimate Concern Nondual Reality Unknowable God Brahman-Atman Emptiness

COMPASSION

Love Empathy Morality Altruism Selfless Compassion

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Shifting gears…now to the unfolding brain….

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Grand Summary of Neurodevelopment

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

Neuronal Activity

BIRTH

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Major Neurodevelopmental Events

n Neurogenesis: production and migration of

neurons

n Synaptogenesis: creation of axons (signal cables)

and sprouting of dendrites (receivers for axons) to form synapses.

n Pruning and Myelination: creation of memory

and functional behavioral systems (neuropsychological systems)

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3 Weeks Gestation

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-3-weeks_1049.bc

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Neural Tube Formation

Carlson, N. R. (1986). Physiology of behavior . Allyn & Bacon.

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Grand Summary of Neurodevelopment

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

NEUROGENESIS

Neuronal Activity

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Rudimentary Brain in Place by 6 weeks Gestation

http://www.pregnology.com/faralong.php

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Grand Summary of Neurodevelopment

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

NEUROGENESIS

SYNAPTOGENESIS

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Picture trillions of these moving to connect

http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?jf108, James Fawcett , 2016

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As the layer of “neuronal seeds” sprouts “wires” the nerve cells get pushed outward

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By the time of birth there are 87 billion neurons (27 billion in the neocortex alone): Half excitatory and half inhibitory: Reverberating back and forth over can you guess how many miles of axonal wiring?

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Outer shell=NEOCORTEX

n A densely packed CONTINUOUS layer of

nerve cells or neurons on the very outer shell

  • f the brain all acting as tiny batteries

n 2-3 mm thick n 256 sq inches sheet

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Cross Section of Neocortex: Stained Pyramidal Neurons

DENDRITES

YES/NO

AXONS

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Can you guess how many synapses we have around the time of birth?

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Do you know how much this really is?

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Grand Summary of Neurodevelopment

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

NEUROGENESIS

SYNAPTOGENESIS MYELINATION & PRUNING

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Neurodevelopmental Equation

n “Neurons that fire together wire together” n Neuronal “Fingerprints” of Conscious

Functioning=Innate genetically controlled neuronal activity events (critical windows) +Innately determined talents or deficits (temperamental/ability traits) + Environment (local/global culture, nutrition, etc.)

Hebb, D. O. (1949). The organization of behavior: A neuropsychological approach. John Wiley & Sons.

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Complex pruning begins BOTH innately from genetic timing/propensities, and from environmental interaction leading to only certain connections (vast networks) being left in place

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This can quantified through MRI images of the brain since by recording thickness of the neocortex-as you cut synapses and add white matter your neocortex gets thinner and you go from the magic of childhood to a specialized adults with an identity, job, role, etc.

THINNER NEOCORTEX=SPECIALIZATION OF FUNCTION

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Cortical Thinning from Age 5 to 20

Gogtay, N., Giedd, J. N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K. M., Greenstein, D., Vaituzis, A. C., ... & Rapoport, J. L. (2004). Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of sciences of the United States of America, 101(21), 8174-8179.

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Gogtay, N., Giedd, J. N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K. M., Greenstein, D., Vaituzis, A. C., ... & Rapoport, J. L. (2004). Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of sciences of the United States of America, 101(21), 8174-8179.

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Abilities Can Also Be Predicted

Sowell, E. R., Thompson, P. M., Leonard, C. M., Welcome, S. E., Kan, E., & Toga, A. W. (2004). Longitudinal mapping of cortical thickness and brain growth in normal children. The Journal of neuroscience, 24(38), 8223-8231.

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After age 20……

Sowell, E. R., Peterson, B. S., Thompson, P. M., Welcome, S. E., Henkenius, A. L., & Toga, A. W. (2003). Mapping cortical change across the human life span. Nature neuroscience, 6(3), 309-315.

Schurz, M., Radua, J., Aichhorn, M., Richlan, F., & Perner, J. (2014). Fractionating theory of mind: A meta-analysis of functional brain imaging studies.Neuroscience & BiobehavioralReviews,42, 9-34.

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Past early middle age…

50-60 becomes leveling off point for innately driven major cortical restructuring

Sowell, E. R., Peterson, B. S., Thompson, P. M., Welcome, S. E., Henkenius, A. L., & Toga, A. W. (2003). Mapping cortical change across the human life span. Nature neuroscience, 6(3), 309-315.

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Why is understanding brain development important? Important Point #1

n Mother nature creates potentialities of human

functioning that requires environmental/cultural shaping for limited periods of time

n WE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE

HIGHLY SPECIALIZED WINDOWS OF NEUROPLASTICITY OR FUNCTION(S) WILL BE PERMANENTLY IMPAIRED

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Regional Pruning Corresponds to Known Brain Networks for Functions Predicting Developmental Stages

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

MYELINATION & PRUNING

Piaget-Sensory-Motor > Piaget-Formal Operational > Piaget-Concrete Operational> Erickson-Intimacy vs. Isolation > Piaget-Preoperational> Erickson-Trust vs. Mistrust > Erickson-Autonomy vs. shame > Erickson-Industry vs. Inferiority > Erickson-Identity vs. Confusion >

Mahler & Bowlby-attachment & separation >

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Implications for neurodevelopmentally informed spiritual development/well being?

n Because of both cultural and economic factors the American

family is experiencing less time to nurture their developmental stages, particularly those related to emotional and contemplative skills.

n There is nearly a complete lack of mental health screening and

emotional/contemplative education in the school systems

n

The needs of the middle age person whose brain is undergoing a huge developmental change is equally important to earlier stages

  • f development but often times is neglected
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Important Point #2

>Just as we must address strengthening peoples abilities to improve or protect for well being/spirituality, we must also address innate pathological structures that arise during development >The old dogma of psychopharmacology being the explanatory model of psychiatry (i.e. to much/to little dopamine, serotonin, etc.) is now viewed as much more limited. Serious questions are being raised about the long term efficacy and hazards of psychiatric drugs especially in pediatrics.

Most psychiatric disorders now have neurodevelopmental hypothesis with growing data to support them.

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Many Psychiatric Disorders Emerge From Pruning/Connecting Gone Awry

Weeks Years

Decades

16 2 4 6 10 12 18 8 14 20 13 32 26 30 28 36 24 22 2 3 4 1 6 7 5 20 12 17 9 11 30 40 10 16 50 8 60 70 80 14 15 18 90 100

AGE

CONCEPTION DEATH

MYELINATION & PRUNING

Attachment/Personality Disorders > Autism > Tourette’s Disorder > Attachment/Personality Disorders > Poor maternal care/nutrition >

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Because we can now see most psychiatric disorders as arising from complicated, hugely interconnected slabs of neocortex, involving many neurotransmitters, and we do not have an exact drug that changes the pathological underpinnings of such vast neurodevelopmental pathology-we must remind our selves of the earlier equation.

Cortical-Behavioral Functioning=Innate genetically controlled neuronal activity events (critical windows) +Innately determined talents or deficits (temperamental/ability traits) + Environment (local/global culture, nutrition, etc.)

Kinderman, P., Schwannauer, M., Pontin, E., & Tai, S. (2013). Psychological processes mediate the impact of familial risk, social circumstances and life events on mental

  • health. PloS one, 8(10), e76564.
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Important Point #3 (and final point)

Each spiritual domain and level likely has it’s own unique neuronal fingerprint

n Future studies should look at the evolution of

traits vs. states or learning modes over the life span

n Operational definitions must be created based

upon the religious/contemplative traditions themselves

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Highly Recommended General Neurodevelopment Papers and Website for Movie

Core Papers: Sowell, Elizabeth R., et al. "Longitudinal mapping of cortical thickness and brain growth in normal children." The Journal of neuroscience 24.38 (2004): 8223-8231. Toga, Arthur W., Paul M. Thompson, and Elizabeth R. Sowell. "Mapping brain maturation." Focus (2006). Gogtay, Nitin, et al. "Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101.21 (2004): 8174-8179. Movie: http://users.loni.usc.edu/~thompson/DEVEL/dynamic.html

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