How Can Psychology Ignore Neurology?

I don’t mean that neurology should drive psychology but that brain science has so much to offer therapy.  We ignore new neurologic findings at our peril.   For what we are learning is that early trauma leaves a trace on the gene.   That trace is a marker that tells us there is a big hurt buried inside that is redirecing our behavior and is behind so many serious diseases.    The traces can be observed.  And far more important, they and much of their effects can be reversed.  Imagine that!   We can undo the imprint and reverse history and eliminate the hurt.  We don’t have to guess anymore so when psychologists ignore brain science they no longer know that history is barricaded deep in the brain, nor do they know on what level of the brain, nor are they aware   of how serious the imprint is.  How can we go on ignoring early trauma and its effects on our sicknesses  when all new science says it is there?

So what happens?  Therapists remain on the top cerebral level and never ever reach into the messy imprint that changes the brain through methylation and distributes the pain, impacting so much of us.  They try to figure out blood pressure and many other afflictions when the causes elude them.   Worse, they try to undo psychosis,  serious neurosis and addiction without acknowledging the causes lying literally just under their noses.

Now here is where we shrinks come in.  The new research paper by the Institute of Molecular Biology in Germany finds a way to possibly unto methylation.  That is, they have discovered the proteins neils 1 and neils 2 play a major role in demethylizing cells and revert them to normal, a great discovery.  But this is a neurologic answer and cannot be fixed through neurology alone;  they suggest that the two proteins are instrumental in reversing methylation; ergo, it could be the answer we are looking for.  But whoa, why are the genes methylated, in the first place?  What kind of pain and where does it come from?  Here is where primal enters the fray.   Now after 50 years of our daily work on hundreds of patients we have a very good idea what the pain is and how it has settled into the system.  We believe we are demethylizing through immersing ourselves into the trauma and reliving it exactly as it was laid down.  That means becoming a 6 year old again or a fetus reliving the mother’s smoking or drinking.  We see it and we see the effects of reliving: major changes throughout the system.   We believe we alter the neurotic trajectory that would have led to serious disease later in life.

The authors state that may include cancer: when there is a failure in resetting of the methyl marks on the DNA, it can result in development abnormalities and possibly cancer.  In this way the cells lose their identity and start to divide without control,  the profile of cancer.  This research is advancing by the day and will help   us measure and treat serious imprints.  And here is where we shrinks will leave neurology.  Because in psychotherapy the patient will talk about his life and ultimately descend down the chain of pain to the deepest imprint.  When that happens  the distortions that methylation engenders will normalize.  The patient is on his way to being normal.  We want our theories of the human being to be unassailable:  why?  Because correct and accurate theory leads to proper therapy , and the means ultimate health  and longevity.  That is our mission.