Neuroscience of Enduring Change and Psychotherapy

Abstract

The model of enduring change in psychotherapy featuring memory reconsolidation and emotional arousal was based on recent neuroscientific advances that were presented originally from a predominantly psychological perspective. This chapter translates the components and processes of the model into evidence-based neural systems terms. This neural circuitry model highlights what is known and not known and where new research is most urgently needed. The authors then consider the research agenda, emphasizing what they consider to be the most important knowledge gaps. The basic science research agenda focuses on a variety of topics pertaining to memory and memory reconsolidation as well as interactions between emotion and memory. The clinical science research agenda focuses on the most pressing issues pertaining to the processes and mechanisms contributing to enduring change in psychotherapy. The potential exists to develop a new taxonomy of clinical interventions based on what problems are being targeted, how intractable they are, and how long-lasting the intervention needs to be.