Integral Somatic Psychology’s Post

One topic of inquiry in the science of embodied cognition, emotion, and behavior is whether these three elements arise simultaneously or sequentially in the physiology of the brain and the body; and if they are sequential, in what order do they arise? There are several seemingly irreconcilable points of view on this topic, each supported by evidence. Let us examine this controversy before we attempt our own reconciliation. Even though it is hard to argue that some form of evaluation, conscious or unconscious, has to precede emotion, findings reveal that cognition—including initial attention to the environment even before perception occurs—is strongly influenced by emotion. This evidence supports the view that emotion is the starting point, followed by cognition and behavior. Then, there is the equally evidence-based point of view that behavior precedes emotion as well as cognition. The conventional wisdom, of course, holds to the classical sequence of cognition first, emotion second, and behavior third. More in my book The Practice of Embodying Emotions https://lnkd.in/etp5WuiA #Emotions #Research #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

No theory, including the James-Lange theory, denies a role for the brain in emotional experience. The issue all along has been the extent to which the body plays a role in this experience. The neuroscientific evidence that has emerged since the second half of the twentieth century shows that body experience is involved in the generation and experience of emotion in the brain and that the brain can generate emotional experiences without current input from the body by recalling past emotional experiences generated by past body experiences (to quickly predict possible emotional reactions to current situations). This evidence poses the question of whether it is possible to generate and have experiences of emotion in the brain that do not involve the present or past experience of the body in any way. We will answer this question later. For now, let us turn our focus to how modern brain research has made the body once again a key player in the generation and experience of emotion. You can learn about the science in my book: The Practice of Embodying Emotions: A Guide for Improving Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes. https://lnkd.in/etp5WuiA #Emotions #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

No theory, including the James-Lange theory, denies a role for the brain in emotional experience. The issue all along has been the extent to which the body plays a role in this experience. The neuroscientific evidence that has emerged since the second half of the twentieth century shows that body experience is involved in the generation and experience of emotion in the brain and that the brain can generate emotional experiences without current input from the body by recalling past emotional experiences generated by past body experiences (to quickly predict possible emotional reactions to current situations). This evidence poses the question of whether it is possible to generate and have experiences of emotion in the brain that do not involve the present or past experience of the body in any way. We will answer this question later. For now, let us turn our focus to how modern brain research has made the body once again a key player in the generation and experience of emotion. You can learn about the science in my book: The Practice of Embodying Emotions: A Guide for Improving Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes. https://lnkd.in/gctQHchM #Emotions #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

There is precedent in the literature on emotions for such a possibility. The evolutionary perspective of Charles Darwin, based on cross cultural evidence for universal emotions, has been supported by studies from a long line of researchers, including Paul Ekman. If evolution can program emotional displays in the body as innate tendencies, and emotional displays in the body can generate different emotional experiences with distinct neural patterns in the brain, would it not be the next logical step in evolution to program in the brain a capacity to generate such emotional experiences independent of the body, to at least some extent? To enhance the brain’s capacity to predict is to improve its chances of survival. The history of research on emotions offers more evidence for this ability on the part of the brain. The innate ability of the brain to generate emotions through its hardware, independent of body experience, is a fundamental feature in the theories of Walter Cannon, Philip Bard, James Papez, Paul McLean, Jaap Panksepp, and Joseph E. LeDoux, all important researchers who have studied the role of the brain in emotion. More in my book The Practice of Embodying Emotions https://lnkd.in/etp5WuiA #Emotions #Research #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

There is precedent in the literature on emotions for such a possibility. The evolutionary perspective of Charles Darwin, based on cross cultural evidence for universal emotions, has been supported by studies from a long line of researchers, including Paul Ekman. If evolution can program emotional displays in the body as innate tendencies, and emotional displays in the body can generate different emotional experiences with distinct neural patterns in the brain, would it not be the next logical step in evolution to program in the brain a capacity to generate such emotional experiences independent of the body, to at least some extent? To enhance the brain’s capacity to predict is to improve its chances of survival. The history of research on emotions offers more evidence for this ability on the part of the brain. The innate ability of the brain to generate emotions through its hardware, independent of body experience, is a fundamental feature in the theories of Walter Cannon, Philip Bard, James Papez, Paul McLean, Jaap Panksepp, and Joseph E. LeDoux, all important researchers who have studied the role of the brain in emotion. More in my book The Practice of Embodying Emotions https://lnkd.in/gctQHchM #Emotions #Research #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

The James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories are extremely important because almost all the subsequent orientations of emotion research were inspired by one or both of them. The Cannon-Bard theory shifted the focus of emotion research from the body to the brain for a very long time, until research on the brain itself started to point back to the importance of the body toward the end of the twentieth century. This turnaround has led to a renewed interest in the James-Lange theory, and the updating of it with new evidence from brain research. As for the Cannon-Bard theory, its influence on research on the role of the brain in emotion is also substantial. The subsequent discoveries relating to the role of subcortical brain structures in the generation and expression of emotion, as well as the role of cortical brain structures in regulating cognition and emotion and making them conscious, all have roots in the Cannon-Bard theory. You can learn about the science in my book: The Practice of Embodying Emotions: A Guide for Improving Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes. https://lnkd.in/etp5WuiA #Emotions #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

The James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories are extremely important because almost all the subsequent orientations of emotion research were inspired by one or both of them. The Cannon-Bard theory shifted the focus of emotion research from the body to the brain for a very long time, until research on the brain itself started to point back to the importance of the body toward the end of the twentieth century. This turnaround has led to a renewed interest in the James-Lange theory, and the updating of it with new evidence from brain research. As for the Cannon-Bard theory, its influence on research on the role of the brain in emotion is also substantial. The subsequent discoveries relating to the role of subcortical brain structures in the generation and expression of emotion, as well as the role of cortical brain structures in regulating cognition and emotion and making them conscious, all have roots in the Cannon-Bard theory. You can learn about the science in my book: The Practice of Embodying Emotions: A Guide for Improving Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes. https://lnkd.in/gctQHchM #Emotions #BodyPsychotherapy #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

Emerging findings from the evidence-based paradigm of embodied cognition, emotion, and behavior in neuroscience inform us that cognition, emotion, and behavior are ultimately inseparable in the brain as well as in the body. Additionally, cognition, emotion, and behavior are a function of both the brain and the body, and of the environment. Therefore, when the brain and body shut down through physiological defenses to cope with intolerable emotions, the availability of the body and its connection to the environment are compromised, not only for the function of emotion but also for the functions of cognition and behavior. When our primary experiences of cognition, emotion, and behavior are compromised, so is every psychological experience, including experiences of relationship and spirituality. More in my book The Practice of Embodying Emotions https://lnkd.in/gctQHchM #EmbodiedEmotions #Cognition #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam

When we reconstruct memories or imagine future scenarios, our mental canvas fills with visual scenes and echoing sounds. We readily capture tastes when describing people's approaches (sweet, sour, bitter) and textures when describing their behaviors (rough, tender, pushy). Yet smell, despite coloring most of our waking moments, remains curiously absent from our conscious reflections and vocabulary. In his new book "Stinking Philosophy!", Benjamin Young begins with a gracious forgiveness of this collective oversight in cognitive research, while laying the methodological foundations for a rigorous science of olfaction. As he eloquently puts it, smell, though "invisible to the eye and seemingly mysterious," reveals "an abundance of riches" when systematically examined. Young builds the theoretical framework by addressing three fundamental questions that have been largely unexplored in philosophy: what are smells in their essence, how do we represent them in perception and cognition, and in what sense are we consciously aware of them? While research on smell in both sciences and philosophy is only now reaching maturity, we're already at the intersection where theoretical foundations and practical applications can evolve together. The implications for healthcare and wellbeing could be transformative as we deepen our understanding of how smells are processed in our perceptual and cognitive systems. This isn't merely academic theory - it's about unlocking a fundamental dimension of human experience that has been hiding in plain sight. #Philosophy #Neuroscience #Research #Innovation #Healthcare

Emerging findings from the evidence-based paradigm of embodied cognition, emotion, and behavior in neuroscience inform us that cognition, emotion, and behavior are ultimately inseparable in the brain as well as in the body. Additionally, cognition, emotion, and behavior are a function of both the brain and the body, and of the environment. Therefore, when the brain and body shut down through physiological defenses to cope with intolerable emotions, the availability of the body and its connection to the environment are compromised, not only for the function of emotion but also for the functions of cognition and behavior. When our primary experiences of cognition, emotion, and behavior are compromised, so is every psychological experience, including experiences of relationship and spirituality. More in my book The Practice of Embodying Emotions https://lnkd.in/etp5WuiA #EmbodiedEmotions #Cognition #SomaticPsychology #DrRajaSelvam