Does therapy or coaching change the brain? A recent review of seventeen research studies looked at how the brains of depressed patients change following psychological therapy. These types of studies generally ask participants to look at emotional images in the scanner before they start therapy and again after their therapy has concluded, and brain activity is measured at both times. One consistent finding showed that amygdala activity had decreased following therapy. The amygdala is an emotion processing region, particularly for fear and anxiety.
Another finding was that the participants showed less activation in the left precentral gyrus. This is an area in the prefrontal cortex involved in thinking and rumination, and the reduction in activity suggests that following therapy, they ruminated less. Rumination on thoughts or worries is known to be a feature of depression.
They also found that, after completing therapy, patients showed more activation of the left anterior cingulate cortex. The anterior cingulate has a suppressing effect on the amygdala so more cingulate activity would mean less amygdala activity.
Of course, coaches don't conduct psychotherapy but we often see clients with negative thinking patterns. What we can learn from this review is that, when we help clients change negative thinking patterns to more resourceful ways of thinking, it can change their brains. Brain changes are not limited to psychotherapy, though. Coaching may also reduce amygdala and precentral gyrus activity, and strengthen the anterior cingulate's suppression of the amygdala.
[…] not aware of any research studies looking at coaching outcomes and brain change, but a recent meta-analysis of research studies looking at how the brains of depressed patients change following psychological […]