The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Clinical Intuition

The right brain is dominant in psychotherapy.

“…. as a dynamic interplay between two right hemispheres” (for other clinical examples of right brain-to-right brain tracking see Chapman, 2014; Marks-Tarlow, 2012; Montgomery, 2013; Schore, 2012).…”

“…Recall the APA’s characterization of clinical expertise as “interpersonal skill,” expressed in “encoding and decoding verbal and nonverbal responses” and “responding empathically to the patient’s explicit and implicit experiences.” With clinical experience (the proverbial “10,000 hours”), psychotherapists of all schools can potentially become expert in nonverbal intersubjective processes and implicit relational knowledge , which enhance therapeutic effectiveness. The professional growth of the clinician reflects progressions in right brain relational processes that underlie clinical skills, including affective empathy (Decety & Chaminade, 2003; Schore, 1994), the ability to tolerate and interactively regulate a broader array of negative and positive affective self-states (Schore, 2003b, 2012), implicit openness to experience (DeYoung, Graziopiene, & Peterson, 2012), clinical intuition (Marks-Tarlow, 2012; Schore, 2012), and creativity (Asari et al, 2008; Mihov, Denzler, & Forster, 2010). In a very recent comprehensive overview of laterality research Hecht (2014) states— Mounting evidence suggests that the right hemisphere has a relative advantage over the left hemisphere in mediating social intelligence—identifying social stimuli, understanding the intentions of other people, awareness of the dynamics in social relationships, and successful handling of social interactions.…”

Intuition in counseling: Implications for humanistic practice

“…Participants described some of the empathic qualities of CI in their descriptions about being able to attune to clients (Rogers, 1985). The theme of mindful awareness corresponds to existing ideas about CI involving a sensing or a trusting in the moment (Marks-Tarlow, 2014;Pilard, 2015), Freud's vorurteil, or hunch (Morf, 1965), and how Rogers (1985) described experiencing an altered state of consciousness. Finally, that CI involved a focus on benefitting clients aligned with the idea that CI was associated with positive therapeutic outcomes (dos Santos, 2003).…”

“…Further, with the explanation of how counselors act on CI, Schore diverges from Jung's view that CI does not necessarily mean acting on intuitive perceptions. Overall, along with Marks-Tarlow (2012, 2014, Schore contributed important ideas that expanded our theoretical knowledge of how neuro-correlates and psychoanalytic and attachment explanations might be integrated for explaining CI.…”

Top-down versus bottom-up perspectives on clinically significant memory reconsolidation

“…This also includes various interrelated subcortically concentrated positive emotions, especially SEEKING, CARE, and PLAY (Panksepp 1998; Panksepp & Biven 2012). All are critical for optimal therapeutic benefits (Marks-Tarlow 2012; 2014; Panksepp et al 2014). Mere activation of the SEEKING circuit through deep brain stimulation (DBS) can alleviate depression (Schlaepfer et al 2013).…”