Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Adolescence, which Siegel views as spanning from the teenage years to the
early twenties, is characterized by intense emotion and reward seeking, a search
for novelty, a need to connect with others and the pursuit of creative, novel
solutions. Siegel believes these are important aspects of ourselves throughout
our life span and that adults should cultivate and embrace these orientations to
enrich their own lives.
Mindsight is a focal concept in IPNB and Brainstorming and refers to the ability to
perceive one’s own internal world of the self and the inner world of others. It is a
focus on the inner subjective world of oneself and others, the “inner sea” that we
all swim in. One of Siegel’s earliest books was entitled, “Parenting from the
Inside Out” and suggests the importance of a focus on what’s happening inside
the minds of a child and parent. Not seeing the mind (self and other) can promote
disrespect and a lack of compassion.
How we focus our attention will change the brain in important ways. It changes
the brain’s firing and circuitry. Intentional attention focuses and strengthens
specific functions.
Siegel uses the analogy of a wheel (“Wheel of Awareness”), with a hub and
spokes to describe how to foster mindfulness. The rim contains segments such
as (1) our five senses-sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; (2) the sixth sense
or inner sensations of muscles, bones, internal organs; (3) mental processes
such as feelings thoughts, beliefs, intentions, memories and (4) a relational
sense involving perceptions we have of other people, our environment and
planet. The hub reflects our sense of knowing within awareness.
The elements of the rim are connected to the hub through the process of
attention. Starting from the hub and focusing attention on the various segments
on the rim and experiencing these various senses, thoughts, feelings, sensations
around the rim enables some people to use the focus of the hub to help them
experience stimuli that have been problematic. For instance, Siegel quotes one
teenager as saying, “nervousness and worries just became points on the rim that
I could sense from that calmer place on the hub”.
The second is ensuring adequate time for sleep (e.g., United States National
Sleep Foundation recommends 8.5 to 9.25 hours per night for adolescents)
which promotes memory consolidation, optimal insulin functioning and food
metabolism, improved immune function, enhanced response to stress, increased
mental function such as thinking, remembering, problem-solving and focused
attention.
2
The third is time to focus. This involves focusing on one thing at a time, rather
than constantly shifting focus while working on several things. Time focused on
one activity enhances neuroplasticity and allows synaptic change to occur.
The fourth is ensuring adequate downtime to unwind and relax. The fifth is
building in play time which entails spontaneous activity, non-competitive, fun with
a level of unpredictability. This forms the basis for creativity and innovation and
play with others, enhances connection and pleasure. The sixth is physical activity
which builds the brain and enhances neuroplasticity and mood.
The seventh is ensuring time for connection with others. Siegel says we are built
to collaborate and face-to-face time in particular is a rich source of satisfaction
which changes the brain in important ways.
3
a parent, one approach to healing a rupture is to make a statement about your
interest in connecting again and to explore the adolescent’s experience first
within a reflective dialogue. We need to reflect on these ruptures and reconnect
quickly. A central theme of parent-adolescent relationships should be to keep
open lines of communication ongoing.
There is a strong need for peer connection and for seeking rewards and novelty
in adolescence. This can lead to risky behaviours especially when peers are
present.
Adolescents may not be just more impulsive, but may be more hyper-rational,
evaluating pros and cons but de-emphasizing the significance of the cons.
Siegel notes that while our experiences in the first dozen years of life have a
powerful impact on who we are, relationships continue to play a major role in
growth and development in adolescence. He asserts that understanding what
happened to you in early life and how you responded to those experiences in the
past can lead to a more healthy and productive life. Indeed, relationships with
caregivers and others while we are very young most directly shape who we have
become.
Siegel asserts that research and experience tells us that with self-reflection and
understanding, problematic ways of parenting can be transformed.
Attachment relationships with parents and other caregivers form internal models
of attachment which are brain circuits that reflect schema that help us to predict
what will happen next, how we should behave, what emotions we will have, and
how others will respond to us. These models or brain states influence how we
behave and react under different conditions. Both parents and adolescents can
benefit from understanding what kind of attachment models we have developed
in our early childhood that explain what is happening now and how new ways of
living can be developed to overcome limitations from these early models.
Siegel describes the four types of attachment models within a brain context. A
secure attachment model allows us to support the essence of adolescence
through fostering safety and security. This promotes emotion and passion, social
engagement, seeking novelty and exploring creativity.
4
Attachment involves being seen, being safe, being soothed and feeling secure.
Parents who provide this in at least a somewhat consistent way foster secure
attachment in their children. Moving from infancy to being a toddler, this sense of
safety is reflected in a state of mind that is secure: we feel good about ourselves,
about others and believe our needs will be met. We believe we will be able to
connect with others who will see our minds, help us to feel felt and meet our
needs. Siegel views this as the solid sense of self that evolves for those with
secure attachment models.
Avoidant attachment with a caregiver evolves when you are not soothed when
distressed, nor connected with when you feel unseen. There is no benefit from
the caregiver which leads to minimizing attachment needs and feeling
disconnected from others and your own emotions and needs. Individuals with this
orientation have a “dismissing” state of mind.
Siegel indicates that ambivalence may suggest an overreliance on the right side
of the brain. There is an intrusion of images and emotions without the balancing
5
of the left brain’s role in keeping track of the language output. It is as if the right
brain is overwhelming the left brain’s answering of questions.
In trauma, past body memories and images can flood consciousness as if they
are happening in the present. Left and right brain integration can become
blocked, along with dis-integration of layers of memory and prefrontal co-
ordination. Unresolved trauma or loss can be viewed as a form of disorganization
reflected in a “disorganized model of attachment”.
Summary
Paying intentional attention within the context of following the breath in a way that
fosters curiosity, openness, acceptance and love to feelings, thoughts, beliefs
that arise while meditating, strengthens brain circuits. This can improve
regulatory functions, enhance empathy, strengthen emotional control, decrease
reactivity and strengthen the foundation of morality.
So the mindfulness that Siegel advocates for both parents and adolescents, is
more than just promoting reflection and insight which are important. It actually
physically builds and strengthens circuitry in a way that promotes individual and
relational well-being.
6
How does secure attachment connect with mindfulness? It appears that many of
the benefits fostered by caregivers that lead to secure attachment are similar to
those created by practicing mindfulness meditation.
Our minds, “…emerge as much from our bodies and brains as from our
relationships with one another and with our planet.” (Siegel, 2014, ccxxxi). For
Siegel, the essence of adolescence such as the emotional spark, the intense
social engagement and drive towards creative exploration can help to power the
drive towards integration or “MWe” and result in well-being for the self, our
relationships and our planet.
Siegel, Daniel J. (2012b). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain
interact to shape who we are. Second Edition. NY: Guilford Press.
Siegel, Daniel J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). The whole brain child. NY: Delacorte
Press.
Siegel, Daniel (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the
cultivation of well-being. NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
Siegel, Daniel J., & Hartzwell, Mary (2003). Parenting from the inside out: How a
deeper self-understanding can help you raise children who thrive. NY:
7
Penguin.