Neuroscience
Neuroscience refers to the scientific study of the nervous system, including our brain, from its most fundamental aspects, such as molecules and cells, to the integrative dimensions that are the basis of our cognitive and behavioral functions. It affects many human functions, but it also contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of common conditions.
The key benefits include
- Learning what is your way of interacting, communicating, performing, running meetings, and different daily tasks
- Understanding the characteristics of the brain
- Understanding how your brain works
- Learning to “let it go”
- Helping to understand your thinking process
- Learning how to focus on what is important for you, rather than struggle with a problem
- Understanding principles of lasting change and transformation
Neuroscience-based coaching
The concept of brain change is established in neuroscience and is often referred to as neuroplasticity. Neuroscience research supports the idea that our brains remain adaptable throughout our lives. Coaching always involves change and all change starts in the brain. This method incorporates what neuroscience discovers about the neural dynamics of cognition, social interaction, learning, and habit change. It enables high levels of neurological engagement during coaching sessions and it allows sustainable change through self-directed neuroplasticity. Besides, it also explores tools and models which are based on and aligned with these discoveries and insights about the brain.
Threat and Reward
Feeling threatened blocks our creativity, and reduces our ability to solve problems. On the other hand, when we feel rewarded, our self-confidence rises, we feel empowered, and we keep motivated. The SCARF Model can help you to minimize threats, maximizing the feelings generated through reward when working alongside others. It is based on neuroscience research that implies that these five social domains activate the same threat and reward responses in our brains that we rely on for physical survival.
Neuroscience in the transformation process
Most people come to coaches to create change and to transform the way they think, perform, behave, and interact. Understanding how the brain supports change and transformation contributes to the effectiveness of the coaching intervention.
Another aspect is that we are unaware of many habits we have in interacting, communicating, performing, running meetings, and different daily activities. Thus, neuroscience-based coaching will help you to understand these aspects so that real change takes place.
Finally, true transformation requires forging new circuits in the brain, which uses the pre-frontal cortex; neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change itself constantly by creating new neural pathways. The process of creating new pathways in the brain requires time, intense effort, and attention.
The method
Some steps of a neuroscience-based coaching session
- You will be invited to write, draw, paint, or handle an object with a non-dominant hand. Placing your brain outside its comfort zone and developing the skills can help the brain become more flexible and resilient to switching tasks and focus.
- The coaching session will go on, and the coach will connect the experience you had with the current situation, issue, or question
- The exercises and techniques during the coaching sessions are tailored to your reality.
- You will be asked to do an activity that simultaneously engages all of the five senses as it helps to strengthen the brain.
- You will learn neuroscience exercises and techniques as a way of stimulating the plasticity of your brain on a regular basis.
A better understanding of your brain will help you to succeed in different aspects of your personal and professional life. Another benefit is learning how to avoid focusing on the problem since it actually emphasizes and expands the problem in your mind. There is proven evidence that, when we arrive at our own insights, our brain makes multiple connections, giving us a rush of energy that uplifts and motivates us to take action.
Thus, brain-based coaching focuses on solutions, putting us in the future and creating energy in our minds. Hence, getting more creative, finding new inspiration, making new choices, and opening up to new possibilities. Brain-based coaching challenges you to develop your thinking on new perspectives and enables you to move out of your comfort zone to achieve positive outcomes.
