Maternal Bond: Key to Neurodevelopment

I have decided to share in this article something that captivates me: how what Ramón y Cajal and Freud said a hundred years ago evolves and yet remains the same.        

The Neuroscience Behind Choosing the Right Coach

In the realm of personal and professional development, the choice of a coach is paramount. Understanding the neuroscience that underpins human behavior and mental health can significantly enhance this decision-making process. When selecting a coach, it is crucial to consider how their approach aligns with established neurological principles that influence learning, adaptation, and emotional regulation. Coaches who integrate insights from neuroscience can offer more effective strategies for fostering resilience, facilitating meaningful change, and promoting overall well-being. This understanding not only ensures that the coaching process is grounded in scientific evidence but also maximizes the potential for sustainable growth and transformation. By recognizing the importance of early experiences and the maternal bond in shaping neuronal connections, coaches can better support their clients in developing robust mental frameworks that enhance their capacity to achieve their goals.

Throughout history, figures like Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Sigmund Freud, Fran?ois Ansermet, and Pierre Magistretti have provided valuable perspectives that allow us to better understand how the brain functions and how it influences human behavior. In this essay, I explore the ideas of these thinkers and propose a contemporary interpretation that links their theories with modern concepts of biology and mental health, highlighting the importance of “early experiences” and the maternal bond in the formation of neuronal connections fundamental to the prevention and promotion of mental health.

1) Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1909-1911)

“Las conexiones nerviosas no son, pues, ni definitivas ni inmutables, ya que se crean, por decirlo de algún modo, asociaciones de prueba destinadas a subsistir o a destruirse según circunstancias indeterminadas, hecho que demuestra, entre paréntesis, la gran movilidad inicial de las expansiones de la neurona.”

— Santiago Ramón y Cajal

In this statement, Ramón y Cajal emphasizes the dynamic and adaptable nature of neuronal connections. By referring to “trial associations destined to subsist or be destroyed according to indeterminate circumstances,” he alludes to homeostasis as a fundamental principle of biology and cellular biology. The connections between neurons, influenced by both the environment and the internal structure of the tissue, respond to Darwinian survival laws, maintaining constant interaction with the environmental context.

The mention of “indeterminate circumstances” underscores the inherent unpredictability of biological processes. This implies that even with a deep understanding of mechanisms like inflammation, the final outcome is not always predictable. According to my interpretation, Ramón y Cajal hints that changes in the environment, such as moments of rest, creativity, or free thought, can free the mind from constant self-criticism and perpetual trauma. This phenomenon contrasts with the forced use of memory, which, instead of functioning as a natural survival process, can lead to conditioning, aligning with Freud’s trauma theories and Pavlov’s conditioning.

Furthermore, the “great initial mobility of the neuron’s expansions” highlights the importance of this early movement in neuronal development, which I dare to link to the primordial bond between mother and child. This conducive environment facilitates the formation of special connections that, as of 2024, still cannot be precisely measured.

2) Sigmund Freud (1920)

“Es probable que los defectos de nuestra descripción desaparecieran si en lugar de los términos psicológicos pudiéramos usar ya los fisiológicos o químicos (…) la biología es verdaderamente un reino de posibilidades ilimitadas, tenemos que esperar de ella los esclarecimientos más sorprendentes y no podemos columbrar las respuestas que más adelante dará a los interrogantes que planteamos.”

— Sigmund Freud

Freud, as a neurologist who built a bridge to psychology through the microscopic observation of neurons, suggests that a complete understanding of the human mind could be achieved through biology, eliminating the need for psychological speculations. However, this vision faces contemporary challenges. For example, the interpretation of serotonin reuptake inhibition and its impact on the concentration of this neurotransmitter has led to an excessive simplification of depression as a result of decreased serotonin.

This perspective ignores the deep and multifactorial causes of mental disorders, considering them only as the tip of the iceberg, while the underlying causes remain hidden, influenced by multiple biological and environmental factors.

3) Fran?ois Ansermet and Pierre Magistretti

“Explorar los mecanismos que permiten establecer la realidad interna inconsciente, y sobre todo, su grado de incidencia en el destino del sujeto.”

— Fran?ois Ansermet y Pierre Magistretti

Ansermet and Magistretti propose investigating the mechanisms that shape the unconscious internal reality and its influence on the individual’s destiny. It is crucial to clarify that “destiny of the subject” does not refer to an esoteric or spiritual sense, but strictly biological. Their approach aims to understand how unconscious processes mold internal perception and, consequently, the individual’s development and behavior, understanding both processes as dynamic, not static.

Personal Reflection: Early Experiences and the Maternal Bond

The connection between “early experiences” and the maternal bond is fundamental to the formation of neuronal connections that influence mental health. Early experiences, especially the bond with the mother, establish neuronal patterns that affect the individual’s capacity for adaptation and resilience throughout life. This bond not only provides security and affection but also facilitates neuronal plasticity during the early years of development, allowing greater flexibility and the ability to adapt to future challenges.

By integrating Cajal’s ideas on initial neuronal mobility and Freud’s theories on conditioning and trauma, it becomes evident that a healthy maternal environment promotes the formation of robust and adaptive neuronal connections. This reduces susceptibility to mental disorders by establishing a solid biological foundation for emotional regulation and cognitive processing.

Importance of the Unconscious in Prevention and Mental Health

In the face of accelerated scientific advancement, it is essential to pause and reflect on the tendency to seek partial answers that, although successful, may limit the fundamental understanding of “early experiences” or “the unconscious.” I propose homologizing these concepts, recognizing that the exploration of the unconscious is crucial for defining prevention strategies and promoting mental health. This comprehensive approach, which combines the theories of Cajal, Freud, Ansermet, and Magistretti, highlights and paves the way for understanding the complexity of the human brain and its impact on our existence.

Recognizing the importance of early experiences and the maternal bond in the configuration of neuronal connections offers an essential biological perspective for addressing the prevention of mental disorders. By focusing on these fundamental aspects, we can develop more effective interventions that promote mental health from the earliest stages of life.

Dr. D

High Performance Mentoring

+54 9 11 5 801-1435

[email protected]

www.santiagodayenoff.com

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