Daniel Siegel on the Triangle of Well-Being

Dr. Siegel introduces a case where a young girl has come to him for psychotherapy because she is no longer speaking in school.  

In this lecture, Dr. Daniel Siegel discusses the function of the middle prefrontal cortex.  There are 9 functions of the body that are controlled in that area. 

1. Regulating your body.
2. Attuning to other people
3. Providing emotional balance
4. Extinguishing fear from learned events like traumas
5. Providing the ability to pause before you act
6. Empathy
7. Insight – (Where you are now, where you’ve been in the past, where you’re going in the future)
8. Morality 

• These first 8 functions are developed in children through secure attachment with their parents

9. Intuition – having access to the processes of the body

• The 9^th function is developed through the ancient practice of mindfulness (for Christians this is prayer, self-reflection and meditation) 

According to Dr. Siegel, 3 entities go into a triangle of well-being:

1. Relationships
2. Brain – extended nervous system
3. Mind

The proper care and development of each of these 3 entities is absolutely necessary for an individual to grow into healthy adulthood.   All 3 of these are separate, but interdependent.  They can impact and be impacted by the others.  Though behaviorists would argue that the mind is only the activity of the brain, it has become more clear through research that the mind can impact the formation and structure of the brain.  Development of these 3 is critical in child development, but there is always opportunity for growth and change.  Because of neuroplasticity, even ‘hardened’ and ‘traumatized’ adults can grow and change though it is not an easy or natural process as it can be in child development.

One application of Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  is that by meditating and concentrating on things that are good, we can reconfigure our brains from the dysfunctional neural pathways created by traumatic experiences.

In the video, Dr. Siegel uses his hand to model the structure of the brain.  Because of its location, the middle prefrontal cortex links the cortex, brain stem, the body proper, limbic area, the neo-cortex and the signals from other people’s nervous systems.  This area of the brain coordinates all of these areas and integrates them as differentiated parts into an integrated whole.

Dr. Siegel proposes that shaping toward mental health is shaping toward integration.  Before integration, we must promote differentiation in relationships, differentiation in our mental experience and differentiation in our nervous system.  Then we must shape toward connecting these differentiated components to create more complex yet harmonious ways of functioning (integration).

Some nice food for thought for parents and educators:  Dr. Siegel suggests that the 4^th R (in addition to Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) in education should be Reflection.  He adds Relationships and Resilience as the 5^th and 6^th R’s needed for children to grow into mental health.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What impact did the accident have on the mother’s personality?
2. What impact did the mother’s personality change have on her daughter?
3. Providing emotional balance takes place in the middle prefrontal cortex.  What does emotional balance look like?  How can you tell if someone is emotionally balanced?
4. What does attunement look like?  What are some differences between an individual who is attuned to others and someone who is not?
5. What does the brain require for healthy growth?
6. What is the meaning of neuroplasticity?  Why is neuroplasticity important for mental health workers assisting those who have suffered serious trauma?

Going Deeper:

1. By understanding neuroplasticity, how can we help a child whose mother has lost the ability to attune?
2. How can the mother develop new neural pathways even though she has damage to the middle prefrontal cortex?   Is this an easy process?
3. In his definition of mental health, Dr. Siegel says that we need differentiation before integration.  Why do you think that is?