Becoming Aware Through Internal Exploration: Understanding Psychotherapy on Conceptual and Neurobiological Levels

Area of Science:

• Psychology and Neuroscience
• Psychotherapy Research
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Psychotherapeutic change involves gaining awareness of psychological and behavioral challenges.
• The neurocognitive processes underlying the emergence of new awareness are not well understood.
• Understanding how awareness arises is crucial for advancing psychotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, process-based framework for understanding the emergence of new awareness during psychotherapeutic dialogue.
• To explain the concepts of 'mental navigation' and 'cognitive map expansion' at conceptual and neuroscientific levels.
• To explore clinical implications and empirical validation directions for the proposed model.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development integrating psychological and neuroscientific perspectives.
• Explanation of 'cognitive maps' as internal world models constructed by individuals.
• Description of 'mental navigation' as a process of exploring and expanding these cognitive maps.

Main Results:

• Mental health difficulties can be associated with rigid or narrow cognitive maps.
• Therapeutic change involves expanding these maps through mental navigation beyond current boundaries.
• This expansion creates new trajectories in conceptual and neural activity spaces.

Conclusions:

• The framework of mental navigation and cognitive map expansion offers a neuroscientifically informed model for therapeutic awareness.
• Expanding cognitive maps enhances psychological flexibility and facilitates positive psychotherapeutic change.
• The model provides a basis for clinical practice and empirical research in psychotherapy.