Brain chemicals
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit a signal from a neuron (a brain cell) to another cell across a synapse (gap). Neurotransmitters include glutamate, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are secreted by a small group of neurons and move through the nervous system affecting lots of neurons.
Cortisol – is a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal glands and very well known for being the stress hormone because it is released in response to stress – good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). Has a wide range of functions: glucose metabolism, blood pressure regulation, blood sugar level maintenance (through insulin release), immune function. Prolonged elevated cortisol level can impact quality of life (lowered immunity so potentially getting sick more often, high blood pressure and increased abdominal fat) and impair cognitive performance. Several studies have shown that mindfulness is greatly involved in reducing stress levels.
Dopamine – is a neurotransmitter and is involved in how we think and behave and our feelings of motivation, reward and attention, working memory and learning, punishment. When something good and unexpected happens, such as being praised in front of other people at work, the dopamine neurons are activated and that gives you the drive and motivation to do it again. However, when something bad happens like for example, expecting a reward but not getting it, then dopamine neurons are depressed. Exercise stimulates dopamine production and uptake and junk food inhibits dopamine production.
Oxytocin – is a neurotransmitter that is released from the pituitary gland. It is involved in social behaviour, increasing trust, decreasing fear, increasing generosity and also cognitive functions. Oxytocin has the effect of reducing blood pressure, reducing cortisol levels, increasing pain threshold, an anti-anxiety effect, stimulating positive social interactions. Oxytocin has the effect of suppressing the activity of amygdala which detects threats and processes fear. Evidences have shown that sharing a meal with someone you are working, good wine and conversation are useful to releasing oxytocin and build the foundation to a good relationship.
Adrenaline – also known as epinephrine is best known for its role in the fight-or-flight response. It is important for regulating our heart rate, blood vessel and our passage diameters and has metabolic impacts. High levels of adrenaline are reflected in negative facial expressions. People suffering from chronic stress have higher levels of adrenaline than normal.
Serotonin – also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HTP) it is important in mood regulation, appetite, sleep, learning and memory. Involved in mood regulation (connected to feeling happy). When levels of serotonin are low we can feel low and even have symptoms of depression or anxiety. Tryptophan, the essential amino acid needed to make serotonin, is found in bananas, dates, yoghurt, milk, chocolate, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin seeds and poultry. Exercise is important in serotonin production and release.
GABA and glutamate – the king and queen of neurotransmitters. Glutamate has very important role in neuroplasticity and is involved in learning and memory. Adequate levels of GABA impacts peace of mind, balance, concentration and restorative sleep.
Having the knowledge about the brain and the brain chemicals, how can we support the clients?
Coaching tools and techniques
Self-control /willpower – one of the secrets to achieving a goal is the ability to self-control, consciously deciding what you will do and what you will not do. Having a lack of self-control can make a client to create excuses for lack of achievement. How can you encourage the client to have more self-control/willpower? Only by practising self-control then the self-control is increased. For example, ask the client how would she feel once completed a course of antibiotics, which require a certain amount of self-control.
Habits – are regular tendencies or practices, sometimes unconscious and automatic and they are linked to the basal ganglia. We all have lots of them, some useful, some not so. The brain is designed to get into routines and habits, not to use so much energy and concentrate on each and every task. They support us to cope with huge amount of information, choices, decisions, goals and emotions we experience every day. We have habits for a large part of our daily life. Many habits are unconscious, which means they can be directing your client’s behaviour without them being consciously aware of this. Your neurons travel the same path again and again, establishing a stronger and stronger neuronal circuit – this is the so called autopilot. While good habits make it easier to achieve desired results, because we naturally do these things without them being conscious thought and less energy is required to fall on these defaults, undesirable habits make it difficult to achieve results. How can you encourage a client to get rid of unhelpful habits? Being really honest with the client and specify that there is no timeframe to change or form a new habit. Encourage client to take small steps in the beginning and repeat the action which is key in the process of forming a new habit.
Optimism – is about having a positive attitude towards the future. There are two types of optimism: blind optimism “everything will be ok” and realistic optimism which goes like this “if I make some changes then things will be great”. It has been shown through fMRI scans that when we think about upcoming positive future events ACC and the right amygdale is activated. This could help us to be more optimistic and driven to achieve our next set of goals. Even in those people who get sick, such as with cancer or AIDS, the survival time of these people who are also optimists is greater than the pessimists. How can you support a client to be more optimistic? Explain to the client the differences between the two main types of optimism.
Goals – are desired results and are at the heart of coaching. Having a goal is like knowing the itinerary and our brains are clearly important in the setting, pursuing and achieving of goals. Many studies lead us to believe that the PFC is involved in creating and maintaining goal representations. How can you support a client to reach a goal? Support the client in choosing SMART goals.
Mindfulness – is the practice of maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings without judging them. It can involve activities such as focusing on specific physical sensations like breathing. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we are seeing in the present moment rather than remembering the past or imaging the future. Mindfulness is well established as a psychotherapeutic intervention for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders and chronic pain. It has also been shown to help improve immune function, reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels and increase telomerase activity. Recent studies have indicated that different types of meditation involve different brain networks and neuroplasticity. For example the Theravada traditional meditation that focuses on loving kindness has correlated with increased grey matter of the brain is involved in cognitive empathy, anxiety and mood. Encourage your client to read about mindfulness.
Flow – being in the flow can be described as a specific optimal state or being absorbed with whatever you are doing in the moment. It is a psychological construct and is often called being “in the zone” or “on fire”. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly proposed this state and suggests it is possible to experience it in any area of life: work, relationships, hobbies, sport etc. Being in the state of flow has the following characteristics: intense, focused concentration on the present task, action and awareness are merged, low self-consciousness, sense of autonomy, feeling as if time has passed quickly, activity is intrinsically rewarding. When people are either over stimulated or under stimulated their levels of performance are negatively affected. To perform well requires the right level of arousal: enough to be energized and focused but not too much so that anxiety and panic freeze your cognitive abilities and ability to act. Too much arousal can lead to high level of cortisol and over time this can damage our brains. Encourage the client to spend time on things that give them great satisfaction.
Motivation – is what drives and sustains a person to act towards a goal. Like flow, motivation is a psychological construct, but from a neuroscience perspective it involves the dopamine reward circuitry in the brain. We tend to undertake activities that are rewarding to us and involve pleasure and reduce pain. For example, if you’ve done something good at work and your boss acknowledges your work, that it is likely you will be more motivated to repeat that behaviour. The reward system in the brain has important links to the area of motivation. Rewards encourage the behaviour. If we perform a behaviour that is then positively, the motivation to do it again is increased. Support the client to identity what already motivates them.
Decision making – is the process of selecting one choice from multiple options. You can decide to do something, think something or feel something. We make countless decisions every single day and it is only relatively recently that we have been able to look at how this process occurs in the brain. Decision making is a complex cognitive task, involving several parts of the brain. Antonio Damasio – Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California – suggests that the decision making process is one that actually depends on emotion. Remind the client that the power is in their hands when decisions.
Expectations – an expectation is what we think or hope is most likely to happen. Expecting something positive to happen reduces our anxiety levels. Visualizing the process going well can activate the brain circuits that are involved in reward mechanisms. Additionally, having a negative expectation can increase anxiety and activate the areas of the brain involved with negative experiences.
Neuroscience provides coaches with an overview of what it is and how a raised awareness of the field of neuroscience can add value to the quality of coaching taking place. Learning and understanding of the relevant elements of neuroscience, when combined with a coaching approach, can have a positive impact on motivation, goal setting and action planning. When selling your coaching, if you are aware of how the brain works, then you have more to bring to your coaching sessions.