Blog Post: The Brain, How We Change (or Don’t), and Coaching

Do we grow into our brains or do our brains grow with us? Scientists are changing their minds. Past theories of neuroscience said that the adult brain had all the neurons it would ever have and that, for the most part, the existing connections of neurons could not be changed. In other words, old dogs could not learn new tricks. Current research says that the brain has the ability to change its structure and function in relation to experience. The brain can create new patterns, it’s just difficult. The old dog can learn new tricks, but it has to have a really good reason.

Why is it hard to change?

According to Jeffrey Schwartz, Research Psychiatrist at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of The Mind and the Brain, our working memory is the part of the brain used for learning new activities and it has limited resources. “…Any activity we do to the point of becoming a routine habit gets pushed to the automatic pilot part of the brain to free up cognitive resources… Forging new circuits is like cutting through dense new forest rather than following a well-worn trail. We have to go much slower, and put in a lot more effort and attention for every foot we travel… Trying to change a routine behavior sends out strong messages in our brain that something’s not right…”

What will make us go through that effort? Choosing what to pay attention to, adopting a solution focus over a problem focus, building awareness of choice at the moment of decision, taking consistent action and noticing progress are all ways that help adults change.

How coaching can help

Coaching, which relies on open-ended questions and discussions, slows down the pace of life enough for the client to pay attention to important facets of their life and work, develop awareness, take time to reflect, create insights and support consistent, considered action. Coaches help their clients think and focus on solutions.

David Rock, author of Quiet Leadership, uses the ARIA model: Attention, Reflection, Insight, and Action, as a way to tie together the learning from a number of studies, including one that used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) technology to see what happens in the brain during a coaching session. Let’s take a look at how ARIA works.

Awareness and Attention

“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Talmud

The first step in change is to become aware of the current situation or pattern. When change is especially difficult it is often because there is a conflict between your values or mental maps.

The coach helps by asking questions that explore your desired results, pointing out conflicting values, keeping your focus on the goal, reducing the your frustration by acknowledging success however minor and reconnecting you with the desired results.

Focus your attention on the desired goal often- and long enough and you create new mental maps that build strength in the new habit.

Reflection

 “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – Peter Drucker

Reflection slows you down and connects you to you inner wisdom. You use many of your senses, not just linear thoughts, as you reflect on your current situation and the changes you want to make. To help you reflect, your coach will assign an Inquiry question, one that is meant to help you explore deeply between sessions.

Your coach also reflects, like a mirror, what she notices about you and what she hears you say – or not say. Your coach can point out negative self talk, limiting beliefs and self-doubt. She can help you to focus on your strengths and remind you of your successes.

Insight

A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Rock writes, “It is clear that at the moment of insight various neurotransmitters like adrenaline are released as well as possibly serotonin and dopamine.” Coaching generates insights in several ways. First, you set aside time on a regular basis to think and talk about things that are important to you, thereby creating fertile ground for insights. Your coach helps you to dig deeper and explore by asking questions and encouraging you to look at things from different perspectives. Using metaphors, visualizations, guided imagery, role plays and other multi-sensory tools, she engages many parts of your brain, increasing the opportunities for insights. Insights lead to the desire for action.

Action

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann von Goethe

The urge for action is very short lived. That’s why many people find it so difficult to develop healthy habits. The coaching process maintains the focus and your coach reminds you of your insights and desire for action. Together you break the tasks into manageable chunks. It’s amazing how much gets done in the day or two before the next coaching call. Your coach will point out progress, explore what gets in the way of your plans, and will help you to create structures that keep you engaged and in action.

Modern brain science will continue to develop and find practical ways to take advantage of the neuroplasticity, the ability to change and make new connections, of the brain. Mark Hallett at the National Institute of Health said, “We have learned that neuroplasticity is not only possible but that it is constantly in action. That is the way we adapt to changing conditions, the way we learn new facts, and the way we develop new skills… We must therefore understand neuroplasticity and learn how to control it.”

“Behavior will lead to changes in brain circuitry, just as changes in brain circuitry will lead to behavior modifications.”  Alvaro Pascual-Leone & colleagues, Harvard

by Debra Exner, Professional Certified Coach and current President of the International Coach Federation Phoenix Chapter