Discussion Forum 2 : Neuroplasticity reading and Neuroplasticity project – do not skip this assignment!! 2 more DF depend on it

1. Davidson believes that contrary to popular belief, our “emotional tendencies” aren’t predetermined and can change. Davidson believes that our “emotional tendencies” can change as the brain adapts to certain situations. “…the brain is built to change in response to experience and in response to training.”(Boyelyn-Fitzgerald, 2010) It is widely believed that people’s emotional tendencies are set in stone and cannot be changed. However, Davidson and many others have found reasons to believe that the conventional view on “emotional tendencies” is wrong and people’s emotional tendencies can change. “They’ve shown that cognitive therapy can retrain the depressed, angry, fearful mind to be skeptical of destructive thoughts, addressing the age-old question: Is temperament fixed, or can people really change?”(Boyelyn-Fitzgerald, 2010)

2. Studies show that being too angry can not only affect the health of your personal relationships but also the health of your body. Suppressing anger won’t get rid of the anger, will cause blood pressure to rise, and will cause you to be more stressed. Studies have shown that expressing too much anger is even worse. “That study, published in the journal Circulation, showed that hostile men had a 10 percent greater risk of developing a heart flutter called atrial fibrillation, a condition that can increase the risk of stroke. For men who unleashed their anger on others, the picture was even bleaker: They were 20 percent more likely to die from any cause during the course of the study”(Boyelyn-Fitzgerald, 2010)

3&4. There is a tool to help with anger and sadness called mindfulness that allows you to better manage and handle your emotions. Mindfulness allows your brain to react to emotions such as sadness better. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT is a mix between cognitive therapy and MBSR or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction used to reduce stress, pain, and illness. MBCT is one way mindfulness is successfully used to help combat depression. “In a large study of patients who had recovered from two or more episodes of major depression, 65 percent of those who received mindfulness training remained stable after a year compared with 34 percent in a control group.”(Boyelyn-Fitzgerald, 2010)

1. According to Davidson ‘s view of emotional tendencies he states the “brain is built to change in response to experience and training” oppose to the conventional view who insinuates that our emotions are facts. He states that if we are aware of the changing nature of our emotions we can de-identify with them “making it easier to let go of them. Our emotions do not have to be dictated by our genes and our childhood trauma can be reversed.

2. Research showed that the consequences of anger can be detrimental to our health, relationships, and can cause early death. The reading stated that according to a published study by Circulation in 2004 10 percent of  men that were more susceptible to anger had a higher risk of heart flutter which is called atrial fibrillation that increases stroke.

3. Mindfulness  helps us change negative emotions like anger and sadness by viewing and recognizing them as just feelings and acknowledging them and not allowing our emotions of not feeling good enough to define us. Mindfulness allows us to recognize emotions as temporary thoughts decreasing their intensity. In doing this we are able to feel more in control and be able to let emotions pass naturally without allowing them to consume us.

4. In the reading, it says that the MBCT program considers mindfulness a powerful technique because it shows and teaches people to approach problems by observing them in a clear way  without feeling the need to fix or solve them. It encourages people to recognize all their thoughts as just thoughts whether they be positive, negative, or neutral.

1. Davidson sees the view of “emotional tendencies” as a personal identity and how we wrestle with our emotions even with the painful and the destructive ones. We all feel trapped in some sort of emotional identity that is not always “sunshine and roses”. It is different from a conventional view just because emotional tendencies are feeling trapped in emotions and congenital views are emotions caused by adolescence which is growing up.

1. The research behind the consequences of expressing too much anger and in these studies show that too much anger can wreck someone’s health and relationships with others, and can ruin one’s life permanently. There was even a study that was found in 2004 that men are usually the ones to be so angry and have a stroke or die. “Anger is one of the most destructive emotions around us”. How one can suppress another one’s anger by road rage or office rage. 

1. Mindfulness appears to change the negative emotions like sadness or anger by doing research and imagining. Also watching moments to moments on our thoughts and emotions. There had been research and they had wondered if training mindfulness in people with sadness vs non training what would the outcome be. Dr. Mark Williams says that meditation is the key  and learning to recognize what the thoughts are and learn to let them go. 

1. MBCT is a type of there’s that combines medicine behavioral therapy. How MBCT impacts/can cause depression just like PTSD. Which is a anxiety disorder which it can develop during a traumatic time in someone’s life and can cause depression throughout the years. MBCT can come in an be some sort of therapy for someone to help them out of the depression and or PTSD or any other type of mental trauma. 

1. Davidson’s view of “emotional tendencies” is not conventional. He states “Emotions are not actually fact,” (2) implying that simply being aware of the changing nature that they have, one can separate with them. This is different from the conventional view as most apply their emotions as if they are permanent. In a way treating them like part of their personality rather than something that changes.
2. Expressing too much of one’s anger can lead to a much higher risk of stroke and even death. Acting out in rage often leads to getting caught up in that emotion fueling its destructive nature. On the other hand, suppressing one’s anger can impair memory function, fail to decrease the internal experience of a negative emotion, and elevate blood pressure and other physiological stress markers (3).
3. Mindfulness appears to change the subjective experience of a negative emotion like anger or sadness by allowing the emotion to be felt while not letting it become all-consuming. Leading to participants reducing the “intensity of activation in strategizing, self-ruminating areas, and increase information coming from bodily sensations” (5). Experiencing the emotion while still focusing on what is happening in the present moment.
4. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or MBCT is the integration of mindfulness-based stress reduction or MBSR techniques with cognitive therapy, created in part for the treatment of mental health conditions. These mindfulness techniques allowed for many patients that had previously recovered from two or more episodes of major depression to remain stable for at least a year in greater success than those that did not receive MBCT (4). It has also been shown to benefit those that suffer with PTSD which had proven to be useful, especially with combating the avoidance coping strategy that many PTSD sufferers turn to (8).

1. Davidson’s view of “emotional tendencies” is that change can happen in response to experiences and it is known that our emotions are reversible and unrelated to behaviors. Davidson agrees with neuroplasticity, which is the idea that “‘the brain…is built to change in response to experience’” (Boleyn-Fitzgerald 2010). This perspective is different from the conventional view which is about how our emotional behaviors are linked to our personal identities.
2. Research about the consequences of suppressing anger can lead to impairment in memory function, failure to decrease negative emotions, decreasing positive emotions, and other physiological stress markers (Boleyn-Fitzgerald 2010). The effects of suppressing anger only make the mental and physiological struggles worse for the individual. Expressing too much anger is an issue caused by a lack of regulation of negative emotions. The act of expression can lead to more destructive emotions including causing harm and acting impulsively. 
3. In a study by Dr. Segal, observational data found that the brain “automatically came online to try to help figure out what was going on”  (Boleyn-Fitzgerald 2010). This shows that the brain tries to overcompensate the emotional aspect of what the individual might be going through by wondering and figuring out what is wrong. Mindfulness is the idea of awareness of emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations, changing the experience of negative emotions by implementing new perspectives and thinking to the individual. 
4. MBCT is a type of therapy that uses the concept of mindfulness with therapy. This technique teaches new perspectives on looking at problems and being able to fully understand them. It positively affects individuals as it forces them to “see their thoughts as just thoughts” (Boleyn-Fitzgerald 2010). This impacts depression as it changes their perspectives on what happened in the traumatic pasts. With this practice, individuals can learn to live in the present rather than dwelling on past traumas and experiences.

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1. Davidson has a transformative view of “emotional tendencies” arguing against the conventional view that they are fixed and established by adolescence. He says many people mistakenly correlate their emotions with their identity, “We might even feel that we are our emotions.” Davidson brings up the brain’s neuroplasticity and says, “There is tremendous potential for plasticity and for change.” He believes that emotional responses can change through experience and effort.

2. Research shows that expressing anger excessively or suppressing can lead to negative health consequences. A study found that “men prone to feeling hostility or anger were at much higher risk of having a stroke or dying,” and those who expressed it to others were “20 percent more likely to die from any cause…” Suppression, or “expressive suppression,” isn’t good because “it impairs memory function and fails to decrease the internal experience of a negative emotion.” 

3. Mindfulness appears to change the subjective experience of negative emotions like anger or sadness by engaging in non-reactive awareness instead. Davidson says that “there’s a core practice of mindfulness of just letting things be and noticing that they don’t last forever.” Practicing mindfulness helps people recognize that their negative emotions are temporary. This practice allows people to observe their emotions without being overwhelmed by their negativity, to reduce the intensity and duration of negative emotional experiences. 

4. MBCT combines mindfulness with cognitive therapy to help manage depression and PTSD. Dr. Mark Williams explains, it “teaches a way of looking at problems, observing them clearly but not necessarily trying to fix them.” Research also shows that MBCT significantly reduces relapse rates in depression, “65 percent of those who received mindfulness training remained stable after a year.” It manages PTSD by helping “cultivate positive emotions for people who often experience severe emotional numbing.”

Part One 

1. Davidson’s view on emotional tendencies is quite different from the traditional idea. Usually, people think that emotions are stable parts of our personality—like someone being naturally more irritable or anxious—and that these traits are pretty set after a certain age. But Davidson believes that our brains are actually adaptable (thanks to neuroplasticity), meaning our emotional patterns aren’t fixed. Through practices like mindfulness, we can learn to manage and even change how we react emotionally. This shift in thinking opens up the idea that we’re not “stuck” with our emotional habits; instead, with time and practice, we can reshape them in a way that suits us better.
2. The harmful consequences of both suppressing and excessively expressing anger are well-documented. Gross’s research points out that unchecked anger—like road rage or verbal outbursts—can escalate physical health risks, including cardiovascular issues. Yet, suppressing anger isn’t a healthier alternative, as it can elevate cortisol levels and impair cognitive function, ultimately leading to stress accumulation. This duality illustrates the need for balanced emotional regulation. Rather than adopting an “all or nothing” approach, individuals benefit from finding ways to acknowledge anger without letting it dictate behavior. This approach aligns with emerging views that a moderate expression of emotions can contribute to both mental clarity and physical well-being, rather than fostering resentment or volatile responses (Miriam Boleyn Fitzgerald, 2010)
3. Mindfulness transforms the experience of negative emotions like anger by creating a space between the feeling and our instinctive reaction to it. Instead of spiraling into anger or sadness, mindfulness practitioners learn to observe these emotions non-judgmentally, which calms the mind and prevents over identification with distress. Research from the University of Toronto shows that people who practiced mindfulness were better at managing sadness because they were less likely to dwell on it or get stuck in self-critical thoughts. This approach fosters an “observer’s mindset,” helping people to view emotions as passing states rather than intrinsic parts of their identity.
4. MBCT combines cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness techniques to address depression, especially in preventing relapse. By teaching patients to observe their thoughts without judgment, MBCT disrupts cycles of depressive rumination. Segal’s study revealed that patients who practiced MBCT were significantly less likely to relapse compared to those receiving conventional treatments. This approach allows individuals to reframe depressive thoughts as temporary mental events rather than absolute truths, facilitating a healthier outlook on life. Beyond depression, MBCT has shown promise in treating conditions like anxiety and PTSD, as it empowers patients with tools to observe and manage their thought patterns constructively.