Mary Bowles - A Theory of Emotion State Mismatch: A Mechanism for Applied Memory Reconsolidation.

BIO

Dr. Mary Bowles is a Doctor of Psychology, a Marriage & Family Therapist, based in the United States and licensed in Colorado, Texas, and Florida. She has been in private practice for 13 years. She is a certified Rapid Resolution Therapist (RRT) and Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) therapist, a Supervisor and former board member for the International Association of Applied Neuroscience (IAAN), and has completed Level 3 Gottman Method for therapy with couples. Dr. Bowles is a parenting trainer, first responder treatment and high conflict divorce co-parenting expert, speaker, author, mediator, and a life, trauma, and relationship coach. Dr. Bowles’ primary research focus is on applying Memory Reconsolidation techniques and on connecting current and historical psychotherapeutic evidence for efficacious treatment options that avoid patients having to relive or experience repeated or prolonged exposure to their traumatic and distressing experiences.

As an interpersonal neurobiologically focused provider, Dr. Bowles has two main guides that influence her approach and her work; “normalize before we pathologize” and “work with the brain, not against it”. These guidelines ensure compassion in all intrapersonal and interpersonal work. With so many treatment options, Dr. Bowles is always concerned with differentiating what works from what does not work in psychotherapeutic settings, she advocates for the cultivation of equal-value approaches to working with all humans in all areas of life, and for reducing stigma in mental health by making science accessible through the interpretation of scientific language to the public.

Abstract 

This webinar will present Dr. Bowles’ research on the pairing of “emotional approach states” with “emotional avoid states” as a mechanism for activating the required mismatch for the successful application of memory reconsolidation in humans, as guided by Elsey et al.’s (2018) theoretical framework for successful memory reconsolidation in humans, Lange et al.’s (2020) Psychometric Network Theory of Emotion, and supported by The Hebbian Principle, Pavlov’s Theory of Classical Conditioning, and Skinner’s Theory of Operant Conditioning. This presentation will address how operant and classical conditioning relate to the neuroscientific understanding of memory consolidation and reconsolidation, how emotion is a possible target for successful memory reconsolidation, and how successful emotion pairing alone is at reducing discomfort from trauma and stressor cues. Dr. Bowles will share examples of some rapid treatment approaches that demonstrate the presence of emotion pairing. Dr. Bowles will also share results, which showed more than half of the evaluated transcripts in her research contained obvious emotion pairing, including laughter, in 14 of 21 transcripts, 100% of the transcripts were absent Prolonged Exposure (PE), and 100% also met Elsey et al.’s required components for memory reconsolidation.

Webinar attendees will:

•  Understand the required components for successful memory reconsolidation in humans.
•  Understand the distinction between extinction and erasure.
•  Gain clarity around what comprises emotionally motivated approach and avoid states.
•  Partake in opportunities to experience rapid applied memory reconsolidation techniques.
• Learn the status of PE as a first line treatment for PTSD and the holes in its research.
•  See how laughter can be a beneficial component of psychotherapeutic treatment.
•  Consider how cultural norms may prevent successful treatment, not to mention, be a major contributor of consolidated trauma networks.