ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of the brain that provides the background for the chapters that follow. It outlines the different nervous systems (in the body and brain), neural terminology (neurons, synapses, pathways, networks etc.), neurochemistry, neuroplasticity, brain areas, and how brains work. Brain functions pertinent to therapy are discussed, including memory, unconscious processing, and language. The brain is best understood by emphasising three axes of neural architecture: top-bottom, front-back and left-right. Therapy engages the frontal lobes, principally, to improve integration across all three axes by overcoming psychological defences and dissociation that impede it.
