ABSTRACT
This chapter builds a link between the emerging insights of interpersonal neurobiology and the systems-centred group method of functional subgrouping as a tool for developing the “group mind”. It proposes a definition of group mind that differs from the ones formulated by Le Bon (1896) who emphasised crowd psychology, McDougall (1920) who focused on individuals thinking together, and Durkheim (1966) who emphasised the collective of the society as an organism. The chapter also proposes a definition of “group mind” that integrates interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) and systems-centred theory (SCT) and practice. IPNB applies neuroscience research in considering how to deliberately enhance the impact of psychotherapeutic processes on neuroplasticity, neural integration, and emotional regulation. Although summarising the research bases of interpersonal neurobiology is beyond the scope of this chapter, it is useful to describe basic models of brain function. The idea of a “group mind” builds from a theory of living human systems (TLHS) and its systems-centred therapy (SCT).
