“Human Behavior, Learning, and the Developing Brain”: Does Coaching Enhance Human Language Skills? Which Brain Parts Activated Through Coaching?

In the chapter of “Experience and Developmental Changes in the Organization of Language-Relevant Brain Activity,” the author elucidates the process of human language development in terms of cognitive neuroscience. As for the shaping new synapses and a new brain, Mills & Sheehan (2007) expounds: “experience plays an important role in shaping the organization of the brain for a variety of sensory and cognitive process such as music, face recognition, speech perception, and language development” (p. 183). 


After reading this sentence, I remembered my coaching session. In a coaching session, clients explore themselves and explain various kinds of things about a coaching topic. During the coaching session, I noticed that coaching process has the possibility to enhance clients’ cognitive and language development because they objectify themselves as possible as they can and try to describe themselves as detailed as possible by using language with dexterity in the coaching process. 


Furthermore, in my view, coaching is a kind of the non-ordinary experience in our daily life. The main reason is that there may not be more powerful opportunities to identify and dis-identify own than coaching. I assume that the extraordinary experience, coaching activates our brain, especially the part which we don’t usually stimulate. Also, I witnessed the situation several times that my clients’ words and language became crystallized gradually in my coaching session. Therefore, my interests are: Does coaching develop language skills (cognitive ability)? Which parts in a brain are activated through coaching?

Reference

I read this book because one of the editors is Dr. Kurt W. Fischer. He is a founder of “Mind, Brain, and Education” program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. I’m really interested in this new type of education program and his research topics.

“The Developing Mind”: Attachment Theory for Human Development

I came up with one thought after reading the description of attachment theory in this book. Siegel (1999) points out that it is important for parents to give enough attachment to their children, especially when their children are infants. Also, he describes the importance of attachment for infants in the following: “When children develop secure attachments to parents, these allow them to go out into the world to explore and develop relationships with others” (p. 71). 

I totally agree with his idea, but I think this theory is more versatile. In my view, something sacred phenomenon is occurring when parents and infants interact with each other. So, of course, the attachment to parents cultivates infants’ emotional and interpersonal competencies, but also I think that interaction with infants enriches parents’ emotional and interpersonal competencies. In that sense, I believe that attachment theory is not only for infants’ development but also for parents’ growth.

Reference:

Providing Coaching and Getting Coaching

Yesterday was a meaningful day for me as a coach. I can’t describe it well, but because I felt a “true human connection” between my client and I. Also, I noticed the moment during the coaching session was, sacred, holy, and blessed. Actually, I believe that my client’s Big Mind and Big Heart resonated with mine…The atmosphere during coaching session was like a concert of the masterpiece of symphony with  mixture of agony and jubilance. I’ve never “tasted” such a moment before. Yesterday’s experience ignited my heart and passion as a coach.

Also, I got coaching from my Integral Coach through Skype today. This was also an exceptional experience for me. She gave me not only feedback about my assessment of my clients but also plethora of insights toward my assessment, client’s coaching topic, and my “CWOB (Current Way of Being).” The coaching session with her was a succession of “aha moments.”

I really would like to continue to provide people who rely on me and need support with Integral Coaching, and I wish to keep on getting Integral Coaching from other coaches. Both of them are wonderful opportunity to interact with others deeply and accelerate not only clients’ and my psychological growth but also our quality of life. I believe so.