Moving on the Range

Posted Wed Apr 13th 2011 by Dan Rebek

Clients sometimes ask us questions that go something like this, “How much of this is nature and how much is nurture?” They wonder (out loud or privately) “If this is ‘genetic’, how much difference can I make/can psychotherapy make?”

I won’t even pretend to answer the scientific questions here today. But for starters I will share two related observations:

1) Over the past 10-15 years the most common “answers” our clients are hearing from the popular press/culture seem to be predominantly focused on biology effecting behavior/feelings.

2) The science is evolving and we have much knowledge. But there are few final answers on issues of nature/nurture, biology/behavior. At the same time clients understandably want answers, and it seems they deserve some meaningful answers from us, particularly as it relates to their presenting problem or diagnosis.

I’ve wrestled with this, and perhaps you have also. I’ll now share one way I often approach it. Even better, I’d like you, the community of clinicians, to use the Discussion Forum below to share any approaches you’ve tried.

I tend to focus attention toward ”Moving on the Range”. I might say something like, “For any dimension of human behavior or experience (for example the vertical leap basketball players seek)each of us behaves at a particular level. LeBron James has a very high leap whereas mine is rather modest. My leap is much determined by my innate characteristics and my experiences (like exercise and diet). With my particular innate biology my vertical leap will likely fall within a particular range, approx 18-30 inches, whereas Lebron’s range is – let’s just say, much higher. I may not be able to change my “personal range”, but through diet, exercise, practice etc. I can move where I land/function on my ”personal range”.

Then we might get into a discussion of the client’s specific situation. One interesting, and often hopeful, focus involves the issue of, “Is there a place on your personal range that can be satisfying to you? Or alternately, a place you may not necessarily love, but a place you can accept, and still live a full life?
An interesting clinical example to consider is something like OCD. Jeffrey Schwartz’s work at UCLA finds that consistent use of his four step approach (outlined in “Brain Lock”) can help people move on the range, and literally alter the biology and functioning of key brain areas (caudate nucleus, orbital cortex, and cingulate gyrus). Another is “What You Can Change and What You Can’t: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement and Learning to Accept Who You Are”, by Martin Seligman.

This just scratches the surface, so please do share your ideas in the Discussion Forum below!