The science behind Resource Therapy

Resource States as described by Professor Gordon Emmerson in his Resource State Personality Theory, exist physically in our brains as neural pathways.

Resources are personality parts that first developed as coping mechanisms for the client. When a coping skill was developed, especially early in life, and returned to over and over again, the repetitive behavior caused specific axon and dendrite growth, and trained synaptic connections.  This repetitive training creates a personality part that can be returned to when its function is needed. 

The formulation of the personality and the formulation of the Resources coincide.  Most  Resources  develop  during  childhood  and  early  adolescence, 

although  it  is  possible  for  new  Resources  to develop  in  adulthood, given  sufficient  training. Resource development  is  a  physiological development. 

Animal studies have made it clear that the brain develops according to stimulation. Animals that have  been  exposed  to  enhanced  activity  had 

enhanced brain growth. Their brains grow more and weigh more. Axon and dendrite  growth  and  the  development  of  synaptic  connections  vary, both according to the amount of stimulation and in relation to the type of stimulation. Schrott (1997) overviewed a number of studies, both animal and human that indicate the brain develops ‘profoundly’ in relation to the stimulation it receives. 

Muir, Dalhousie, and Mitchell (1975) demonstrated how the brains of kittens develop in early life in relation to vision. During the first four months of life the vision of kittens was confined to contours of a single orientation (using special lenses), either vertical or horizontal. Kittens that were raised where they could only view a vertical orientation of their surroundings during their first four months were later less able to see horizontal shapes, and kittens that were raised where they could only view a horizontal orientation of their surroundings during their first four months were later less able to see vertical shapes. Numerous other animal studies confirm that the brain develops according to the particular type of stimulation it receives (Levin, 2010; Wilkinson & Frances, 1995; Blakemore, 1987; Wark, Peck, & Carol, 1982; Buisseret, Gary-Bobo, & Imbery, 1982). This indicates that the brain grows according to the exact stimulation it receives. This is how we grow our personal set of Resource States, by growing them with the stimulation they get while we practice our coping skills. 

Not only do brains grow according to stimulation, but existing synapses fire more easily with repetitive practice.  The first time something is attempted, whether it is a physical activity or mental learning task, ability is normally low, but with repetition the same activity or task may become easy and commonplace (Brych & Fisher, 2011).