COGNITIVE REFLEX THERAPY THEORETICAL CONCEPTS

The basic assumption behind Cognitive Reflex Therapy echoes the idea of language (narratives) influencing emotions, and behavior via the formation of cogntive arcs (stimulus/response protocols) influence by  linguistic/symbolic bio/cultural processes, social learning and psycho-physiological factors. Cultural information embracing all forms of language (narratives), become internalized programs (cognitives arcs), emotions  are clustered or grouped based on similarities (e.g.: fear, danger, joy, etc.). Cognitive Reflex Therapy resounds the concept of emotion as a pre-formed or pre-learned thought structure (cognitive arc) and pattern of internalized actions or muscle memories (behavioral arcs), ranging from the most elementary reflex pattern to profound philosophical thoughts of personal behaviors and selective perception and actions with the purpose of maintaining homeostatic balance and avoiding limbic disonance or chemical imbalance. 

Cognitive Reflex Therapy further advocates that during communication between an actor and a field (another actor, the environment, an idea, etc.) an arc is activated between the stimulus is produced and the response it elicits. The evoking stimulus is compared with previously obtained information that has been encoded in thought structures and patterns of internalized actions (muscle memories), called primary emotions, (fear, anger, pain and joy). Thus, if the energy generated by the stimulus (the meaning of the communication or narrative) is within the “normal range”, yielding cognitive resonance, no homeostatic imbalance is produced and the information is processed by higher cortical functions of the brain (e.g.: "reasoning" or information deemed safe, no dissonace or activation of fear). However, if the stimulus generated, in fact, is outside the “normal range”, when compared to previous information (e.g.: a new stimulus or a threat to homeostatic balance), it produces cognitive dissonance. Dissonance (activation of fear arcs), an evokes a sub-cortical response at the amygdala level, by triggering a synergistic reaction (chemical) of our most primitive and potent feelings, capable of activating idea/motor (muscle memory) mechanisms for self preservation (flight, fight, freeze), rendering the actor more effective  during the process of adaptation stress.

 Cognitive Reflex Therapy postulates emotion as a cognitive reflex arc activated by an actor communicating with a field.  As the actor and the field interact, energy (stimuli) is produced activating sensories mechanisms in relation to what or who I am, I do and Ihave. The sensory information is evaluated and compared with a repository of ancestral and learned (cultural) impressions, images and thoughts, leading to motor response of self-preservation (muscle memory), if necessary.  If the information creates cognitive dissonance and is deemed a threat to homeostatic balance, the actor will act on the field by increasing or conserving energy to regain homeostatic balance.  At other times, in an attempt to gain homeostatic balance, the actor might cycle energy rapidly, risking an endopic reaction, also referred to as anxiety.  This mechanism involves the independent processing of mental expressions and the reflexive integration of sensory input and idea/motor (muscle memory) output called emotions or a cognitive reflex. 

 Cognitive Reflex Therapy views emotion as a process in response to an actual or perceived adaptation to an intense stress, embracing all circumstances good and bad, internal and external. Emotion can mediate or bypass cognitive processes (neocortex functions) related to information processing and rationality, for a time, depending on the intensity of the evoking stimuli.  This process is viewed as dynamic, where new clusters or schema of information and experiences (both bio?cultural and environmental) are constantly being formed and integrated into the limbic system/amygdala and the cortex.  This process is achieved via the thalamus’ ability to relate information simultaneously to the amygdala and the cortex, as described by LeDoux (1993, 1994). The magnitude and interpretation of the evoking stimuli will be the determining factor in maintaining resonance and homeostatic balance and/or cognitive dissonance or adaptation stress. Garcia (1997) coined Cognitive Reflex Therapy in a paper presented at, The American Society on Aging Annual Conference, since his preliminary clinical work was with children and the elderly.