Heartminded Parenting

Course overview

Neuroscience has allowed us to better understand the impact and long-lasting effects that early childhood experiences have on mental health, our subjective sense of satisfaction, and the capacity for emotional regulation. We are wired for love and compassion but find it difficult to connect with others. What is the parental role in children's development of their capacity for empathy and compassion? We will briefly discuss the existence of five circuits (systems) involved in parenting, the factors that create blockages to the parenting process, and how to foster a relationship with a child that could grant enough neuroprotection and neurostimulation so that the child can develop self-compassion and empathic concern for others. We will also discuss the essentials of the neuroscience of love and how three different stress systems interact in regulating emotions, developing trust, and being able to feel compassion. Then we will propose developmental stages of empathy and compassion parallel to cognitive, language, and psychosocial development and how parents can nurture compassion on themselves and the child.