Neurobiology Response
For reply posts, students must support their assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in the current APA format.
Respond to this discussion post below by Leah Cameron
Among the hundreds of neurological conditions, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is one of the most common neuro-genetically inherited disorders. CMT begins at conception as result of inherited genetic mutations. Symptoms manifest during childhood and progress (Menezes, 2022). The disease is characterized by dysfunction of peripheral nerves and progressive muscular weakness resulting in mobility challenges, pain, and loss of feeling (NINDS, 2023). The counseling implications for families facing Charcot-Marie-Tooth are myriad.
Prenatally, many expectant parents are utilizing chorion villi sampling or amniocentesis to screen for genetic mutations in utero. When a CMT diagnosis is made, expectant parents may seek counseling to process the unexpected news. They may be grappling with the idea of terminating a pregnancy rather than having a child that will face medical difficulties. Providing both psychoeducation on the stages of grief and the hormonal changes and how they affect women can be helpful as parents navigate these conversations.
Symptoms of CMT may emerge later in childhood or adolescence. At this point, parents may struggle with self-blame for their child’s condition. For Christian clients, it may be helpful to reflect with them on John Chapter 9 where Jesus heals a blind man. Contextually, the chapter was set during a time when the belief in Jewish culture was that disability came because of wrongdoing on the parents’ part. Jesus makes clear in verse three that this is not the case; “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (English Standard Version Bible, 2016, John. 9).
Both parents and child may struggle with the emotional and physical ramifications as CMT symptoms emerge and progress. Counseling the patient as they navigate the realities of day-to-day life with CMT may include helping them deal with trauma associated with receiving a lifelong, progressive diagnosis. Research on CMT has mostly focused on the physical symptomology, but there have been studies addressing the psychosocial impacts of muscular dystrophy, a disorder similar to CMT. Results from a study by Natterlund et al., “indicated that although the daily life of individuals with MD is ?lled with stress, they had adjusted to the disease and accepted their situation and had made the best of it (Arnold, 2005). When working with CMT patients with a Christian worldview, there is the opportunity to bolster a client making meaning of their experience with CMT. Pondering with them biblical figures who had physical limitations, such as a Moses’ stuttering, Mephibosheth’s crippled legs, or Jacob’s limp, a counselor may position the client to experience God’s peace and belief in His good plans amid challenging circumstances.
Turning to Newberg’s work “Spirituality and the Aging Brain”, empirical evidence buttresses the positive impacts of the spiritual disciplines on neurobiology. Such practices have been demonstrated to activate sympathetic and parasympathetic systems simultaneously, resulting in a “sense of overwhelming calmness as well as significant alertness” (Newberg, 2011). Providing psychoeducation to clients on the effects of spiritual practices such as prayer walking a labyrinth, creative prayer using art mediums, or perhaps praying the Psalms can provide help with symptom management.
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