I read an article recently on the evidence against trauma being stored in our bodies. It reminded me why I reviewed and removed the reference from our Better Conversations course when I came to be more actively involved in that project in 2022. I came across many of the same critiques and counterpoints the article raises and I decided that there was not enough evidence to convince me it was worthwhile following that path.
What was curious was how that article is perceived in some communities. An example of conceptual closure - a topic I will write about at more length in due course.
By conceptual closure I mean a closed system of knowledge that rejects external theories or philosophies. For the community I’m thinking of, the article unravels many of the beliefs they hold about themselves and their practice. It is safer to deny, to pretend the science is not established on this one. In one way, that response preserves integrity but it also means you lose perspective, so your preferred approaches are less applicable elsewhere. I think this is akin to confirmation bias in psychology.
I am also reading a fascinating book about educational technology. It suggests that when we create techniques to help us apply learning, those same techniques (affordances) come with constraints that are helpful or that can bind us. Repeated application of such techniques in this way makes it difficult to move outside the constraints and you find yourself trudging down a path whether you wish to or not.
I’m wondering if this is one way of conceptual closure happening and why it is so important to keep wandering off track once in a while to understand other patterns and other worldviews.