In the realm of psychological and spiritual integration, Neuroscience Informed Christian Counseling® (NICC) stands out by offering a unique approach that combines deep spiritual truths with contemporary psychological insights. This article delves into the foundational concepts of NICC, such as the differentiation between the Core Self and the Constructed Self, and the role of Internal Working Models (IWMs) in shaping our perceptions and interactions.

We will explore how NICC categorizes these models into character structure domains, enhancing our understanding of human behavior in both optimal (self@best) and suboptimal (self@worst) conditions. By incorporating principles from neuroscience and biblical teachings, NICC aims to guide individuals towards a life of thriving, aligning one’s personal growth with God’s design and the unique expression of their soul’s DNA.

The Core vs Constructed Self

Core Self (“I”)

The Core Self in NICC is described as an innate, non-thought, non-verbal felt sense of self that is present from the earliest moments of life. This aspect of self arises from the interaction between the soul and the brain’s subcortical midline structures. It reflects the “DNA of the soul”—the unique spiritual blueprint endowed by God, which guides an individual’s inherent talents, giftings, and divine purpose. The Core Self is characterized by qualities such as compassion, curiosity, calmness, and confidence, and remains relatively constant throughout life.

Constructed Self (“Me”)

The Constructed Self, in contrast, develops through lived experiences and is shaped by interactions with the environment, including caregivers, peers, cultural influences, and life events. It involves a complex layering of IWMs that encode how to relate to the world and others. These models are dynamic and change over time, reflecting an accumulation of life experiences. The Constructed Self can be segmented into two aspects:

• Constructed Self at Best (s@b): This reflects an optimal state of being, where experiences align with God’s design and are congruent with the Core Self, facilitating personal and spiritual growth.
• Constructed Self at Worst (s@w): This consists of maladaptive IWMs formed from trauma or negative experiences, leading to a state that is misaligned with both the Core Self and God’s design.

Internal Working Models

Internal Working Models (IWMs), the fundamental building blocks of the constructed self, are psychological constructs that develop early in life and continue to influence behavior, emotions, and social interactions throughout an individual’s lifetime. These models are essentially cognitive frameworks that help us interpret and navigate our social world, primarily derived from our interactions with primary caregivers and significant relationships.

Formation of IWMs

IWMs are formed based on our earliest experiences with attachment figures. These experiences teach us what to expect from others, how to approach relationships, and how we view ourselves in the context of those relationships. Over time, these working models help us predict and control our environment, guiding how we relate to others and ourselves.

Self@Best Internal Working Models form from helpful experiences, where conditions for thriving are met consistently and reliably. These IWMs support thriving by encoding helpful instructions for navigating life in each of the character structure developmental domains (Connection, Independence, Reality, Feelings, and Spirituality). Conversely, unhelpful experiences, not supportive of conditions for thriving, result in unhelpful IWMs that require transforming.

Character Structure Developmental Domains

In the context of Neuroscience Informed Christian Counseling® (NICC), character structure domains are conceptual frameworks that help us organize IWM’s into categories. These categories in turn help us understand how our experiences shape our expectations and behaviors throughout life in important aspects of life.

Connection

This domain involves developing internal working models for forming safe, supportive relationships. Healthy connection models arise from experiences where primary caregivers are consistently available and responsive, enabling children to feel seen, understood, and safe. Thriving in this domain results in feeling unique, lovable, and confident in the stability and support of close relationships.

Example Helpful self@best IWMs of Connection:

• Believes that relationships are reliable sources of support and comfort.
• Feels worthy of love and expects openness and honesty in interactions.

Example Unhelpful self@worst IWMs Connection:

• Perceives relationships as inherently unstable and untrustworthy.
• Feels undeserving of affection and tends to withdraw from or sabotage close relationships.

Independence and Mastery

Here, the focus is on an individual’s ability to navigate the world with a distinct sense of self and purpose, while maintaining connections with others. Thriving is facilitated by secure attachments that encourage exploration and mastery, leading to autonomy and confidence in personal abilities.

Example Helpful self@best IWMs Independence:

• Sees self as capable and resourceful, able to tackle challenges independently.
• Maintains a healthy balance between seeking help when needed and asserting autonomy.

Example Unhelpful self@worst IWMs Indepence:

• Doubts own abilities and feels helpless without external assistance.
• Overestimates independence to the point of rejecting any form of support, viewing it as a weakness.

Reality (Realistic Expectations and Limits for Self and Others)

This domain emphasizes the importance of having realistic expectations and limits for oneself and others. It involves developing an internal framework that guides individuals on when and how to push themselves and when to accept limits. Thriving here is marked by a balanced view of oneself and others, with appropriate boundaries and realistic expectations.

Example Helpful self@best IWMs of Reality:

• Understands personal limitations and sets realistic goals and expectations for self and others.
• Accepts that perfection is unattainable and is compassionate towards self and others when mistakes occur.

Example Unhelpful self@worst IWMs Reality:

• Holds unrealistically high or low expectations for self and others, leading to frequent disappointment and frustration.
• Struggles with setting boundaries, either by letting others overstep or by being overly rigid and inflexible.

Feelings

Central to this domain is the development of emotional intelligence—recognizing, appreciating, understanding, and informing behavior based on emotional experiences. A thriving model in this domain includes empathy, emotional attunement, validation, regulation, awareness, and expressive capabilities.

Example Helpful self@best IWMs of Feelings:

• Comfortable with a wide range of emotions; uses emotions as guides for decision-making and understanding personal needs.
• Communicates feelings effectively and listens empathetically to others, fostering mutual understanding.

Example Unhelpful self@worst IWMs of Feelings:

• Fears emotions, particularly those perceived as negative or vulnerable, leading to suppression or explosive outbursts.
• Struggles to understand or articulate emotional experiences, which hampers personal relationships and self-awareness.

Spirituality

In NICC, this domain involves internal working models that enable individuals to relate to God as a loving Father, aligning experiential understanding with biblical teachings. Thriving involves developing a personal relationship with God, supported by biblical teaching, prayer, community worship, and acts of service.

Example Helpful self@best IWMs of Spirituality:

• Feels deeply connected to God and integrates faith into daily life, experiencing it as a source of strength and guidance.
• Open to questioning and exploring spiritual beliefs, leading to a robust and personalized faith that withstands life’s challenges.

Example Unhelpful self@worst IWMs of Spirituality:

• Feels abandoned by God or unworthy of divine love, leading to spiritual disconnection or crisis.
• Holds rigid, unexamined spiritual beliefs that prevent personal growth and limit understanding of different perspectives.

Thriving and the Expression of the Soul’s DNA

In NICC, Thriving is the ultimate expression of the Core Self, achieved when an individual’s life is fully aligned with God’s design. It involves realizing one’s created potential and living in deep connection with oneself and God. Thriving is characterized by continuous growth and transformation “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), embodying the divine aspiration and infinite potential within the individual.

To facilitate thriving, NICC therapy focuses on transforming Self@Worst IWMs into Self@Best IWMs, encouraging practices that reflect both psychological health and spiritual maturity. This transformation involves:

• Identifying and reworking maladaptive IWMs through therapeutic interventions.
• Integrating biblical truths and spiritual practices that reinforce an individual’s identity in Christ.
• Encouraging practices that enhance understanding of one’s unique soul DNA, fostering a lifestyle that expresses this inherent design.

Thus, in NICC, the therapeutic journey is not only about healing psychological wounds but also about rediscovering and living out the divine blueprint embedded in every individual’s Core Self.

Keep Learning!

As we have journeyed through the intricate framework of Neuroscience Informed Christian Counseling® (NICC), we have uncovered how it seamlessly weaves together the strands of neuroscience, psychology, and Christian spirituality to support individuals in their pursuit of healing and thriving.

By understanding the interplay between the Core Self and Constructed Self, and how Internal Working Models shape our life’s narrative, NICC offers a profound pathway for personal transformation and spiritual growth. If you’re inspired to explore how these principles can impact your life or the lives of those around you, consider delving deeper into the world of NICC to discover how it can foster a deeper connection with oneself and with God.