Towards Neuroprotective Care — A New Direction for Psychology

The British Psychological Society recently published an important piece titled Towards Neuroprotective Care, exploring how inflammation and early brain changes in conditions such as schizophrenia are reshaping our understanding of psychological care.

It’s a quietly revolutionary idea — one that challenges us to stop separating the mind from the brain, and instead to see psychological work as something that can help protect the nervous system itself.

Why this matters

For too long, psychological distress has been treated as if it begins and ends with thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. But research now shows that inflammation, immune activation and neural change can all contribute to — and be influenced by — our mental states.

In other words, the brain is not just a stage where the mind performs; it’s part of the drama itself.

When we wait for symptoms to fully develop before offering help, we risk missing the window where care could be neuroprotective — preserving brain health and relational capacity before decline sets in.

What this means for therapy

For therapists and clinicians, this calls for a more integrated model of care — one that holds both the biological and the relational in the same field.

It means:

• Having conversations about brain health alongside meaning and story.

• Recognising the role of sleep, nutrition, inflammation and nervous system regulation in emotional recovery.

• Collaborating with medical and holistic practitioners where appropriate, rather than working in silos.

• Seeing early distress as an opportunity for prevention, not just treatment.

From a Gestalt perspective

In Gestalt psychotherapy, we already understand the person as an integrated system — body, mind and environment in continuous interaction. The concept of neuroprotective care takes this one step further: it invites us to consider how our relational presence, our attunement, and our attention to the whole field may actually support brain repair and protection.

In my own practice, I often see how trauma, chronic stress, and emotional overwhelm leave traces not only in the psyche, but in the nervous system. A neuroprotective approach doesn’t replace therapy as we know it — it deepens it. It means we attend to the nervous system as carefully as we attend to the story.

Looking forward

This emerging field asks us to be both humble and hopeful — to stay curious about how psychological care can contribute to brain health, and how relational repair might be one of the most powerful neuroprotective acts of all.

If you’d like to read more, you can find the full article on the BPS website here:👉 Towards Neuroprotective Care