Investigating Memory Reconsolidation as a Fundamental Mechanism of Therapeutic Change and a Link Between Neuroscience and Psychotherapy: A Narrative Review

Sustainable changes in psychotherapy are formed based on its underlying mechanisms. One of these key mechanisms is Memory Reconsolidation. This biological process involves updating and modifying memory information and is introduced as a fundamental mechanism of change in psychotherapy that leads to transformational changes. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate memory reconsolidation as a fundamental mechanism of therapeutic change that bridges neuroscience and psychotherapy.

This study is a narrative review derived from a PhD dissertation in psychology, in which articles related to the keywords (Memory Reconsolidation, psychotherapy, and therapeutic change) were collected through searches in the reputable scientific databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, Scopus, and the Google Scholar search engine, within the time frame of 1985-2024. In total, 48 articles related to the topic and objectives of the research were extracted from the full-text English language articles.

Studies show that memory reconsolidation is a common mechanism of change among psychotherapy approaches, and through changes in memory structure, updating and modification of maladaptive memories, and ultimately cognitive-emotional reconstruction, it can cause lasting and profound changes in psychological problems and disorders.

The results showed that the convergence of neuroscience and psychotherapy through this mechanism is considered a new step in the development of more efficient treatment methods. Accordingly, focusing on memory reconsolidation in psychotherapy can significantly enhance the effectiveness of treatment and lead to profound and transformational changes in clients. Therefore, it is suggested that future research should focus on developing therapeutic models based on the mechanism of memory reconsolidation.