Curiosity is more than just an objective fascination about how things work. Curiosity is a necessary state of mind for receiving information and for what can be created with that information. Any state of mind is reflected in a activity in the brain and so we should all be curious about what are the best conditions for curiosity and what are the productive outcomes. This presentation explores all those possibilities and presents a series of conclusions that point to a discernible “curiosity network” in the brain. We also explore the neurobiochemical milieu of curiosity and the benefits for mental and emotional wellbeing. It seems apparent that curiosity is more than just one dimension of investigation for information. Information also emerges serendipitously from play. There is then an urge to integratively utilise that information to produce something of value and meaningful. These three elements can be shown to be irreducible, leading to the concept of curiosity for investigation, playful serendipity, and the emergence of meaningful self-relevance. This is now described as “dynamic curiosity”. During the presentation we will engage in all three dimensions of curiosity, both informationally and experientially.
Richard Hill MA, MEd, MBMSc, PhD(c)
Richard Hill is a practicing psychotherapist in Sydney, Australia, a supervisor, author and lecturer worldwide. He is the Managing Editor and Education Director for The Science of Psychotherapy online academy; the Science Director of CIPPS psychotherapy college in Salerno, Italy; and currently a doctoral candidate at Western Sydney University, in Australia. He operates online and travels the world teaching and training therapists. This year his schedule includes the USA, Turkey, and Switzerland, always culminating in a return to Salerno to teach students at CIPPS and, this year, to co-convene the CIPPS conference – The Evolving Landscape of Psychotherapy in the Mind-Body Era. Richard has written numerous books, chapters, papers and articles, most importantly The Practitioner’s Guide to Mirroring Hands with Ernest Rossi and The Practitioner’s Guide to the Science of Psychotherapy with Matthew Dahlitz.
Website: www.richardhill.com.au
Contact: richard@richardhill.com.au