The Neurobiology of Biophilia & Spatial Cognition

Course Summary and Learning Objectives

This course explores the neurobiology behind Biophilia’s most healing attribute: a visual connection to nature, which also happens to be the feature with the most robust peer-reviewed research backing its therapeutic qualities.

We learn about the connection between the immune system and sensory processing, as well as how environmental features precipitate a neural chemistry that modulates our attraction/aversion to the built environment.

The course unveils the healing potential of indoor sky illusions and how cognitive mechanisms map out our body’s location in relation to our immediate surroundings, as well as to perceived connections to nature. This understanding of how distinct areas of the brain assemble our embodied sense of place provide valuable insights in the design of enclosed interiors for human wellness.

Sky Factory offers two ways to earn CE credits. Individuals can register for our regularly scheduled sessions while organizations can schedule a course at a time that works for them.

Following This Course You Will be Able to:

Explain our physiology’s waking-rest activity cycle and how our surroundings help our psycho-physiology recharge throughout the day.

List the environmental patterns that trigger somatic makers–physiological memories that well up as emotions, which generate a powerful sense of place.

Discuss the implications of hemispheric dominance in visual processing and how the type of attention we pay alters our experience of our surroundings.

Define the neural pathways that trigger the release of endorphins when key environmental features are perceived, as well as their role in human wellness.

Explain the role distinct cortical regions play in locating our body in relation to our surroundings

Describe the role the place cells, natural environments, and memories all play in evoking a sense of place, and how biophilic illusions enhance enclosed interiors.