1
|
Kykyri VL, Nyman-Salonen P, Tschacher W, Tourunen A, Penttonen M, Seikkula J. Exploring the role of emotions and conversation content in interpersonal synchrony: A case study of a couple therapy session. Psychother Res 2024:1-17. [PMID: 38861657 DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2024.2361432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This exploratory study investigated the association between interpersonal movement and physiological synchronies, emotional processing, and the conversational structure of a couple therapy session using a multimodal, mixed-method approach. METHOD The video recordings of a couple therapy session, in which the participants' electrodermal activity was recorded, were analyzed. The session was divided into topical episodes, a qualitative analysis was conducted on each topical episode's emotional aspects, conversational structure and content. In addition, movement and physiological synchrony were calculated in each topical episode. Regression models were used to discover the associations between qualitative variables and synchronies. RESULTS Physiological synchrony was associated with the emotional aspects of the session and to episodes in which the spouses' relationship was addressed, while movement synchrony was only related to emotional valence. No association between synchrony and conversational structure was found. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that physiological and movement synchrony play distinct roles in psychotherapy. The exploratory study sheds light on the association between momentary synchrony, emotions, and conversational structure in a couple therapy session.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virpi-Liisa Kykyri
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Petra Nyman-Salonen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Wolfgang Tschacher
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anu Tourunen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Markku Penttonen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jaakko Seikkula
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lagogianni C, Georgaca E, Christoforidou D. Co-therapy in Open Dialogue: Transforming therapists' self in a shared space. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1083502. [PMID: 36760442 PMCID: PMC9905831 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1083502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to explore co-therapists' relationship and how therapists' individual presence influences this relationship in Open Dialogue. Although co-therapy is key in Open Dialogue network meetings, the processes of that relationship remain largely understudied. The study applied thematic analysis to semi-structured interviews with 20 Open Dialogue trained therapists working in public and private sectors internationally. The results indicate that therapists are present in a meeting with their experiencing and professional self. Specific co-therapy processes allow co-therapists to attune to one another verbally and physically, creating a shared space that promotes new common understandings, shared responsibility and ultimately a transformation of each therapist's self and practice. Trust between co-therapists seems to be a prerequisite for co-therapy to flourish. Results of the present study reveal a dynamic influence of co-therapy practice, in which co-therapy promotes a more dialogical personality and allows the therapists' own transformation, which in turn enables common understandings and sharing of responsibility. Considering the growing interest in dialogical approaches and Open Dialogue trainings, trainers, supervisors, and practitioners need to be aware of and attend to the dynamics of co-therapy relationship in order to care for themselves, their team and ultimately the networks they collaborate with.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Lagogianni
- School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece,*Correspondence: Christina Lagogianni, ✉
| | - Eugenie Georgaca
- School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bradford AB, Johnson LN. What to expect physiologically when you're expecting couples in therapy: A Changing Hearts and Minds in relationshiPS (CHAMPS) descriptive study. JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 2023; 49:222-241. [PMID: 36378837 DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Recent efforts to improve marital therapy interventions have begun investigating psychophysiologic processes in therapy. These studies are novel and represent initial investigations into relevant phenomena associated with the therapy process. Grounded in Polyvagal Theory, this study introduces an on-going multimethod couple therapy process research (CHAMPS) and highlights the importance of establishing norms among distressed couples in therapy, which can provide context for other studies' results and instigate further investigation of physiology in marital therapy. Using a sample of 24 married, heterosexual couples (N = 48), we examine trends in markers of sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) functioning; namely, electrodermal activity (SNS), cardiac impedence (SNS), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (PNS) before and during therapy sessions and shifts in these measures over the course of four therapy sessions. We discuss clinical implications and provide recommendations for further investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lee N Johnson
- School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Utah, Provo, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kailanko S, Wiebe SA, Tasca GA, Laitila AA, Allan R. Somatic experience of emotion in emotionally focused couple therapy: Experienced trainer therapists' views and experiences. JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 2022; 48:677-692. [PMID: 34297417 DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In general, arousal of emotions is often felt and expressed as a somatic experience in the body. In Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), the deepening of emotional experiencing enables therapeutic change. This research explores the experiences of eight experienced EFT trainer therapists regarding their somatic experiences in their work with couples. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis of transcribed in-depth interviews, this research data yielded three core themes that captured therapists' experiences of using their own and couples' somatic experiences in therapy: (1) the importance and relevance of somatic experiences, (2) therapists' use of their own somatic experiences, and (3) working with clients' somatic experiences. The findings suggest that therapists do focus on their own and couples' somatic experiences in their work with couples, and that EFT therapists could benefit from a map to guide therapists how to focus on felt, somatic experiences as a way of maintaining an emphasis on emotional experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Robert Allan
- University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lord SA. COVID Couple Therapy: Telehealth and Somatic Action Techniques. THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF FAMILY THERAPY 2022; 43:197-209. [PMID: 35942399 PMCID: PMC9347793 DOI: 10.1002/anzf.1487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In March of 2020, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, therapists quickly transitioned to telehealth platforms to provide their services. Teletherapy, while subject to some constraints, presents unique opportunities to work creatively with couples, particularly during these uncertain times. This paper offers a case study of work with a couple using systemic, developmental attachment, dialogical, and somatic trauma theories. Action techniques, including doubling, ideal futures creation, and a foam roller trust exercise are employed to facilitate change processes as couples face the chaos and unknowns of the pandemic and the difficulties that have become triggered between them. These exercises help to open perspective, increase awareness, and lower resistance to change. Couples are able to physically enact and metabolise alternative realities while discharging excess energies in familiar surroundings.
Collapse
|
6
|
Avdi E, Paraskevopoulos E, Lagogianni C, Kartsidis P, Plaskasovitis F. Studying Physiological Synchrony in Couple Therapy through Partial Directed Coherence: Associations with the Therapeutic Alliance and Meaning Construction. ENTROPY 2022; 24:e24040517. [PMID: 35455180 PMCID: PMC9025171 DOI: 10.3390/e24040517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In line with the growing recognition of the role of embodiment, affect and implicit processes in psychotherapy, several recent studies examine the role of physiological synchrony in the process and outcome of psychotherapy. This study aims to introduce Partial Directed Coherence (PDC) as a novel approach to calculating psychophysiological synchrony and examine its potential to contribute to our understanding of the therapy process. The study adopts a single-case, mixed-method design and examines physiological synchrony in one-couple therapy in relation to the therapeutic alliance and a narrative analysis of meaning construction in the sessions. Interpersonal Physiological Synchrony (IPS) was calculated, via a windowed approach, through PDC of a Heart Rate Variability-derived physiological index, which was measured in the third and penultimate sessions. Our mixed-method analysis shows that PDC quantified significant moments of IPS within and across the sessions, modeling the characteristics of interpersonal interaction as well as the effects of therapy on the interactional dynamics. The findings of this study point to the complex interplay between explicit and implicit levels of interaction and the potential contribution of including physiological synchrony in the study of interactional processes in psychotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evrinomy Avdi
- Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece; (C.L.); (F.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-231-099-7363
| | | | - Christina Lagogianni
- Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece; (C.L.); (F.P.)
| | - Panagiotis Kartsidis
- School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Fotis Plaskasovitis
- Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece; (C.L.); (F.P.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mylona A, Avdi E, Paraskevopoulos E. Alliance rupture and repair processes in psychoanalytic psychotherapy: multimodal in-session shifts from momentary failure to repair. COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY QUARTERLY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09515070.2021.2013162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mylona
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evrinomy Avdi
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nyman-Salonen P, Kykyri VL, Penttonen M. Challenges and added value of measuring embodied variables in psychotherapy. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1058507. [PMID: 36590641 PMCID: PMC9800897 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1058507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on embodied aspects of clinical encounters is growing, but discussion on the premises of including embodied variables in empirical research is scarce. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that embodied aspects of psychotherapy interaction are vital in developing a therapeutic alliance, and these should be considered to better understand the change process in psychotherapy. However, the field is still debating which methods should be used and which features of the embodied aspects are relevant in the clinical context. The field lacks methodological consistency as well as a theoretical model. In the Relational Mind research project, we have studied the embodied aspects of interaction in the context of couple therapy for almost a decade and have gained experience with the positive and negative aspects of studying embodied variables in quantitative and qualitative studies. We have set out to develop the methodology (or procedures) for studying embodied variables in a multiperson setting, concentrating on interpersonal synchrony of sympathetic nervous system responses and movements, and we have strived to create methods for integrating information from different embodied modalities. In this narrative review, we share our experiences of the challenges and added value of studying embodied aspects in psychotherapy. The research field urgently needs an ongoing discussion of what researchers should take into consideration when studying the embodied aspects of interaction. We urge researchers to collaborate between research groups to jointly decide on the basic parameters of studies on the different embodied modalities of the research so that the individual researcher can become more aware of the impact the methodological choices have on their studies, results, and interpretations. We also see the use of embodied variables as having added value in the clinical work of psychotherapists, since it not only deepens our understanding about what is helpful in psychotherapy but will enable fine-tuning therapy processes to better suit clients who are verbally less fluent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Petra Nyman-Salonen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Virpi-Liisa Kykyri
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Markku Penttonen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Artigas Miralles L, Vilaregut Puigdesens A, Feixas Viaplana G, Mateu Martínez C, Seikkula J, Vall Castelló B. Dialogue and Dominance in Couple Therapy for Depression: Exploring Therapists' Responses in Creating Collaborative Moments. FAMILY PROCESS 2020; 59:1080-1093. [PMID: 31531860 DOI: 10.1111/famp.12494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous investigations have found specific communication patterns in couples dealing with depression, specifically when depression concurs with conjugal conflicts. The presence of these patterns can reflect couples' difficulties in engaging in collaborative communication during their sessions, posing a real challenge for therapists. This exploratory study uses a dialogical approach to examine issues of dominance and type of dialogue in two couples who differed in terms of their levels of dyadic adjustment. The therapists' reactions were explored in order to detect the kinds of responses that were most effective at engendering a collaborative attitude in therapy sessions. The method used to analyze the dialogue was Dialogical Investigations of Happenings of Change (DIHC). Results on dominance indicated that the degree of quantitative and semantic dominance displayed by a different member of the couple in each case was illustrative of their relational dynamics, while in both cases interactional dominance was exercised by the therapists. Results on dialogue revealed that dialogic dialogue might help to coconstruct new shared meanings of depression. The findings indicated that certain responses by therapists as part of the dialogue could be useful in bringing about a reduction in hostility between the members of a couple, provided that the responses are maintained over the course of the session. Some research and clinical implications that emerge from the results are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes Artigas Miralles
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences, FPCEE Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Vilaregut Puigdesens
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences, FPCEE Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Guillem Feixas Viaplana
- Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Mateu Martínez
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences, FPCEE Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaakko Seikkula
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Berta Vall Castelló
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences, FPCEE Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Lebow JL. Editorial: The Systemic in Couple and Family Research and Couple and Family Therapy. FAMILY PROCESS 2020; 59:3-9. [PMID: 32119753 DOI: 10.1111/famp.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jay L Lebow
- Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Significant Moments in a Couple Therapy Session: Towards the Integration of Different Modalities of Analysis. SYSTEMIC RESEARCH IN INDIVIDUAL, COUPLE, AND FAMILY THERAPY AND COUNSELING 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-36560-8_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
|