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Glass D, Yuill N. Evidence of mutual non-verbal synchrony in learners with severe learning disability and autism, and their support workers: a motion energy analysis study. Front Integr Neurosci 2024; 18:1353966. [PMID: 39055283 PMCID: PMC11269261 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2024.1353966] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Some research indicates that neurodivergent people are less likely than "neurotypical" people to adapt their movements to a partner's movements to facilitate interpersonal motor synchrony. Researchers therefore suggest synchrony deficits underlie the social differences associated with autism and other neurodivergences. Intensive Interaction (II) is a client-led approach, where Learning Support Workers (LSW) follow the lead of learners to create balanced and reciprocal interactions. Methods We aimed to examine the balance of synchrony in learners with autism and Severe Learning Disabilities and their LSWs in a special education college where learners had prior experience with II. Using Motion Energy Analysis, we assessed the degree to which each partner acted as a leader, and hence which partner acted as a follower, during moments of close synchrony. Results Overall, learners and LSWs showed higher than chance synchrony. There were no differences in the degree to which each partner led the moments of synchrony, or the amount pairs synchronized with zero-lag, where there was no delay between each partners' movements. Discussion The equal balance of leading and following in the learner and LSW pairs demonstrates that both partners consistently adapted their movements to their partner's movements to facilitate synchrony. The findings tentatively challenge the notion of a synchrony deficit in autism and suggest synchrony can be present in cross-neurotype pairs in comfortable and engaging conditions. We discuss the potential for client-led, movement-based approaches to support smooth interactions across neurotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devyn Glass
- Children and Technology Lab, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Yuill
- The Children and Technology Lab, Autism Community Research Network Sussex, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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Wessler J, Gebhard P, Zilcha-Mano S. Investigating movement synchrony in therapeutic settings using socially interactive agents: an experimental toolkit. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1330158. [PMID: 38380119 PMCID: PMC10877720 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1330158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Janet Wessler
- Affective Computing Group, Cognitive Assistants, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Patrick Gebhard
- Affective Computing Group, Cognitive Assistants, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Sigal Zilcha-Mano
- Psychotherapy Research Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Høgenhaug SS, Kongerslev MT, Kjaersdam Telléus G. The role of interpersonal coordination dynamics in alliance rupture and repair processes in psychotherapy-A systematic review. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1291155. [PMID: 38239459 PMCID: PMC10794593 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1291155] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The purpose of this systematic review is to expand our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of the alliance in psychotherapy. This is done by examining the association between alliance rupture and repair processes and interpersonal coordination dynamics. Method A systematic review based on PRISMA guidelines was conducted, aimed at papers investigating the association between alliance rupture and repair episodes and different behavioral modalities (i.e., physiology, movement) in the psychotherapeutic interaction. Seventeen studies were included for full text-analysis. Results The results indicate that rupture and repair episodes were associated with interpersonal coordination dynamics. Different modalities (movement, heart rate, and vocalization) were found to serve as markers for alliance rupture and repair events. Facial expressions, physiological arousal, vocalization, and behavior were found to play important roles in the therapeutic interaction in relation to mutual emotion regulation, empathic response, safety, trust, and meaning-making. Discussion Limitations of this review are discussed, including the great methodological variation and selection bias observed in the reviewed studies. Recommendations for future research in this area are presented. Overall, interpersonal coordination dynamics was found to have the potential to help identify and manage alliance ruptures and foster repairs in the therapeutic interaction, which has high potential for future clinical work and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. S. Høgenhaug
- Clinic North, Psychiatric Hospital, Bronderslev, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - M. T. Kongerslev
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Mental Health Services West, Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - G. Kjaersdam Telléus
- Psychiatry, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
- Psychology, Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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Lau I, Schaefer LM, Brons S, Koch F, Utz FJ, Metodiev S, Meyer AL, Rapp N, Lahmann C, Schmidt S, Bauer PR. Alterations in the Experience of Time, Space, and Intersubjectivity and the Interaction with Pre-Existent Psychopathology during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychopathology 2022; 55:143-155. [PMID: 35290977 PMCID: PMC9059050 DOI: 10.1159/000522345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to protect the physically vulnerable may disproportionately affect people with mental health vulnerabilities, who receive psychotherapeutic inpatient treatment, as many of these measures impact the (inter)subjective space crucial to psychotherapy. OBJECTIVE We investigate how people with pre-existing mental health conditions and healthcare professionals experienced changes linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS During the first COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in spring 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and healthcare professionals at a clinic for psychosomatic medicine in Germany and analyzed them following the principles of descriptive phenomenology focusing on social interactions, intersubjectivity, and the therapeutic space. RESULTS We conducted a total of >30 h of interviews with 19 patients and 17 healthcare professionals. Analyses revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and the related measures have led to a sudden loss of a sense of normality. Participants experienced changes in the perception of time, space, self, and embodied interaction with others, resulting in a profound feeling of alienation and "unhomeliness" which seemed to magnify pre-existing psychopathology. The inpatient psychotherapeutic environment provided safety by offering spatial and temporal structures and opportunities for social interaction, supporting people to find new ways to be in a changed world. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that despite the threat of infection, it is vital to continue to provide people with psychological vulnerabilities with a safe therapeutic space in which to regain a sense of safety in a changed world. This is particularly important, as those people seem to suffer intensely from the collateral measures of a pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Lau
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laura Melanie Schaefer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Brons
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Koch
- Faculty of Medicine, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Franca Johanna Utz
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stanislav Metodiev
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Louise Meyer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nathalie Rapp
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Claas Lahmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Schmidt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Prisca Rachel Bauer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Tourunen A, Nyman-Salonen P, Muotka J, Penttonen M, Seikkula J, Kykyri VL. Associations Between Sympathetic Nervous System Synchrony, Movement Synchrony, and Speech in Couple Therapy. Front Psychol 2022; 13:818356. [PMID: 35360617 PMCID: PMC8961511 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.818356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Research on interpersonal synchrony has mostly focused on a single modality, and hence little is known about the connections between different types of social attunement. In this study, the relationship between sympathetic nervous system synchrony, movement synchrony, and the amount of speech were studied in couple therapy. Methods Data comprised 12 couple therapy cases (24 clients and 10 therapists working in pairs as co-therapists). Synchrony in electrodermal activity, head and body movement, and the amount of speech and simultaneous speech during the sessions were analyzed in 12 sessions at the start of couple therapy (all 72 dyads) and eight sessions at the end of therapy (48 dyads). Synchrony was calculated from cross-correlations using time lags and compared to segment-shuffled pseudo synchrony. The associations between the synchrony modalities and speech were analyzed using complex modeling (Mplus). Findings Couple therapy participants' synchrony mostly occurred in-phase (positive synchrony). Anti-phase (negative) synchrony was more common in movement than in sympathetic nervous system activity. Synchrony in sympathetic nervous system activity only correlated with movement synchrony between the client-therapist dyads (r = 0.66 body synchrony, r = 0.59 head synchrony). Movement synchrony and the amount of speech correlated negatively between spouses (r = -0.62 body synchrony, r = -0.47 head synchrony) and co-therapists (r = -0.39 body synchrony, r = -0.28 head synchrony), meaning that the more time the dyad members talked during the session, the less bodily synchrony they exhibited. Conclusion The different roles and relationships in couple therapy were associated with the extent to which synchrony modalities were linked with each other. In the relationship between clients and therapists, synchrony in arousal levels and movement "walked hand in hand", whereas in the other relationships (spouse or colleague) they were not linked. Generally, more talk time by the therapy participants was associated with anti-phase movement synchrony. If, as suggested, emotions prepare us for motor action, an important finding of this study is that sympathetic nervous system activity can also synchronize with that of others independently of motor action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Tourunen
- 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
| | - Joona Muotka
- 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
| | - Virpi-Liisa Kykyri
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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Brambilla P, Bressi C, Biagianti B. An attachment-based framework for disordered personality development: Implications for intersubjective psychodynamic psychotherapy. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:970116. [PMID: 36329912 PMCID: PMC9623006 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.970116] [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: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infant-caregiver dyads show high heterogeneity in terms of compatibility. Several lines of evidence indicate that the modalities by which areas of good and poor fit were emotionally recognized and managed by caregivers influence the infant's personality development, the integration of their personality traits, the overall sense of authenticity, as well as the modalities of transference that typically manifest during psychodynamic psychotherapy. Within an intersubjective framework, the relationship between patient and psychotherapist will inevitably recreate compatibility issues, although the specific areas of incompatibility will likely differ from the scenarios present in the caregiver relationship. In other words, emotional friction may originate from personality traits that were not problematic in the first place. The author hypothesizes that disclosure of the challenges associated with the management of areas of incompatibility will not only promote emotional honesty within the dyad, but also offer an excellent opportunity for introjection. Such disclosures are not at risk of being interpreted as an attempt to build an intersubjective experience, but represent a window into authenticity, which in turn enables patients to develop awareness of their personality and relational traits, along with the challenges and vulnerabilities that occur when such traits interface with otherness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Bressi
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Bruno Biagianti
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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