Synchrony and Reciprocity of Body Movements and Prosody Between Psychotherapist and Patient
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Psychotherapy - Gestalt psychotherapy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Relationship, Professional Patient. Basic parameters: 20 years — 60 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Italy
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Study on the Synchrony and Reciprocity of Bodily Movements and Prosody Between Psychotherapist and Patient During Psychotherapy
Overview
Modern psychotherapy focuses on co-regulation, where therapist and patient interactively manage emotions. This co-regulation is seen in nonverbal communication like facial expressions, gestures, and prosody (vocal pitchs). Studies show body movements and even skin conductance synchronize between patients and therapists during sessions. The RECiPROsody project builds on this by using technology (cameras, sensors) to record and analyze these synchronies in psychotherapy sessions. This project aims to understand how this "attunement" between therapist and patient contributes to successful therapy. Researchers will explore how patients and therapists interact using a mobile app that records video, audio, physiological signals (heart rate), and movements. Questionnaires will assess patient well-being and therapist experience. By studying these micro-processes, RECiPROsody hopes to gain insights into how the therapeutic relationship develops, including the connections between physical reactions, nonverbal communication, and overall progress. This knowledge can improve psychotherapeutic techniques and highlight the importance of the nonverbal communication in therapy.
Interventions
- Other Psychotherapy - Gestalt psychotherapy
Gestalt psychotherapy is an aesthetic-phenomenological approach that aims to improve self-awareness and integration by promoting emotional and relational well-being through what is happening in the present moment in the relationship with the therapist. The patient's current experiences are explored to better understand problems and behaviors and by promoting relational self-regulation
Primary outcome measures
- Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) [Time frame: The questionnaire will be administered to patients pre-intervention, before the start of psychotherapy [T0] and 6 months after the start of psychotherapy [T1].]
- Therapist Response Questionnaire (TRQ) [Time frame: The questionnaire will be filled out by psychotherapists after the first 4 psychotherapy sessions and every 4 sessions.]
- Aesthetic Relational Knowing of the Therapist (ARK-T) [Time frame: The questionnaire will be filled out by psychotherapists after the first 4 psychotherapy sessions.]
- Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Assessment (CORE-A) [Time frame: The instrument will be filled out by the therapist after the first 4 sessions.]
- Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - End of therapy (CORE-E) [Time frame: The instrument will be filled out by the therapist 6 months after the start of psychotherapy [T1].]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Male and female adults between the ages of 20 and 60 years old who are referred to the HCC Italy Clinical and Psychotherapy Research Center
Exclusion criteria
- Patients under 20 years of age
- Presence of paranoid or psychotic symptoms
- Admissions to psychiatric Operative Units that have occurred within the last year since the start of psychotherapy at the HCC Italy Clinical and Psychotherapy Research Center
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Italy · 1 center
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR) — Messina
Publications
- Gallese, V. (2009). Mirror neurons, embodied simulation, and the neural basis of social identification. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 19(5), 519-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481880903231910
- Reinecke K.C.H., Dvoretska1 D., Joraschky P., Lausberg H. (2020). Fidgeting Behavior During Psychotherapy: Hand Movement Structure Contains Information About Depressive Symptoms. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 50:323-329 doi: 10.1007/s10879-020-09465-5
- Schore J., Schore A. (2008). Modern attachment theory: the central role of affect regulation in development and treatment. Clin. Soc. Work J. 36: 9-20. doi: 10.1007/s10615-007-0111-7
- Tschacher W, Meier D. Physiological synchrony in psychotherapy sessions. Psychother Res. 2020 Jun;30(5):558-573. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2019.1612114. Epub 2019 May 6. PMID 31060474
- Wampold, B.E., Imel, Z. E. (2015). The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work. Abingdom: Routledge.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06463951 · CNR-IRIB-PRO-2024-006