Psychotherapy in the Framework of Embodied Cognition—Does Interpersonal Synchrony Influence Therapy Success?
Frontiers in Psychiatry March 22, 2021 M. A. Mende, Hendrik Schmidt
Interpersonal synchrony—the non-verbal coordination of movement and brain activity between two people—may help explain why some psychotherapy succeeds and other fails. A narrative review of studies on movement synchronization and on neurological correlates measured with EEG, fMRI, and fNIRS finds that the quality of the therapist-patient relationship is a robust predictor of outcome across therapy schools. Emerging evidence suggests that embodied cognition, which links thinking to bodily and neural processes, fits the data better than classical cognitivist views. However, whether interpersonal synchrony can be voluntarily achieved and how it directly affects therapy success remain open questions. Deeper investigation into these physical and neurological processes could reduce drop-out rates and healthcare costs.