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Being in rhythm: dissociative attunement in therapeutic process
1Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University, USA. khopenwasser@gmail.com
Summary
Dissociative attunement is a rhythmic therapeutic encounter where clinicians resonate with patients' emotional states. This process, involving shared self-states, can paradoxically seem like misattunement but offers therapeutic insights.
Area of Science:
- Psychotherapy
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
Background:
- Dissociative attunement is a complex therapeutic phenomenon.
- It involves a synchronized, nonlinear, and bidirectional awareness between therapist and patient.
- Existing concepts like empathic attunement and implicit relational knowing inform its understanding.
Observation:
- Clinicians act as "microtonal tuning forks," resonating with subtle emotional shifts.
- This resonance forms the basis of dissociative attunement.
- Dissociative attunements involve self-emergent moments where multiple self-states are shared non-projectively.
Findings:
- Dissociative attunements can paradoxically manifest as misattunement in clinical practice.
- The study uses clinical vignettes to illustrate these paradoxical presentations.
- It synthesizes theoretical concepts to explain these unique therapeutic moments.
Implications:
- Dissociative attunement can be understood as a valuable therapeutic tool.
- It also presents a potential pathway to vicarious traumatization for clinicians.
- Further understanding can refine therapeutic interventions and clinician support.
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