By Laurie F. Schwartz, L.M.H.C, M.S.
In the ongoing practice of psychotherapy clients and therapists exchange many words in the often frustrating attempt to make the therapeutic conversation come alive. In the midst of all the verbal communication what is often missing is the sense of both people being fully engaged and focused. Therapy can often too easily become reduced to people talking, communicating with words, and often ignoring the intense sense of life that can emerge when we tap into our immediate emotional and body-centered experience.
While many forms of communication take place outside of verbal dialogue, many therapists have ... Read the rest of this entry »
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This research is fantastic. I think there are probably too many times in the past where people have been able to fake their way through their sessions because of a lack of attention from a therapist or a counselor. It is crucial that these physical cues are picked up on, because as we all know, body language is a silent language that speaks volumes about what is really going on inside. I have noticed these same things in people who may say for example that everything is fine as they are nervously pacing or doing something else that they perceive to comfort them. I hope that there are others who get clued into this and take this to heart at each of their next therapy sessions. I think that it is this kind of research and work which will be the saving grace for many people and will once again allow therapy to be an essential and helpful tool for many to utilize and make better sense of their lives.
Wow, the work you have put forth here is amazing. It makes me appreciate the work I do with my therapist all the more. The attention and thought that goes into our sessions is not just one-sided!
I agree with Maggie and Lisa Marie. I am glad that people are starting to pay closer attention to not only the words coming from patients but also the nonverbal ways that they are communicating as well. I am sure this is going to help many patients be more successful with therapy than ever before.
Great article! I also agree that body language will give off some clues when there are not verbal language to pick up on. This research I believe is very needed.
Does this mean that good old fashioned talk therapy has been thrown to the wayside and that therapists now have to be mind readers too? Come on people! If you need help say what you mean and mean what you say so that these people who are trained to help you can do their jobs!
I applaud the therapist who can recognize the non verbal language. We need many, if not, all therapist to practice this and help the people who are afraid to verbalize their emotions and act upon the body language they are giving off.
There are so many people out there for whom communicating verbally is a threat yet they can never seem to hide their emotions and what they really have to say when it comes to non verbal communication. They do things like wring their hands, develop nervous facial tics, even roll their eyes and sigh. These are things that we all need to be on the lookout for. It is not always easy to get someone to talk about what is going on inside but you can typically get a good read from them based on their expressions and other forms of non verbal communication. I hope that more therapists can find a way to get in tune with their patients in this manner.
Thank you for a beautifully written article that can appeal to both the practitioner and the client- those familiar and unfamiliar with this topic.