The Relational Mind in Couple Therapy: A Bateson‐Inspired View of Human Life as an Embodied Stream. Issue 4 (22nd July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Seikkula, Jaakko; Karvonen, Anu; Kykyri, Virpi‐Liisa; Penttonen, Markku; Nyman‐Salonen, Petra
• Is Part Of: Family process. Volume 57:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 855
• Page End: 866
• Publication Date: 2018-07-22
• Subjects: Couple Therapy -- Autonomic Nervous System -- Embodiment -- Dialogism; terapia de pareja -- sistema nervioso autónomo -- corporización -- dialogismo; 伴侣心理治疗 -- 交感神经系统 -- 具体化 -- 对话; Family psychotherapy -- Periodicals; Families -- Periodicals; 616.8915
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12382
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-7370

Abstract

Abstract : Research on human intersubjectivity has found that humans participate in a dialogue throughout their life, and that this is manifested not only via language, but also nonverbally, with the entire body. Such an understanding of human life has brought into focus some basic systemic ideas concerning the human relational mind. For Gregory Bateson, the mind works as a system, formed from components that are in continuous interaction with each other. In our Relational Mind research project, we followed twelve couple therapy processes involving two therapists per session, looking at the ways in which the four participants attuned to each other with their bodies, including their autonomic nervous system activity. Using observations from the project, we here describe the ways through which the relational and embodied mind can be realized in a couple therapy setting. Abstract : Translation into Spanish and Chinese