Clinical trial NCT06463951: Synchrony and Reciprocity of Body Movements and Prosody Between Psychotherapist and Patient
Official title: Study on the Synchrony and Reciprocity of Bodily Movements and Prosody Between Psychotherapist and Patient During Psychotherapy
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Relationship, Professional Patient
Keywords: psychotherapy
facial mimicry
fidgeting
relational synchrony
Lead sponsor: Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy - Centro Clinico e di Ricerca in Psicoterapia HCC Italy
First posted: 2024-06-18
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Maximum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: All patients admitted to the HCC Italy Clinical and Psychotherapy Research Center and who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be enrolled, after signing informed consent

Brief summary: 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.


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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM)
timeFrame: The questionnaire will be administered to patients pre-intervention, before the start of psychotherapy [T0] and 6 months after the start of psychotherapy [T1].
measure: Therapist Response Questionnaire (TRQ)
timeFrame: The questionnaire will be filled out by psychotherapists after the first 4 psychotherapy sessions and every 4 sessions.
measure: Aesthetic Relational Knowing of the Therapist (ARK-T)
timeFrame: The questionnaire will be filled out by psychotherapists after the first 4 psychotherapy sessions.
measure: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Assessment (CORE-A)
timeFrame: The instrument will be filled out by the therapist after the first 4 sessions.
measure: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - End of therapy (CORE-E)
timeFrame: The instrument will be filled out by the therapist 6 months after the start of psychotherapy [T1].
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Messina
country: Italy
facility: Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR)
Study officials:
affiliation: Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica
name: Giovanni Pioggia
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: 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
citation: 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
citation: 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
citation: 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.
citation: Wampold, B.E., Imel, Z. E. (2015). The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work. Abingdom: Routledge.