Emotional Attunement
“Levels of Emotional Attunement”
In the article “Emotional Attunement”, the author Dr. Lynne Laub, talks about different levels of emotional attunement used through observing her clients behavior. Although she could not fully experience the suffering of each client, emotional attunement guided Dr. Laub objectionable views on her client’s emotions and in understanding their emotional state; it helped her facilitate effective, responsive cognitive methods of interventions. In each case, the analyst used her client’s emotions as an emphatic guide to determine how she would address their needs. Dr. Laub logical thinking abilities, seemed to resonate compassion through her choice of words, tone of voice or even by her non-verbal stance; she manages to establish harmonious relationships with her clients and through this act of compassion, the client becomes sensitized and allows their vulnerability to be explored.
Empathy in attunement appears to be the essential affective mode of understanding. “An understanding of our own emotions guides us in understanding others”. (Emotional Attunement pg. 81) Each patient, were generally seeking assistance from the doctor, to be listened to and understood. The doctor role with empathy was to focus on how the patient was feeling; possibly sensing what it might be like to be in the client’s situation. Empathy helps the analyst recognize the client’s feelings, actions and motives. It also helps makes the client more comfortable; engaging them in communication, decreasing anxiety, facilitating trust and allowing opportunity for the doctor to get to the root of the problem to treat them effectively.
Dr. Laub spoke of different methods used in her assessments as well as the modern analyst, such as Symbolic Communication, Narcissistic Transference, Syntonic Joining and Non-Intervention. Examples of how these methods were implemented were based on the cognitive understanding of what her client experienced. For
In the article “Emotional Attunement”, the author Dr. Lynne Laub, talks about different levels of emotional attunement used through observing her clients behavior. Although she could not fully experience the suffering of each client, emotional attunement guided Dr. Laub objectionable views on her client’s emotions and in understanding their emotional state; it helped her facilitate effective, responsive cognitive methods of interventions. In each case, the analyst used her client’s emotions as an emphatic guide to determine how she would address their needs. Dr. Laub logical thinking abilities, seemed to resonate compassion through her choice of words, tone of voice or even by her non-verbal stance; she manages to establish harmonious relationships with her clients and through this act of compassion, the client becomes sensitized and allows their vulnerability to be explored.
Empathy in attunement appears to be the essential affective mode of understanding. “An understanding of our own emotions guides us in understanding others”. (Emotional Attunement pg. 81) Each patient, were generally seeking assistance from the doctor, to be listened to and understood. The doctor role with empathy was to focus on how the patient was feeling; possibly sensing what it might be like to be in the client’s situation. Empathy helps the analyst recognize the client’s feelings, actions and motives. It also helps makes the client more comfortable; engaging them in communication, decreasing anxiety, facilitating trust and allowing opportunity for the doctor to get to the root of the problem to treat them effectively.
Dr. Laub spoke of different methods used in her assessments as well as the modern analyst, such as Symbolic Communication, Narcissistic Transference, Syntonic Joining and Non-Intervention. Examples of how these methods were implemented were based on the cognitive understanding of what her client experienced. For
References: Article, “Emotional Attunement” by Lynn Laub Article, “The Role of Attachment Functions in Psychotherapy” by Jeremy Spiegel M.D., Sally K. Severiono M.D., Nancy K. Morrison M.D. Wikepedia: http://www.wikipedia.org