Sympathetic Nervous System Synchrony in Couple Therapy

• Published in: Journal of marital and family therapy 2016-07, Vol.42 (3), p.383-395
• Main Authors: Karvonen, Anu, Kykyri, Virpi-Liisa, Kaartinen, Jukka, Penttonen, Markku, Seikkula, Jaakko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anatomy; Behavior; Central nervous system; Couples; Couples therapy; Couples Therapy - methods; Emotions; Family Characteristics; Female; Galvanic skin response; Galvanic Skin Response - physiology; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Interprofessional Relations; Male; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Physiological psychology; Professional-Patient Relations; Research Projects; Resistance (Psychology); Respiration; Stimuli; Sympathetic nervous system; Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology; Synchrony; Therapists; Therapy
• ISSN: 0194-472X; 1752-0606
• DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12152

The aim of this study was to test whether there is statistically significant sympathetic nervous system (SNS) synchrony between participants in couple therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure psychophysiological synchrony during therapy in a multiactor setting. The study focuses on electrodermal activity (EDA) in the second couple therapy session from 10 different cases (20 clients, 10 therapists working in pairs). The EDA concordance index was used as a measure of SNS synchrony between dyads, and synchrony was found in 85% of all the dyads. Surprisingly, co‐therapists exhibited the highest levels of synchrony, whereas couples exhibited the lowest synchrony. The client–therapist synchrony was lower than that of the co‐therapists, but higher than that of the couples. A Video is available next to the online version of this article on the JMFT web site. A Video is available next to the online version of this article on the JMFT web site.