Empathy and the Neuroscience of Therapy

Twenty therapist-patient pairs recently let themselves be wired to skin sensors and videotaped during their sessions in the name of neuroscience. Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) were studying the pairs, hoping to find physiological proof of shared emotions during therapy sessions.

The researchers found that, during moments of high positive emotion, both patients and therapists had similar physiologic responses and that greater levels of similarity were related to higher ratings of therapist empathy by patients.

"This research supports brain imaging data that shows humans are literally 'wired to connect' emotionally," says Carl Marci, MD, director of Social Neuroscience in the MGH Department of Psychiatry and the paper's lead author. "There is now converging evidence that, during moments of empathic connection, humans reflect or mirror each other's emotions, and their physiologies move on the same wavelength."

Patients were able to sense this connection, rating therapist empathy higher during sessions with high levels of measured physical concordance. Both therapists and patients were also found to express more positive emotions during such sessions. Furthermore, therapists were found to be most empathetic when listening rather than talking.

Overall, researchers found that "shared positive emotions and shared physiologic arousal contribute to an empathic connection during psychotherapy."

These findings add to the growing field of "social neuroscience" and evidence that social bonds produce neurological changes that not only affect mood, but may even go as far as helping people recover from heart attacks.

So far, these studies have shown physical presence to be a critical element in producing these changes. Translated to the therapist-patient relationship, these findings add to debate over the effectiveness of emerging online therapies, suggesting that not only is a perceived sense of intimacy lost over the wires--but also the potential to produce important neurological changes.

Press release: Study shows how patients and therapists are 'wired to connect'
ABSTRACT: Physiologic Correlates of Perceived Therapist Empathy and Social-Emotional Process During Psychotherapy.