Interoceptive awareness and therapist characteristics

Abstract

Background: The differences between therapists can have a huge impact on treatment outcome. This makes it crucial for us to understand who therapists are and how they relate to their patients. Aim: This study evaluated different variables relating to the therapist, particularly therapeutic style, which is understood as the degree of variability in therapists' thinking and application of interventions in their clinical work. Furthermore, this study examined how therapists interpret and connect with their own bodies, as this connection plays a crucial role in shaping their emotional experiences, which are closely intertwined with the bodily sensations experienced during therapy. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between interoceptive awareness and therapeutic style. Method: The study was nonexperimental, and the methodology was quantitative with a correlational scope. Participants were therapists who answered a battery of questionnaires on the person of the therapist. Results: Based on the analyses carried out, results showed that awareness of the internal state of the body is linked to the therapist's style. It was observed that those therapists who reported greater warmth towards and involvement with their patients had an increased awareness of the state of their body. Discussion: Given these results, we can conclude that it is crucial to study the awareness of the state of therapists' bodies, as this contributes to the understanding of the therapist as a person and, therefore, of the therapeutic process.