Synchrony: A Core Concept for a Constructivist Approach to Psychotherapy

Synchrony is a pervasive concept relevant to diverse domains in physics, biology, and the social sciences. This article reviews some of the evidence both from natural and human systems. Our main focus is on the role of synchrony in psychotherapy research. Its association with empathy, rapport and the therapeutic relationship has been pointed out repeatedly, yet close evaluation of empirical studies suggests that the evidence remains inconclusive. Particularly in naturalistic studies, research employing synchrony as a specific measure is still lacking. We suggest a new approach to studying synchrony in psychotherapies under field conditions: Image-differencing is a video-based algorithm quantifying the amount of movement in pre-selected regions. Our methodology can be compared to the approach from the seminal work of Condon & Ogston (1966). The statistical analysis we employ detects synchrony on a global level, irrespective of the specific body parts moving. Synchrony thus defined is considered a general measure of coordination of interacting individuals. Exemplary data show the feasibility of this approach and its potential contribution to psychotherapy research.