a primary role for nonverbal
TRANSCRIPT
A Primary Role for Nonverbal Communication in Psychoanalysis
Regina Pally, M.D.
How we communicate body to body and biology to biology
Types of NVC Body movement Facial expression Gesture Tone of voice Vocal “calls” Visceral changes Posture & Gait
Smell Touch Apparel
Verbal vs. Nonverbal Conscious Voluntary Left hemisphere Past, present, future Feelings more at a
distance Always learned
Cs and Non-Cs Vol./involuntary Right hemisphere Only in the present Feelings are more
immediate May be unlearned
A non-verbal realm of interpersonal exchange exists…. body to body, biology to biology
The body speaks
The body listens
The anaylst’s involuntary, innate, nonverbal responses provide additional sources to understanding the meaning of the patient's material.
"Language is inadequate to the task of communicating internal states.” Stern
Language causes a rupture between what one says and how
one feels
Darwin understood emotional expression
similar in man and animals activity of nervous system can be non-conscious has survival value often unlearned
Functions of NVC Communicate:
emotion, state, intention
Trigger: response in others
Regulate: other’s emotion/physiology
Organize social relatedness
Share mental states Organize spoken
conversation
trigger/release non-verbal behaviors in others
Trigger Threat display
Mating display (male)
Released behavior Submission
“Presentation” display (female)
Regulate Social Interaction Smiling
invites ‘face to face’ engagement controls aggression in others
Direct eye contact: creates threat activates aggression
Regulate Affect & Physiology
Lowered head of “shame” initiates ‘repair response’
Infant distress cry Activates nurturance, ‘care-taker’ response
Animal “alarm calls” Basis of human calls: grunt, shout Not semantic: not symbolic Function to regulate behavior in others
in the ‘here and now’ Vervet ‘lion call’….run up a tree Vervet ‘eagle call’….run in the bushes
Alexithymia Lack verbal expression of emotion Lack nonverbal expression of emotion But ANS still indicates emotional
arousal Because of lack NVC, they don’t elicit
empathy in others
Crying and Grief Reaction Crying (even in adults): elicits
responses in others to alleviate the person’s distress
Grief reactions (even without crying): activates social relatedness between the mourner and others
Infant-Caretaker: earliest NVC
Smell- infant can find the breast in the dark Touch- increases feeding and weight gain Babyish appearance- promotes the
“nurturant response” in caretakers
Protoconversation: 2months infant focuses on face and voice of
mother responds in “listen and reply” manner Voice, gesture, body enters “back and
forth” exchange with mother
Mirroring/Expectancy: 3-9mos
0- 6 mos: caretaker responds with same modality (vocalization, face, gesture)
3-4 mos: express emotion 8-9 mos: caretaker uses multi-modal
response, attachment is cemented Distress: if “expectancy” fails to occur
Matching of NVC: “adult-adult” Affiliation Sense of warmth Feeling of friendship
Empathy and Theory of Mind Empathy: requires “theory of mind”
development Theory of Mind: others have mental
states which differ from one’s own Shared point of view/pointing (9 mos):
early step in development of “theory of mind”
NVC regulates infant exploratory behavior Social referencing: infant checks
caretaker’s response to exploration Shame response: abrupt interruption of
exploratory behavior Construction of childhood narratives:
what is OK to say and what is not
A special system for detecting “Social Signals” Amygdala, anterior temporal lobe, OFC Special cells for detecting social cues Ex: direct eye contact, arched
eyebrows, open mouth Signal feelings and intentions Angry, hungry, lonely, fight, mate, play
Facial expression and ANS
Facial expression linked ANS
6 basic emotions (anger, fear, sadness, disgust, happiness, surprise)
Emotion and Reason
Body changes: integral to all emotion
Body changes of emotion: play an important role in reason and adaptive problem solving
Brain Circuit: NVC
AMYGDALA
CORTEX
THALAMUS
HYPOTHALAMUSBRAIN STEM
Autonomic Nervous System•Sympathetic: Fight or Flight•Parasympathetic: Rest and Digest
Motor System•Posture•Head Position•Gesture•Facial expression
Endocrine System•Oxytocin•Vasopressin•HPA-cortisol
Visual inputs
Facial expression:sadness
OFC
Autonomic Nervous System
Sympathetic Dilate pupil Inhibit salivation Increase heart rate Increase respiration Inhibit digestion
Parasympathetic Constrict pupil Stimulate salivation Decrease heart rate Decrease respiration Stimulate digestion
Separation & loss of regulation Cry of distress Decreased activity & exploratory behavior Ignore food and non-nutritive sucking Decreased temperature, heart rate Increased cortisol Neurotransmitters: GABA, endorphins, 5-
HT
Grief Reaction Even adults regulate one another Adult grief reaction parallels infant
separation Initial “protest phase”: acute grief Followed by “despair phase”:
dysregulation, sleep, eating, activity, CV status, immune response
Reunion Response
Each species has unique reunion response
Reunion behaviors increase endogenous opiates
Reunion is “rewarding” and “addictive”
Stress hormones and NVC Stress stimulates catecholamines (NE) Continued stress stimulates cortisol PTSD: increased NE, but ‘blunted’
cortisol response ‘blunted’ cortisol may be associated
with decreased RH/LH integration
Take Home Lesson
People are designed by nature to communicate nonverbally at all times
The analysts non-verbal response guides the verbal one
We will soon have the “non-talking” as well as the “talking cure”
“Right Brain-Left Brain” Normally function in integrated fashion Right hemisphere: non-verbal aspects
of emotion and communication Left hemisphere: spoken language,
functions as ‘interpeter’ of RH emotion