Healing Through Connection: The Role of Dyadic Mindfulness in AEDP
In the world of psychotherapy, the relationship between therapist and client is often seen as a crucial component of the healing process. Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) takes this idea even further, emphasizing the power of dyadic mindfulness—a practice that fosters deep, mutual awareness between therapist and client. This approach not only enhances the therapeutic bond but also serves as a catalyst for profound emotional transformation.
What is Dyadic Mindfulness?
Dyadic mindfulness in AEDP is the practice of staying present and attuned to the emotional experiences that arise within the therapeutic relationship. Unlike traditional mindfulness, which often focuses on individual awareness, dyadic mindfulness is inherently relational. It’s about being fully present with another person, creating a shared space where deep emotional work can occur.
This practice is vital in AEDP’s metatherapeutic processing. As therapist and client navigate the transformative moments in therapy, dyadic mindfulness allows them to fully engage with the emotions that surface. The therapist’s role is to guide this process, ensuring that both participants stay connected to the present moment and to each other (Yeung, 2021).
The Neuroscience of Connection
What makes dyadic mindfulness so powerful? Neuroscience provides some clues. During moments of deep emotional connection, several key areas of the brain become activated, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the insula. The OFC, responsible for integrating sensory and emotional information, helps clients feel safe and grounded in their experiences. Meanwhile, the insula, which plays a crucial role in emotional awareness, enables both therapist and client to tune into each other’s emotional states, deepening their connection (Yeung, 2021).
Furthermore, the smart vagus nerve, part of the autonomic nervous system, is particularly relevant in the context of dyadic mindfulness. This nerve is involved in regulating social engagement and emotional responses. When it’s activated, clients are more likely to feel calm, connected, and open to transformation (Yeung, 2021).
Fostering Transformation Through Connection
In AEDP, dyadic mindfulness isn’t just a therapeutic tool—it’s part of the foundation for transformation. By staying fully present with their clients, therapists help them navigate the emotional highs and lows of therapy, ultimately leading to what AEDP practitioners call the “core state.” In this state, clients often experience a profound sense of calm, compassion, and connection with their true selves (Yeung, 2021).
This process is deeply relational. It’s through the therapist’s explicit attunement and presence that clients can access and integrate their emotions, leading to lasting change. In this way, dyadic mindfulness serves as both the compass and the vessel for the journey toward healing.
Dyadic mindfulness in AEDP represents a powerful approach to therapy, one that emphasizes the importance of connection in the healing process. By fostering deep emotional attunement between therapist and client, AEDP helps individuals navigate their emotional landscapes, leading to profound and lasting transformation.
References
Yeung, D. (2021). What went right? What happens in the brain during AEDP’s metatherapeutic processing. In D. Fosha (Ed.), Undoing Aloneness & the Transformation of Suffering Into Flourishing: AEDP 2.0 (pp. 349-372). American Psychological Association.
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Michael Mondoro is a Certified AEDP Therapist in NYC, a Certified AEDP Institute Training Supervisor, and an Integrative Trauma Therapy Specialist, utilizing AEDP, EMDR, IFS and somatic therapies. He serves as a as a teacher and clinical trainer for therapists nationwide and a licensed individual therapist in Connecticut and New York helping individuals with complex experiences.
