Facilitating Dyadic Synchrony

Abstract When humans interact, they tend to coordinate or synchronize their physiology and behavior spontaneously and mutually. This chapter highlights the facilitation of dyadic synchrony as a core psychotherapist skill that occurs at the nonverbal level and underlies many other therapeutic methods. The chapter defines dyadic synchrony, differentiates it from similar constructs, and provides an excerpt illustrating dyadic synchrony in a psychotherapy session. It also conducts a systematic review of studies that have examined the associations between dyadic synchrony and psychotherapy outcomes and conducts a meta-analysis that examines whether there is more synchrony between clients and therapists than would be expected by chance. The chapter includes situations in which synchrony may not be beneficial. It concludes with diversity considerations, training implications, and therapeutic practices.