Abstract
Emerging biomarker research could powerfully influence the practice of psychotherapy, a standard treatment that is as strongly rooted in brain plasticity as are psychopharmacologic interventions. Psychotherapy is associated with measurable changes in central and peripheral neurophysiology. These markers could be harnessed to aid informed, personalized recommendations for specific psychosocial treatments, to guide a course of treatment, and to predict treatment outcomes, in lieu of relying on costly, trial-and-error approaches. Psychotherapy and empathy research also demonstrate that the patient-doctor relationship has important neurophysiological correlates that can be salient to treatment outcomes, as illustrated in a case example. These correlates include autonomic nervous system arousal manifested by heart rate, respiration rate, muscle tension, and galvanic skin resistance; electroencephalography; and brain-imaging markers. While additional biomarker research is unfolding, there are specific neurobiologically based clinical and subclinical observations, organized by using the E.M.P.A.T.H.Y. mnemonic, that may guide and enhance psychotherapy. Empathic attunement to patients is equally relevant for psychopharmacologic interventions and psychotherapy, and for all patient-doctor relationships.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
