{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"38. Increasing Alignment in the Therapy Room: Ways to Make Sense of Differences Between Statements and Nonverbal Signals","description":"In therapy, we often listen closely to what\u2019s being said\u2014but what\u2019s not being said can sometimes offer even more insight. A client may describe their week as \u201cfine\u201d or say they\u2019re \u201cmanaging,\u201d but their body is heavy, their eyes are downcast, and their facial expressions suggest something else entirely. This kind of misalignment\u2014between verbal language and nonverbal signals\u2014isn\u2019t uncommon. In today\u2019s episode, Brenda explores what\u2019s happening when someone\u2019s internal emotional state doesn\u2019t match how they present on the outside. Brenda brings in the foundational work of Jaak Panksepp and team, who identified core emotional systems and how they influence behavior to further explore this phenomena.  She reviews Panksepp\u2019s idea that different emotional systems in the brain\u2014like the grief system and the seeking system\u2014can become imbalanced. Someone might be in a state of deep sadness or loss, but still trying to push forward and find meaning, and the result is a presentation that appears disconnected. She also touches on the work of Paul Ekman, whose research on facial expressions helps us understand how emotions show up across the face\u2014often before a person is even aware of what they\u2019re feeling. This is where things can get especially valuable in therapy. When we\u2019re better able to recognize the multiple ways clients signal what they\u2019re feeling, we\u2019re better equipped to meet clients where they actually are, not just where they say they are. This episode is less about confronting inconsistencies and more about using them as information. This conversation offers practical insight into what it means to really pay attention to the signals that often go unspoken\u2014and how those signals can guide deeper, more attuned work. www.connectiontherapypodcast.com Follow Brenda on Instagram @theconnectiontherapypodcast References: Ekman, P. (2003). Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life. Holt. Jaak Panksepp & Lucy Biven. (2012). The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) 1st Edition.  W. W. Norton & Company.   ","author_name":"Connection Therapy","author_url":"https:\/\/connection-therapy.com","html":"