Seeing and Being Seen

Eye Contact and Psychotherapy — Findings from a Hermeneutic Literature Review

Abstract

This paper, based on a hermeneutic literature review, explores eye contact in psychotherapy from three different perspectives: mother-infant research, neurosciences and psychoanalytic psychotherapists’ writing. The authors subsequently explore their own experiences and synthesise their findings to recommend the use of eye contact as an intentional and necessary psychotherapeutic tool.

Whakarāpopotonga

Ko tēnei tuhinga, whakapapahia nei i runga i te whakamāramatanga arotake tuhinga, he tūhuranga whakamau kanohi mai i ngā tirohanga e toru i roto i ngā whakaoranga hinengaro; te rangahau whāea-pēpi, pūtaiao mate ioio me ngā tuhinga tātarihanga hinengaro ā ngā kaiwhakaora hinengaro. Whai muri mai ka tūhurahia e ngā kaituhi ō rātau ake whēako ka hono i ngā hua ki te whakahau kia tautokohia te whakamau kanohi hai taumahi whakaora hinengaro mārire.