Citation

Medeiros S. Stud. Gender Sex. 2017; 18(4): 244-250.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15240657.2017.1383030

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Others' suffering impacts the body-mind of the clinician, thus exposing his or her own vulnerability during the encounter. Self-defensive reactions naturally arise, probably reflecting one's own embodied relational history and thus the difficulty to hold difficult affects. Reflecting on some contemplative aspects of Francisco Varela's life, this paper explores how mindfulness and compassion practice may help therapists in establishing an open and nondissociated relation toward inner and intersubjective worlds. It suggests how particular qualities of being present may act as implicit modeling to mutually regulate and integrate experience. A clinical case investigates the interest of acknowledging mutual embodied vulnerability co-emerging in the encounter, fostering the therapeutic space potential for deep dialogue, connection, and mutual transformation.

Language: en