Vad gör vi med varandra? Metakommunikation i mentaliseringsbaserad terapi - en kvalitativ studie.

Sammanfattning: Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the nature of meta-communication between therapist and patient in Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT). The study applied a phenomenological method with attempts to hermeneutic enterpretation and understanding. Video sequenses of MBT individual therapy sessions were collected from all patient and therapist dyads who consented to participate in the study during the period of material collection. Relevant sequenses were then chosen and analyzed using IPA. The main themes of meta-communication found concerned negotiation, exploration of the relationship and regulation of emotional closeness and distance. Both therapists and patients seem to struggle in making themselves understood. Patients’ ability to make use of metacommunication seemed to depend on degree of epistemic trust. Important factors increasing epistemic trust seemed to be for the patient to feel validated and genuinely cared for by the therapist. Therapist’s ability to acces their empathy and put their own perspective aside in order to validate the patient differed over time and might increase with the possibility of reflection and support between sessions. Based on these findings the responsibility of the organization in facilitating therapists’ access to their empathy and mentalizing is discussed.