Research
A process perspective on mental conditions
At present, my focus lies in delving into the implications of the enactive perspective on mental conditions, specifically the process-oriented ontology that underpins it. I propose that examining mental disorders through the lens of processes has the potential to provide fresh insights into longstanding philosophical discussions concerning the nature of mental conditions.
Therapeutic Atmospheres
This project aims at studying the experience of the material, aesthetic, and dispositional qualities of the environment of consultation rooms in psychotherapeutic processes. We hypothesize that not only the material but also the affective atmospheres of the environment patients and therapists interact in modulates, enhances or suppresses their participatory sense-making processes, influencing the therapeutic process at different timescales. Atmospheres are described as holistic affective qualities of situations that integrate disparate affective forces into an identifiable gestalt. This project will assess the impact of affective atmospheres in individual therapeutic sessions.
Participatory sense-making in psychotherapy
In the thesis, I studied embodied intersubjectivity in therapeutic relationships. I adopt a second-person perspective by placing participatory sense-making processes at the center of my investigation. I present three pieces of work applying the enactive framework to research in psychotherapy: (1) a comment on correlational studies on non-verbal coordination and psychotherapeutic outcome, where new working hypothesis and interpretation of empirical data were suggested; (2) an interpretative phenomenological-analysis of the pre-reflective intercorporeal mechanisms involved in the transition from face-to-face to online therapeutic settings, and (3) a phenomenological-enactive analysis and classification of therapeutic interventions on the body. The thesis contributes to our understanding of the complexity of interactions and modes of participation of the therapist-patient dyad.
I defended my PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country in 2022 (International Mention and Extraordinary Award). The project was carried under the supervision of Ezequiel Di Paolo and Hanne De Jaegher and founded by the Basque Government (PREDOC 2018-2019).
