Mario Salvador is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. He is a Brainspotting trainer, a trainer and supervisor of Integrative-Relational Psychotherapy by IIPA, a Transactional Analysis trainer and supervisor and an EMDR clinician and consultant. He wrote and published several articles in the field of therapeutic relationship, therapeutic presence and the neurobiology of trauma; was a keynote lecturer and presenter in different psychotherapy Conferences. He is a former member of the board of the International Integrative Psychotherapy Association and chair of the Commission of Standards and Certification of this association, the Spanish delegate on the European Association of Transactional Analysis and the current vice-president of the Spanish Brainspotting Association.
THERAPEUTIC PRESENCE AND ATTUNEMENT AS A HEALING BUBBLE
In this conference the relevance of the Presence of the Therapist in Psychotherapy and its influence in promoting the self-healing that happens with Brainspotting will be presented. We will cover how the bonds in early life influence the dynamics of brain biochemistry and how, when there are failures in attachment, it becomes a question of survival. However, the safe bond to a present and affectionate caring figure is a factor of health, growth and healing. The therapist, present and self-empty, provides a framework for relational attunement creating a “supportive environment” in Winnicott’s terms, which facilitates the client’s brain to enter into its self-healing and transformation mode. This framework creates a “Healing Bubble” in which the capacity of the therapist to be present facilitates the own client’s capacity to be present in his/her experience: it is the compassionate Observer witnessing the I Experience. The main resource par excellence is presence as a healing factor. Some indications are also proposed for the therapist to develop his/her capacity for presence.
