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Nonverbal Communication: The Forgotten Frame

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Psychotherapy for Ischemic Heart Disease

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Abstract

A century of research has highlighted the importance of nonverbal communication (NVC) in human relationships and in one’s “sense of oneself.” This research has also identified the role of NVC in supporting coordination, syntonization, and exchanges between interlocutors, as well as the ambiguities and the difficulties that can arise from ignoring such dimensions. All of this illustrates the importance of developing a broader vision of NVC, something that is often underestimated in the training of physicians and their eventual clinical practice.

This chapter explores some of the most important developments in this field of studies. It describes the various aspects of NVC and examines the obstacles that must currently be overcome in medical culture and practice. Finally, it points out important reasons why health professionals can benefit from awareness of the nonverbal dimension in their relationships with patients during the process of treatment, and also when cooperating in their team.

… expression in itself, or the language of emotions, as it has sometimes been called, is certainly of importance for the welfare of mankind … we may conclude that the philosophy of our subject … deserves still further attention, especially from any able physiologist.

Charles Darwin [Charles Darwin (1892) The Expressions of the Emotions of Man and Animals. John Murray, London, p. 387]

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Italian Association of Systemic Epistemology and Methodology (AIEMS), Via Guido Reni 35, 00196, Rome, Italy

    Serena Dinelli PsyD

  2. Italian Association of Systemic Epistemology and Methodology (AIEMS), Associazione Italiana di Medicina e Sanità Sistemica (ASSIMSS), Via Massimi 27, 00136, Rome, Italy

    Sergio Boria MD

Authors
  1. Serena Dinelli PsyD
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  2. Sergio Boria MD
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Correspondence to Serena Dinelli PsyD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy

    Adriana Roncella

  2. San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy

    Christian Pristipino

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Dinelli, S., Boria, S. (2016). Nonverbal Communication: The Forgotten Frame. In: Roncella, A., Pristipino, C. (eds) Psychotherapy for Ischemic Heart Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33214-7_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33214-7_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33212-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33214-7

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