Emotions and the Therapist

<p>In recent years systemic theory and practice adopted a dialogical orientation centred on the persons of the therapist and client. This has led to a growing attention toward emotions which in this book is developed in terms of emotional systems. An emotional system in therapy may be viewed as the sum of the emotions existing and interacting in people's lives. Relevant changes in life happen when emotional stances and sequences change within the system leading for example to a greater sense of agency or hope or to a different perception of the situation. This book looks at emotions within human systems in terms of dominant and silent emotions which shape and are shaped by human relationships and may be played in several ways according to reciprocal emotional positioning. The therapist uses his or her own feeling and understanding of the emotions within the therapeutic dialogue in order to create hypotheses and new dialogues which allow change.</p>