The psychotherapist's experience of self-awareness while developing a psychotherapeutic alliance with clients deeply impacted by trauma

In this study, the qualitative method of narrative inquiry was utilized to co-create the stories of six psychotherapists. In-depth interviews provided detailed descriptions of the psychotherapist's self-awareness. After a detailed analysis of the psychotherapist's stories, six themes were identified from the data. The findings suggest that the psychotherapeutic dyad creates the safety and space to explore the client's trauma experience, and it is through the psychotherapist's ability to be present or aware that he or she understands the client's lived experience. The following components were explored: creating a secure psychotherapeutic alliance in order to explore the trauma experience, preverbal exchanges in the psychotherapeutic hour and its impact on affective neurobiology, and the reciprocal influences of the psychotherapeutic dyad and how this influences treatment. The study concludes with a discussion on self-awareness and how this facilitates understanding of the client's lived experience since it does not filter through the psychotherapist's own historical experiences.