Connection Therapy

In today’s episode, Brenda explores a study that documents how adults with different attachment styles do display different emotional variances, as reflected by voice prosody, when reflecting on positive and negative experiences from their childhoods.

This experience is likely to be something we all have experienced, but is especially relevant for mental health practitioners. She shares some potential interventions to support someone in expanding their emotional expression.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

Spinelli, M., Fasolo, M., Coppola, G., & Aureli, T. (2019). It is a matter of how you say it: Verbal content and prosody matching as an index of emotion regulation strategies during the Adult Attachment Interview. International Journal of Psychology, 54(1), 102–107. https://doi-org.pgi.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/ijop.12415

In this episode, Dr. Murrow describes some research to validate the common experience of sensing someone’s emotions even before the words are fully understood in a message.

She validates why this knowledge is extremely relevant to the practice of mental health, and provides some reflections for practitioners to consider when they hear it in their work.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

Pell, M. D., Cui, H., Mori, Y., & Jiang, X. (2026). Speak or shout? Nonverbal vocalizations promote rapid detection of emotions in vocal communication. PLoS ONE, 21(1), 1–24. https://doi-org.pgi.idm.oclc.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327529

Brenda breaks down an experience most therapists have and reinforces their intuitions about what to do next. As she describes, when someone begins therapy in a state of hyper-alertness, it is important to know when their non-verbal cues signal that their social engagement system is active.

Interventions are most effective when the client is in a nervous system state that enables social engagement, and Brenda explains how therapists can assess that via voice prosody, and she also shares the ways she supports this outcome during session.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

Bessel Van der Kolk (2015). The Body Keeps the Score.

In this episode, Brenda reminds listeners that transitions, particularly at the end of the school year, are difficult. She reviews information from experts, research, and her own experiences to consider how behaviors surrounding transitions can be interpreted and supported.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this episode delivers helpful information that is timely, relevant, and supportive for mental health practitioners, caregivers, and other professionals.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

J.W. Pennebaker (2012). Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions.

Bessel Van der Kolk (2015). The Body Keeps the Score.

Good news! There is research, actually a lot of it, that supports therapists in understanding how best to deliver telehealth services. In this episode, Dr. Murrow reviews findings related to eye contact impacts on telehealth services.

Brenda often does an episode about eye contact during Mental Health Awareness month each year, and this episode adds to that ongoing discussion. In this episode, she also integrates previous discussions about individual differences with regard to eye contact.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

Fitzpatrick, J. A., & Tickle, J. J. (2025). Eye contact matters: exploring its influence on interpersonal comfort and self-disclosure in virtual interactions. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 38(4), 617–635. https://doi-org.pgi.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09515070.2024.2436964

This year, for Mental Health Awareness, Brenda reviews current statistics for mental health in the US. To support clinicians with skillful interventions that are informed by research, she also shares how her practice is shaped by some research she participated in at an early training site that still resonates. She then invites mental health therapists themselves to consider being part of communities, as a way to deepen their skills and bolster their longevity in the field.

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

References:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a2.htm

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

https://www.nami.org/

Stephen Porges (2011). Polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation.

Bessel Van der Kolk (2015). The Body Keeps the Score.

Health Resources & Services Administration:

https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas

Learning to improve assessment capacity is a continual journey for the practicing mental health practitioner. This episode provides a research article that endorses the clinician’s instincts and highlights ways that what is happening inside for our patient (i.e. nervous system activation, etc.) is displayed in facial movements.

Brenda then adds a discussion of interventions she uses, and offers them for listeners to consider for applications in their own practices.

References:

Additional podcast episodes on heart rate variability:

https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

Rachael Draaisma’s discussion about Calming Signals are in Connection Therapy episodes 48, 49, and 50

Optimal HRV

https://www.optimalhrv.com/

Stephen Porges (2011). Polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation.

Torres EB and Elsayed M (2026) Facial micro-movements as a proxy of increasingly erratic heart rate variability while experiencing pressure pain. Front. Neurosci. 20:1702124. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1702124

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

In this last part of Brenda’s interview with Janet Jones, they discuss the many ways learning to understand how horses communicate make humans better at communicating overall.

In this episode, listeners will hear clear indications for the practice of mental health, rather it be in animal-assisted or in-office environments. Janet also discusses how there are wide-ranging audiences gaining interest in her work, so all listeners are welcomed and encouraged to apply her expertise to their environments.

For More Information about our Guest:

Janet Jones, PhD

https://janet-jones.com

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

In this part of Brenda’s interview with Dr. Janet Jones, they explore the differing ways that horses and humans display their emotional states. Dr. Jones emphasizes significant differences in meaning and preference for some behaviors, particularly eye contact.

The conversation yields important information that can be used to improve equine-assisted services by learning the differences in needs between species, and exploring how that can be communicated to make interactions more effective and supportive.

For More Information about our Guest:

Janet Jones, PhD

https://janet-jones.com

Also, Brenda reviewed some of Dr. Jones’ work in podcast episode #85

Attend Dr. Janet Jones’ Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/product/janet

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist

Brenda invites Dr. Janet Jones to the podcast to discuss her many areas of expertise including human cognition and memory, as well as horse training. Dr. Jones combines her education and experiences to support listeners in learning about the neuroscience implications across species.

Dr. Jones begins by describing horse brains and human brains, what both species need and how they can partner best, including the importance of cross-training for horses, and ways to enhance teamwork and communication.

For More Information about our Guest:

Janet Jones, PhD

https://janet-jones.com

Attend a Course at Connection Therapy:

https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events

We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us

Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast

Enjoying the podcast?

There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist