ABSTRACT
Empathy is the foundation for inquiry, attunement, and involvement. Each of the three goes “beyond empathy” in some way—or, at least, beyond the definitions of empathy that one finds in the general psychotherapy literature. The most basic characteristic of therapeutic inquiry is that of respect. One of the most obvious strands is that of affect: therapists are used to asking clients about their feelings, helping clients to explore and deepen their emotional responses. Many clients, though, are relatively closed to affect. Inquiry is a basis for forming a therapeutic relationship. The experience of being in a relationship that is qualitatively different from past, script-forming relationships is a key factor in dissolving that script. Attunement involves using both conscious and out-of-awareness synchronizing of therapist and client process, so that the therapist’s interventions fit the ongoing, moment-to-moment needs and processes of the client.
