ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the emotive nonverbal signals, or body language, which are augmented by verbal messages, in order to maintain the reciprocal flow of information through which psychotherapists and other practitioners communicate with one another. It explains what Colwyn Trevarthen meant by the term “protoconversation” and Daniel Stern by the term “microevent”, in order to show how these two kinds of interaction brought Heard and Lake to a new understanding of the self and also to realize that adult forms of both terms can be recognized. The chapter also describes a source of confusion between nonverbal signals and verbal messages transmitted through speech. M. Main made a link between using coherent and incoherent patterns of speech and the views of the linguistic philosopher P. Grice. Trevarthen noted that infants are not always in the mood to enjoy primary intersubjectivity. In primary intersubjectivity a duo interacts only in relation to each other.
