David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
When the Therapist Yawns
By TARA PARKER-POPE, New York Times
June 8, 2011
Finally, you feel comfortable enough to spill your innermost secrets to your therapist. Or maybe you are recounting a seminal event in your life. Perhaps you?ve just had a bad day, and you need someone to listen.
And then it happens. The therapist yawns.
A yawn can mean many things, but it?s hard not to take it personally when you are on the receiving end of one. As therapist John M. Grohol writes today on Psychcentral.com, scientists don?t know why people yawn or what purpose yawning serves.
Read the full article, My Therapist Won?t Stop Yawning in Session.
Has your therapist yawned during your appointments?
By TARA PARKER-POPE, New York Times
June 8, 2011
Finally, you feel comfortable enough to spill your innermost secrets to your therapist. Or maybe you are recounting a seminal event in your life. Perhaps you?ve just had a bad day, and you need someone to listen.
And then it happens. The therapist yawns.
A yawn can mean many things, but it?s hard not to take it personally when you are on the receiving end of one. As therapist John M. Grohol writes today on Psychcentral.com, scientists don?t know why people yawn or what purpose yawning serves.
We shouldn?t be too hard on a therapist who has a yawning fit while in session. There?s no hard evidence yawning is directly related to boredom or our mind?s focus?.
Yawning is rarely something most of us have much control over. Keep that in mind before you read into your therapist?s yawns, and understand that he or she likely doesn?t find you boring ? they just can?t help themselves sometimes.
That said, patients do have the right to expect their therapist to take care of him or herself, and that includes getting adequate sleep. If a therapist continues to yawn during your session, Dr. Grohol suggests changing the appointment time, noting that people can be more sleepy first thing in the morning, right after lunch and after about 4 p.m. Dr. Grohol says patients shouldn?t be embarrassed about talking directly to the therapist about yawning because it?s best ?to bring it out in the open and talk about it.?Yawning is rarely something most of us have much control over. Keep that in mind before you read into your therapist?s yawns, and understand that he or she likely doesn?t find you boring ? they just can?t help themselves sometimes.
Read the full article, My Therapist Won?t Stop Yawning in Session.
Has your therapist yawned during your appointments?
