It takes time to synchronize : the emergence of dyadic heart-rate synchrony during music therapy in neurorehabilitation
Recent Publication
In music therapy, not only can melodies, movements or conversations be harmonised, the body also seems to resonate. A recently published study involving the Department of Neurology at Tulln University Hospital shows that the heart rhythms of patients and therapists can measurably converge during music therapy sessions. What is particularly interesting is that this synchronisation does not appear to occur immediately, but only becomes clearer over the course of longer sessions. The results open up an exciting view of processes in neurorehabilitation that were previously difficult to see and of how therapeutic relationships can also become physically tangible.
Yap, S. S., Ramseyer, F. T., Fachner, J., Maidhof, C., Tschacher, W., & Tucek, G. (2026). It takes time to synchronize: the emergence of dyadic heart-rate synchrony during music therapy in neurorehabilitation. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, 1-22. Artikel 1629778. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1629778
Sun Sun Yap BSc BSc MSc PhD
Division of Neurology (University Hospital Tulln)