Academic Resources

Please find a selection of published articles related to the scientific study of parental embodied mentalizing and links to resources of seminal literature underpinning our work.


  1. I’m with you, baby: Using parental embodied mentalizing in a pilot study to capture change following the circle of security parenting intervention

    Shai, D., Boris, N., Brandtzaeg, I., Torsteinson, S., Spencer, R., Haugaard, K., & Smith-Nielsen, J. (2024). Scandinavian journal of psychology, 65(2), 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12978


  2. Mother-infant interaction context matters for verbal and non-verbal parental mentalization: an initial portrait of associations between parental embodied mentalizing, mind-mindedness, and maternal characteristics in a structured and unstructured context

    Gagné, K., Lemelin, J., & Tarabulsy, G. (2023). Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1176502


  3. Non-verbal and verbal parental mentalization as predictors of infant attachment security: Contributions of parental embodied mentalizing and mind-mindedness and the mediating role of maternal sensitivity

    Gagné, K., Lemelin, J-P., & Tarabulsy, G. (2021). Infant Behavior and Development, 65, 101622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101622


  4. Trust me! Parental embodied mentalizing predicts infant cognitive and language development in longitudinal follow-up

    Shai, D., Laor Black, A., Spencer, R., Sleed, M., Bardon, B., Nolte, T., & Fonagy, P. (2022). Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867134


  5. Parental embodied mentalizing: Associations with maternal depression, anxiety, verbal mentalizing, and maternal styles of interaction

    Ierardi, E., Dascalu, A., Shai, D., Spencer, R., & Crugnola C, R. (2022). Journal of Affective Disorders, 311, 472–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.105


  6. The mediating role of parental embodied mentalizing in the longitudinal association between prenatal spousal support and toddler emotion recognition

    Afek, E., Lev-Wiesel, R., Federman, D., & Shai, D (2022). Infancy, 27(3), 609–629. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12462


  7. Studying the process of psychoanalytic parent–infant psychotherapy: Embodied and discursive aspects

    Avdi, E., Amiran, K., Baradon, T., Broughton, C., Sleed, M., Spencer, R., & Shai, D. (2020). Infant Mental Health Journal, 41(5), 589–602. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21888


  8. Does Postpartum Depression Affect Parental Embodied Mentalizing in Mothers With 4-Months old Infants?

    Garset-Zamani, S., Cordes, K., Shai, D., Spencer, R., Stuart, A. C., Køppe, S., & Væver, M. S. (2020). Infant Behavior and Development, 61, 101486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101486


  9. Parental Embodied Mentalizing and its Relation to Mind-Mindedness, Sensitivity, and Attachment Security

    Shai, D., & Meins, E. (2018). Infancy, 23(6), 857–872. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12244


  10. The Important of Parental Verbal and Embodied Mentalizing in Sharing Parental Experiences of Stress and Coparenting

    Shai, D., Dollberg., D., & Szepsenwol, O. (2017). Infant behavior & development, 49, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.08.003


  11. Parental Embodied Mentalizing: How the Nonverbal Dance Between Parents and Infant Predict Children's Socio-Emotional Functioning

    Shai, D., & Belsky, J. (2017). Attachment & human development, 19(2), 191–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2016.1255653


  12. Beyond Words: Parental Embodied Mentalizing and the Parent-Infant Dance

    Shai, D., & Fonagy, P. (2014). In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Mechanisms of social connection: From brain to group (pp. 185–203). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14250-011


  13. Infant Massage: Is the Medium the Message?

    Underdown, A., & Shai., D (2014). International Journal of Birth and Parenting Education, 2(1), 27-30.


  14. When Words Just Won't Do: Introducing Parental Embodied Mentalizing

    Shai, D., & Belsky., J (2011). Child Development Perspectives, 5(3), 173–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00181.x


  15. Parental Embodied Mentalizing: Let's Be Explicit About What We Mean by Implicit

    Shai, D., & Belsky. J. (2011). Child Development Perspectives, 5(3), 187–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00195.x

Further Resources

Affect Regulation, Mentalization and the Development of the Self

Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., & Jurist, E.L. (Eds.). (2002). (1st ed.). Routledge.

 

The Meaning of Movement: Embodied Developmental, Clinical, and Cultural Perspectives of the Kestenberg Movement Profile

Kestenberg Amighi, J., Loman, S., & Sossin, K.M. (Eds.). (2018). (2nd ed.). Routledge.