Between Observation and Belonging: Finding Balance in Shared Spaces

At the intersection of psychology, creativity and community lies a delicate balance, one that asks us to see, feel and join in at once.

My background in both psychology and creative arts (filmmaking) often meets at the point where insight must soften into presence. During Sounds Joyful sessions, I’ve realised that connection cannot be fully witnessed from behind a professional lens, it must be experienced.

If you ever attended a session, you would share my thoughts. “How could I not join

in?”

When I set aside the need to analyse, I notice how joy and rhythm emerge naturally between people. Systemic theories remind us that healing happens through relationship. Sometimes we need to step back to observe the system in motion; other times we join the circle, becoming part of its pulse. There is a humility in participation, a surrendering of control that invites authenticity.

As observers we may see patterns; as participants we feel meaning. In that

movement between seeing and feeling, a shared humanity unfolds. This mirrors

therapeutic presence, a concept I learned to love over the years called attunement.

Attunement is what happens when two nervous systems find the same rhythm.

It’s the quiet science of connection, one person sensing another’s emotional state

and responding with presence, not correction. In psychology, we describe it as the

ability to notice subtle shifts in tone, posture, pace and energy and to adjust in a way that communicates: I see you, and I’m with you.

At Sounds Joyful I learned that observation and belonging are not opposites, they

are partners in awareness. Together they form the rhythm of real human connection.