Lisbeth F.K. Holter Brudal

Lisbeth F.K. Holter Brudal (19 September 1935 – 20 December 2025) was a Norwegian psychologist, particularly known for her pioneer work in the areas of birth psychology and communication.

Biography Brudal is the granddaughter of Anathon Aall, an internationally known philosopher and psychologist. He was one of the founders of Institute of Psychology in Oslo in 1909. Aall was professor and leader of Institute of Psychology for nearly 30 years.

Brudal graduated as a psychologist in 1964. She had a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo (PhD.), specialising in clinical psychology. She was married to psychologist Paul Jan Brudal, a specialist in clinical psychology and an author. They had two children and five grandchildren.

Brudal died on 20 December 2025, at the age of 90.

Work For several years, Brudal was a lecturer and assistant professor at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Oslo. In 1985 she founded the Institute of Tocology (the study of birth) and Family Psychology which is a private institute, and she remained head of the institute until 2011. The institute has at times had four affiliated psychologists, focusing especially on the treatment of people in crisis. For many years the institute collaborated with the university's Institute of Psychology in the areas of guidance and teaching of students.

In 2016, Brudal, together with colleagues, co-founded the Institute of Empathic Communication (IEC). She was known for having developed a separate area within psychology: Birth Psychology. In the context of this pioneering work she did research on men's psychological reactions associated with pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care. She taught for many years, held courses and supervised health workers in birth psychology and crisis intervention in Sweden.

Brudal was a pioneer in the field of communication, having developed a tool for communication - Empathic Communication (EC). She published a series of films about this tool and its usage.

Brudal was known for her versatile professional profile and has published 18 books and several articles on subjects such as birth psychology, psychological crises, psychopathy, dreams, consciousness, positive psychology and empathy. The books have been translated into several languages, including Russian. She has also written a novel.

In 2015, Brudal launched her book: Empathic Communication: The Missing Link. In January 2015, the book was no. 1 on the best seller list on Amazon in three categories: Emotions & Feelings, Parenting, Professional Development. In 2017, she published her article: Dialogic Moments and Empathic Communication. In 2018, she launched her book: Hva er Empatisk Kommunikasjon?, a handbook supplement to Empathic Communication: The Missing Link.

Awards 2015:- Amazon Bestseller - Lisbeth Holter Brudal - «Empathic Communication: The Missing Link»

Brudal was awarded the King's Medal of Merit in Gold in 2011. She won the media prize from The Norwegian Psychological Association in 2007 and won the prize from "Birth in Focus" in 1995.