Body Psychotherapy

Body Psychotherapy [Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction, Nick Totton, Open University Press, 2003, ISBN-10: 0-335-21038-4 (pb); 0-335-21039-2.] [Body Psychotherapy, ed. Tree Staunton, Brunner Routledge, 2002, ISBN-10: 1-58391-115-4 9PB0; 1-58391-116-2 (pb)] [Body, Breath and Consciousness: A Somatics Anthology, ed. Macnaughton, North Atlantic Books (August 5, 2004) English ISBN-10: 1556434960 ISBN-13: 978-1556434969] (also known as body-oriented psychotherapy) is a branch of Psychotherapy with origins in clinical psychology and in the work of Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud. Body psychotherapy, or Somatic Psychology as it is also known in the USA, addresses both the body and the mind as a whole with emphasis on the reciprocal relationships within body and mind. [Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body (Hardcover) Levine P., Publisher: Sounds True; Har/Com edition (March 2005) English ISBN-10: 1591792479 ISBN-13: 978-1591792475]

One branch of body psychotherapy evolved from the work of Wilhelm Reich, author of "Character Analysis" and many other books, and who developed his form of "Psychoanalysis" into what he called "Vegetotherapy" or Character-Analytic Vegetotherapy. When he moved to America in 1939, he proceeded to influence therapists both in the United States and later again in Europe. Many of these therapists developed and practiced their own forms of (neo-)Reichian therapy. One of the direct developments of Reich's work in the USA was Orgonomy; another was Bioenergetic Analysis, developed by Alexander Lowen and John Pierrakos.

It is generally recognised that, whilst the broader concepts of body psychotherapy, like 'energy' in the body, can be extended towards the 'energy' concepts of Eastern medicines and philosophies (Yoga, Acupuncture, Tai chi chuan, etc.) and have connections with other 'body therapies' (like massage, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais method, etc.), Body Psychotherapy itself (or Somatic Psychology) is developing more directly as a branch of psychotherapy (similar to clinical psychology) and is also being informed by and supported by recent developments in Neuroscience.

Other branches (or methods) of Body Psychotherapy trace their origins more to the work of the founders of these branches, like Biosynthesis to the work of [David Boadella] [Lifestreams: An introduction to Biosynthesis, David Boadella, 1987, Routledge & Kegan Paul, ISBN 0-7102-1145-7] , Biodynamic Psychology to Gerda Boyesen, Rubenfeld Synergy to [Ilana Rubenfeld] , and Body-Mind Psychotherapy to Susan Aposhyan [Body-Mind psychotherapy: Principles, Techniques and Practical Applications, Susan Aposhyan, W.W. Norton, 2004, ISBN: 0-393-70441-6] (also see below). Several of these people were influenced by the work of Wilhelm Reich, but were also considerably influenced by other people and their methods. Body Psychotherapy is very useful in the treatment of trauma. [Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, Peter Levine, 1997, North Atlantic Books, ISBN 1-55643-233-X] [Victims of Cruelty: Somatic Psychotherapy in the Healing of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder', Eckberg M, Levine P.] A more recent branch of body psychotherapy has evolved out of Arnie and Amy Mindell's work with the 'dreambody'. [Mindell, A. 'Working with the Dreaming Body' Routledge 1985] Mindell, once a Jungian analyst, began researching illness as a meaningful expression of the unconscious mind. This is an integrative approach to illness, [ Morin, P. 'The Dreambody: A New Integrative Approach to Illness'] which addresses the cultural, emotional, spiritual and physical connections that illness invites. The 'dreambody' is believed to be an organizing principle in the background somewhat like a morphogenetic field (sensu Rupert Sheldrake).

The term Body Psychotherapy was utilised first in the 1980s as professional associations relating to this type of psychotherapy began to form. There are now associations of Body Psychotherapy in Europe (EABP) and America (USABP) and others are forming around the world. Several journals also exist, including 'Energy & Character', 'The USABP Journal of Body Psychotherapy' and the Journal of Body, Dance & Movement in Psychotherapy.

Field Leaders

Mind-Body Intervention
* Elsworth Baker (Orgonomy, founded The American College of Orgonomy)
* Alexander Lowen (Bioenergetic Analysis)
* Myron Sharaf
* David Boadella (Biosynthesis)
* Charles Kelly (Radix)
* Ron Kurtz (Hakomi)
* Gerda Boyesen (Biodynamic Psychology)
* Jack Painter (Postural Integration)
* Lisbeth Marcher (Bodynamics)
* Susan Aposhyan (Body Mind Psychotherapy)
* Albert Pesso, Diane Boyden-Pesso (Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor, PBSP)
* John Pierrakos (Core Energetics)
* Ola Raknes (Character Analytic Vegetotherapy)
* Jack Lee Rosenberg (Integrative Body Psychotherapy IBP)
* Ilana Rubenfeld (Rubenfeld Synergy)
* Christine Caldwell (The Moving Cycle)
* Pat Ogden & Kekuni Minton (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy)
* Jay Stattman (Unitive Psychotherapy)
* Lynne Zettl & Edward Joseph (Self-Regulation Therapy)
* Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfullness meditation of Professor of Medicine University of Massachusetts Medical School
* Barbara Brennan (Brennan Healing Science)

See also

* Mind-Body Intervention
* Expressive therapy
* Eco-somatics
* Health applications and clinical studies of meditation
* Neuroscience
* Psychoneuroimmunology
* American College of Orgonomy
* [http://www.bodyword.com Bodyword] (a body psychotherapy)

References

External links

* [http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)]
* [http://www.usabp.org U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP)]
* [http://www.eabp.org European Association for Body Psychotherapy (EABP)]
* [http://www.cbpc.org.uk Cambridge Body Psychotherapy Centre (CBPC) - Cambridge, UK]
* [http://www.pbsp.com Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP)]
* [http://www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org Sensorimotor Psychotherapy]
* [http://www.cirl.org.uk Centre for Integral-Relational Learning (CIRL) - London]
* [http://www.chiron.org Chiron Centre for Body Psychotherapy - London]