About Body Psychotherapy
About Body Psychotherapy
“Body-Psychotherapy is a distinct branch of psychotherapy, well within the main body of psychotherapy, which has a long history and a body of literature and knowledge based upon a sound theoretical position.
Body-Psychotherapy involves an explicit theory of mind-body functioning, which………
takes into account the complexity of the intersections and interactions between body and mind. The common underlying assumption is that the body reflects the whole person and there is a functional unity between mind and body. The body does not merely mean the ‘soma’ and that this is separate from the mind, the ‘psyche’. There is not a hierarchical relationship between mind and body, between psyche and soma. They are both functioning and interactive aspects of the whole human being. Where other approaches in psychotherapy touch on this area, body-psychotherapy considers this as fundamental.
Body-Psychotherapy involves a developmental model, a theory of personality, hypotheses as to the origins of disturbances and alterations, as well as a rich variety of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques used within the framework of the therapeutic relationship. There are many different and sometimes quite separate approaches within body-psychotherapy, as indeed there are in the other branches of psychotherapy.
Body-Psychotherapy is also a science, having developed over the last seventy years from the results of research in biology, anthropology, ethology, neuro-physiology, neuro-psychology, developmental psychology, neo-natology, perinatal studies and its own experience and findings.
Body-Psychotherapy exists as a specific therapeutic approach with a rich scientific basis in explicit theory. There is also a wide variety of techniques used, some of which are used on or with the body involving touch, movement and breathing. There is are links with some bodywork therapies, somatic techniques, and complementary medical disciplines, but whilst these may also refer to the body, deal with its physiology, involve touch and movement, they are also very distinct from body-psychotherapy.
Body-Psychotherapy has been scientifically validated by The European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) and several modalities within body-psychotherapy have been scientifically validated as well. Body-psychotherapy is considered as a mainstream branch of psychotherapy.”