Body psychotherapy Information & Body psychotherapy Links at HealthHaven.com

Mind-body interventions - edit
	Autosuggestion; Autogenic training; Feldenkrais Method; Hypnotherapy; Medical intuition; Meditation; Mindfulness; Qigong; Somatic psychology; Sophrology; Tai chi chuan; Trager Approach; Yoga (alternative medicine); For a complete list see ...;
	NCCAM classifications
	Alternative Medical Systems; Mind-Body Intervention; Biologically Based Therapy; Manipulative Methods; Energy Therapy;
	See also
	Complementary and alternative medicine Alternative medicine; Complementary medicine; ; Glossary of alternative medicine;
	This box: view • talk • edit

Body psychotherapy^[1]^[2]^[3] may also be referred to as body-oriented psychotherapy and somatic psychology. It is a branch of psychotherapy and of somatic psychology with origins in the work of Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud and Wilhelm Reich.

Body psychotherapy addresses the body and the mind as a whole with emphasis on the reciprocal relationships within body and mind. It includes an awareness of the client's process as manifested in their body, body language, emotional expression, proxemics, psychosomatics, somatic resonance, and sexuality.

One branch of body psychotherapy evolved from the work of Wilhelm Reich, author of Character Analysis and many other books, who developed his form of "psychoanalysis" into what he called vegetotherapy or character-analytic vegetotherapy. Reich worked and trained people in Berlin, Copenhagen and Oslo in the 1930a. When Reich moved to America in 1939, he proceeded to influence therapists both in the United States and later again in post-war 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.

Body psychotherapy itself is now becoming recognised as a mainstream branch of psychotherapy and is being informed by and supported by recent developments in neuroscience ^[4] building up a neurodynamic paradigm for body psychotherapy. Parallel to this, it is generally understood that the broader concepts of body psychotherapy, like 'energy' in the body, are similar to the 'energy' concepts of Eastern medicines and philosophies (yoga, acupuncture, tai chi chuan, etc.) and also have connections with other 'body therapies' (like massage, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais method, Rolfing, etc.)

Other branches (or methods) of body psychotherapy trace their origins more to the work of the founders of the particular specialities, like biosynthesis to the work of David Boadella ^[5], biodynamic psychology to Gerda Boyesen, Rubenfeld synergy to [Ilana Rubenfeld], body–mind psychotherapy to Susan Aposhyan^[6]. Several of these people were influenced by the work of Wilhelm Reich, but were also considerably influenced by other people and their methods^{[citation needed]}. Syntheses of these approaches are also becoming accepted and recognised (viz: The Chiron Approach^[7]).

Body psychotherapy is one modality used in a multi-modal approach to treating psychological trauma particularly PTSD and C-PTSD. ^[8]^[9]^[10]

A more recent branch of body psychotherapy has evolved out of Arny and Amy Mindell's work with the 'dreambody' ^[11]. Mindell, originally a physicist who became a Jungian analyst, began researching illness as a meaningful expression of the unconscious mind. This is an integrative approach to illness, ^[12], 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)^{[citation needed]}.

The term body psychotherapy was utilised first in the 1980s as associations relating to this type of psychotherapy began to form. There are now various professional 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction, Nick Totton, Open University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-335-21038-4 (pb); 0-335-21039-2.
^ Body Psychotherapy, ed. Tree Staunton, Brunner Routledge, 2002, ISBN 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 1556434960 ISBN 978-1556434969
^ Xavier, JIT - A atenção, a consciência e o 'dar-se conta' no paradigma da psicoterapia neurodinamica. Revista Reichiana, n. 14:45-70. S. Paulo,2005. ISSN 1678-9792
^ Lifestreams: An introduction to Biosynthesis, David Boadella, 1987, Routledge & Kegan Paul, ISBN 0-7102-1145-7
^ Body-Mind psychotherapy: Principles, Techniques and Practical Applications, Susan Aposhyan, W.W. Norton, 2004, ISBN 0-393-70441-6
^ Contemporary Body Psychotherapy, (ed.) Linda Hartley, 2009, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-41543939-8
^ 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.
^ 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 1591792479 ISBN 978-1591792475
^ Mindell, A. 'Working with the Dreaming Body' Routledge 1985
^ Morin, P. 'The Dreambody: A New Integrative Approach to Illness'

[edit] External links

[0] Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction, Nick Totton, Open University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-335-21038-4 (pb); 0-335-21039-2.

[1] Body Psychotherapy, ed. Tree Staunton, Brunner Routledge, 2002, ISBN 1-58391-115-4 9PB0; 1-58391-116-2 (pb)

[2] Body, Breath and Consciousness: A Somatics Anthology, ed. Macnaughton, North Atlantic Books (August 5, 2004) English ISBN 1556434960 ISBN 978-1556434969

[3] Xavier, JIT - A atenção, a consciência e o 'dar-se conta' no paradigma da psicoterapia neurodinamica. Revista Reichiana, n. 14:45-70. S. Paulo,2005. ISSN 1678-9792

[4] Lifestreams: An introduction to Biosynthesis, David Boadella, 1987, Routledge & Kegan Paul, ISBN 0-7102-1145-7

[5] Body-Mind psychotherapy: Principles, Techniques and Practical Applications, Susan Aposhyan, W.W. Norton, 2004, ISBN 0-393-70441-6

[6] Contemporary Body Psychotherapy, (ed.) Linda Hartley, 2009, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-41543939-8

[7] Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, Peter Levine, 1997, North Atlantic Books, ISBN 1-55643-233-X

[8] Victims of Cruelty: Somatic Psychotherapy in the Healing of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder', Eckberg M, Levine P.

[9] 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 1591792479 ISBN 978-1591792475

[10] Mindell, A. 'Working with the Dreaming Body' Routledge 1985

[11] Morin, P. 'The Dreambody: A New Integrative Approach to Illness'

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]