Body Psychotherapy
Encyclopedia
Body psychotherapy, also referred to as body-oriented psychotherapy and somatic psychology
Somatic Psychology
Somatic psychology is an interdisciplinary field involving the study of the body, somatic experience, and the embodied self, including therapeutic and holistic approaches to body. The word somatic comes from the ancient Greek somat . The word psychology comes from the ancient Greek psyche and logia...

, is a significant branch of psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...

, with origins in the work of Pierre Janet
Pierre Janet
Pierre Marie Félix Janet was a pioneering French psychologist, philosopher and psychotherapist in the field of dissociation and traumatic memory....

, Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...

 and particularly Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...

.

The European Association for Body Psychotherapy
European Association for Body Psychotherapy
The European Association for Body Psychotherapy is a professional association for practicing body psychotherapists in Europe.It currently has about 750 accredited members on its Register of European Body Psychotherapists...

 (EABP) has a searchable bibliography of body-psychotherapy, containing over 4,000 entries.

There is a recent review of body psychotherapy research.

Branches (or methods) of body psychotherapy often trace their origins to the work of the founders of the particular specialities, like 'Bioenergetic Analysis' to the work of Lowen & Pierrakos, 'Radix' to the work of Chuck Kelley, 'Biosynthesis' to the work of David Boadella
David Boadella
David Boadella is a British psychotherapist and founder of a modality of body psychotherapy called biosynthesis, and the author of numerous books including poetry....

, 'Biodynamic Psychology' to that of Gerda Boyesen
Gerda Boyesen
Gerda Boyesen is the founder of Biodynamic Psychology, a branch of Body Psychotherapy.-Life:...

, 'Rubenfeld Synergy' to Ilana Rubenfeld's work, 'Body-mind Psychotherapy' to a development of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen's work, and 'Body-mind Centering' by Susan Aposhyan. and many others. Several of these people were influenced by the work of Wilhelm Reich, but were also considerably influenced by a variety of other people and their methods. Syntheses of these approaches are also becoming accepted and recognised in their own right (viz: The Chiron Approach: Chiron Association of Body Psychotherpists ).

Body psychotherapy is one modality
Modality
-Humanities:* In law: the basis of legal argumentation in United States constitutional law* In theology: Modality : the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations...

 used in a multi-modal approach to treating psychological trauma, particularly PTSD and C-PTSD.

See also

  • Mind–body intervention
  • Expressive therapy
    Expressive therapy
    Expressive therapy, also known as expressive arts therapy or creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a form of therapy. Unlike traditional art expression, the process of creation is emphasized rather than the final product...

  • Health applications and clinical studies of meditation
    Health applications and clinical studies of meditation
    Research on the processes and effects of meditation is a growing subfield of neurological research. Modern scientific techniques and instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, are being used to study the body of people who've engaged in meditation in order to determine both how the process of meditation...

  • Neuroscience
    Neuroscience
    Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...

  • Psychoneuroimmunology
    Psychoneuroimmunology
    Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body...

  • American College of Orgonomy
    American College of Orgonomy
    The American College of Orgonomy was formed as a nonprofit institution by Dr. Elsworth F. Baker in 1968. The purpose of the College is to advance the scientific work in the science of orgonomy, originally developed by Dr. Wilhelm Reich.The A.C.O...

  • Process Oriented Psychology
    Process Oriented Psychology
    Process oriented psychology refers to a body of theory and practice that encompasses a broad range of psychotherapeutic, personal growth, and group process applications. It is more commonly called "process work" in the United States, the longer name being used in Europe and Asia...

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