Body-centered (somatic) psychotherapy: A holistic integration of the mindful body in psychotherapy

In this page, I am articulating some of the thinking behind integrative body-oriented psychotherapy. See also practical examples.

Traditional thinking saw mind (or soul) as distinct from body. Current scientific explorations have shown a correlation between mind processes and brain activity as well as other body processes. This has expanded our definition of mind beyond its narrow definition.

Conversely, "body" is not just a bunch of bones, muscles, organs. There is an enormous difference between a living body and a corpse. The living body does not merely mean the "soma" -- something separate from the "psyche", the mind. It is a "mindful body". Think of it as the "somatic" component of the "psychosomatic" whole.

What we call mind would better be described as a process rather than a thing. Daniel Siegel, MD, author of The Developing Mind and The Mindful Brain, says:

"We do think of the mind as a noun, rather than a verb, and that use of linguistic categorization—like the mind is a noun, an entity, rather than a process—gets us into a lot of trouble; because this is a fluid, dynamic, moving process, and when you really see it that way, all sorts of windows open up as opportunities to help people transform the process that is the mind. And rather than being fixed in the notion that the mind is like an object, when you see it as a verb, as a process, you can actually work with it in a more effective manner."

Source: January 2008 conversation with Daniel Siegel

He also says:

"The mind is an embodied and relational regulatory process."

Source: June 2010 conversation with Daniel Siegel

Psychotherapy deals with the dysregulations of a regulatory process, the "embodied and relational regulatory process" in Dan Siegel's terms.

Traditional therapy approaches these dysregulations only through what manifests through talk. We have much more breadth and depth, and the possibility of more immediacy, when we pay attention to a broader spectrum. This is why it is very helpful to pay attention to the whole process, including "the body". Not seeing "the body" as an entity separate from "the mind", but as another aspect of the whole person's process.

Paying attention to the body in therapy includes:
- Awareness of our psychological body armor and of the emotional component in psychosomatic pain such as back pain
- De-activating post-traumatic stress, healing trauma through somatic experiencing.

Paying attention to the body is not just useful when there are bodily symptoms. The process of therapy itself can be tremendously enhanced by focusing on gut feelings and felt sense.

Below are links to some practical examples of creatively working with the body as a resource.

As you watch these videos, please keep in mind that the people featured in these videos are dancers, i.e. people who are unusually capable of expressing themselves through their body. So the videos do not represent a view of what a regular session is like.

In fact, the key point is that creatively paying attention to the body is different with each client. The idea is not to apply a "cookie-cutter" method to all, but to get to what feels just right for this client at this moment.

Here are some examples of this creative exploration, with dancers:

- Creatively working with dream meanings (1) and (2)

- The body as a resource: Embodied presence in psychotherapy

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