6 INTERNATIONAL BODY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS contemporary scientific theory (Röhricht, Gallagher, scientifictheory contemporary Geuter & Hutto, 2014). a frameworkforgivingbody psychotherapy aparadigmatic foundationinthecontextof for thevarious modalities inourfield. oftheembodiedmindappearstooffer Thetheory psychotherapy asoneproposal amongothers(e.g.Heller, 2012) foranumbrella theory and wanting/intending” (p. 495).Iregard myattemptatatheoretical foundationforbody process ofimmediate,ongoingawareness thatincludesperceiving, sensing,feeling,thinking, et al., 2013), which share a common focus on “client Hence, Iseeourfieldcloselyalignedwith“humanistic-experiential ” (Elliott experiencing ofthebodyasacentralpathwayto theselfandtoself-regulation. oftheembodiedmind. oneness ofexperience,andthetheory This approach conceives on theideaofexperiencinghumansubjectinhislife process, theholisticideaof meaning ofthesignsbodycommunication. Yet underlyingmethodsandmodelsvary. and regulation ofbreathing; grounding; holding;studyingenactments;and/orthe including various bodyrelated methodssuchas:bodyperception andexpression; perception might agree thattheirapproach addresses psychic andsomaticprocesses intherapyby psychotherapy tobecomeacoherent discipline” (2002,p. 202).Most bodypsychotherapists orcomplete”satisfactory (2003,p. 138)and“that thecore project shouldnow beforbody body-mind-system. Therefore Totton claimsthat“the existingframeworksare by nomeans meaning ofbodysensations,stillotherswithanunderlyingenergycirculating inthewhole therapeutic relationship, others as working with awareness for body processes or with the felt to understandthetreatment asmainlyworking withthelanguageofbodywithin and themindinonetreatment. The different approaches follow different models.Some tend © Author andUSABP/EABP. Reprints andpermissions [email protected] Volume 15,Number 1spring2016LisbonCongress Supplement pp06-19. International BodyPsychotherapy Journal ULFRIED GEUTER 1

This article isarevisedThis article version ofapaper presented atthe 14thEuropean and10thInternational Congress helping metomake thetextmore readable andputtingitintocorrect English. of BodyPsychotherapy inLisbon, 2014.IthankNancy Eichhorn andAsafRolef Ben-Shahar muchfor very foundation in the theory ofthe embodied mind. foundation inthetheory of self-experience. proposes givingbodypsychotherapy further The article aparadigmatic experiencing humansubjectinhislifeprocess andconceivingbodyexperienceasthebasis psychotherapeutic approach. It suggestsbasingbodypsychotherapy ontheideaof offersanunderstandingofbodypsychotherapyThis article asanexperiential I suggestwe understandbodypsychotherapy asan Body psychotherapy isafieldthatembraces various approaches working withthebody Keywords: Body Psychotherapy: ExperiencingtheBody, Bodypsychotherapy, holism,experiencing,embodiedmind Experiencing theSelf The Art andScienceofSomaticPraxis Ulfried Geuter Abstract ISSN 2169-4745Printing, ISSN2168-1279Online experiential approach experiencing 1

, defined as the holistic thatisbased I willoutlinethese propositions in thefollowing paragraphs. The five propositions are: propositions address whatpeoplefeel. being depressed, havingaslumpingposture orseeingasunset.But inpsychotherapy we problem of the so called qualiathat is the phenomenal character of how it islike subjectively cannot explainhow posture creates feelingsandthoughts.Philosophy hasalsonotsolved the hand withdepressed feelings. We considerthisrelation intheonenessofexperience,butwe body psychotherapy we empiricallyacceptthataslumpingbodyposture cangohand-in- emerges inalivingbeingthatphilosophyandsciencehave stillnotbeenabletosolve. In mind. Hence, we shouldnotpretend tobeablesolve thequestionofhow themind abouttherelation between bodyand ofthehumanbeingoratheory scope isnotatheory ofbodypsychotherapy isthescientificfoundationofthatapproach.scope foratheory This Barlow (2001)does andinpsychology, notinbiology. psychotherapy atheoretical grounding indynamicsystemstheories (Capra&Luisi, 2014)as misunderstanding (Geuter, 2015, pp. 128-133). I favour an approach of giving body Today, thereception ofneuroscientific findings seduces manypsychotherapists tosuch a as anaturalscience.Asimilarmisunderstandingcanbefoundinbodypsychotherapy. an objectifyingwaywiththebiologicalbodywhichamedicalmodeloftreatment standsfor. term human subject clearly signifies thatbody psychotherapy works with asubject and notin meaning ofactionsandcommunications.Alltheseprocesses constituteaperson’s life. The coupling” between organismandenvironment, andintersubjective interactionwithintentional “organismic regulation” of the processes of the internal organs and viscera from “sensorimotor of thissystem. In cognitive science, Thompson and Varela (2001),forinstance, distinguish of thehumanbeing.But thetermorganismisoftenalsousedforonlybiologicalaspects the termorganismwhichHeller (2012)uses.For Heller, theorganismisentire system the term ofbodypsychotherapy. humansubjectattheheart and embodiedactingbeingthatcreates meaninginrelating totheworld. Therefore The Experiencing Human Subject 5. Positioning bodypsychotherapy asanexperientialapproach jettisonsbiologistic thinking. and emotionshisrelations toothers.Self-experience self-regulation. thussupports 4. The more aperson canexperiencehimselfthemore hewillbeabletoregulate hisneeds other psychotherapeutic approaches and canrefer tothisparadigmasatheoretical framework. senses itself. self, from bodyexperience,usingespeciallythesensesby starting whichalivingbeing of experiences.Aspecialfeature ofbodypsychotherapy istoaccesstheexperienceof body. Andhow oneexperiencestheworld,oneselfand the bodydependsonhistory 2. Experiencing theworldandexperiencingoneself isgrounded inexperiencingthe mind. It emergesasalifeprocess inthesubject-environment relationship. meaning. They do so by experiencing the world. Experience always includes body and 3. Body psychotherapy is more in line with the paradigm of the embodied mind than 1. Humans are livingbeings. They subjectively perceive theworld.Livingbeingscreate Since Iwillrestrict Icannotgointodetailinthisarticle, myselftoanoutlineof I talkofbodypsychotherapy asa Philosopher JürgenHabermas (1969)hascriticized themisunderstandingofpsychoanalysis In myview, bodypsychotherapy regards thehumanbeingasasubjectively experiencing . Amore comprehensive lineofreasoning canbefoundinGeuter (2015). psychotherapeutic approach BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCINGTHEBODY This termisincontrastto . This meansthatthe

I put five five

7 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS 8 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS argue theywould work onacelllevel are wrong (e.g.Hartley, 1995).Iseebodypsychotherapy as or theongoingbiochemicalprocesses themselves. Therefore, Ithinkbody psychotherapists who am ill,Ifeelinmybodyheat,weakness, slacklimbs.Icannotfeeltheactivitiesofmy immunecells oxygen, orwe mayfeelhotwhenwe get afever asaresult oftheactivitiesourimmune cells.If I level are onlyexperienced indirectly; forinstance,we mayget delusionsasaresult ofalack immune cellsdo. But processes onacellularormolecularlevel oronanyotherunconsciousbody levels likecellsormoleculeswhichalsointeractwith theenvironment andstore experiencesas on eachpossiblelevel. perceptions. All these levels are mentalaswe become aware how we experiencea stimulus in ourimpulsesandproprioceptive perceptions, andon a vegetative level ininteroceptive experience. regard themaslayers ofthe physical organism. In contrast,I regard themas 1) (Southwell, 1988;von Uexküll etal.,1994).Bodypsychotherapists sometimes do notrespect me. to act,vegetatively inaflabbinessofbodytissues,orcognitively inthebeliefthatothers expecting reactions tomyactions. This patterncanmotoricallyshow upinmyinability in emotionalexperiences.If Ihadadepressive motherImighthave apatternofnot sensorimotor schemas.Affect-motor-schemasofbeingwithothersare deeplyrooted impulses, gut feelings, phantasies, imagination, or dreams, not only in cognitive or we experiencetheworlddeeplyinbodyposture, breathing, muscletensions,motoric a personapproaches theworld. ofaffect-motor-schemasmaintainsthatThe theory internally stored andrepresentations” mentalrules (p. 9). ofpreviousmental activityliesentirely engagementsandnotinsomesetof initshistory Myin secret to explaining what structures an organism’s (2013), write:“The current to itsenvironment (Maturana & Varela, 1992).Advocates ofenactivism,Hutto and 1991). It ofanactive relation standsfor thenotionthatcognitionispart ofanorganism oftheembodiedmind(Varela,a theoretical termusedinthetheory Thompson &Rosch, ofexperiences. by themselves determinedby thehistory relations. Affectsdetermineinnerstatesinwhichexperiencinghappens. These affectsare cognitive processes, whichare permeatedby emotionsandintentionsembeddedin of theonenessexperience.Experience alwaysencompassesvegetative, motoric,and of meanings,asubjective worldtellingthemwhatthereal worldmeanstothem. type ofknowing thanknowing factsby declarative memory. Livingbeingscreate aworld Experiencing isawayofknowing, whichincludesthebodyandworld.It isadifferent world tothemby awayofsubjectively sensingtheworld. We callthisexperiencing. of meanings.Humans interactwiththeworld,andtheyestablishmeaningof 1. Experiencing assubjective knowing ULFRIED GEUTER working with the experience of delusions or heat, not with cells or molecules. working withtheexperienceofdelusions orheat,notwithcells molecules. A biologicalmodelofthelayers ofthephysicalorganism wouldhave toincludemanymore In different bodypsychotherapy schools,we findamodelofthree layers (seefig. According toDowning isalive in (1996)thishistory This clinicalknowledge by modernenactivistphilosophy. issupported In myunderstandingofbodypsychotherapy thecentralideaisholistic Living beingsare inpermanentself-movement, andtheycreate asubjective world We experiencetheworldcognitively inourthoughts,onasensorimotorlevel affect-motor-schemas Enactivism by which layers of is is subject, bodyandmindare only aspectsofthelifeprocess: I therefore relate theideaofholismtothisoneness ofexperience. therapeutically working withlife-processes intheunityofalllayers ofexperience. method for mentalising bodily-bound processes; rather, it is one possible approach for is alsonotinterested inworking withobjective bodymeasurements. problem whenhesuffers,andhissufferingexperiencesinbody-mind.Psychotherapy I amill.Psychotherapy hasnoobjective criterionifsomebodyissufferingornot.He hasa can have HIV-antibodies andfeelfine;thenIamnotill.canhave lessandfeelterrible;then Figure 1. Three Layers ofExperience. abstracted aspectsoftheflow oforganism-environment interactionsthatconstitutewhat we client feels,how heresists relaxation, ifheinhibits themovement ofgrasping ontotheworld, awareness. For example,ifwe work withtension intheshoulderourfocusis onwhatthe in hisphenomenalawareness” (p. 243f.). Hence inbodypsychotherapy we fosterbodily inside: “Experiencing isdefinedasthefeltdatumofanindividual’s inward direct reference Mental inadualway(Depraz, 2008). andbodilyexperiencingdonotarticulate to befoundinembodiment research. Rather, bothare oneinthe onenessofexperience. movement. Therefore, Iopposethenotion ofabidirectional relation between bodyandmind gesture is not the result of an inner feeling nor is the inner feeling the result of sensing the from thefeelingIhave. But in being discriminable,theyare oneatthe same time. The about itindependentlyfrom thisgesture, andIcantalkaboutmygesture independently can distinguishtheinnerfeeling“Ifeelhappy” from thegesture ofmyarms,andIcantalk not interactwhenhappinessarises,theyare onewithintheoccurrence ofthathappiness.I primacy of an inner psychic process. Rather, his gesture ishis happiness. Body and mind do show itby throwing hisarmsup. theprocessThis wayofviewing offeelinghappyclaimsa normally saythatheshows hishappiness.But hedoesnot firstfeelhishappinessandthen the process ofexperiencingtheyare one. talk aboutmateriallyseparablestuffbutaspectswe candistinguishfrom eachother. In call experience” 2007,p. (Johnson, 12).If we talkaboutthebodyandmind,we donot Following Gendlin (1997), experiencing has something to do with turning our awareness I give anexample.If apersonfeelsdelightedandthrows hisarmsupintheair, we The modelofthelayers ofexperienceimpliesthatbodypsychotherapy isnotonlya Illness isalwaysasubjectively perceived state,asishealth(Capra&Luisi, 2014,p. 327).I BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCINGTHEBODY “Mind andbodyare merely For theexperiencing

9 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS 10 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS about ourinnerworld: more oninnerperceptions astheymakemeaningaccessible. inner senses,thesocalledsensesofself. In bodypsychotherapy, we focusourinterest Therefore, Köth(2013)speaks about thebodyasstorageandcompass. connected withitthusdeterminehow heexperiencesthesituation. Andsodohisintentions. matrix fortheactualemotionalreaction. Aperson’s ofexperiencingandtheemotions history encompass thebody, theself, andtheworld. situations, Fuchs (2014)arguesthattheydonotexistinthepersonalone; ratherthey e. g.adream, oroutersituationsininteractions.Asemotionsalwayshappenembodied main generatorsare our emotions by whichwe react to situations, bothinner (Geuter,become congruent 2015). sensations are inconflictwitheachother, thenafeelingofcoherence onlyensueswhenboth curious, sadorangry, Ifeelinmybodyandperceive inmythoughts:If thoughts andbody others andtheworld(seeJohnson, 2007,p. 12).If Iamdowncast oruntwisted,bored or as being the subjective. Bodily-felt experiencestell about the subjective perception of oneself, “in-depth-body” isthesubjective perspective ofahumanbeinganddeclares theinteroceptive generally doinginagiven moment.De Preester (2007)thusholdsthattheperception ofthe body. if Ilikethesentenceornot.can’t decide thataloneinmymind. it, orIhave thefeeling: to thisquestioninmybody. Either there issomethingthatmakesmefeelIdonotlike pondering whetherornotIlikethesentencehave justwritten.Icanonlysensetheanswer We explore to subjectivity. thebody experienceasagateway Take theexamplethatIam psychotherapy we therefore deduceself-experienceandmeaningfrom sensingthebody. experiences -thebasisofself-experience 2. Body “embodied situations”. and related tosituations. That iswhyphilosopherMark Johnson (2007,p. 83)speaksabout experiencing we come to know the worldinitsmeaningforus.Meaning isfeltinthe body life andsituations. They are immediateinteractionalmeanings” (Gendlin, 1997, p. By XIV). and others:“Subjective experiencesare notjustinnerreactions; theyare ourinteractionsin respect tothelifeofperson. cuff. In thebodypsychotherapeutic modelwe are interested inwhatthetensionisaboutwith we canbeinterested inwhatdegree theouterrotation isinhibitedby problems intherotator or ifthere isaconflictbetween longingforsomebodyandwithdrawal. In amedicalmodel ULFRIED GEUTER kinaestheticsense, 2. The vestibular andthemusculoskeletal system–thesenseofproprioception, the 1. The innerenvironment andtheviscera—senseofinteroception, According toDamasio (1999)we have three systemsof bodilysignalswhichinformus The bodilybaseforexperiencingare oursenses—thefive exteroceptive sensesandour How we react toasituationalsodependsonour Another questionishow themeaningwe feelin ourbodysensationsisproduced. The Hence, subjective appraisalsare reached by aninnerdialogue withwhatisfeltinthe My secondproposition isthatself-experiencegrounded inbodyexperience.In body Experiences are notonlyinnerprocesses buttheyoccurin 3. The system ofthesensetouchin theskin,whichisbothextero- andinteroceptive. Inner sensations Yes, that’s right letapersonknow how hefeelstowards somebody, orhow heis . Ihave tobecomeaware ofmyinnersensingtoknow embodied memories interactions with theworld . They forma

however, seemsmosttobeinharmonywithit. This ismy third proposition. paradigm oftheembodiedmind orontheconceptofembodiment.Bodypsychotherapy, there inthat.Apsychoanalytic wassometruth bodypsychotherapy trainer gave the symptom ofburping.Others sawthisasasignofmyoralcharacterstructure —maybe no one-to-one-relation ofanythingthebodyshows with anyevent ormeaning. sensations andshows impulses. What we seeishypercomplex andmultidetermined. There is we cannotunderstandthebodylikealanguage(Geuter, 2015). The bodyjustbehaves, has psychotherapists believe thattheycanknow whattheclientfeelsby reading thebody. But if we feel something in reaction to the client. But only the subject knows it. Some body meaning. Aspsychotherapists we canhave hypothesesaboutthismeaning,especially thus toourbodilyself. Uexküll etal.,1994).But allthethree sensescontribute toourbodilyself-perception and in dancetherapy. Partly thebodilyselfhasbeenrelated asawhole toproprioception (von locomotor impulsestoapproach ofemotionalreactions. oravoid apersonandisthuspart Proprioception isessentialformaintainingthefunctionsofbodyschema.It tellsabout about changesinthesystemsofmovement andposture, by anothertensofmillionssensors. who cannotperceive interoceptions hasproblems withemotionalorientation. the mostfundamentalemotionalappraisalofanevent (seeGeuter, 2015,p. 186).Aperson experience. They show ifsomethingisgoodorbadforus,itfeelspleasant orunpleasant, temperature, pressure, pain,itchingortensions.Interoceptions signalthesubjective colorof tens ofmillionsreceptors withintheskin,muscles orthevessels reacting toward gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrinal,andotherinformationcomingfrom intestines, thebloodvessels orthatinthedeeperlevels oftheskin.It bundlesneuro-muscular, 3. The paradigmoftheembodiedmindasanewtheoretical framework inthe body.meaning ofanythingoneobserves immobilisation. The exampleshows thatonealwayshastoexplore precisely thesubjective peacefully lyingonmybackandseeinggreen above me. Today Iknow Iwasinastateof green slime.”My six-years-older cousinhadpulledmeout. ofmylifeisThe firstmemory you hadfallenintoapondwhenyou were twoorthree years old.Andyou were gagging she said,“Iwillnever forgetthisnoiseforallmy life. You madeittheentire nightafter I calledmymotherthesameevening andmademyburpingnoiseatthephone.Rightaway fighting forairandgettingwater. Have you beennearlydrowned Ihad. asachild?”Iknew I hadthesamesymptomby soundsasifyou myphysiotherapist.She were said,“This interpretation thatdisgustingmother-milkwasresponsible forthesymptom.One day —incontrast to disembodimentasalackof thisability; environment; 2. Phenomenologically, for aformofbeingaware ofyourself by beingaware ofyour body 1. Theoretically, thatthemindis inherently embodiedandthatitisembeddedintothe The termembodimentisused atthree different levels (Geuter, 2014): In recent years we see a tendency in various psychotherapy approaches to draw on the I shallillustratethiswithapersonalexample.In myneoreichian trainingIhada In bodypsychotherapy we helppeoplebecomeaware oftheirbodysensationstogenerate Proprioception Proprioception informsaboutthebody’s relationship withtheenvironment inspace, The interoceptive system hasbeensubjecttotheorisinginsomebodypsychotherapy schoolsand informsaboutthestateofsmoothmuscleswithin BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCINGTHEBODY

11 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS 12 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS the caseoftraumaticexperiences. In order tochangethesymptom,we work onthelevel of rejection couldhave causedsymptomsofanxiety, depression, orsomatoformdisorders, in reason forthiscouldbe personwasrejected asachildwhenstrivingforconnection. This and behaving.If somebody, forexample, drawsbackwhenanotherpersontoucheshim,the the patternsoflived relation totheworld,affect-motor-schemas ofexperiencing only in a cognitive one. Following Downing to change (1996), body psychotherapists try beings live inacognitive-affective-motoric-vegetative relation totheenvironment andnot according totheirexperiencesandlivingconditions. is closetopsychotherapy where we alwayshave todealwithhow peoplecreate theirworld by seeingcognitionsasembodiedactions(Varela, Thompson &Rosch, 1991). This notion notion thattheyare representations oftheworld,theyfavour a“middle way” ofknowing idealist notionthatmentalcontentsare projections ofaninnerworldandtotherealistic and Varela oftheembodiedmind.In (1992)laterdeveloped contrasttothe thetheory in thecentre ofMerleau-Ponty’s (1962)phenomenologyofperception. Biologists Maturana experience emerginginalifeprocess. becomes aware ofsomething,thisisnotonlyamentalbutalsobodilyact:body-mind &Koshikawa,Haruki 2006;Caldwell, 2014):theexperienceofmindfulbody. If aperson psychotherapy notonlyworks withmindfulnessbutalso“bodyfulness” (Sugamura, about theembodiedmindIincludethisnotionofmindful body. In thissensebody beings, alsohave a the world,metaphoricallyspoken,ingrey anddrab. change leadstoadifferent affective relation totheworld.In turn,depressive clientsoftensee chromatic white,grey, perception afteranaccident,sawtheworldindirty andblack.Such a Other beingshave otherformsofperception. ApatientofOliver Sacks (1995),whohadlost experience ofcoloursisnotdeterminedby system. thefeatures oflightbutby oursensory perception ofcolours. Humans perceive theworldtrichromatically, in yellow-blue-red. The how hecanactandhow theworldcanaffecthim. This canbeshown by theexampleof cognitions inembodiedactions.Hence, thebodydetermineswhatapersoncanperceive, acting beinginanaffect-motorrelationship toitsenvironment. human beingistherefore similartothatinbodypsychotherapy: It isseenasanembodied stimulus hostsasinbehaviourism(Hutto &Myin, 2013;Noë, 2009). The conceptionofthe norto enactivism,humanbeingsare neitherinformationprocessors asincognitivisttheory acting. Thompson and Varela (2001)callthis“embodied and embedded” (p. 425).According of abodilylivingbeingthatinteractswithitsenvironment andcreates consciousnesswhile that themindisacomputerforinformationprocessing. Rather, themindisconceived aspart movements ontheother(Geuter, 2015).Here Iwillfocusonthetheoretical level. interdependence between feelingandthinkingontheonehandbodypostures and ULFRIED GEUTER these causingdispositions. 2004).Aposhyan alsospeaksabouttheembodimentoftherapist. I think that this theory isalsoinlinewithbodypsychotherapy asweI thinkthatthistheory assumethathuman The notionthatwe perceive theworldandourselves by ourown bodyhadalready stood This meansthatnotonlythemindisembodied;humansassubjectively worldexperiencing oftheembodiedmindsupposesthatwe enactourperceptions andgenerateThe theory Philosophically, theconceptofembodiedmindopposesnotionincognitive sciences In psychology we alsofind vast empiricalembodiment research dealingwiththe 3. Clinicallyfortheprocess ofcomingintocontactwithallinneroccurrences (Aposhyan, mindful body . Bodyexperienceisalwaysamentalprocess too. If Italk

to othersincreases. Hence, proposition isthatexperiencingyourself my fourth helpsself- been traumatised,thentheir capacity toregulate themselves andtoregulate theirrelations not beenableforvarious reasons, maybebecausetheynever learneditorbecausetheyhad toactwhat theydidnotdarethey start to,andiftheybecomeabletodo thatwhentheyhad a “dance ofpresence andmutualemergence” (ibid.,p. 59). in ourown bodywithinarelational field(Rolef Ben-Shahar, 2014). Working inthis field is 2007), especiallywhenIsenseinmybodywhatisgoingon intheclient. We feeltheclient relations toothers,andwe understandtheminembodiedexperience. inside, and I feel how I get stiff in doing this.“ People understand themselves and their weakness ofmylegs.“Or: “Yes Ican’t itistrue letmydeadlover gobecauseIstillholdhim that’s it,I’m really feelingsad,Ifeelit in mychest.”Or: “Yes I’m hopeless,Ifeelitinthe words are forthesubject. and have importance congruent Then somebodycansay:“Yes, doing thiswe aspire towork withthewholenessofexperience. And Icanaskwhichsentenceorpicture comesintomindwhenheissensingsomething.By and motoric impulses. I can ask the client what kind of sensation a thought elicits in the body. their socialworld. The basisforthisiscontactwithbodilyexperiences. byThis process fosteringaconsciousnessofhow issupported theyexperiencethemselves and contact withthemselves sothattheycanbettermastertheirlives andtheirrelations toothers. his self (Perls, Hefferline & Goodman, 1951). We to help clients to come more into try of self-exploration,andwe guidethisprocess sothattheclientcanexplore andreappropriate others.Inand hisimportant experientialtherapies,we goalongwiththeclientinhisprocess 4. Self-experience, self-explorationandself-regulation changed hislife. all levels ofexperience.Aslongassomebodyisstillbodilyshrinkingback,insighthasnot To changeapatternisnotonlycognitive process, asthepatternhastobechangedon getting coldskin.If we transformentire patterns,theneedtodevelop symptomsdecreases. as you stillreact withthesameaffective-motoric patternofwithdrawalorvegetatively by that you withdrawwhenyou feeltouchedmayhelpyou, butitdoesnothelpenoughaslong disorders. We dothisby exploringtheirnature onallthelevels ofexperiencing. The insight which create symptoms.Following tochangedispositionsformental thisideawe try whereas there isahiddenangerinit. for instance,whensomeoneperceiving anexcitation experiencesthisexcitation asanxiety a human being with the world. Dispositions can also delude a person in his experiences; other.important causes within the interaction ofThus, dispositions appear as structuring a disposition,aswell, separationanxietycanleadtodepression whenapersonlosesan psychopathology, avulnerabilitythatleadstogettinganxiouswhenpeoplecomecloseis look through it.Adispositionisthatitwillcrackwhenyou throw astoneagainstit.In something happens.For instance,themanifestfeature ofawindow paneisthatyou can If people start tofeelagainwhattheyavoidedIf feelingorwhattheywere peoplestart unabletofeel,if inita‘participatoryAs therapistswe takepart sense-making’ (De Jaegher &Di Paolo, Experience hasvitalevidenceifbodysensations and themeaningwe give tothemwith In bodypsychotherapy from we exploringthoughtsandfeelingsorsensations canstart Self-experience thecapacityofself-regulation forthebenefit of theperson oftenserves In psychotherapy we canregard theproblems ofclientsasproblems withdispositions, Newen (2013)definesdispositionsasfeatures ofasystemthat becomediscernibleif BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCINGTHEBODY 13 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS 14 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS of empiricalbasisbodypsychotherapy we need. patterns ofexperiencingandbehaving grow outofinteractionalexperiences. This isthekind models oftheexperiencingsubject. Infant research, forinstance,triestoestablishhow the reason, biological models should never be the scientific basisof psychotherapeutic work, only discipline whichtriestounderstand, nottoestablish data inanatural scientific way. For this what hissensationsare, and whathelpshimtochange.Hence, bodypsychotherapy isa blood tests. We ratherengageinexploringwiththeclientwhatheexperiences,how hefeels, not measure bloodpressure theconcentrationofoxygen inthebloodby making orobserve medical treatment ofbloodpressure by betablockers.In bodypsychotherapy, however, we do can manipulatethatenergyfrom outside. This modeloftreatment isnodifferent from a is aprocess thatisdeeplyconnectedwiththebody andwithgainingorregaining aliveness. to gainself-regulation inbothwaysofautoregulation andco-regulation withothers. This a self(Marlock, 2006),whichhasbeenwithheldfrom living,todiscover subjective meaning, reappropriate thoseexperiencesthathave beenexcluded from experiencingandtoreanimate relationship andenvironment, buttheperson canonlyhealhimself. obstacles toself-healing. They canstimulatehealing,give impulses,andprovide ahealing inner potential of another person. According to that, psychotherapists can help remove the itself. This isakintoSocrates’ the understandingofmaieuticasawaybringingtobirth in humanistic-experientialpsychotherapy: thathealingisaprocess alivingbeingdoesby unknown energy. that inthework ofGallo (1998),where we findamedicalmodelofworking withahitherto body psychotherapy by directing energystreams inabioelectricfield. We canalsonotice (Capra &Luisi, 2014). seen inanyvitalforce ormatter, butinnonmaterial processes andpatternsoforganization terms ofexperienceandbehaviour, notinnaturalscientificterms. Theessenceoflifeisnot model understands living subjects in their interactions withtheir world and that means in themselves withoutanycausefrom outside,butincouplingwiththeenvironment. This their environment. They callthisautopoiesis.Single-cell organismsare already active by autonomousentitieswithboundariestothemselves continuouslyandthattheyconstruct and Varela (1992) say thatlivingbeingsare livingbecausetheycreate andrecreate by anenergythatcouldbediscovered likeelectric,thermic,ornuclearenergy. his energymodelmetaphoricallyinheritedthearousal ofelectricity. He wantedtodefinelife suit ourwork. at grounding bodypsychotherapy withReich, inbiologyorphysics,starting donot from biologistic thinking. This is the last proposition of this article. 5. Staying awayfrom biologism regulation. ULFRIED GEUTER The notionofenergythatisoftenstillfoundinbodypsychotherapy implies thatyou In aprocess ofself-healingbodypsychotherapy meanstoexperience theself, to If we follow theconceptofautopoiesis,we cometoanotherpicture already existing Both ideasare onaparwithdifferent ideasofhealing.Some Reichians believe theydo ofembodiedmind defines theessenceoflifedifferent from that. The theory Maturana Reich oftheagesecondindustrialrevolution waspart ofelectricaltechnology, and If we understandbodypsychotherapy asanexperientialapproach, we shouldstayaway I suggestwe setasidetheconceptof energy, whichclingstogrounding bodypsychotherapy I believe that attempts phenomenological descriptions maybe by touching. we donotmeasure thermicenergeticphenomena. We explore them,maybeby talking, the more theytalkedabout pressure orheat(Levenson, 2003).But inbodypsychotherapy, blood cameintotheirhandsand thehighertemperature was(whathadbeenmeasured), to parallelthat.For example,inanexperimentwithcouples,itcould beshown thatthe more perceived phenomena, notobjectively establishedprocesses. It canbeinteresting inresearch Shahar, 2014,p. 164).But ifwe dothat,we have tobeaware that we talkaboutsubjectively decrease. In thissenseenergyissomethingthatcan“befeltandinteractedwith” (Rolef Ben- we can,however, talkwiththeclientthatsomethingfeels energy is even less useful. These processes have to be understood. On a of energytheyare exposedto:electromagnetic, mechanical,chemicalenergy” (p. 1232). agents and‘the worldoutside’, we willfindlivingorganismsprocessing thedifferent epiphanies energies: “If we analyze atthephysicallevel ofdescriptiontherelationship between biological between the organism and its environment. Gallese (2003)toostresses to refer to specific global how theyaffectthepersoninhisentire experiencingofhimselfandtheworldaround him. do notwork through biologicalmeanslikepharmacologistsdo. We work withdisorders as with bodypsychotherapy, we alsoaffectprocesses onabiologicallevel (Liss,2001).But we resulting from takingimmunosuppressors cancause mental disturbances.On theotherside, effect onmentaldisorders, aswell asbiologicalprocesses likeadisturbanceoftheorganism living organism. Therefore, biologicalmeansoftreatment suchasantidepressants canhave an mentalprocess isconnectedtobiologicalprocesses becausementallifeis afeatureevery ofa have severe (Brown effects onbiologicalprocesses, e.g.onmortality etal.,2009).Further, experiencing oneself, othersandtheworld. psychotherapeutic pointofview, mentaldisorders are emotionaldisorders ofrelating to and their experiencingandbehavinghavingrelations inawaytheysufferfrom. From a they canhandlethem(Marlock, 2006). oftheseexperiencesiswhatimpacts The history life andfateofthepeople,intheirlivingconditions,experiences,way abilities. Causes of mental illnesses are not to be found in energetic imbalances but in the is nottheshrinkagebutwar, even iftheshrinkagecanlaterhave animpactoncognitive sometimes findsashrinkageofthehippocampus(Smith, 2005). But thecauseofsuffering thickeninginthebrain(Shawfor ADHDby acertain etal.,2007).Afterwartrauma,one an illness. This modelofthinkingresembles scientistswhosupposedlyhave foundthecause 1995, p. 96).Abiologicalenergyandanimbalanceofthisisthenseenasthecause of energy onlymetaphorically, common(see whichisvery Totton, 2002). do somethingproven by thenaturalsciencesyet withoutshowing that.She usestheterm something tobeobjectively measured. Hence, Greene invitesthereader tobelieve shewould or energy. She alsotalksaboutworking with“energy frequencies” andthususesatermfor and maintainsthatmatterenergyare interchangeable withoutdefiningeithermatter in naturalsciences.For example,Greene (2013)writesspeculatively about“energy bodies” Heller (2012,p. ofthisdifferentiation 277)pointstotheimportance between On thelevel ofdescribing subjective processes ofexperiencing,theconceptaglobal On thebiologicalorphysicallevel, Wehowsky (2006)suggestsnottospeakabouta This doesnotmeanthatmentaldisorders are notalsobiologicaldisorders. Lifeevents can Some bodypsychotherapists alsospeak about “energetic illnesses” (e. g. Boyesen etal., energy. Ratherwe canestablish of “what is experienced as energy” and the specific BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCINGTHEBODY energieslikemetabolicenergyintheexchange as if anenergywouldincrease or phenomenal concept level of of 15 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS 16 INTERNATIONAL BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY JOURNAL THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SOMATIC PRAXIS Caldwell, C.(2014) Mindfulness &Bodyfulness: ANew Paradigm. Brown, D. W., Anda,R.F., Tiemeier, H.,Felitti, V. J.,Edwards, V. J.,Croft, J.B.&Giles, W. Boyesen, G.,Leudesdorff, C.&Santner, C.(1995). Boadella, D.(2000).Polarity andcharacter. Barlow, Somatic Psychotherapy: J.(2001).Contemporary Towards anIntegrated of Theory Aposhyan, S.(2004). REFERENCES E-mail: [email protected] Psychoherapy. psychotherapy Somatic Psychology body psychotherapy. He hasalsocontributedto Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, on 1992)andistheauthorof numerous articles ofpsychology (inEnglish:the history psychotherapeutic trainingprograms. Geuter haswrittenandeditedbooksinthefieldof Marburg. He isatrainingpsychotherapist, traininganalystandpostgraduateteacherin in Berlin andisalsoHonoraryProfessor ofBodyPsychotherapy attheUniversity of Ulfried Geuter isa body psychotherapist andpsychoanalyst who works in hisown practice BIOGRAPHY the wayyou bodilysenseyourself andtheworld. advantage ofbodypsychotherapy istolookforsubjectivitywhere you canreally findit: in an experientialapproach thatexplores theself, from bodyexperience. starting The great their capacitytofeellive movements. joy. If clients to weexperience themselves support by experiencing their body, we support life movements. Parents dothisby teachingbabiestotolerategreater amountsofanxietyor poles(Boadella,2000),butisalsoanextensionoftheamplitude between contradictory at bothself-regulation andataliveness, then the goaloftherapyisnotonlyafree pulsation become consistentwithitselfasalively subjectinamindfullyexperiencedbody. If we aim body psychotherapeutic identity. This termpointstothefactthatahumanbeingcanonly “energetic transformation” (Marlock, 2006,p. 141). leg, are self-regulative “processes oflearningand development” ofaperson,notprocesses of expression offeelings,achangeinbreathing, afeelingthataliveness returns intoanumb these phenomena.In bodypsychotherapy, body-mindprocesses likeemotionalarousal, the of feelingvitaloraroused orhavingpower. But theconceptofenergydoesnotexplain energy. On aphenomenologicallevel thetermenergycandescribesubjective experience ULFRIED GEUTER Journal ofPreventive Medicine, 37,389-296. H. (2009).Adverse childhoodexperiences andtheriskofpremature mortality. 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