The Emergence of Somatic Psychology and

Bodymind Therapy

An interview with Barnaby B. Barratt PhD, DHS

By Nancy Eichhorn

t takes a lifetime of intimate, Michigan, Santa Barbara Graduate called it a “sheer blessing.” Ialmost sacred personal and Institute, and Wayne State “I wrote the book quite quickly,” professional knowing to simply sit University. He completed Barratt said during a SKYPE down and “quickly” write a postdoctoral research at the interview from his home in South comprehensive textbook that University of Michigan’s Africa. “It was written on the basis of supports foundational structures of Neuropsychiatric Institute, held the what I know.” Body , offers new position of Professor of Family terminology and controversial Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral “Looking at instructional materials challenges for advancement in our Neurosciences for several years, and from the point of view beginning field, and engages readers at an was elected to the Presidency of the students,” he continued, “I felt there embodied level in less than 200 American Association of Sexuality was nothing out there. I did not know pages. Barnaby B. Barratt PhD, Educators, Counselors and Michael Heller was writing his DHS, has achieved all this and more. Therapists. Barratt has also authored textbook ( Body Psychotherapy: eight books and over seventy History, Concepts, and Methods ), Based on his 35-year career as a scientific and professional articles and I don’t want to say anything healer contributing to and reviews. disrespectful of those who have psychodynamic philosophy, theory written about Body Psychotherapy, and practice, as well as on his work The breadth and depth of his but when I started to write my book, as a sexuality educator, sex therapist, knowing comes across when he there was nothing out there that I psychoanalyst, somatic psychologist, speaks —a prevailing presence of knew that introduced students to the and as a practitioner of Tantric gracious appreciation for what is and field of Body Psychotherapy. I meditation, Barratt knew enough to a curiosity infused with a touch of wanted to write a textbook to sit back and let his muse guide his rebellious drive to see what will stimulate, integrate, and motivate writings. She had plenty of materials become embodies the conversation. students to go out and learn more and to draw from thanks to Barratt’s His humility is apparent when he discover facets within Body extensive background beginning with notes that he “almost accidentally Psychotherapy to integrate the doctoral degrees in psychology and stumbled into his career” when whole.” social relations from Harvard and in chosen to Chair the doctoral and clinical and educational sexology masters programs in somatic and According to Barratt, many from the Institute for Advanced at the Santa students enter the field from specific Study of Human Sexuality, as well as Barbara Graduate Institute where he traditions (or methodological his time teaching at Harvard helped create the first North orientations). For example, they have University, the University of American program in the field —he studied Hakomi and thus believe that

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Hakomi is Body Psychotherapy. Or We are inclined to think that touch is out of the question, coming from the yoga healing but there’s a tremendous amount of healing power in touch. movement, which is big internationally, they don’t realize the connection yoga has to Body all too often remain in the head, at an abusing those in their care, educators, Psychotherapy. intellectual level, whereas my priests, therapists abusing their personal odyssey was very eclectic,” patients. We are inclined to think that “Body Psychotherapy felt like this he said. touch is out of the question, but discipline of enormous richness that there’s a tremendous amount of lacked organization and was quite The body, as the human foundational healing power in touch. How you fragmented. We need people in the experience, has always touched approach it, engage touch is a major University to teach it rather than Barratt. His involvement deepened challenge in our field. It is allow it to be relegated to training through his practice in Tantric complicated and I do not believe I programs for specific methodologies. (also known by its have the answers, but we can’t I attempted to offer students a view indigenous name Vajrayana). Barratt simply leave it out; it is a betrayal to of an integrated discipline with a explained that this form of meditation our field and all who came before.” strong future in the healing arts,” is intimately tied into the body Barratt said. including both physical and spiritual “I hope to bring to the fore more knowing and sensation. He hesitated discussions about touch and Historically, Body Psychotherapy to use the word Tantric saying it is sexuality. We can’t behave as if has drawn from several fields and often misunderstood in the Western sexuality is not part of the human from all sorts of traditions, including world —it is often associated with experience. It is a valuable part of and considered by some the most sexual rites and rituals, which are one healing, and if we ignore it, deny it, exciting, neuroscience. The last 20 small part of the overall Tantric repress it, suppress it, we create more years, strides have been made practice. “The Dali Lama (a tantric problems and it works against affirming that the and body are practitioner) never had sex in his healing. What is the place of integrated. It’s easy to overestimate life,” Barratt said. sexuality in Body Psychotherapy? At the importance of these advances; one point, it was strong in the works and yet, there’s no question that we The challenge in writing this book as of Alexander Lowen and Reich; they shouldn’t underestimate their import well as in advancing the field of came to it with a strong foundation as well, Barratt said. Current Body Psychotherapy rests in the (as opposed to Masters and Johnsons neuroscience research has vindicated discipline of the future —we need who created a mechanistic approach). what Body Psychotherapists knew all close ties to and Today, (in our current schooling and along —“the body and mind are one neuroscience and the spiritual professional practice), there is little and that healing is an integrated traditions, Barratt said. So, just as he or no discussion of the pelvis or process using the body in healing supports patients and students to genitals or how we express who we mental production,” Barratt said. understand with conscious awareness are through our sexual nature. We are the challenges they face allowing healers, and we must adhere to the Committed to body oriented more freedom and more empowered spiritual and ethical principles of our practices and healing arts since his energy to address their personal time and culture. We must be involvement in yoga during late issues, Barratt engages readers in an concerned about abuse, but we can’t adolescence, Barratt said that he odyssey to confront current issues constrict our work to the social mores started his personal healing process facing the field today that he believes of our time. We can’t let culture with psychoanalytic practices. He need attention. dictate healing,” he said. gained a strong understanding of the unconscious and the body’s manifest “It’s not in my nature not to write “We live in a very screwed up expression of things repressed in the what I think,” Barratt said, offering culture in terms of touch and mind. In psychoanalysis, he learned his reasoning for writing about two sexuality and our spiritual values. We how the conscious mind could lead controversial topics —touch and have to be brave about this. We can’t him astray, and his understanding of sexuality. go along with the prevailing mores; the unconscious motives and we have to hold the ethics of what it fantasies opened a new vista for him. “Touch: we have to debate its use in means to be healer —we can’t simple However, while psychoanalysis healing more honestly,” he dismiss topics because we are afraid offered him deep and valuable work, continued. “We live in a culture with of being criticized. We have to hold it left him dissatisfied in the way the an enormous amount of abuse. onto our healing ethics. We cannot body was excluded. “Psychoanalysts Parents abusing children, caretakers Continued on page 34

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say ‘no touch’ because it’s what “She said, ‘We can’t talk about areas,” he said. society wants. Healers have to hold that.’” their values. We live in a horribly “What does that mean?” Barratt said Barratt’s vision for the book is that abusive world. We need to work emphasizing the importance of it will resolve some of the these issues out; we can’t pretend that silence, the impact of gaps in our fragmentation in the field reducing they are not there,” Barratt added. training programs. the very real parochialism and fractures he sees in his teachings and Barratt offered an anecdote based “I think the story is a good analogy in discourse with colleagues. He on his training in Thailand to to what Body Psychotherapy training noted that it was sad that different highlight his position. While training programs are doing. The genitals are methodological orientations appear to in Thai Massage and Energetic the root of our central energies, the lack intimate knowledge of other Healing, Barratt noticed that the first and second chakras are located processes. There is just too much a n a t o m y there; and yet, they are not discussed. fragmentation, and it’s time to create c h art s How we hold our sexuality reflects a unified, diverse whole, he said. posted on how we hold our life. How are we t h e training students to be healers? We classroom can’t leave out our realities as sexual walls were beings. We are short changing Barnaby B. Barratt PhD, DHS is missing an ourselves as healers. It is challenging, currently practicing in South Africa. He important and it needs to be addressed.” is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town, and a visiting part of the professor at the University of h u m a n Barratt then posed a potent question Witwatersrand. Most recently, Barratt body. The based on his own years of study and was Provost (Chief Academic Officer) meridian practice: What in life are we most and Professor of Psychology at points and frightened of? Northcentral University. He is past n o d e s President of the American Association of t r a c k i n g The answer? Sexuality Educators, Counselors and energetic flow through the body were Therapists; a Fellow of the American quite detailed in terms of the upper “Sexuality, death (the abyss that Psychological Association, and a body (from the head down to the faces us), and madness (some sort of diplomat of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is an active navel) and up from the feet through disconnect socially thus falling into member of several national committees the calves and thighs. But there the another sort of abyss). Every Body of professional organizations and has depiction stopped, as if there is no Psychotherapy session deals with served on the Editorial Boards of a dozen energy flow between the naval and these three topics in some fashion national and international, scientific and the thigh. Barratt said, adding that issues in professional journals. Barratt has these areas are how we, as people, get authored eight books: most recently “I said to the instructor, ‘The What is Psychoanalysis? 100 Years after energetic channels don’t disappear at screwed up. “We need a clear vision Freud’s ‘Secret Committee (2013). He is the pelvis, how come the charts are in terms of approach because the currently working on a book about the like that?’” cause of our suffering lies in these nature of freedom.

Schroth continued from page 11 of fetal sentience impact the maternal-fetal attachment rela- tionship? Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and References Health 27 (1). Emerson, W. (1996). The vulnerable prenate. J ournal of Prenatal Chamberlain, D.B. (1994/2011). The sentient prenate: What and Perinatal Psychology and Health 10 (3). every parent should know. Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal O'Leary, J. et al. (2001). Prenatal Parenthood. The Journal of Psychology and Health 9 (1)+26(1). Perinatal Education 20 (4). Chamberlain, D.B. (2003). Communicating with the mind of a Schroth, G. (2010). Prenatal Bonding (BA): A method for en- prenate: Guidelines for parents and birth professionals. Jour- countering the unborn - Introduction and Case study. Journal nal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health 18 (2). of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health 25 (1). Eichhorn, N. (2012). Maternal fetal attachment: Can acceptance Verny, T. (1981). The secret life of the unborn child . NY: Dell.

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