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University of Nevada, Reno a Phenomenological Study Of University of Nevada, Reno A phenomenological study of psychotherapist embodiment in counseling settings A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling and Educational Psychology by Janine Jenkins Dr. Thomas Harrison/Dissertation Advisor May, 2017 © by Janine Jenkins 2017 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision by JANINE JENKINS Entitled A Phenomenological Study Of Psychotherapist Embodiment In Counseling Settings be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Thomas Harrison, Advisor Dr. Diane Barone, Committee Member Dr. Cleborne Maddux, Committee Member Dr. Bridget Walsh, Committee Member Dr. Michelle Granner, Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph. D., Dean, Graduate School May, 2017 i ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of 8 mindfulness- trained psychotherapists and their bodily experiences during the therapeutic encounter. Due to recent scientific discovery confirming the neural pathways that facilitate embodied affectivity, there is much speculation regarding subtle embodied forms of communication taking place between psychotherapists and their clients; however, there is scant research confirming the phenomenon and how bodily communication informs the counseling session. Through mindfulness training, the psychotherapists in this study have developed the capacity for sustained awareness making them uniquely qualified to discuss their internal experiences related to the therapeutic interaction. The 6 themes that emerged from the interviews are: states of mind, mindfulness/mindlessness; metacognitive awareness; bodily communication, resonance; self-care; and expanded awareness and growth. Discussion includes research findings and implications for mental health professionals as well as suggestions for future research. ii DEDICATION To my dad, Gordon Jenkins, who instilled in me a passion for learning. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Thomas Harrison, for his endless supply of patience, encouragement, and kindness. Despite the stops and starts, his guidance and wisdom was ever present. I could not imagine a better mentor for my Ph.D.—or a better friend. I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to my committee members: Dr. Diane Barone, Dr. Bridget Walsh, Dr. Cleborne Maddux, and Dr. Michelle Granner. Somehow, I managed to secure the support of a dream team of professors who challenged me to widen my perspectives and to stretch as student. Thank you for your generous investment of time, experience, and wisdom. Thank you also to my amazing participants. Thank you for wading through the murky waters of bodily communication with me. Your honest self-reflections were reminders of the importance of mindful awareness and the never-ending quest to know myself more deeply. I would also like to thank my girls, Katie and Sophia, who unwittingly provided the impetus for academic achievement, and to my entire family, for encouraging me to finish what I started. Thank you to Christopher, for always supporting my dreams even when they took us miles apart. Whether physically together or not, you are my rock. And to my best and dearest friend Teri, we both know this would never have been possible without your incredible vision and solid perseverance. You have more grit than anyone I have ever known. Thank you for traveling the distance, and all distances, no matter what. What a wild ride it has been. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION . 1 Definition of Terms . 17 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW . 20 Introduction to Embodiment. 20 Introduction to Mindfulness . 41 CHAPTER III: METHOD . .49 Researcher Background . 53 Participants and Site Selection . 54 Data Collection . 57 Data Analysis . 59 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS . 65 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION . 159 References . .170 Appendices . .193 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION We are matter, kindred with ocean and tree and sky. We are flesh and blood and bone. To sink into that is a relief, a homecoming. Mind and spirit are as physical as they are mental. The line we’d drawn between them was whimsy, borne of the limits of our understanding. Emotions and memories, from despair to gladness, root in our bodies. --Krista Tippett French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty stated, “It is through my body that I understand other people” (1962, p. 184-185). As the ultimate subject of perception, the human body is our primary means of gathering information about ourselves and others (Merleau-Ponty, 1962). The Body in Psychotherapy Merleau-Ponty (1962) pointed out that the emotions that reside within the body communicate critical information about our environment and facilitate connection with others in the environment. Similarly, experiential and person-centered therapies regard the human body as continually interacting with and responding to the environment (Fernald, 2000; Ikemi, 2008; Madison, 2010). The body is an instrument of knowing (Halling & Goldfarb, 1991; Niedenthal, 2007; Samuels, 1985; Shaw, 2004) and yet, in the field of psychotherapy there is a tendency to separate the mind from the body in the conceptualization of mental health (Leitan & Murray, 2014; Palmer, 1987; Sletvold, 2012; Totton, 2014; Young, 2006). In general, there appears to be an overreliance on the curative nature of talk therapy and the ways in which the mind can influence the body, with little focus on how the body can and does influence the mind (Gendlin, 1969; Halling & Goldfarb, 1991; Leitan & Murray, 2014; Palmer, 1987; Totton, 2014; Young, 2006). 2 Recent findings in the neurosciences (Damasio, et al., 2000; Dispenza, 2012; Foss, 1999; Gallagher, 2005 Iacoboni, 2008; Lipton, 2005; Pert, 1997; Porges, 2004; Rizzolleti & Craighero, 2004; Terasawa, Moriguchi, Tochizawa, & Umeda, 2014) appear to be adding a level of legitimacy to the ideas long espoused by body psychologists regarding mental health and healing: The body is central to experience and cannot be ignored (Boadella, 1997, 2014; Fernald, 2000; Schrauth & Geuter, 1997). Body psychologists, operating at the periphery of mainstream psychology, have insisted on adopting a holistic approach to the theory and practice of psychotherapy. The body, rather than being dismissed as irrelevant, is partnered with the intellect in creating and maintaining psychological dysfunction (Damasio, 1994; Gallagher, 2005; Johnson, 1978). Conversely, a holistic approach acknowledges the role of the body as an instrument of reason and knowing (Johnson, 1978). The body receives and communicates information as readily as the intellect albeit in a language of its own (Gendlin, 1978; Halling & Goldfarb, 1991; Shaw; 2004). The body speaks to us through human emotions and bodily sensory phenomenon (Halling & Goldfarb, 1991; Shaw, 2004; Totton, 1991). Some researchers are embracing this holistic paradigm and including bodily processes as intrinsic to definitions of the mind (Siegel, 2007). According to Dan Siegel (2007; 2010), the mind can be thought of as a self- organizing, complex system. Consisting of more than the activity of the brain alone, the mind is an embodied process that regulates the flow of energy and information (Siegel, 2007). 3 Embodiment Conceptualizations of the body as a vehicle of information (Halling & Golfarb, 1991) have given rise to a new field of research referred to simply as “embodiment” (Mehling et al., 2011; Michalak, Burg, & Heidenreich, 2012; Totton, 2014). For this research, embodiment can be thought of as a state of being in which awareness is focused on internal bodily sensations (Boadella, 2014; Shaw, 2004; Totton, 2014). It is a holistic, “meta-level” process of receiving and interpreting information (Hudak, McKeever, & Wright, 2007; Shaw, 2004; Totton, 2014) that includes both the intellect and what has been referred to as bodily knowing (Mehling, Wrubel, Price, Kerr, Silow, & Stewart, 2011). The term embodiment implies a relational element between one’s immediate, felt-sense experiences and his or her interpretation and interaction with these experiences as they arise in consciousness (Hudak, McKeever, & Wright, 2007; Michalak, Burg, & Heidenreich, 2012; Shaw, 2004; Totton, 2014). Embodiment researchers view the body as a dynamic, organic site of meaningful experience rather than as a physical object distinct from the self or mind (Gallagher, 2005; Hudak et al, 2007; Shaw, 2004; Totton, 2014). Some researchers are emphasizing the need for a contemporary and integrated approach to theory and practice of psychotherapy, suggesting that embodiment and notions of body-mind as a single organism could serve as a unifying framework across psychological disciplines (Fuchs & Koch, 2014; Fuchs & Schlimme, 2009; Glenberg, Witt, & Metcalfe, 2013; Leitan & Murray, 2014; Masson, 2015; Schubert & Semin, 2009). Early Views of Body Although the term embodiment is new to the field of psychotherapy (Gonzalez, Vujanovic, Johnson, Leyro, & Zvolensky, 2009), the idea that the body is a source of 4 information is not new. American psychologist and philosopher William James, placed bodily expression at the center of his formulations on emotions (Barbalet, 1999; Friedman, 2010; James, 1884). According to James (1884), the feelings that occur in response to and conjunction with bodily changes are emotion. In the field of psychology, French psychologist Pierre Janet (1859-1947) is generally considered the first
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