Somatic Volume 4 Number 1 Psychotherapy Today
Spring 2014
Do you want to write but you’re not quite sure where to begin?
Do you have research to share but hesitate to write for a peer reviewed Journal?
Do the articles in this magazine energize you to write your own?
Do you feel the need to share but something inside of you, a voice or worse yet a queasy sensation in the pit of your stomach or a block in the middle of your throat stops you?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, or you have your own reasons for wanting to write but are not, then join us on September 10 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Academic writing can be a satisfying, creative, embodied, and highly nourishing experience, bearing professional fruits, and providing free advertising for the writer. Numerous resources are available to advise authors how to write research articles for publication. The basic elements— Abstract, Introduction, Method, Discussion, Conclu- sion, and References—remain the same, for most disciplines. But an essential piece of the writing process is usually missing from these resources—the relational, embodied experience embedded in the writing process. Writing does not occur in isolation.
The aim of this workshop is to address the human include opportunities for writing, learning how to give and experience when writing for publication; we will explore the receive appropriate feedback, learning strategies to help relational components of writing, as well as discuss the prioritize and manage writing time more effectively, and necessary technical and intellectual skills that one needs to networking with Journal editors and colleagues to create an create a publishable product. In this experiential workshop, active, supportive community of academic writers. Participants participants will learn ways to tap into their embodied will also have the opportunity to interact with a panel of Journal ‘knowing’ in order to write from a place of experience and editors and publishers and to ‘pitch’ some article/book ideas. truth. They will learn guidelines for effective communication, Participants should leave the workshop with an outline/draft of through writing in a safe, collegial environment, and to an article for future publication, an online writers’ support overcome conscious and unconscious barriers to writing— system, and personal contact with professional writers and emotional and/or environmental. Effective mechanics for editors in the field of body psychotherapy and somatic professional writing will also be shared. The workshop will psychology.
The Body in Relationship—Self—Other—Society A Pre Congress Workshop with Nancy Eichhorn, PhD Professional Academic Writing: Enriching the Human Experience
Nancy Eichhorn, PhD, is the creator, editor, writer, layout designer, and marketer for Somatic Psychotherapy Today, an international publication highlighting current research, theory, resources, and methodologies in the fields of somatic psychology, body psychotherapy, body/mind practices, prenatal and perinatal psychology, and embodiment studies. She is a freelance writer, editor, and teacher. Nancy is currently on the board of the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy and is an Editorial Board member for the International Body Psychotherapy Journal: The Art and Science of Somatic Praxis. She is a peer reviewer for Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research, and Practice. Her writings have been published in scholarly journals, professional magazines, and books in both the United States and Europe.
Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Spring 2014 | Volume 4 Number 1 | page 2
System of Dimensions of the Organism
An Interview with Michael Heller, PhD
By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD Michael Heller, PhD
Michael Heller, PhD, authored Body Psychotherapy: History, Concepts, Methods in 2012 based on 40 years of in-depth study and involvement in body/mind practices and therapies. He developed a research method that allows analysis of how postural dynamics are used in nonverbal communication, and he developed a form of psychotherapy that exploits the multiple interactions that coordinate the psyche with the dynamics of an organism while it interacts with others and/or institutions. Widely known for his work and writings in biodynamic psychology, experimental developmental and social psychology, and body psychotherapy, Dr. Heller will present the second keynote session at the EABP Congress this fall. His theme, placing body psychotherapy in relation to other mainstream therapies, revolves around the System of Dimensions of the Organism, a model he developed to situate different styles of intervention used in body psychotherapy in relation to other forms of therapy.
The basis of his talk is to clearly The Dimensions blood flows to the feet. It’s not the show that we are part of a global same body part, but it is the same system—you and I are a whole The Body reaction—gravity moves blood system—and yet there are distinct downward. Muscles and bones are subsystems—four dimensions—that “The whole organism or physiology mainly what I call the body. The support global adaptive activity. Each in my terminology is what I call the ‘whole’ that is part of our work is to dimension has basic adaptive organism,” says Dr. Heller. “When describe how the organism and body functions, basic tools to accomplish we use the word body for body interact—‘it includes the analysis of these adaptations (body, behavior, psychotherapy, we are talking about how the segments of the body metabolic regulation, mind) and a that part which needs to be regulated coordinate within the Earth’s gravity particular type of therapy to address with gravity. If you stand on your field’” (Heller, 2013, p. 12). intervention (psychotherapy, physical head, all the blood flows to the head; therapy, medicine, and physiology). if you stand on your feet, all the Continued on page 14
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Somatic Psychotherapy Today
Our Feature Stories
3 System of Dimensions of the Organism: An Interview with Michael Heller, PhD By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD 12 What Sustains Me By Serge Prengel, LMHC 18 The Body in Relationship: Self—Other—Society By Kathrin Stauffer, PhD 44 Birth’s Hidden Legacy By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD and Annie Brook, PhD, LPC 52 Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology: Rediscovering our Primary Relationship of Self By Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD, RN 62 Life in the Womb: Life All Around: An Interview with Ray Castellino, DC, RPP, RPE, RCST By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD 72 Transcending the Paradoxical Brace Response: A Mind/Body Connection By Ronan M. Kisch, PhD
We invite you to write an article or be interviewed for our upcoming issues. All written submissions will be edited, and all writers/interviewees have final approval before publication. We appreciate your knowledge and want to share your story. Please contact Nancy Eichhorn at [email protected].
Upcoming Themes:
Winter 2015: Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology First Deadline: October 15, 2014
Spring 2015: Embodied Spirituality First Deadline: January 15, 2015
Volunteer Magazine Staff Nancy Eichhorn, PhD Founding Editor, Layout Design Diana Houghton Whiting, M.A., BED Cover Design, Layout
Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Spring 2014 | Volume 4 Number 1 | page 4
Our Usual Fare
10 Join the Conversation 34 Body Wise By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD By Kamalamani 16 Across the Pond 38 Current Research in Review By Jill van der Aa, PhD and Lidy Evertsen, PhD By Dawn Bhat, M.A., M.S., NCC 20 International Connections 60 Resources by Jacqueline A. Carleton, PhD By Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar, PhD & the USABP Interns Reviews and Reflections
26 Awakening Clinical Intuition Reviewed by Nancy Eichhorn, PhD 30 Awakening Clinical Intuition Reflections by Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD 40 Knowing in Our Bones: A Review By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD 42 Knowing in Our Bones: An Author’s Reflection By Rae Johnson, PhD 50 A Review of Annie Brook’s Books By Dawn Bhat, MA, MS, NCC
58 Safe in the Arms of Love: A Review By Diana Houghton-Whiting, MA, LPC (Cand.) 60 Safe in the Arms of Love: An Author’s Reflection By Lisa Rafel
Look for us Three times a year, we publish the 15th of May, September, and January
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Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Spring 2014 | Volume 4 Number 1 | page 5
From Our Founding Editor
Welcome to Our Spring Issue: The Body in Relationship: Self—Other—Society.
Our theme parallels the title and focus of the jointly organized EABP and ISC Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, next Fall. Many of our writers share their stories in preparation for the event—Michael Heller, as always, offers much fodder for thought, Asaf brings us into the intimacy of our bodily experience, and Kamalanai offers an eye opening view of the body politic. As well, the stories that appear in this issue flow beyond the parameters of the Congress. The voices you will experience in this issue stretch the fabric of our text as we embrace the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology (PPN) and acknowledge the reality that many of our clients who need support will benefit from healing patterns and wounds that originated in the womb (preconception forward). Welcoming writers, practitioners, therapists, teachers, and healers whose focus involves birth psychology is exciting for me. I believe that much of who we are and how we evolve in this life starts the moment we are conceived; those early experiences lay the foundation for our relationships with our self, with others, and with society. It’s amazing how the earliest moments cultivate our life’s patterns in healthy directions and not. Talking with a friend recently about anxiety and food (our Fall theme is Eating Psychology), who lives with depression and anxiety, she shared she was contemplating medications to alleviate her suffering. During the course of our conversation, she revealed some of her birth story. I listened through the PPN lens I had learned by interviewing Annie Brook, PhD, Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD, and Ray Castellino, DC. I responded through their teachings, and my friend broke into tears. She thanked me and said, “That’s the missing piece, that’s why none of this made sense before.” Our prenatal and perinatal experiences deeply interact with our present day lives and learning to see life through the PPN lens with an embodied perspective affords me a richer point of view to support growth and development. I am honored to learn from so many people immersed in our fields of study, clinical practice, and mindful presence.
I invite you to read about the upcoming EABP Congress and to experience this new PPN vantage point as our publication moves into a wider expanse of story lines—body psychotherapy from conception on.
We welcome your response.
Warmly, Nancy Eichhorn, PhD [email protected]
From Our Cover Designer
I would like to thank the artist who contributed to the cover this issue. Mark Peale is a musician and artist who does a lot of his work in vector graphics. You can find his work here http://maomao27.deviantart.com/
The art Mark contributed was a vector graphic rework of a Picasso piece. It spoke to me when I saw the different reflection and how society colors how we see our selves and others and how we can see self as other at the same time.
Sincerely, Diana Houghton Whiting, M.A., LPC (Cand.)
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Letter from the USABP President
USABP: Getting your Work into the World…
Anyway I can . . .
Dear Somatic Psychotherapy Readers,
As President of the USABP, my mantra these days is about “getting your work into the world . . . ” What am I doing?
I put together a program which will be hosted at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, October 26-31, 2014 called USABP’s Sampler Series in Somatic Psychology: A Buffet of Bodymind Therapies. Four different somatic practices, techniques, or psychotherapies will be showcased: Bioenergetics with Scott Baum, Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine, Core Energetics with Lisa Loustaunau, and Integrative Yoga Therapeutics with Bo Forbes. Mental health professionals and the public alike will spend 5 days tasting the delights from our field through experiential exercises, practices and demonstrations. My hope is that people will depart deeply touched and affected by their experience and become hungry for more. If you have friends or family that do not quite understand your love for the field, tell them about the Kripalu program.
Hopefully, this event will bring more people to be curious about YOUR work in the world. Please tell me your ideas about events and programs that you and USABP can put on together. I will get the work out, anyway I can . . .
Beth L. Haessig, Psy.D. President, United States Association for Body Psychotherapy
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Earn CEU’s (Coming Soon!) Discount to our professional conference Free monthly USABP Newsletter Exclusive membership area - Redesigned and with new content Listing in membership directory Locator Services (Clinical Members) Job Bank Member Classifieds Audio/Video from Institutes and Workshops Access to our monthly webinars with our Hosted Professional Guest Are you a speaker/trainer/teacher? Content from our institutional members Update on events and a community forum (Coming Soon!) Research and research guidelines The ONLY body psychotherapy research awards competition in the US FREE Ethics Guidelines Handbook: the first official guidelines for standards of practice International networking with body psychotherapists, organizations, conferences, academic pro- grams, and professional training programs WORLDWIDE National publicity to bring greater public awareness to the field of body psychotherapy and to your practice International Body Psychotherapy Journal (IBPJ) and Somatic Psychotherapy Today: The US- ABP Magazine emailed directly to you
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Join the Conversation
Communication is an essential part of all relationships, and the Internet affords opportunities to network with like-minded colleagues and participate in forums that challenge your thinking and ways of doing. Join the conversa- tion and voice your thoughts on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, ResearchGate and more.
Mindfulness in psychotherapy & everyday life: Using Active Pause to integrate experience
Taking a pause is an opportunity to notice what is new and to deal with it. It takes just one minute to practice
Active Pause:
A simple way to do it is with a little ball. It could be a tennis ball, or, even better, one of these squeezable little stress balls. Hold the ball in one hand, squeeze so that you feel the sensation of holding and squeezing the ball. Shift the ball to the other hand, squeeze. Go back and forth between the hands. Do this for one minute, closing your eyes, paying attention to the sensations in your hand and arm as you do this. You don’t need to stop thinking about anything else, just make sure that at least part of your attention is focused on feeling the sensation in your hand and arm as you hold the ball in each hand.
It is a simple sensation in the hand) as opposed to during the pause helps you make it a mindfulness being completely immersed in your more effective pause. For instance, if practice, a mental activity. Nothing wrong with I just told you to pause for a minute, down-to- mental activity, it’s just nice to have chances are you would still continue earth way to access to more of your resources as internally on the same trajectory you pay attention opposed to just one. were on before the interruption. to what is If you are feeling agitated, carried Having something to actively do happening in away with your thoughts or feelings, (holding the ball, squeezing it, the moment. it gives you a chance to notice it and moving it from hand to hand, and, It is a simple way to get in touch start dealing with the agitation especially, paying attention to your with your embodied experience: i.e., instead of just being passively sensations) engages part of your mind to directly pay attention to what is immersed in it. into something else than your train of happening in your body (the Having something specific to do thoughts so you really have a break.
The Focusing Institute: Focusing is direct access to a bodily knowing. William Hernandez talks about the Pause:
http://focusing.org/ conversations/2013_04_william_hernandez. htm
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Pilot study of Active Pause in therapy
We are looking for therapists who are interested in exploring Active Pause within their clinical practice, and to share their observations.
This study is not oriented toward the client (and the therapist) a moment to “proving that it works” (whatever that regroup and possibly come up with means). It’s oriented toward identifying: something fresh - As a resourcing, calming technique - how Active Pause can be used in (e.g. connected with attention to the different clinical settings breath) - how it can be integrated with different - As a moment to mindfully ponder a theoretical frameworks specific issue (or a sense of confusion, - and how it can help clinical work in or . . . ). these circumstances definition of what to observe, how to What to observe: We would like the study to include observe it, and how to report it. So, in therapists of many different orientations. practical terms, here's what the first - How clients react to it (comfortable or We are not exploring Active Pause in a phase consists of from the perspective of confused, liking it or not, etc) vacuum, as if Active Pause itself were somebody who wants to be part of it: - The physical and emotional experiences the therapy. It is not. It is something that clients have, and the meanings they is used within the framework of the way - Talk to me, Serge Prengel, so that we ascribe to them you, as a therapist, already practice are in sync about what you do - Whether, or in what ways, Active Pause therapy. For instance: - Explore Active Pause with clients, has an impact on the process you have observe, think about it been following (e.g. how you integrate it For therapists with either a - Talk to me about observations and ideas into a relational approach) psychodynamic/psychoanalytic stemming from this exploration orientation, or a cognitive-behavioral - All participants then join in a discussion How the observations might fit with orientation: Active Pause could be a way about next stage, as a way to "calibrate" your theories, for example: for you to introduce more of a how we all approach this mindfulness / experiential / somatic - your understanding mindfulness, e.g., component into your work. We're talking about exploration and as a quality of presence, as an ability to experimentation. The idea is that, as you shift focus For therapists whose approach is are using Active Pause in sessions, you - seeing what happens in the context of a experiential, mindful or somatic: You are exploring how it can be integrated framework where therapy is seen as a might want to experiment with Active with the work that you do. So, for space of "transitional phenomena": e.g., a Pause as another way of exploring instance, you may see it as a way of space in which experience is less embodied experience and resourcing in structuring the session with a pause. Or challenged by pre-existing knowledge of your work. as a gateway to making the session more what “should” be, and explorations take experiential. Or a gateway to body place within a twilight zone between play The goal of this pilot study is to get awareness as a way of "resourcing" the and reality preliminary information that will be client. Or a way to work with embodied helpful in organizing the way data is experience . . . gathered in the study. Experimenting includes: You can watch a video about the Active The idea is to observe not just what Pause here: Mindfulness in happens with Active Pause but also what - Exploring different ways to instruct Psychotherapy: Active Pause on it's like to explore it, what comes up that clients about Active Pause, as well as YouTube is significant for you: In other words different ways to use it in sessions defining what to observe. - Observing what happens during Active You can connect with the Active Pause Pause, and as a result of using it group via their website: http:// I have been doing this for a while, and activepause.com/ I certainly have my own ideas about what Different ways to use Active Pause in to observe. But I thought it would sessions: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ultimately be a richer process if more - As just a break, an opportunity to ActivePause and LinkedIn: http:// people were to contribute to the interrupt the flow of the session and give www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=7435400
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Believers & non-believers discuss their embodied experience of faith & community Serge Prengel, LMHC
The purpose of "What Sustains Me" is to gather first-person accounts, from religious as well as non-religious people, of their spiritual experience.
From this first sentence, it is clear that, within this phrase: “Faith moves mountains”. We’re not just talking project, “spirituality” is not seen as something that is the about religious faith here. We’re talking about the power exclusive privilege of any belief system, but a human of the human spirit, the capacity to focus on something experience. In fact, this project aims to build a bridge that’s really important, even if the chances of success are between people who have different spiritual or religious very small. The ability to rise to the occasion. We are practices, as well as people who don't identify with any talking about “faith” as what keeps us going despite tradition, including people who see themselves as atheist overwhelming circumstances. or agnostic. Now, a few words about community. Even in religious In other words, this project is about “embodied traditions, it is understood that individuals tend to lose spirituality”: We are shifting away from talking about faith when adversity becomes overwhelming. The story spirituality in terms of the “story” (e.g. the religious of Job is about that: Job doesn’t lose faith despite context) in favor of the experience itself. Authors will be adversity, but this is precisely why his story is told trying to put into words the somatic and emotional because this is so unusual. In contrast, the Community is experience of a spiritual experience, as a way to make it a larger container than the individual. That is, it has more easier for others who do not share their belief system to of a capacity to absorb and digest the overwhelming, to find resonance with the experience. put it into a larger context. The collective memory of the Community includes experiences of other overwhelming Spirituality is a very vast topic, and there are many events that have been successfully dealt with, leading to a gateways to it. In this project, we are specifically more resilient view (“this too shall pass”). focusing on spirituality as a human “resource” to deal with the overwhelming aspects of the human condition. This project will lead to a collaborative book. Like “Defining Moments For Psychotherapists”, it will have More specifically, we will be focusing on two pillars of several chapters, each written by a different author, this experience: written in a personal and experiential manner.
- what religious traditions refer to as Faith, While the main focus of the book is on the individual - and the experience of the Faithful in Community. experience of the spiritual, the book also has room for how embodied spirituality can help guide therapists, First, a few words about “faith”. In this project, we therapists, coaches, or teachers help others to overcome are not approaching “faith” as a belief in a transcendent adversity. For instance: power, but as a characteristic of the human spirit, regardless of belief system. For instance, think of the - Describing how a spiritual perspective can be helpful
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in therapy to those who have spiritual beliefs. And, using the "bridge" of experiential language, how this "resource" can be also accessed by people of a different tradition, or people who do not have a spiritual or religious tradition they identify with.
- Describing how somatic interventions can help people who have a spiritual or religious tradition access deeper, more resourcing places. And how this can be extended, through the “experiential bridge", to people who do not have such a tradition.
Like “Defining Moments For Psychotherapists”, the book will also be available as a free PDF download. It is not expected that this work will lead to financial remuneration (in fact, it is expected that it won't). Of course, authors retain the copyright to their work.
This project is not just about the book itself. It is also very much about the process of exploring the topic, individually and as a community involved in the project. Work in progress (written pieces, or recorded conversations) will be shared with the community through this website. Of course, this is optional: Any contributor is free to not share their work in progress.
If you're interested in this project, please get in touch.
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Heller continued from page 3 “The subsystems do not have the two tracks at once. Neurological same mission,” Dr. Heller says. “I systems cannot combine. Somatic According to Dr. Heller, in the 1930s went to hear a violinist with my hormones mobilize breathing in Elsa Gindler was doing gymnastics a Rolfer in Geneva. The violinist was different ways. The whole work few blocks away from the in his 60s. He was famous, between body psychotherapy and Psychoanalytic Institute where Reich charismatic, and had traveled behavior links us to behavior and others were working. Gindler worldwide; he taught children in therapies. We have to ask, ‘How do was doing gymnastics while Otto China how to play the violin. When we integrate behavior into global Fenichel was doing psychoanalysis. talking with the audience, he placed dynamics such that we work on Gindler wanted to find a way to work his violin down to the side; yet, his behavior separate, and how do we on symptoms from two approaches: body was still crooked as if the coordinate behavior and the body?’” to combine work on the body, like instrument was on his shoulder under the body of the gymnast, and the his chin. His back was hunched. He Metabolism body of the mind (affect, emotion). was smiling and talking but looked as Some of Gindler’s first pupils if he was still playing the violin. I Our internal fluids vary according to included Reich’s first wife, his asked my Rolfer, ‘Would you fix his certain constraints to permit cellular daughter Eva Reich, and his daughter back?” And he said of course he life and communication. Metabolism Laura Reich, who told Wilhelm about would straighten his back, noting that regulation manages the energy of the their experiences. At the time, he was he can’t breathe properly, that his organism at the level of the fluids and going out with a dancer, so he was psoas muscles would impact his cells. It produces the energy the body interested in the body and movement. spine, that he was not healthy. And I needs; when we take in oxygen, it Hearing his family members speak to said, ‘I bet if you did Rolfing on him feeds cellular activity which produces their experience with Gindler, he he can’t play the violin as well.’ energy for whole body. thought, why have two different Truly, what’s more important to a 60- people doing this work—you need year-old violin player?” In the early 1970s, Dr. Heller studied one therapist to do it. Thus began his biochemistry. One of his University work to connect body psychotherapy “Behavior doesn’t have the same courses required he read Lenniger’s to movement. agenda as body work. Each has its textbook in which he referenced own requirements independent of the metabolism as bioenergy. Lowen, Behavior other, there is no mutual support. It Heller says, stole the name from the was not the aim of the system to be biologists. “No one could use the When Dr. Heller speaks about antagonistic but that each follows word orgone at this time,” Heller behavior, he is not referencing the what it needs independently; it does says. “The police would go in and body in this instance. “Behavior,” he not know what the other systems burn books, and this was under the writes, “allows an organism to need to be healthy. You don’t know Kennedy administration. Lowen interact with the objects and the what your body really needs. When looked for another word and found organisms in its environment in you are focused on how to play the bioenergy. Actually it’s a metabolic present time” (Heller, 2012, p. 12). violin to get just this sound, you are biologic energy produced for the He acknowledges that when thinking, ‘how do I create this whole organism.” therapists work with the body sound?’ You are so focused on the gestures are part of the social sound that you don’t care what the “When you work on breathing, you communication system. And body breath is doing,” Dr. Heller says. are working with the vitality of workers will address movements and metabolic dynamic. I had a patient postures that are good for the body, “Alan Fogel has a nice description of with a food disorder—anorexia— muscles, breathing, circulation, all of self-awareness,” Dr. Heller says. five months after she started to starve which are used to handle objects and Fogel, he says, is currently into the herself, as soon as she started to eat, communication with other people. Rosen Method Body Mind work and she would get sick, literally sick. Her Behavior is the same part of the is using science to describe what head was spinning, she would vomit. organism but has a completely body psychotherapy is all about in his She could not eat more than half a different function. In fact, a lot of new book, Body Sense. “You can’t sandwich. Her metabolic system had behavior is bad for the body. There focus on an external object and an accommodated itself—it had adapted are bad spinal positions, bad ways of internal object at the same time. If I to survive with as little food as breathing. If you stand all day on a zoom in on the computer, I forget the possible. Once she tried to put more cement floor working you stand to meditation I just finished (sitting for food in, the system could not deal. develop varicose veins. two hours). The mind can’t follow This isn’t psychological, it isn’t
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fantasy. It’s not repressed emotion. Mind and physiology go together. She literally can’t take in more food. Can you have somatic therapy with When treating Anorexia, you need to no training in body work?” treat the mind and the metabolic dynamic if you are coming from the Each of the four dimensions are somatic (vegetative) dimension,” related to different forms of therapy. Heller says. Behaviorism, psychoanalysis, all specialties have their focus. Yet, we, The Mind as body psychotherapists go further, Heller says. “We’re interested in how New at Norton “The body adapts to gravity. it is all integrated in the organism. Behaviors adapt to objects and Reich’s vegetotherapy started when communication. Metabolism adapts he said, ‘I want to work on the to self-regulation, and the mind organism not the mind. Forget Freud. adapts to institutions and cultural All I ask in my work is that my institutions, not to interaction,” patients’ way of thinking does not go Heller says. “And it starts working against the needs of the organism.’ when it has the tools. Behavior is The global body doesn’t care about here and now, right now. It’s the mind as long as it was obedient different if you need to change, need and cooperated with the organism. to reproduce another behavior. For The mind in synergy with the instance if I am going to rewrite what organism.” I say, the mind can revise a sentence. I have the tools to rework some idea, “Our global regulation system tries to improve its expression. I’m using combine the cardiovascular system, tools made by industry. This is where hormonal system, nervous system, all it is really different from other link in many dimensions. Say we therapies.” have a blood clot in the brain. It destroys part of our thinking ability, Heller uses anxiety as an example. results in mental damage. This is a “No treatments really work. You can typical case of our cardiovascular do breath work and feel better for a system and nervous system not while. You can do meditation for a cooperating, one destroys the other.” week and feel better for three days. Medications you have to take daily. How do we situation body There are all methods that are useful, psychotherapy with other forms of interesting, productive, creative, but psychotherapy? they do not work. They show how much the mind has to work between “Many therapists work on many the organism and the behavior,” dimensions,” Heller says. We work Heller says. with the embodied mind, how the mind connects to the organism, to “I’ve been working on this for 40 behavior, to metabolism. We think years,” Heller says, adding that he differently when we speak and when started meditation in his twenties. we move. If we stop talking in a “There are four distinct dimensions session and use gestures, it changes of this global system of the organism the whole atmosphere in the room. (human being). You see it in the We have different forms of literature when Damasio writes about awareness when thinking, getting a the body and emotions. He’s not massage, talking, doing movements. talking about the body as in body They are all nonverbal and all require therapists but talking about different ways of thinking. If only physiology in general. Should body one form of therapy is used, you psychotherapists know massage? develop only one form of thinking.” Continued on page 78
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Across the Pond
European Association for Body Psychotherapy
Jill van der Aa, PhD General Secretary/Vice President Lidy Evertsen, PhD EABP President
The Dolphin Speaks
Ah, the first deadline has passed professional world around us is and psychotherapeutic approaches. without us noticing. Jill is leaving on realizing this more and more too. And yet we are all talking about one a trip; I am stuck on the sofa, wrapped thing – the healing of mind and body. in a blanket: the flu has got me down! This thought wakes me up. I have Do I have ideas for the column? been positively surprised recently to The EABP is an umbrella for be contacted by several people from Bodynamic, Hakomi, Biosynthesis, Let me see . . . Body Psychotherapy. adjacent professions who wish to Reichian Psychotherapy, Biodynamic, First thought . . . body feels like brainstorm about cooperation with Breath Therapy, Vegetotherapy just to seaweed washed ashore . . . psyche, I them in involving body and psyche in mention a few. don't have one. An image of the change and therapy processes. Pond, this vast ocean between our The EAP, European Association for continents. That has a nice calming I was happy that they found their Psychotherapy (under whose umbrella effect. way to my office, meaning they we fall) has members such as Gestalt, looked upon body psychotherapists as Hypno Psychotherapy, Integrative Let's see what comes next . . . the the experts on the subject. This is Psychotherapy, Neurolinguistic grey waves move aside and a big indeed one of the important subjects Psychotherapy, Transactional dolphin is appearing, rising out of the in the EABP board's vision and Analysis, Positive Psychotherapy, water till halfway up its chest. It looks policy: getting ourselves known in the Psychosynthesis, Family me in the eyes and I hear its words in world as the specialists in using the Psychotherapy, Psychodrama etc., etc. my head . . . unity of body and psyche in the theory and clinical practice of While being respectful of all these "Body Psychotherapy, isn't all psychotherapy. different approaches we sometimes psychotherapy necessarily get frustrated and would like to get a involving the body?" In the long run I see no necessity to little more clarity about how these all have two types of psychotherapy: fit in together. Just one name for one Yes, Yes, I agree, really think so. every psychotherapist will be able to thing – not ten thousand names for Psychotherapy is in a way a form of make his/her choice from the one thing – or at least some learning, adding information to available methods and techniques agreement on similarities! Perhaps memory pathways some people according to his/her own personality they absolutely don’t fit in together, would say. In order to really change and the client's needs. and they have all discovered internal processes and external something very special and different behaviour using only words is not Well – we like what the dolphin has which only they have the secret to. enough. An experiential change is to say! It’s spot on. There are so many asked for. It seems like the different modalities and specialties But, I somehow doubt it.
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However we are coming fast upon Dr. Michael Heller (Honorary their heels. EABP Member) will look at the place of body psychotherapy in relation to At the congress our Scientific and other mainstreams of Psychotherapy. Research committee will give us He will first provide a definition of some Research Perspectives for Body body psychotherapy that corresponds Psychotherapy: Social & Emotional to how it is developing today, and Isolation. Official hotel for the EABP Congress situate this development in relation to other mainstream approaches such as Further plenary sessions are behavioural, cognitive, Working with Anxiety and Panic in This question is constantly on our psychodynamic and systemic Body Psychotherapy, Societal minds and thankfully several of our therapies. normopathy - narcissism and body body psychotherapy “experts” will psychotherapy and Social Crisis and present their vision on the matter at Dr. Wanda Viegas comes from a Trauma. our Lisbon Congress in September very different background. She is an this year. Ulf Geuter and Michel Epigeneticist and looks at how much But what did we say – “behaviour Heller in particular will deal with the the environment affects us and does and words are not enough” – this matter in depth. what we do affect the expression of applies to our Congresses too. There the genes. The age old debate – genes are usually more than 40 interactive The one thing that we can be sure or environment – which is the most workshops on a wide range of topics about is that our body psychotherapy important for us to have a look at. She to choose from where you can also approach in all its forms deals with will give her view on what learn experientially. Of course you the unity of the body and mind and psychotherapy can offer. can join, share your experiences with the necessity of working with the others throughout the congress and body as well as the mind. As Lidy As psychotherapists we believe discuss with others from morning till points out above, more people are what we do works and is effective but night. calling on us these days to see just how can we prove it? We seem to be what it is we have to offer. competing with others in the race for But we sometimes get tired of subsidies and in the effort to make our talking and just want to connect in So we invite you to join us in valuable services known to a wider with others. Then we dance, we make public. Many other therapeutic music, we eat, we walk, we make fun, LISBON methods have come out with results and we look forward to a seeing a of research and are leading the way. little bit of Lisbon. Body Psychotherapy: The Self in Relationship: Self – Other – Society
In the first keynote speech: Experiencing the Body, Experiencing the Self
Professor, Dr. Ulfried Geuter will present body psychotherapy as a psychotherapeutic approach that emphasizes bodily experience as a gateway to experiencing self and self- regulation and he will propose a theoretical framework and a set of general principles of treatment for a body psychotherapy that incorporates the approaches of different schools into a coherent process.
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The Body in Relationship: Self – Other - Society
14th International Congress of Body Psychotherapy jointly organized by EABP and ISC September 11-14, 2014, Lisbon, Portugal
Take a moment to look at the We are hoping that this Congress will be just like that: a picture that we are using for this window on an unfolding process in a colourful, vibrant Congress, and see what feelings and sometimes not very clearly distinguishable and thoughts it evokes in you. It profession, at first glance created with childlike naivety seems to me that the image but on closer inspection underpinned by tremendous represents very strongly the talent and skill. As an Association, EABP is in a crucial ‘flavour’ of the Congress: its phase of trying to find more unity in the various different Kathrin Stauffer, PhD vibrant colours, the dynamic array approaches that are represented. Wisely, this process is Cambridge, UK of objects, some recognizable and not assumed to be the only show in town, but movements some not, all giving plenty of scope to criticise the prevalent paradigm and politics and thus to the viewer’s own imagination and leaving us, above create more diversity are also given space. In this way a all, with a sense of process as we watch it unfold. The balance can be held between the unifying and the picture at first glance may look like a child’s drawing diversifying forces. There is a choice of topics that all with all the vitality and freshness you would expect of contribute to this: attempts at unification of theoretical that; and yet, when you look longer, there is great skill in frameworks and language, a comparison of different the graphic and artistic design. approaches to clinical presentations and also critiques
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and alternatives to current Female – Bodies – Belem Tower developments all come together. Language (presented by the Just to whet your appetite, here is a group ‘New brief list of the themes that will be Roses’) keynotes at the Congress:
Experiencing the Body, The Body in Experiencing the Self Psychotherapy Supervision The Place of Body Psychotherapy in Relation to other Mainstreams of Psychotherapy: Congruence and This rich choice of themes is many individual therapists and Specificity complemented by an equally rich groups of therapists who are range of events on the edges of the engaging with communities in An Epigeneticist’s View on Congress that include morning warm various parts of the world, hoping to Psychotherapy -up sessions of bodywork, music make a difference on a slightly larger sessions to provide rest for tired scale than just to a few individuals Working with Anxiety and Panic brains, and food for starved spirits, who are privileged enough to benefit in Body Psychotherapy dinner and dance, a relational from body psychotherapy. Because, cocktail, cultural events, and many of course, ever since Wilhelm Reich Societal Normopathy – experiential workshops. we body psychotherapists have Narcissism and Body thought of ourselves as holding the Psychotherapy The main theme of the Congress is key to saving the world! how we interact with the wider Social Crisis and Trauma world. This has aspects of professional politics reflected in the This is complemented by parallel large space given to the Science and So the Congress Planning Committee sessions entitled: Research Committee and also in the hopes that you will all come to contributions that engage with Lisbon and attend the Congress! The Scientific and Research current thinking in the life sciences; Symposium but there are also more societal For details go to http:// aspects, reflected in the work of www.lisbon2014.eabp-isc.eu/en2014
The Portuguese Discoveries monument was built across from Hieronymites Monastery—Mosteiro dos Jeronimos— was built Mosteiro dos Jeronimos in 1960 on the North Bank of the Tagus by Prince Henry the Navigator around 1459. It is considered one River to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline-style Prince Henry the Navigator. architecture in Lisbon.
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International Connections
By Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar, PhD
Bodies intertwined - short cuts
The body that we share is touching,
The body we belong to, hurts
In symbols and sounds it voices its tales
A shared body seamlessly bursts.
Though we may insist it is ours,
That thine flesh and mine are but two
A body of one is emerging
Pulsating connections with you
Pulsating connections with you
You are cordially invited to glimpse eight brief moments of sharing-in-being; peeks into the creating, maintaining, and operating of shared bodies, through momentary episodes and brief discussions surrounding these. I invite you to open your bodymind and allow yourself to flow, moving from one snapshot to another without looking for a theoretical or clinical strand, letting yourself be swept into the rhythm of a poem, which may, if we allow it, weave us both into its verses. The details of those mentioned in this paper have been changed and permission to use material secured. In some cases the presented data is an amalgamation of a few clients.
A. The body that we share is touching
Stanley Keleman (2012) considers embodiment as a Sheryl and Don are both in their fifties and have been conscious act of reclaiming voluntary responses. married for twenty three years. They have one child, Sometimes, however, the shared body reclaims its Aaron, who has recently left home to college, leaving embodied quality in an autonomous way. Sometimes Sheryl and Don together, on their own, for the first time in change and growth take place in us, rather than in me or eighteen years. Upheaval and arguments have become you. There is an active agent, a voluntary participator, but daily, and they sought couple therapy to help them it is a shared agent, not one of us alone. through this transition.
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Sheryl and Don shout at each other together, the three of us watched the concentrate on the preliminary so loud that there really is no space dance of their feet as it took place discussion. for me in the room. When they stop between them, independent of their for a moment, I turn to Sheryl and argument, having its own vibrating Then we start. Elsa is working in the ask her how she feels. life. centre, and our small group is hypnotised by her courageous Sheryl recoils. “I feel vulnerable,” B. The body we belong to, hurts process. Most of the session is she says, “and lonely.” Had she not focused on the diaphragm. Elsa is avoided eye contact with Don, she There are a few angles of relating to oscillating between physical and would have seen his eyes moistening, body. Nick Totton (2010) refers to emotional aspects of vitality, roaring and his facial expression softening. these as being, having, and becoming with anger and pain, sadness and There was a moment of tenderness, bodies. Having a body denotes an sensuality. She is in her element, and which was surpassed by the verbal objectified (and often dissociated) as she releases, various aspects of onslaught of combative arguments – relationship with the body that I have herself are emerging into our shared it was as if two different dialogues – it is a something, and that space. “It hurts,” she says. “But it took place concurrently. “We have something is mine, and it is different feels connected.” no intimacy,” they both exclaimed. to me. Being a body relates to an Yet, at the same time, their feet ability to embody our identity – to In the feedback circle Liz sighs. “As commenced a dance, touching each perceive ourselves as grounded in soon as you started working on your other gently and playing, two feet our body and feel our body as stomach, my own stomach was able forming (at least part of) our identity. proclaimed a shared space denied by to relax, I no longer hurt.” each of them verbally. I no longer I wish to look at another body, a paid much attention to their speech, wider body – the body we belong to C. In symbols and sounds it voices though, and become mesmerised by (Rolef Ben-Shahar, 2014), this is an its tales their feet-dance. I followed this intersubjective body – a body created coiled and intertwining negotiation by us and updated by us, yet one I have written extensively on how until Don and Sheryl joined me. which is no longer dependent solely body psychotherapy and bodywork They slowly stopped arguing and, on us and our maintaining of it, like evoke altered states of consciousness an archetype – with enough space (e.g. Rolef Ben-Shahar, 2002a, this shared body acquires emergent 2002b, 2008a, 2008b). Not only is qualities, a life of its own. affect-friendly work conducive for regressive states, (Crowly, 2005; Liz arrives to class with a debilitating Taylor, 2004), it may also offer stomach-ache. She is a highly generative non-regressive trances, sensitive woman and a very creative where we are more open to psychotherapist. Her stomach, she possibilities, dreams, and transitional reports, started to ache as soon as she spaces. This is, perhaps, the essence began preparing for today’s training of Arnold Mindell’s process-work day. The group, which has been (Mindell, 1982, 2004). working together for a few years, asked me to demonstrate relational In a group supervision session, Elijah applications of Reichian bodywork. works in the centre, exploring his We talk about Reichian bodywork, own threshold of life and death and but Liz finds it difficult to fear of meeting a client who presents Entangled, donated by Jacque Oman
Jacque Oman is an illustrator and fine artist whose works celebrate the beauty and intrigue that overflow in our daily lives. Her mission as an artist is to show just how splendid this experience of being human is, no matter how “mundane” life sometimes seems. She creates paintings and illustrations that express her fascination for the “small” moments—the simple, everyday wonders that, in her eyes, reveal that our existence is meaningful. She hopes that her art makes viewers feel connected to life and to others, and that it helps them learn something about themselves. “Life is not meaningless — let my art show you!”
Jacque works both as a freelance illustrator and as a commissioned painter. She works primarily in acrylic, ink, and watercolor, but also uses graphite, colored pencil, ink, gouache, dye, fabric, and digital media. She takes commissions for fine art paintings ranging a wide range of subjects, from realistic portraits to abstract expressions. She illustrates children’s books, designs greeting cards and custom-made wedding stationary, and even paints murals for clients throughout the country. Her portfolio and contact information can be found on her website, www.jacqueoman.com.
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with such extremes. Content seems to required surrender of both my consider being a not-good-enough disappear, and the entire group joins supervisee and me. mother for my Jenny,” she says. Our in to support, in movement, touch, bodies connect and the pain is not and sound—the liminal state of Leah is a supervisee and a brilliant only tolerable, it is actually welcome unknown connectedness Elijah has psychotherapist at the beginning of by us both. invited us into. Helena hears a tune her career. She talks about her client playing in her head, and Paula reports Jenny, who is in a dire state. Jenny E. Though we may insist it is ours seeing unfamiliar images and visions. seems to have regressed since the Elijah hears these descriptions from beginning of therapy, gaining a lot of O let the heavens falter Paula and Helena, “these are the weight, feeling ill much of the time And let the earth proclaim: sounds and visions from my and being debilitated in her everyday Come healing of the Altar grandfather’s home,” this is where life by her fears. She is terrified of so Come healing of the Name many things. Leah is working hard (Leonard Cohen, from Come Healing , 2012) most of our session took place. with Jenny, making real efforts to “Something is stuck in my throat,” When the shared body speaks, it has meet this young woman where she says Dvorah. “It hurts; it feels a self-validating quality. Nobody in has not been met before. As Leah inflamed and irritable.” Her thyroid the group ‘needed’ to know that speaks, I am mindful of her gland is out of balance; that much we Helena and Paula’s images and tremendous effort and ask Leah, know. But Dvorah is an experienced sounds were true representatives of “What are you not allowing yourself client and a therapist herself. There’s Elijah’s inner world. At this moment to feel? Where can you allow something else there, too. of time our separateness was partial, yourself to open even more, to let go and what was truthful was felt of so much effort?” Leah cannot “There is something I'm not saying,” truthful to us all. It is only later, connect with my question. Instead, Dvorah admits. “It has been stuck in when this big body broke down to we find each other distant and sad. my belly for many years and has smaller bodies attempting the near- “You feel so far,” she says to me. “I recently ascended to my throat. I am impossible task of sense-making, that cannot feel your presence at all.” My getting ready to speak.” Slowly, over questions were raised regarding the body tenses up. a few weeks, Dvorah dares to name a experience’s validity and value. How For the last two or three months, decision that was waiting patiently can we create a bridge between the for her to accept. She feels relieved knowledge of a shared-belly and the Leah told me how worried she was that a part of her would die when I to speak it. But the pain in the throat knowledge of a separate questioning remains. What’s going on? mind? moved back to the UK. Vigilantly, I insisted that she would not die, that it Perhaps it is the thyroid gland after D. A shared body seamlessly bursts was only her anxiety talking. Inside all, I wonder. Dvorah seeks medical myself, I kept the effort to hold hope, care to no avail. Tests show nothing Relational body psychotherapist to acknowledge the limits of Michael Soth (2005) described new, but her throat is calling, and transference, knowing she would be Dvorah obliges. It is an unspoken parallel processing in psychotherapy: ok. “Not only the client’s awareness is truth. It is, however, not hers alone. fragmented: as the client’s conflict Suddenly, as I look at her, I notice a And it requires the appropriate has become the therapist’s conflict, flutter of fear inside of me - could context to let go. there is a tendency for the therapist to she die? Could the ending of our be drawn into similar denials and relationship devastate something in Freud was deeply curious about the avoidances” (p. 51). For me, when her? Feeling the immense volume of phenomenon of unconscious Soth (Asheri, Carroll, Rolef Ben- our importance, I could actually conversations: “It is a very Shahar, Soth, & Totton, 2012) argued relate to her fear for the first time in a remarkable thing,” he wrote (1915), that “therapy begins with an non-defensive way. “I can sense the “that the unconscious can react upon enactment,” he was talking about the dread in me that a part of you might another, without passing through inevitable formation of this die when I leave,” I tell her. “And I'm consciousness” (p. 126). In intersubjective body, which, as it willing to hold this fear with you.” discussing resonance I wrote (Rolef moved from discerning to Ben-Shahar, 2014): “To simplify the enmeshment to discerning, tended to Leah looks clearer and lighter. Our concept, we might describe take both parties by surprise, much connection becomes palpable in a resonance as the sensory and bodily like the dancing feet of Sheryl and matter of seconds, and she is apparatus of the wider mind; Don. Here is another example of the realising where she was making too resonance could be understood as the bursting of a shared body, one which much effort. “I am willing to communication system of
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the collective, the intersubjective body” (p. 310).
Finally Dvorah makes a big decision and speaks her truth to her husband. Shortly after that the pain in her throat disappears. “It wasn’t only I who needed to speak it, it was also our shared voice needing to speak itself,” Dvorah tells me. Original artwork donated by Dr. Mauri-Lynne Heller, a licensed MFT and psychoanalyst in Newport Beach, CA. For information about Dr. Heller’s clinical work: www.mlheller.net F. That thine flesh and mine are but two
Kyle is an experienced psychologist “Perhaps,” I suggest, “you have been comes to life and is activated by (and an experienced client), exploring feeling anxious because your half attachment and connection, a body psychotherapy for the first time. body was left all alone and connection which psychiatrists Lewis, In his life, he claims, he is highly disconnected for so long?” Amini, and Lannon (2000) termed unregulated, nervous, and anxious limbic resonance. We may consider most of the time with periods of “It doesn't make sense in my head,” this half-body of ours the essential depression and apathy. Kyle had a replies Kyle, “but it does to my component that allows our first body very unsettling childhood. His mother belly.” (us as body) to perform the was absent, and his father was only impossible, cross the divide, and available during emergencies. How can we understand this create an interface between you and cognitive dissonance between Kyle's me, between one person and another. During our first meeting, Kyle sat in expectation of terror and his bodily- In essence, I am proposing that self my office, vigorously and affective experience? I like to think as a closed system and self as an uncontrollably shaking. “Don’t about it in terms of the intersubjective open, partial system are worry,” he tries to reassure me (or body, our shared body. Attempting to complementary and dialectic himself?). “It always happens in first conceptualise this body, I have processes (p. 96). meetings, I'm always anxious – it’ll written (2014): relax in a few moments.” With Body psychotherapy in general and permission, I take his hands in mine I would like to offer a more radical resonance particularly, offer a bridge and hold his hands firmly, tightly. claim, that the boundary (or wall) between this parapsychological This touch encapsulates him. Kyle between us and the other never really phenomenon and somatic wisdom. warns me, “I would soon feel existed, that we always had two types In discussing body psychotherapy claustrophobic and it would worsen of body. Our first body is the skin- treatments for eating disorders, Sasha my anxiety.” bound body, the body that we identify Dmochowski, Jacqueline Carleton, as our own (either as an object or and myself (Dmochowski, Rolef Ben- “If you feel claustrophobic, we will subject); a body which is a closed Shahar & Carleton, 2014) also stop,” I promise. system capable of communicating explored how eating disorders often with its environment; a body that is take place within a mother-daughter “It doesn't make sense,” says Kyle knowable to us without having to dyad and their respectively after a moment or two. “I shouldn't be relate to another person. The second disordered shared-body, hence feeling so calm. In fact, I don't recall body is a partial body, a half-body, a treatment might address this shared ever feeling like this.” body that is fully realised only in bodymind and not only the individual connection with another person (or bodymind of the patient. “Why shouldn't you be feeling the outside environment). This is the G. A body of one is emerging calm?” I ask, and Kyle responds, body of the wider mind, of the dyadic “Because another foreign body is self, a body that is never whole and My wife and I walk hand in hand in touching me.” complete in and by itself. This body the street. We delight in this rare
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opportunity. Grandma is babysitting damage. The centre offers our daughters; we have a few hours psychological support alongside for ourselves. In the six-and-a-half physical rehabilitation, thus the years since Zohar, our eldest, was treatment team is integrative— born, we scarcely got to just be the psychiatrists, psychotherapists, two of us, and we really enjoy feeling physical therapists and one another and feeling our physiotherapists. “Now it all makes I have offered coupleness. sense,” she said. “I have been working for months on end with Our hands are swaying as we walk, patients who only brought their delineating the pulsatory bond physical complaints, their resistance, you glimpses between us. We are walking on the and silence to sessions. We attempted pavement. A little bit too late, we to work through their difficulties and notice a woman in her sixties walking ours, yet they did not share much towards us. Without thinking, we lift about their conflicts, feelings or into my clinic, our hands, without letting go, forming thoughts.” And then the a bridge. The three of us laugh aloud physiotherapist in the team spoke as the woman elects to duck and about the patient, and she spoke of move through the bridge and off to their conflicts and pains, fears, and my classes, the other side. hopes. They shared so much with her. This experience repeated itself with various physiotherapists and many H. Pulsating connections with you patients. And I'm now asking myself, what are we missing out on when we and my I gave a lecture to the staff of a avoid touching altogether! central outpatient psychiatric ward in a big hospital in Israel. The topic was I. And letting go Kafka’s suffering - embodied family, in the resources and the psychotherapists' I have offered you glimpses into my psychopathology. I spoke about the clinic, my classes, and my family, in undiagnosed disorder (being a the hope of demonstrating and therapist) (Miller, 1981; Rolef Ben- exemplifying bodies-in-relation. In hope of Shahar, 2013), centring, and the process you hopefully found grounding. yourself connecting to some examples more than others, engaging Psychiatrists, psychologists, and or judging, identifying or distancing demonstrating social workers who work with yourself; surely, there are many other extreme suffering were listening, possible responses too. And our body many of them hearing for the first acquired a shared quality, even time about body psychotherapy. I through this written medium. And and spoke in length about the value of now, as we part, we may regain our touch in psychotherapy. With Francis, individual respective breathing the client I was talking about, touch cycles, our individual nervous significantly contributed to his systems, and bid farewell to the us exemplifying recovery from severe and ongoing that brought me, and hopefully you, depression and suicidal ideation. I too, some moments of meaning, and sensed the topic unnerved my connection and pleasure. audience. Questions were asked, eyes glistened, and some people raised an I hope that we can share some interests bodies-in- eyebrow. and dialogue, and I welcome your feedback, comments, questions and At the end of the lecture, a challenges. You can email me at psychologist approached me and [email protected] relation. shared her experience in working in a Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar PhD, has been a rehabilitation centre for people who psychotherapist, writer, and trainer for since suffered physical and neurological Continued on page 78
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“We must be able to see through the eyes of another, while standing in our own shoes.”
Awakening Clinical Intuition: An Experiential Workbook for Psychotherapists Written by Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD
Reviewed by Nancy Eichhorn, PhD
The Meadow: A Guided Meditation
I sat, comfortably, and breathed—several ocean breaths, consciously narrowing my throat on the exhalation. My senses focused inward. I followed the gentle voice on the mp3 cd and entered a high mountain meadow. A slight breeze tickled the fine hairs on my cheek and neck. The sun’s warmth relaxed any nervous wondering. I smelled dry dusty dirt. I reached down to stroke the velvety leaves of the mule’s ear growing in abundance and listened to a squirrel chirp his warning of my presence. I saw the shovel and was drawn to a place to dig. A chest or container of some sort, I was told, awaited my discovery. Within it were items foretelling a story, just for me. I opened the chest eager to see what lay inside: a light brown, leather-bound journal, soft supple leather, the kind that feels luxurious to the touch, ivory pages, unlined, an expanse of space for me to explore, a sharpened yellow No. 2 pencil, a squishy pink eraser, and an orange-ish feather with brown trim. I looked again to see if I had missed something. I knew that once I buried the box and left the meadow there was time to reflect and write in response to guided questions; and yet, I felt as if something was missing.
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Clinical Intuition and self-trust in intuition. She notes that intuition must be nourished According to Terry Marks-Tarlow, indirectly, via experiences and PhD, when we interpret guided reflections; it cannot be explicitly imagery journeys such as my taught. experience with ‘The Meadow’ (Marks-Tarlow, 2014, p. The heart of this workbook is 159) or any outcropping from our about being with the experiences to unconscious, “it is important to use open yourself to your intuition (and clinical intuition and not a set potentially your intuitive guides). formula to process meaning” (p. Reading the scripts provided in the 161). Marks-Tarlow (2014) offers her book, reading the reflection insights into clinical intuition and its sequences, reading but not place in our lives and in our clinical experiencing will leave the reader practice in her newest book entitled, hanging. Blank spaces are provided Awakening Clinical Intuition: An in the workbook so readers can write Experiential Workbook for about their experiences; questions are Psychotherapists. It is the offspring provided to guide readers as they from its parent book, Clinical reflect on their own experience as Intuition in Psychology: The well as to guide discussions with Neurobiology of Embodied Response patients. The reflective component is Glee! by Marks-Tarlow (Marks-Tarlow, 2012), where Marks- in place ‘to bring the experience Tarlow grounded clinical intuition in home’. “It’s one thing to have an clinical “sense abilities”. interpersonal neurobiology and experience,” she writes, “another to offered case vignettes, personal process it and embody it.” As a Each chapter tethers the past (both stories, and original artwork as reviewer, I read through the book key concepts from the parent book as guideposts for readers’ with an eye for what it offered. As a well as information from preceding understanding. Her intention for this person, I did many of the exercises chapters in this book) to the present ‘workbook’ is to offer a user- and found myself curious enough to conversation as well as to upcoming friendly, hands-on, experiential spend more time following the paths concepts. It is a blend of fact, journey into the realm of intuition for that appeared before me. This opinion, and experience. Marks- personal growth and clinical workbook is ideal for those new to Tarlow adheres to her own advice— application— “the writing is less the concept of intuition as well as the book’s design is playful, heady,” she says. those already familiar with and using humorous, and imaginative including intuition in their lives and practice. creative original artwork, word Following in its parent’s footsteps, Marks-Tarlow will stretch your placement on the page, use of font Awakening Clinical Intuition offers awareness, and she offers new style and size, and white space. At extensive data detailing the experiences to share with your times you are reading a textbook with developmental foundations of patients. She is clear in her stance, a first person presence then you’re intuition; however, the language is however, that as therapists we must immersed in poetic ramblings as she plain, simple, a fascinating read that hold our hypotheses lightly—we teaches readers how to “listen for the captured my attention without must check out our intuitions and music under the words” and “attend straining my analytic left-brain’s never assume they are true because at to the texture of the silence” in their need to figure it out—the concepts times it is difficult to distinguish clinical interactions (p. 170). As flowed readily, easily. And, as in its between grounded intuition and readers tune into what they feel, see, predecessor, the importance of ungrounded countertransference. Her and know, as they experience being empathy, play, humor, imagination, intention is for readers to use their intuitively in sync with their patients and metaphor are encouraged and curiosity as a place to move forward such that all aspects of themselves supported as practitioners learn how in their clinical work. are aligned so they become present to to use clinical intuition to develop themselves in an actual moment in and express their wisdom. Marks- In terms of formatting, there are time, Marks-Tarlow hopes to Tarlow designed the guided exercises ten chapters ranging from cultivating “counter robotic, dehumanizing, and (an mp3 cd comes with the book) to inner space and making time, to demoralizing trends by placing stimulate embodied experience and finding your center, gaining clinical intuition in its central guiding enhance readers’ access, awareness, perspective, and developing your place” (p. 198).
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Incorporating prenatal and stop taking perinatal psychology concepts information in from (employing knowledge about infant their eyes. “When growth and development) with the we operate metaphorical use of life and intuitively,” Marks- experience, Marks-Tarlow locates Tarlow writes, “we “inspiration along with intuition as flow in an aspects of implicit processing with unpremeditated, the human right brain” (177). If your nonlinear fashion left brain is too busy trying to with whatever analyze patients and fix them, “the catches our right-brain capacity to step into the attention” (p.88). dyadic dance by keeping time with Conscious decisions the underlying music of relational are left by the rhythms is inevitably blocked” (page wayside and “an 42). She uses the breath to tap into emergent process our source of vitality; every breath, arises by which joint Heart of the Rising Sun by Marks-Tarlow she writes, represents a chance to attention shifts and flows according reset the balance between effort and to the intersubjective field of how release. “From a perspective in which two people intermix from moment to themselves and their patients. the breath captures the whole of our moment in mind, body, and brain. being, inhalation represents the The closer we remain to our implicit A wise mentor in her own right capacity to find, see, and nourish primary sensory experience, as (with over 30 years of experience), ourselves as well as to take in new unfiltered by thought, analysis, or Marks-Tarlow leaves readers with an things. Exhalation represents the strategy the more responsively we important message, one that capacity to release, let go, and clear align ourselves with intuitive resonated strongly with me: out what is toxic, unnecessary, or facilities” (p.88). “Although inspired by the techniques emotionally unhealthy” (p. 55). and insights of others, we must According to Marks-Tarlow, the simultaneously commit ourselves to Using these exercises during primary function of clinical intuition discovering our own truths” (p. 170). clinical sessions and taking time to is to inform us of our true observe yourself in relationship with perceptions, feelings, and responses Now that the pressure of reading your patients, readers will have the on a moment-to-moment basis, at the this book to write a formal review is chance to notice the contrast between dynamic edges between self and over, I will revisit the exercises and their right-brain sensory-based other, between the inner and outer spend more time being in the looking and their left-brain cognitive- worlds. As therapists move beyond exercises and in the reflection. I get based labeling where they actually simply accessing present-centered the gifts that were present in my box embodied in that high alpine meadow, but I’m perception and not so sure about that lingering truly integrate, feeling that something was missing. contain, and process it in a way that is thoroughly unique to who References they are as their most authentic Marks-Tarlow, T. (2014). Awakening selves, they will clinical intuition: An experiential experience a workbook for psychotherapists. New transition in York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. their clinical work—in their Marks-Tarlow, T. (2012). Clinical sense of intuition in psychotherapy: The knowing and neurobiology of embodied response. New being with York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Original artwork by Marks-Tarlow
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Awakening Clinical Intuition: An Experiential Workbook for Psychotherapists
A Reflection
by Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD
For me, writing is like a river that runs through my didn’t work with teachers or even kids. Worst of all, I had veins, coursing more deeply than any other current in my taken ten years to study and write about creativity largely life. Along with being a clinical psychologist and artist, I because I hadn’t been ready to dive fully into my own am also a wife and mother. I used to feel guilty about the creative process. intensity of my preoccupation with writing, as if this meant I didn’t love my husband and children enough. I’ve As I result, I began immersing myself in the arts. I come to realize the falsity of that fear. If I don’t take care danced. I practiced yoga. I drew. Novel ideas were of myself fully first, how can I possibly serve others? coming in droves out of a newfound fascination with This realization has freed me up. I now experience my nonlinear science, particularly fractal geometry. personal history as marked by twin births. The birth of Intuitively, I sensed fractals are profoundly related to my body occurred more than 50 years ago, signaling my nature’s creativity and psychological complexity physical arrival on Earth. The birth of my spirit occurs in specifically. After much studying, I took the plunge into an ongoing fashion, through my writings, outside of time. my own unconscious, in search of my own insights. My This second birth feels like a successive awakening, an second book, Psyche’s Veil: Psychotherapy, Fractals and integration of intellect, passion, and spirit. This is the Complexity (2008, Norton; foreword by Daniel Siegel) realm where I cobble together meaning on the grandest emerged. Blood, sweat, and tears were packed into the scale. pages of that case-based book, which I also illustrated myself. It took 12 years and three drafts to write. The real My first book—Creativity Inside Out: Learning through challenge was working my way through the profound Multiple Intelligences (1996, Addison-Wesley; foreword aloneness I felt working out my ideas, plus the terror of by Howard Gardner)—emerged to resolve an early career being considered crazy in what I “saw.” I imagined crisis. This happened right after I graduated with a Ph.D. colleagues would perceive me as making things up. I from UCLA. I had based my dissertation on a prospective anticipated the shame of being laughed at and study of depression, choosing a project that seemed quick intellectually dismissed for off the wall, rather than and dirty. In reality, the topic didn’t interest me in the cutting edge, ideas. least; meanwhile my passions had lain dormant for years, while I thrashed my way through graduate school, The process of writing Psyche’s Veil was a bit like prioritizing sanity over fulfillment. As I slowly came up climbing a mountain. But I persevered, and was proud of for air, it dawned on me that creativity is what moves me doing so. In the end, I discovered that reading that book is most. almost as difficult as writing it had been. Despite the clinical content, the material is quite abstract, based on So I became a consultant for the Lawndale School pure math and science. This easily scares away most District, working with teachers to fashion a creativity clinicians. I also learned that the feeling states that curriculum. The final book emerged out of our collective surround the writing of any book can very easily exude vision that creativity is the key to holistic learning. I had from its pages, which in turn can stimulate the very same jumped fields to take on this project, and upon finishing feelings in the readers themselves. I had been scared to the book I had yet another sobering insight. I wasn’t write the book, and now people were scared to read it. really interested in the field of education; and clinically I
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creatures with empathy, grief, a sense of justice, or the instinct to play.
It took me only one year to research, write and illustrate my third book. For the first time, I was behind the task of speaking, training, and giving workshops on the topic. Almost immediately, I felt ready to give birth to its most recent companion, Awakening Clinical Intuition: An experiential Workbook for Psychotherapists (2014, Norton; foreword by Allan Schore, reviewed in the pages of this journal). I had thoroughly learned my lesson that it is a lot more fun to dance with readers than to struggle alone. In this forth book, I tried to take the process a step further. Not only did I again hold the reader continually in focus, but I simultaneously strived to pay as much attention to myself. I wanted to walk my talk, by integrating all facets of my body, mind, brain, and spirit holistically as I wrote. In striving to provide exercises and opportunities to tap deeply into one’s own grounded foundation, I wanted to do the same with myself. I yearned to proceed without struggle. I envisioned letting my unconscious Inner Freedom by Marks-Tarlow lead the way only and precisely when it was ready to do so. To honor this While gratifying to complete this hold the reader in my heart from the vision, I wanted to wait until my behemoth task, I was also clear I start. Rather than lead with heady fingers itched to fly. If I didn’t feel didn’t want to repeat it. I chose my abstractions, instead I offered clinical fully inspired in this way, I vowed next topic as a means to break and personal stories filled with not even to sit down at the keyboard. through the intense struggles and dialogue as a means to share my isolation I had felt. I hoped that vulnerabilities and internal processes. Happily, Awakening Clinical Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy: I wanted to be fully accessible and Intuition emerged in a matter of The Neurobiology of Embodied transparent. I wanted to be fully months, even more quickly and Response (2012, Norton; foreword grounded in embodied awareness. I effortlessly than Clinical Intuition in by Allan Schore) would provide a was scrupulously honest about how I Psychotherapy. To conceive of and sharply contrasting experience. I faced the uncertainties, ambiguities, manifest the workbook proved to be wanted to stay connected with and chaos of clinical practice—how an act of pure joy. Thankfully, my readers from the start. So I imagined so often I flew by the seat of my psyche was fully aligned with the the book’s narrative as an open pants as I reached for internal subject matter. I could trust my own invitation into a relational dance. guidance. The book adopted an perceptions, reflections, and impulses This time I sought a broad, rather evolutionary perspective. I used while remaining connected to the than narrow audience. I wanted to animal stories to illustrate the reader. There was something address all psychotherapists across common emotional foundation and luxurious about relying so heavily the great theoretical and professional neural limbic circuitry found in all upon my own intuition as I wrote divides. Most importantly, I strove to mammals. I aimed to strip away about intuition as a valuable human hubris that we are the only resource. I reached a new level of
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I write these reflections without yet reading any reviews or receiving feedback on Awakening Clinical Intuition, for it is just now launching into the world. I am eager to discover whether my own spirit of joy has successfully leaked into the pages.
Psychotherapy is serious business: blood, sweat, tears, doubts, and fears are a regular part of our jobs. Yet, despite the gravity, pressures, stresses, and challenges, when it comes down to the minute-to-minute implementation of theory, no cookbook can guide us. Only through intuition can we tap into the richness of the moment and the fullness of the whole context. Only through intuition can we touch deep enough in ourselves and others to encounter true novelty that is necessary for embodied change. When we tap into Tree of Life by Marks-Tarlow our own intuition in service of guiding others, we offer inspiration, integration. Gone were my previous into the world. I am eager to discover modeling, and safety. This helps our fears of being a fraud. Vanished were whether my own spirit of joy has clients/patients to likewise find their self-doubts about offering something successfully leaked into the pages. own internal lights as guidance of value. I no longer needed My hope is to inspire all sorts of through the thicket. reassurance from others. What psychotherapy practitioners, both remained was the pure high of self- seasoned and newbies alike, to expression—a high I’m convinced muster up the courage to cultivate touches upon the magic of their own idiosyncratic perception Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD, is a clinical psychotherapy when we succeed in and clinical style. At this point in our psychologist in private practice in Santa helping others to find their own field, great pressure exists for Monica, California. She teaches effective neuroscience at Reiss Davis Child Study voices, hearts, and histories. accountability and empirically Center. She does yoga, dances, draws, proven methods. While this is and generally strives toward a balanced I write these reflections without yet important, I sincerely believe life through embodying her values. She reading any reviews or receiving scientific approaches must be is available for psychotherapy, talks, and feedback on Awakening Clinical counterbalanced by artistic and trainings through her website: Intuition, for it is just now launching intensely personal sensibilities. www.markstarlow.com
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Body Wise
By Kamalamani
The Body Politic
In May this year I'm co-ordinating a conference, 'The Body Politic'. It is being hosted in London by UK-based Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility (PCSR) as its 7th Psychotherapy and Politics conference. I'm a steering group member of PCSR and editor of its in-house publication 'Transformations'. The idea for this event came to me nearly four years ago, at my first steering group meeting. I envisaged an event exploring creatively, honestly, and constructively what it means to be a body. A body shaped: by the social, political, ecological and economic backdrop and dynamics unfolding throughout our lives; by our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, patterns, actions, and allegiances; by our connection - or lack, thereof - with the earth and other-than-human and more-than-human life. I hope that the keynotes, workshops, and discussions of this event will not only highlight the struggle to reclaim our bodies as our own, within the complex networks of power which we inhabit, but also to celebrate being a body.
So the theme of 'the body in Not even in therapists' circles or body I don't want to get too doom and relationship: self-other-society' is psychotherapy circles. It still feels a gloom here. Being a body brings timely. It's also starting to dawn on bit fringe, despite the manifestations moments of bliss: being drunkenly me - to my surprise, if I'm honest - of our politicised bodies in the orgasmic, feeling the beat of a drum how contentious and stirring a theme mainstream in the shape of body resonating with our body's beat until this may prove to be. A surprise to dysmorphia, addiction to a range of we don't know which beat is which, me because, working as a body drugs of choice - some more socially losing ourselves in wild dancing, psychotherapist, being a meditator acceptable than others, and self-harm, sitting quietly, wholly, and and teacher of embodying meditation, to name but a few. And on a much contentedly in meditation, holding and being interested in what's going bigger scale, the shadow of our our wrinkled-face new-born after a on in the world around me, I'm embodiment, or lack of embodiment, long, arduous labour, and those concerned everyday with how society is reflected in the way we are treating ordinary magic moments of the has shaped and continues to shape the planet, and other-than-human sensuality and connection breaking our incarnation, for good and ill. Yet, species, eroding our home and the bread and drinking wine with we don't - in the UK, at least - talk home of billions of others. cherished friends and family. much in depth about these themes.
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The experience of being a body can, with the debates. and is, hell on earth for billions of our global neighbours. The United The politics of being a Nations Food and Agriculture body are going on all the Organization estimates that nearly time in and out of our 870 million people of the 7.1 billion therapy rooms. The use, people in the world, or one in eight, misuse, and denial of were suffering from chronic power and potency, undernourishment in 2010-2012 (1). consciously and in the 30 million women, children, and men shadows. We have, of are victims of human trafficking, course, our own embodied modern-day slavery, every year (2). prejudices, assumptions, In Africa alone, 345 million people excellences, and these are lack access to water for drinking, bound to work their way washing, and cleaning (3). into our therapeutic work, hence the importance of Perhaps these seem like extreme supervision, peer support, examples, taking place in a far and life with enough continent, and it's just too much to the hundreds of hours each year we balance. We hopefully know the take in these facts. This is a feeling I spend reflecting on the nature of what conditions which have lead to the know intimately, being flooded with it means to be alive and embodied. oppression and liberation in our own overwhelm or falling into horrified bodies, and how we contribute to the anxiety before switching off in order This week on the PCSR steering oppression of others, albeit indirectly. to cope with the challenges and group we've been finalising our flyer The work we do, leading to greater fullness of our everyday life. Perhaps for this May 'Body Politic' event. It's awareness, also leads to freedom for it's easier to recall clients closer to been a fascinating process in many our clients and those around us. home. Those people we've welcomed ways. Firstly, it's really quite tricky to into our therapy rooms who are find images of bodies which aren't As body psychotherapists and body struggling with substance abuse, are airbrushed and made to look workers, it seems to be critically asylum seekers exiled from home, are 'beautiful' in a very conventional important that we know our own victims of bullying or domestic sense. It's not that easy to find photos power and potency and acknowledge violence, are starving themselves, of ordinary folk going about their the impact we have. Not in a big ego literally, to death, or who have lives, much easier to find highly way, but in a responsible citizen way. narrowly escaped losing their life in a sexualised images. Secondly, the We need meaningful rites of passage war zone. How do our bodies respond more I thought of the theme, the more so we honour our body-minds in to these clients? How do we I was aware that I would miss or fail whatever stage of life we are assimilate and digest hearing the to represent a group of people whose dwelling. We need to know that we sharing of these experiences? What lives are severely hampered by body are creatures living amongst other resonates in our own experience? politics: those whose bodies don't creatures, neither better nor worse Which prevailing emotions arise? conform to the majority: physically, than the other species with whom we Fear? Anxiety? Tenderness? sexually, in terms of skin colour, share the planet. Perhaps we need to Compassion? Most likely a mingling class, and cast, those who are victims pay a bit more attention to our mixture. of war and torture. We ended up relationship with our environment deciding that it was too hard-hitting and the wider world. Not just so we to include the corpses of victims of stay healthy and grounded, though I'm interested in how we create more war in Iraq, for example. Some feared that’s useful, but so we can listen dialogue about these themes; how we such an image had no place in an more accurately to our bodies and the draw upon our wealth of experience event advertising an event in the west bodies of others—learning from the from our own history of embodiment for psychotherapists. In my mind, it rhythms of our bodies and the and in witnessing the stories of has everything to do with us and UK seasons. Maybe we need to remind hundreds of other beings. Perhaps we foreign policy, yet I can see the ourselves of the bliss of being a body, could speak out a little more? inherent dangers in further de- remembering we are beings made of Speaking out, it seems, is not sensitising readers, or worst still, flesh, blood, and bones, not something which many therapists leading them to switch off and not consumers as capitalism likes to find all that easy which feels a bit of come to the conference to engage Continued on page 79 a shame and lost opportunity given
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Body Psychotherapy and DID
Kathrin Stauffer & Steve Elliott Chiron Association for Body Psychotherapists United Kingdom
Imagine that instead of living in a house you were to organise your life in a series of little huts. They might look like ordinary houses but are only inhabited for some of the time, and you would be changing houses at the most unexpected times and without notice. You might never quite remember which of your possessions are in which hut. And of course this can be dangerous: when you unexpectedly change houses, you might leave a chip pan on and start a fire! It is readily understandable that at least you would need a good neighbourhood watch team to keep things running smoothly. Preferably you would want to re-house yourself in a larger house eventually, so that it is easier to move from one little space to another. But then you would need to be able to stop yourself from running away with claustrophobia when the house cannot quite contain all your separate internal spaces.
This is a very simplified picture of the condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (which used to be known as multiple personality). DID is a psychotherapeutic theme that has emerged strongly into the consciousness of the profession in recent years. Therapists often fear working with such clients as they are generally seen as an extreme end of the spectrum of dissociative personalities, with multiple severe and often early trauma in their background. Treatment approaches for this kind of difficulty are offered by some modalities, mostly cognitive or psychodynamic ones. Until recently there has not been a specific body psychotherapy approach to working with dissociation and DID. Now we have Lidy Evertsen who has developed an interesting approach based on her expertise, the Bodynamic system.
“When trauma is too relentless to be normally processed and integrated into the psyche, to be blended into existing memory networks, separate memory-systems may spontaneously develop; multiple identities with, at times, extremely defined character traits and personalities, usually dissociated from each other in order that the sense of a normally
functioning life can be maintained.”
This clear and simple description is typical of the way Lidy works. She starts with establishing a common language with the client, a way of naming ordinary sensory experience of the external reality that can serve not only as a tool of the therapeutic alliance but also as a common language between different personality fragments. Naming sensory experience, both of clients’ inner world and their outer reality, develops the clients’ somatic awareness that is
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dissociatively adapted in the original trauma. Thus the personality, recognising the unique contribution that each beginnings of a conversation between the different of them makes to the whole personality. Once this work fragments, often resulting in a blurring of the rigid has progressed a certain way, the process of integrating boundaries between them, are made in the gentle and non- the different personality fragments, or at least of provocative way that is so typical for the Bodynamic way increasing cooperation between them, can begin. of working. Lidy Evertsen is the President of the European Association One of the challenges for people with dissociative identity for Body–Psychotherapy EABP. She lives and works in is to build a coherent ‘autobiography’ – a seamless Amsterdam. This is the first time that she will come to the UK timeline to their lives. Lidy helps this by locating different to teach her approach, and the Chiron Association for Body aspects of the person in the developmental model that is Psychotherapists is proud to be organising this rare opportunity. For more details see based on body structure and serves as an extremely http://www.body-psychotherapy.org.uk/component/content/ accurate diagnostic tool. She will work to resource and article/127.html strengthen and validate each separate aspect of the
The International Journal of psychotherapy practitioners, related The particular ethos of this Journal is that Psychotherapy is published by the professionals, academics & students. The we publish submissions from anyone European Association for Psychotherapy, Journal is working to becoming listed in involved in the field of psychotherapy, as 3 times per annum. It is a leading the Thomson Reuters Social Science long as the submission is well-written, in professional and academic publication, Citation Index and the Journal Citation clear English (and we also publish in the which aims to inform, to stimulate Reports. This journal is therefore language of origin), is well researched, debate, and to assist the profession of essential reading for informed respectful and unbiased, and has been psychotherapy to develop throughout psychological and psychotherapeutic submitted in accordance with the Europe, and internationally. It is a peer- academics, trainers, students, and guidelines given in the 'Information for reviewed scientific journal. practitioners across these disciplines and Authors' on our website. We welcome original contributions on the basic geographic boundaries, who wish to understanding that the contents have not The Journal raises important issues in the develop a greater understanding of been previously published and are also field of European and international developments in psychotherapy, not submitted elsewhere for publication psychotherapy practice, professional particularly in Europe, but also at the same time as submission to IJP. development, theory and research for internationally.
The IJP also provides longer versions of the book reviews we share in our magazine. For in-depth reviews by Dr. Jacqueline Carleton and the USABP interns offered in our issues please visit:
http://www.ijp.org.uk/index.php?ident=ba30fd97b4127db56e9f4d3d9c030d71646fd2e7#McMain
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Research in Review: A Brief Look at Current Studies in the Literature
By Dawn Bhat, M.A., M.S., NCC
Research from the fields of contemporary medicine and mental health is increasingly validating the mind-body continuum, the heart of somatic studies. Drawing from clinical and basic science, phenomenological and case studies, and literature reviews, this column is dedicated to sharing research from multiple perspectives that may potentially impact the field of body psychotherapy.
Embodied social experience
Ijzerman, H., Gallucci, M., Pouw, W. T., Weiβgerber, S. C., Van Doesum, N. J., & Williams, K. D. (2012). Cold-blooded loneliness: Social exclusion leads to lower skin temperatures. Acta psychologica, 140(3), 283–288.
We use metaphors in our every day temperature dropped when People tend to use physical warmth language to understand social participants experienced social to self-regulate against loneliness, experience. She’s so cold. He’s a exclusion. In the second experiment, which is consistent with evolutionary warm person. The link between the authors found that participants and developmental research on affection and physical warmth has perceived social connection when attachment. Infants cannot regulate been established in the literature. In their hands were made warm, which their physical body temperature and the present study, the authors tested alleviated negative affect associated seek warmth and comfort from an the hypothesis that people experience with social isolation. This research is attachment figure. For somatic literal and physical temperature empirical evidence to support an psychotherapists, this research is changes to process close and embodiment of social experiences. interesting as the felt sense of being affiliative relations. alone — as if, one is left out in the Warmth may be the ‘fabric’ of cold — is experienced by the body as In the first experiment, the authors social relations that becomes a trauma. found that participants’ skin internally represented at an early age.
Dawn Bhat, MA, MS, NCC, holds graduate degrees in General Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She has experience in neuropsychology and has training in somatic modalities, including Somatic Experiencing and Focusing. She has presented at professional conferences nationally and internationally. Dawn receives clinical supervision from and is a psychotherapy researcher under the guidance of Jacqueline A. Carleton, Ph.D. of the USABP. Feel free to reach Dawn: [email protected].
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Talking about social emotions: Top down and bottom up
Saxbe, D. E., Yang, X.-F., Borofsky, L. A., & Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2012). The embodiment of emotion: language use during the feeling of social emotions predicts cortical somatosensory activity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
The mind and body work to participants during functional are involved in physical body process emotions. People tend to rely magnetic resonance imaging. During awareness, interoception. on cognitive (intellectual) or the experience of complex social affective (body-based) modes of emotions, the somatosensory process The neural embodiment of social processing when talking about social in the brain was differentially emotions may have implications for emotions. In this study, the authors involved depending on cognitive or understanding complex social hypothesized that there are affective processing style. This phenomenon such as compassion individual differences in the neural research found that the words used to and admiration. In clinical situations, processing of social emotional describe feelings from an affectively when individuals experience a experience. That is, some may rely charged place recruited more trauma, they tend to use more on abstract cognitions. For others, somatosensory processing than those cognitive words, perhaps, to distance it’s bodily sensations, which who described feelings using thought themselves from the emotions. contribute to their embodied -based words. That is, the former Interventions that employ top down processing style and personality. used brain areas associated with and bottom up processing may be bodily sensation, including the developed to help give a voice to To test their theory, the authors somatosensory cortices, insula and individuals who may differentially administered an interview that anterior cingulate cortex. This study process feelings associated with provoked narratives about suggests that the language used social relations. admiration and compassion to 28 about feelings recruit brain areas that
Fluid body, fluid mind
Slepian, M. L., Weisbuch, M., Pauker, K., Bastian, B., & Ambady, N. (2013). Fluid Movement and Fluid Social Cognition Bodily Movement Influences Essentialist Thought. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0146167213506467.
Bodily experiences of fluidity sensorimotor movement influenced Embodied sensory states influence promote fluidity about social more fluid social-cognitive cognitive processing style. While the cognitions, including prejudice, processing, which in turn would body can move in multiple racism, judging, and stereotyping. interrupt essentialist thinking (views directions so too can the mind. Research supports the involvement about social categories that are rigid, Dancers, yoga practitioners, and of sensorimotor states in social discrete, and fixed) and reduce its somatic therapists may have an cognition. In addition, creativity is impact on social cognition. This experiential key to long lasting enhanced and rigidity is lessened by research across five self-report influence on more flexible social freedom of movement. For example, (participants traced fluid and beliefs by their repeated fluid the physical practice of yoga nonfluid drawings), four online movement practices. As such, promotes a subtle body and a fluid, studies (participants observed fluid somatically-minded therapists may flexible mind. But how does this or nonfluid movement), and one be better able to help clients information about how embodied laboratory study found that fluid overcome rigid social cognitions by states affect cognition extend to the movement gave rise to fluid social- introducing fluid body movements social milieu? cognitive processing. in the session. By changing stereotypes and judgments, we can In the present study, the authors Fluid movements can change hopefully promote more compassion examined whether fluid people’s beliefs about others. and empathy for others and in society.
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Knowing in Our Bones. The Embodied Knowledge of Somatic Educators
Written by Rae Johnson, PhD
Reviewed by Nancy Eichhorn, PhD
I opened the pdf file of Rae itself to me in ways that I may not practitioner’s experienced knowing Johnson’s book expecting a have considered when turning the and drawing connections between textbook. A colleague had page. the person and their teaching” (p. 8) recommended I review Rae’s book because, in Rae’s perspective, knowing that I had studied under I was surprised to encounter a teaching is both an invitation and an Rae’s guidance while attending the research project written as an opportunity to help students autobiographical journey that affords Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. articulate something that’s important reflection by somatic educators on Her calm demeanor and fully to them. how their Beingness and their embodied presence in the classroom embodied knowledge effect their Rae’s use of embodied writing— created a safe space for me to teaching and the potential outcomes the text is written from the inside out explore my unknowing, to venture in their students’ lives. Rae writes as an embodied writer needs to be in into the fear of feeling out of place in that she is “interested in how other his/her body when writing to attune a graduate program for somatic somatic educators experience their to the deeper levels of sensual, psychotherapists being a “head” personal relationship to their work emotional, and psychological person. I wanted to learn more from and how who they are informs the associations, memories, and the woman who supported me as a way they teach” (p. 5). Her undercurrents in order to include student and, more importantly, as a curiosity—wondering what is known descriptive sensory and perceptual writer. about the embodied knowledge of material from internal and external the somatic educator and how this data (p. 17, p. 20)—brings the reader All of these expectations and knowledge manifests and is into the experience as Rae works assumptions choreographed what I communicated in the context of with four seasoned somatic call, the reading anticipatory stage: teaching and learning—prompted educators: a teacher of the Alexander formatting, point-of-view, language, this book. Technique; a Trager practitioner; a references, and voice—all aspects of certified movement analyst who the text have their proper and The goal of this particular study teaches Bartenieff Fundamentals; expected place. As an editor, I know was to “create a new knowledge and and a teacher of Gestalt Somatics. expectations narrow a reader’s focus understanding about what somatic The book does not follow a linear of what is to come—they bind educators know, how they know it, trajectory; rather, it is written as a readers and limit what they bring in and how they communicate that journey in which experiences and and take away. And yet, as an knowledge” (p. 6) and to add to the insights are gathered along the way embodied reader/writer, I also know “growing body of research and reflected and reviewed on at the how to sit with curiosity, how to sit investigating the area of the end (p. 25). with the text and allow it to present
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There are four interwoven According to Rae, the study was narratives—each of the practitioner’s designed to illuminate and illustrate experiences and Rae’s experiences as the perceptions and understandings of both researcher and student, and as these somatic educators as related to therapist and colleague intertwine. connections between their personal The co-researchers were recruited beliefs, values, and experiences, and their personal practices. Writing from from a pool of colleagues who both an autobiographical stance and a regularly attended somatic education collaborative perspective, Rae’s events in Toronto, Canada, where narrative forms the basis for the Rae was located. They were selected investigation into an embodied using four criteria: they were fully knowledge of herself as well as that qualified; represented established, of her colleagues. Rae drew on four recognized schools of somatic research strategies to develop and education; expressed prior interest in implement her study: (1) the use of research; and represented a broad narrative writing to elicit tactic sampling of the field of Somatic knowing to provide the vehicle for Education. communication (p. 13); (2) portraiture to create a picture shaped The text includes dialogue from taped by a perception of the subjects’ inner interviews (ranging in length from 60 qualities (p. 14); (3) organic inquiry work to create an experiential to 90 minutes), interactions between to present data and analysis so that philosophy, as a way of being in the Rae and her colleagues (journal the reader can interact with it and be world. By attending to your breath, notes), and lived experiences as Rae personally transformed by it (p. 15); posture, and gestures, you have the explores each methodology (self- (4) a phenomenological study to potential to gain direct access to what reflection/observation). She also describe the experience from the is hidden from your awareness and provides the exercises that she does subjective, individual reality—how it move into a new understanding of with each practitioner so that readers was perceived in the human yourself and the effects your presence can experience them at a bodily level, consciousness and through the may have on students and clients. too. As for the provided exercises? evolving relationship between You may want to set them aside for a researcher and subject. The themes I started reading and became involved later time; and yet, from my were self-identified from Rae’s own in the characters’ lives as if reading a perspective, if you allow yourself to work and then elaborated on via her good novel. I didn’t want to put it sink into the text, to be drawn into the dual role as both a student in the down lest I miss what was to come experience along with Rae to see and lessons and as a researcher in the next, that sense of not wanting to feel and sense the rhythms of your interactive dialogues. She notes that own breath and movement, the words she followed Gendlin’s somatic interrupt the flow of my engagement meld into a richer bodily response. I method of reflection that uses bodily with the events in the book. felt as if I were present with Rae, knowing to elicit and develop themes Thankfully, for this former “head” present in the sessions with each of for discussion. person, the exercises provided the the somatic educators. I experienced space to be in the moment rather than my body wanting to express itself as I Rae noted that Rudolph Laban firmly in the analysis. I recommend this shared in the exercises and in the believed that somatic movement book to those wanting to learn about same breath absorbed the words. work had significant potential for first person, embodied research and There was a strong pulsation with community development and soul writing as well as wanting to know each session that resulted in an change (p. 50) as participants move about the effect of the somatic opening, allowing me to be present, back into sensing and feeling (out of educator’s Beingness, and knowing, embodied. I was no longer a reader, a thinking and deciding), move back and presence in educational reviewer. I was a participant into breathing and sustained time, experiences. Perhaps, if more authors contributing to the research process move back into responding rather wrote within this frame of reference, itself as I experienced myself as a reacting back into the body (p. 49). recipient and then, in reflection, as an How we move and understand reading research might be received educator reflecting on how to movement is reflective of our inner more openly by newcomers due to its translate these moments into sessions most feelings and our ways of being user-friendly format that both imparts with my students. in the world (p. 50). Rae uses the the experience and the data.
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Knowing in Our Bones The Embodied Knowledge of Somatic Educators
A Reflection on the Writing Process
By Rae Johnson, PhD
The process of researching, writing follow a similar path. dichotomy is between body and and publishing Knowing in Our mind. I was studying the professional Bones provided an opportunity for As Dr. Eichhorn notes in her knowledge of somatic educators, me to stretch into several new review, this book is written from a people whose core philosophy territories. Although I had conducted first-person, subjective perspective. two previous research projects in privileges the felt experience of the While the focus of the book (and my somatic studies and no longer body. Excluding my own embodied considered myself a novice research) is clearly on the four responses to them seemed like a researcher, this was the first time I somatic educators I describe in the violation of our most deeply held attempted to bring my own text, I made a conscious decision to shared values, despite the fact that experience and perspective into the include descriptions of my own capturing somatic data in words research in such an explicit and embodied experience as I engaged sometimes felt like nailing Jello to a intentional way. It was my first time with each of them in turn. In a using embodied narrative as a data wall. traditional research paradigm, this presentation strategy, and my novice foray into the complex politics of inclusion of the researcher’s The degree to which I managed academic publishing. perspective is considered an this task is evident in the text. I was unacceptable “muddying” of the data aided immeasurably by Dr. Mary Although the reader will decide for pool. But from my point of view, Beattie, whose expertise in narrative themselves how successful I have excluding this data only perpetuated inquiry helped me bring structure to been in the first two areas, I thought two artificial divisions that I had been the research text, and who came up it might be helpful to share the with the sequence of “engaging with” underlying motivations for my trying for many years to overcome, in decision to undertake this project both my personal and professional and “learning from” my research from a more engaged, embodied life. The first artificial division is that participants that I’ve used in the stance. I also want to share one between self and other – acting as if book. Dr. Rosemary Anderson’s consequence of this decision with what my research participants said work on embodied writing in respect to finding an appropriate and did was completely divorced research (Anderson, 2002) was an forum for communicating my from my presence and engagement invaluable resource, as were my research findings, as it was not a research participants themselves, who consequence I adequately anticipated, with them, and presenting their words and my experience might prove as if they had emerged from a reviewed my narratives and provided illuminating for others wishing to relational vacuum. The second false suggestions and comments.
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Despite the fact that I had made was worthy of publication, and the wishing to share with others what we intentional and informed decisions to rest of the committee relented. The know in our bones. depart from traditional research editor of the press extended their approaches in conducting this study, I apologies, along with an offer to Rae Johnson, PhD, RSW, RSMT is felt so supported and understood recommend my manuscript to other Director of the Institute for Embodiment during the process of research and publishers. Studies and a core faculty member in writing that I was not entirely graduate psychology at Naropa prepared for the mixed reception my Several years have passed since this University in Boulder, CO. She is currently researching the embodied manuscript received upon submitting experience, and the options and experience of oppression and using it for publication to an established opportunities for disseminating embodied performance as a data university press. Although the scholarly and professional work in presentation strategy. external reviews to the manuscript somatic studies have expanded were very positive, the internal considerably. Constructivist and committee became stalled in critical research methodologies References approving my book for publication. continue to gain recognition and According to the editor, one credibility with a wider audience. Anderson, R. (2002). Embodied writing: committee member was adamant that Somatic psychology and somatic Presencing the body in somatic the methodology I had used for my education are growing as professional research, Part I, What is embodied writing. Somatics: Magazine/journal study could not be construed as fields and as academic disciplines. I of the Mind/body Arts and legitimate research, and the am heartened by these developments Sciences, 13(4), 40-44. conclusions I had drawn from my at the same time as I work toward Anderson, R. (2002). Embodied writing: findings were unsupported. My offer them. Eventually, with strategic Presencing the body in somatic to revise my conclusions to be more support, I believe the ability to research, Part II, Research inclusive of traditional criteria for research and publish within a applications. Somatics: Magazine/ rigor was not sufficient to persuade uniquely somatic paradigm will journal of the Mind/body Arts and this committee member that the study become available to more of us Sciences, 14(1), 40-44.
The Institute for Embodiment Studies is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of embodiment studies. Through education, research, and community engagement, the Institute provides an international forum for academics, practitioners, and community leaders to share knowledge about the role of the body in human experience.
The Institute's objectives are realized through five initiatives. The Institute’s research, publication, and conference initiatives are focused on providing an interdisciplinary forum for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the field. Our education initiative is designed to engage students, scholars, and practitioners on the central issues of embodiment studies, and provide a comprehensive foundation of knowledge and skill. The community engagement initiative completes the cycle of learning by providing training for community leaders that builds capacity for understanding and addressing issues of embodiment in real-world settings, and by engaging the members of those communities as the catalysts for further research and project development.
The Institute for Embodiment Studies was founded in 2011 by Dr. Rae Johnson, a scholar/practitioner and educator with expertise in somatic psychology, embodied education, and community-based research. Dr. Johnson serves as Director of the Institute, and works in consultation with members of the Institute’s Advisory Board. http://www.embodimentstudies.org/
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Birth’s Hidden Legacy
A conversation with Annie Brook, PhD, LPC
By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD and Annie Brook, PhD, LPC
Mothers often remember birth differently than babies. As the third child, and according to my mom, my birth was simple. Mom’s labor pains started while watching the 1960 TV show “the Musketeers, with Annette Funicello.” She remembers her singing. Mom was a nurse at the San Francisco hospital where Dad was completing his residency in obstetrics. They knew the birthing drill. It was easy, supposedly I popped out without complications. However, my siblings had the chicken pox so mom and I were hospital bound for two weeks. Hospital protocol meant I was placed in a crib where I soloed most of my days and all of my nights.
Nurses brought me to my mother’s bed to feed me, then returned me to the nursery per their schedule. I spent that time alone in the nursery.
Is that a problem? That’s how they did things in the 1960s. Babies were fed, changed, warm, dry—all basic survival needs were cared for, what more do you expect?
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Annie Brook, PhD, LPC, author of Birth’s Hidden sink into a black void of depression. Some bond with the Legacy, knows that the first 18 months of life are arousal and anxiety of other nursery infants, or with developmentally critical—and that experiences during this emptiness.” time set up patterns that last a lifetime. My early hospital aloneness created issues I have had to live with and repair Premature babies are often isolated. Brook knows this relating to adult esteem, social comfort, and ease in from the inside out. As a premie, she was placed in an relating. incubator, and learned the habit of isolating herself when stressed. “Whatever one survived will be repeated as a According to Brook, early experience encodes the coping strategy.” Premies work harder to survive, and as young nervous system response patterns. These patterns an adult Brook found herself isolating into work and are deep in the bodymind and form the foundation of feeling unfulfilled. To repair this habit, she had to notice behavior and identity beliefs. Brook has decades of it, befriend it, discover the primitive fear encoded in the clinical data to support her view. It seems that an infant doesn't know it exists without the mother's presence and reflection; without those initial mother/infant moments, infants imprint dysfunctional core beliefs in their bodies that impact relationships. Brook treats clients at this early memory level and has learned to “listen for the echoes of earliest story” because doing so helps clients release struggles with behavior. Once these stories are named and processed through the body, behavior changes and experience becomes integrated and loses its hold on perception and response.
“Nursery babies have no one there to respond to their needs,” Brook says. “There’s isolation and a scheduled response that is not in sync with the baby’s bonding time. Nurses come and go, have their own time schedule, and pattern, and then allow the sensations of fear rather than few, if any, are meeting the baby where he/she is at. With go numb. This is the deepest psychological work. One mother present, baby is met moment by moment; if the must stay present to the discomfort of body sensations, baby is hungry, the mother feeds it. But if a hungry baby recognize their origins, and do something different. has to wait for an externally imposed schedule, they “Many adults picked up aspects of self-coping behaviors become hyper-aroused. They will flail and cry out and in infancy—they got depressed or became rageful or then get mad. You can track their physiological responses alcoholic,” Brook says. “They looked for ways to manage through the autonomic nervous system. When no relief overwhelming sensations and take the energy into some comes, an infant will go from flailing into freeze, sort of action to survive.” followed by despair and depression. Primitive brain states move them into dissociation and fragmentation, all the Brook repaired her isolating habit, learning to reach while the primitive brain is making meaning, such as ‘I out socially, have a cup of tea with a friend, go for a walk, am bad because no one comes.’ Or, ‘my needs don't or go to someplace social. “Fear is a hard sensation to matter,’ or, ‘it is better to go numb than to ask for what I tolerate. People want to fight or flee or go into a catatonic want.’ Babies with unmet needs withdraw into their depressive state,” Brook says. Instead, she helps clients cave—known in polyvagal nervous system theory as the learn to befriend and tend sensations. Doing this together ‘dorsal dive.’ This is an attempt to ‘regulate’ to isolation, in session is the relational part of repair. Brook calls it, since nursery babies spend most of their time alone with 'Surfing the Shock.' “That’s where applied neuroplasticity other unhappy babies. Infants in a dorsal dive look comes in—re-experiencing patterns of non-safety in a safe ‘content’ but that is because they are dissociated or may environment, so that pre-cognitive ‘beliefs’ can be
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“If their mom’s attachment style was overbearing or there was some sort of invasion during birth (forceps, C-section, medications) deflection was a survival response; clients can’t find their own way into their body, nor let anyone else in.”
dismantled in the brain,” she says. abandoned by dissociating. When mom’s attachment style was “You are not just working with the you can claim the precognitive events overbearing or there was some sort of body; you have to notice when the of life in reality, and reclaim them, invasion during birth (forceps, C- client is getting activated, teach them then you have met the beginnings of section, medications) deflection was to feel the arousal and not fix it. This a whole self. It’s the integration of a survival response; clients can’t find is 'surfing the shock.' The idea is to the personal narrative that makes one their own way into their body, nor let avoid being induced into the arousal whole, and this includes the prenatal, anyone else in.” or fear state, and stay present with the self “Infants exist through the throughout the discomfort reflection their mom has of the sensation.” given them. If early experience was not secure, According to Brook, shock adults can go back and is more dysregulating than repair,” Brook says. “I have trauma and is treated in a learned to listen to the different manner. If the body’s ‘brain states.’ I use client’s body has a crawling patterns that will dissociative quality about it, take clients through if there’s fragmentation in movement gestures that are the sympathetic nervous designed (evolutionarily) to system and there’s arousal, develop the primitive brain. the charge can overload the system birth, and post-birth attachment I work to integrate the emotional with too much energy and result in an events.” brain, and from there move to the inner freeze of the nervous system. higher levels of the cognitive brain. Therapists have to consider the Staying relational through this With adults, we have to suspend the client’s resources (as opposed to a process means going slow enough to cognitive need to ‘figure it out,’ work pathological view), and then “create a match birth and its agenda. “Infants in the emotional brain, and use big net around them, gather them in, processing speed is 6 to 10 times movement in the more primitive and stay with them and feel through slower than adults, and pre and brain.” the fear,” Brook says. perinatal psychologists slow down in order to treat subtle expression. For In Mahler’s work, (referenced as, “I ask my clients, ‘What if you instance, I want to notice if a client is The Psychological Birth of The suspend the fight/flight response in actually deflecting me when telling Infant), the infant’s first job is to my office? What if you don’t fight or me her story. Is she so busy talking experience weight and pressure, run? Let's assume it is safe enough in that when I comment and say which happens at birth as the baby is my office, that the sensations are not something like, ‘oh, that sounds like squeezed through the birth canal. actually life threatening right now? it hurt,’ she keeps talking, not even There is a sense of enfolding, a sense Then we can befriend the nervous hearing my feedback? If I’m being of the Self meeting pressure. Ideally, system and not be hijacked by relationally deflected, I will ask mother is awake and the birth sensations. We can pick up any clients if they can feel their proceeds without intervention. The aspect of self that might have been deflection. Many cannot. If their infant survives and succeeds.
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There’s a threshold—leaving the don’t settle into a balanced scary sound.” Through these womb—and through this crossing autonomic nervous system that interactions the infant learns about its there’s a leaving and return, there’s a allows for social safety, healthy play, emotional self and physical self; it transformation in the relationship and and healthy rest and recovery,” learns about states of arousal and rest, growth. People who miss out on this Brook says. and how to return to a place of body experience tend to be less at ease balance rather than lethargy with physical or spatial compression “You have to be relationally (depression) or over excitation. and less comfortable meeting empathetic with clients, and ask pressure. If the infant is terrified, questions like, ‘Can you feel the fear, “Knowing one exists is a key immobilized, or drugged during birth, really feel the sensation and describe component to early attachment and the primitive brain registers the it?’ You have to work ten times bonding experience,” Brook says. experience as something like, “I get slower than normal processing speed, “Clinicians want to learn to work at started, I lose my way, and I need to and help this person befriend that this level. When you can treat the be rescued at the last minute. I want experience. It’s like resting your earliest human experiences (the root someone to do things for me because cheek against the story to befriend causes), then we’re most efficient as I couldn't get out on my own.” early experiences. Have your client therapists. The biological imperative imagine what this baby might feel is to survive; if infants are in a place “The amygdala of the brain is and how it might cope with that of overwhelming chaos, they will awake prenatally, registering threat feeling. Tend and befriend the find a locus of control. The body is and survival experiences, laying sensations. Let the early infant self designed to ‘alarm and orient,’ to down the first social imprints. know you are not going to abandon make meaning of events. Infants Implicit memories are lodged in cells them. By staying present, you repair orient and use meaning making to and tissues (body/brain), and and reattach. This regulates that survive and navigate life.” therapists have to make memory experience and establishes a stronger explicit to repair it in the brain. Birth sense of self.” “However, if they make the wrong psychology and early attachment meaning they may dissociate and works at this early memory level. “You have to treat at this level,” may not repair. I work with 4 to 6 Clinicians have to understand life Brook says. “What we long for is to year olds with low self-esteem. They from the felt sense of the infant’s be seen by the other. Adult will see themselves as a ‘bad baby’ experience and learn to work from therapeutic work is to repair one’s because they were in an incubator or the inside out, helping clients feel the sense of existence. The infant does because their mother had a C-section, wobble of their own attachment and not know it exists away from its instead of knowing how to say, ‘I felt where they are compromised as mother in the beginning. One learns bad’, ‘I felt scared’, ‘I’m here all insecure, anxious, or vigilant. Many they exist when they can crawl away alone and I’m never going to get out.’ clients have trouble differentiating from mom and come back.” Healing happens when they digest these overwhelming charges of themselves from their partners and Developmentally speaking, the vigilantly track them, wondering if emotion. If there was no one there to mother gives the infant its sense of reflect and make appropriate meaning they are okay. There is a type of being seen and meaning making. She controlling care taking, which in an early moment, the story says things like, “Oh you’re cold” or becomes, ‘I was a bad baby.’ They exhausts the body and sense of self. “You’re hungry,” or “You heard a They hyper manage situations and have created someone there to fight
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health centers, and as the director of the “The legacy of birth is the unconscious legacy we’re body psychotherapy/somatic masters program at Naropa University. Her broad carrying; my goal for treatment is for clients to graduate -based work engages the realms of movement education, psychotherapy, out of therapy and live a good enough life and enjoy it. group dynamics, conflict resolution, communication skills, and meditation. She combines teaching methods that address body, mind, and spirit and teaches her students through a two-year training program (BodyMind Somanautics). Annie Brook co-owns with, ‘the bad baby,’ rather than be Colorado Therapies, where she trains lost in overwhelming annihilating interns and supports children, couples, fear.” and families to unravel difficulties and learn to thrive. Listening to the body’s “The capacity of the body/mind to story, regulation of arousal states, repair heal is phenomenal when you listen of attachment issues, and offering to precognitive stories and provide movement re-patterning support has reflective listening and body re- formed the foundation of her work. patterning—this repairs the ability to Events and difficult experiences in her life demanded she not only deal with orient to satisfaction,” Brook says. current events but unravel her earliest “The legacy of birth is the perinatal shock, which included unconscious legacy we’re carrying; premature birth, NICU care, and my goal for treatment is for clients to interrupted bonding. Learning to re- graduate out of therapy and live a therapy modalities that treat the entire pattern early impressions in the nervous good enough life and enjoy it. Clients body-mind’s earliest stories. She system has given Annie the “inside-out” learn to tend and befriend themselves reaches into the core where meaning wisdom which she shares in her work and through the pressures of adult life and making begins and helps clients to writing. She has authored numerous stay connected through all of it. Once bring their soul back into the body. articles and books including From they learn how to do that, and add Conception to Crawling, Body-Mind Annie Brook PhD, LPC, has had a Centering and Contact Improvisation, Body-Mind Centering® skills to re- consistent, 35-year career in somatic and her newest book, Birth's Hidden pattern the deepest somatic abilities, psychology and movement arts including Legacy, Vol 1 and 2, available at they find lasting relief.” Brook uses a private clinical practice, teaching at AnnieBrook.Com [email protected] blend of psychology and movement universities, public schools, and mental
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Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Spring 2014 | Volume 4 Number 1 | page 48
Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Spring 2014 | Volume 4 Number 1 | page 49
A Review of Annie Brook’s Books
By Dawn Bhat, MA, MS, NCC
Birth’s Hidden Legacy: How Surprising Beliefs From Infancy Limit Successful Child And Adult Behavior – Volume 1
exploring early life events with their clients from a bodymind perspective and is an information source for pregnant couples wanting to have an optimal, safe birth experience in a society that typically includes various medical interventions. Brook’s books treat the subtle, non-verbal, body- based material that affects our autonomic nervous system regulation and manifests in overt behaviors.
Annie Brook writes warmly and brilliantly about sensitive existential and experiential subjects. The first volume is comprised of six chapters: Pre- and Perinatal Overview; Prenatal themes: Influences on Conception, the Zygote, Embryo, and Fetus Prior to Birth; Birth Themes: Influences Encoded on the Nervous System Annie Brook, PhD explores birth, and neonatal development may Related to the Transition of Birth; prenatal and birth origins of behavior, have a long-lasting effect. She Post-Birth Themes; Prenatal Case identity and personality in her latest provides case examples that represent Studies; Conclusions and Resources. two-volume book Birth’s Hidden typical and atypical experiences in Legacy: How Surprising Beliefs development and in treatment, Early life events from 0-18 months From Infancy Limit Successful Child providing evidence for the are told through birth stories or what And Adult Behavior, volumes 1 and application of neuroscience, Brook calls pre-cognitive 2. She integrates pre- and perinatal attachment dynamics, prenatal and ‘bodystories’. When these difficult psychology, infant mental health, perinatal psychology, and bodymind perinatal events are addressed in child development, and somatic approaches to treatment, healing, and treatment, children, parents, and psychotherapy in a profoundly transformation. Her work is an adults can be supported and healed. captivating way. Brook shares her important contribution to the growing Due to unresolved difficult early life personal perinatal history and her fields of somatic psychology and experiences, children may display scholarly work, to invite readers to prenatal and perinatal psychology. It maladaptive behavioral patterns, consider the potential that pregnancy, serves as a guide for clinicians
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some of which severely limit array of prenatal, birth, and post- interventions. When medical forming the infant’s ability to form birth experiences are presented from interventions are necessary, Brook secure attachments. Brook affirms the voices of the neonate, mother, explains that repairing imprints from that behavior change is most and father. From the Western these procedures is a real possibility. effective when clinicians access the medical model to Eastern spiritual root experience (e.g., birth trauma, viewpoints, Brook creatively This first volume culminates in the toxicity in the womb, etc.) of the educates readers on the complexities application of specific treatments challenges with and barriers to self- that are inherent in simply being that focus explicitly on implicit regulation. born. Readers may utilize this body perinatal themes. Clinical skills are of knowledge to enhance their discussed to re-pattern the body in Perinatal themes in the first childbearing experiences and hopes to address a disruptive sense volume are covered with surprisingly minimize complications that may be of safety and security within the amazing breadth and depth. A vast associated with modern obstetrical nervous system and bodymind.
Birth’s Hidden Legacy: Treat Earliest Origins Of Shock And Attachment Trauma In Adults, Children, And Infants – Volume 2
In the second volume, Brook development and in treatment. In both volumes of this book, presents treatment protocols, Psychotherapists who work Annie Brook synthesizes science, interventions and in-depth theory somatically, from a body-based theory, and clinical cases clearly and spread out among the following five perspective with implicit memory, coherently in an easy to understand chapters: Perinatal Psychology will find that this volume is a fashion. Readers will understand the Overview: History, Theory and wonderful resource. Brook describes perinatal and attachment origins of Treatment Methods; Clinical Tools specific treatments including, Body- behavior and self-regulation and and Skills for Therapists; Early Mind Centering and Applied learn how to heal, transform and shift Attachment Dynamics and Repair; Neuroplasticity. Anatomy and the nervous system to connection, Character Styles: Reichian-based, physiology are presented along with resilience and satisfaction. Babies are IBP, and Jungian-based Styles; and their functions and psychological aware, know, and perceive their Body-Based Interventions for correlates. Using sensation and world around them, this incoming Healing Shock and Trauma. This movement, early imprints are information is integrated into the volume is a manual guiding dismantled and the nervous system bodymind and is one of the therapists, educators and parents to shifts to a brain state of safety and objectives of perinatal interventions. address the earliest imprints in security. The roles of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous Dawn Bhat, MA, MS, NCC, holds graduate systems in mental health degrees in General Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is a Nationally symptomatology include Certified Counselor. She has experience in fragmentation and dissociation, neuropsychology and has training in somatic respectively. The somatic modalities, including Somatic Experiencing techniques, games, exercises, and Focusing. She has presented at and explorations presented in professional conferences nationally and internationally. Dawn receives clinical the second volume have been supervision from and is a psychotherapy developed to treat the body and researcher under the guidance of Jacqueline mind in a novel, innovative, A. Carleton, Ph.D. of the USABP. Feel free to integrative way. reach Dawn: [email protected].
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Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology: Rediscovering Our Primary Relationship of Self
By Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD, RN
For over 30 years, the field of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology (PPN) has taken the dynamic understanding of human development deeper by studying how babies’ earliest experiences in the womb, during birth and bonding, and as newborns shape and set in motion fundamental life patterns. These core patterns may be life-enhancing or life-diminishing.
The findings from PPN revolutionize our notions of who babies are, who we are, what is going on during this primary period of human development, and how these very early experiences form babies’ core foundations at every level–physical, emotional, mental, relational and spiritual. PPN offers a unique lens of exploring this developmental period from the baby’s point of view.
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The field grew out of therapists their subconscious and core structure how they were steeped in the modern wanting to share and explore the and expressed through their ANS -era Newtonian worldview that implications of their clinical patterns, movements, gestures, voice, narrowed the focus of “science” to experiences with adult clients. In eye contact, emotions, intentions, and the physical plane of reality. Theories their search for the origin of current how they interacted with people and were derived from external issues, therapists often unexpectedly their environment. We were mapping observation of babies and study of found their clients revisiting difficult out more about how the origins of the biological human being. Babies’ or traumatic experiences in the current difficult patterns were often abilities to develop conscious womb, during birth, and as a connected with earlier trauma, unmet awareness and capacities, as well as a newborn. The field grew as PPN- needs, and problematic imprinted sense of personhood, were assumed oriented therapeutic work with patterns of being from the prenatal to be dependent upon their brain and adults, children and babies were and perinatal period. As we worked physical development. Most developed to treat their current with these issues with the baby or mainstream early development difficulties by recognizing and child directly with their parent’s models and practices are still based working with those early origins and participation, the whole family upon these assumptions today. their connections with current transformed (1). experiences. Yet the PPN findings tell a very Then in 1999 Marti Glenn and I different story of who babies are and I discovered this field in 1989 after co-authored the first graduate degree of early development. At the core of working with families for 15 years as programs in prenatal and perinatal the divide between mainstream and an OB nurse, an infant development psychology and opened the Santa PPN perspectives of early specialist, and as a psychotherapist. I Barbara Graduate Institute to train development is the question of our was captivated by this new PPN professionals in our specialty. I core nature. Are we first and multidimensional landscape of early realized that although the field of foremost biological beings or development that babies were PPN had accumulated thousands of nonphysical consciousness? showing us. I had a profound sense clinical stories that portrayed the new that I had found a larger truth about multidimensional landscape from the When I reviewed what babies were life and who we are. As I explored baby’s point of view, and I showing us, it was clear that PPN this new territory and listened deeply personally had gathered a wealth of findings resonated with the nearly to what babies were teaching us, my clinical experience, evidence and universal holistic wisdom that we are vision of human potential and what is wisdom, there was no early consciousness coming into human possible became more than I could development model or theory that life with purpose and design. Our have imagined. made sense of the findings. fundamental nature is as non- physical consciousness. Our human For the next decade I worked with Mainstream models did not self is seen as a manifested children, babies, and their families address or reflect what we were expression of our more fundamental from a PPN orientation. Ray learning from the baby’s point of primary consciousness. What babies Castellino, D.C. and I co-founded view. PPN needed a theory, a model. had been teaching us from their point BEBA, a PPN-oriented clinic to help I decided to take that task on. I of view revealed hidden treasures families with babies and young obtained an academic research grant about that spiritual journey from children heal early trauma and and spent a year reviewing the PPN spirit to human life and how their relationship issues and to train field’s findings. I developed my prenatal and perinatal experiences professionals in the specialty. It was consciousness-based Integrated affected their embodiment process. an amazing time as we discovered Model of Early Development that more and more of what babies were reflected and incorporated PPN For me, the heart of these hidden showing us that meaningfully clinical findings and the baby’s point treasures is the revelation that babies reflected their earlier experiences, as of view. It became published as the have two distinct levels of perception well as demonstrated their capacity text, Welcoming Consciousness: and capacity–a non-local of comprehension, communication, Supporting Babies’ Wholeness From transcendental level and a human and relationship that was beyond the Beginning of Life–An Integrated level. In the Newtonian era, the anything I had been taught in early Model of Early Development (2). transcendental perspective eluded mainstream training! recognition because it wasn’t In building the new model, I first considered possible within the Very young babies showed us their examined the current mainstream biology-first assumptions. As a PPN already established beliefs held in early development theories and saw -oriented practitioner, suspending
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those entrained assumptions and lens harmony, and goodness and what allowed me to have babies and doesn’t and responds and adapts children teach me directly about what accordingly. The was possible and to develop the new model from those direct experiences. Although I talk about these perspectives separately, the beauty of As I reviewed the PPN literature our fuller understanding of babies and my own clinical experiences, I and their prenatal and perinatal developing appreciated how the discoveries of experience is held in the inseparable the transcendent perspective relationship between their transforms the whole landscape of transcendental Self and human self, early development. Babies’ in their synergistic relational whole. transcendental perspective is present Holographic principles suggest that human self prior to conception forward. From our three-dimensional reality is a this perspective, the incarnating product of the interaction of non- consciousness already has a sense of local and local experience. Both personhood, a Self-I. “I know I am a perspectives are necessary to create person. I know you are a person. our reality. The dynamic interaction is instinctive, And, I am seeking connection. I am of the two perspectives creates a seeking relationship.” synergistic whole that is more than the sum of the parts. The whole The characteristics of babies’ created by these two perspectives is transcendental Self-perspective are actually more than the sum of its sensitive, similar to the qualities expressed in parts and that functions to organize near-death experiences. The vantage the parts. That is how I see our point is from outside the body. There transcendental and human is a mature sense of the larger picture, perspectives functioning. a lucid non-local perception and responsive, comprehension of events, people’s The transcendent Self and human thoughts, feelings, intentions, and self form a synergistic whole Self that accurate descriptions of situation and I call the Integrated Self. I describe dynamics. There is non-local gestalt the Integrated Self as a holonomic, intuitive knowing about things of the holographic, self-organizing, adaptive, past, present, and future. The dynamic self-system. This ever- transcendent Self seeks relationship evolving relationship is an intimate and has the capacity of dance with each perspective communication, telepathy, and informing and changing with meaningful interaction. There is experience of the other. access to and experience with both emotional, the spirit and physical realms. I believe our human potential lies in our ability to align our human self With conception, the experience with our primary non- transcendental Self views the baby’s local transcendental consciousness to developing body as a house, a vehicle create the most coherent and clear and they will inhabit for the life they are channel between them. What babies embarking upon. The human self show us reveals more about how vantage point, in contrast, is from the transcendent Self functions, its within the body, with awareness higher octave of being at that non- through biological-based perceptions local level–a higher octave of at its core, and senses. It is within time-space. awareness, knowing, and connection The developing human self is to source. instinctive, sensitive, responsive, adaptive, emotional, and at its core, Two books published recently, relational. The human self has an Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani relational. innate intelligence of right and Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben relationship–what holds coherence, Alexander, beautifully portray
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When I speak of supporting babies’ wholeness from the beginning of life, I see this as our primary task in welcoming consciousness—to nurture and protect their primary relationship of Self.
the authors’ powerful transcendent experiences in the non-local spiritual realms during each of their near-death experiences. They both came back radically transformed by their experiences and remained more connected to those transcendent higher octaves of awareness, knowing, and being. They experienced profound healing with the direct experience of knowing they are loved unconditionally, they are Original artwork donated by Dr. Mauri-Lynee Heller: www.mlheller.net LOVE, and experienced those higher octaves of oneness, joy, harmony, transcendent Self and Source to be their whole self into human life. goodness, truth, beauty, and well- the embodied integrated spiritual- Unfortunately, much of what PPN being. They returned more aligned human being—the butterfly. findings show us are the cascading with their transcendental Self and life-diminishing effects of our Source, seeing themselves and the When I speak of supporting babies’ modern-era misunderstanding of who world through a multidimensional wholeness from the beginning of life, babies are and what they are capable lens. In Proof of Heaven, Dr. I see this as our primary task in of, our missed opportunities for Alexander described his welcoming consciousness—to greater connection and relationship transformation as a metamorphosis, nurture and protect their primary with them, and how many of our from caterpillar to butterfly. His relationship of Self. So much of medical and care practices leave them direct transcendent experience infant development theory and with trauma, unmet needs, and life- changed the very nature of his being, practice is focused on the vital diminishing imprinted patterns. as well as his core perceptive of importance of infants having a himself and life. positive secure attachment When I first started practicing relationship with their parents. And from the PPN lens, this was When I read their accounts and that is very true. Infants truly need disheartening to see. Over and over saw the enormous receptivity for their that to thrive. Yet, even more primary again, I saw the reality of these message, I jumped up and down with is the relationship of Self. How do we negative cascading effects and could joy. They received their gifts of give babies the secure attachment see their underpinnings of clients of transformation and metamorphosis AND support their innate attunement all ages searching for relief of their through their near-death encounters to their primary consciousness? How their pain, separation, and by experiencing the more real do we support babies to bring from disharmony within themselves and spiritual realm through the eyes of spirit more of their natural their relationships. I could see how so their transcendent Self and returning endowments, such as the near-death many things we did contributed to the to their embodied human self with experience brought the authors? I separation of Self and to diminishing that perspective more fully integrated believe that is the new frontier of or damaging their self-connection into their human experience. human potential. during the prenatal and perinatal period. And I had to come to terms PPN findings show us that our When our modern era narrowed with my participation as an OB nurse spiritual connection, primary our lens to the seeing babies as and “infant specialist” in creating knowing, and transcendent Self- biological beings first and foremost, some of those life-diminishing perspective are there from the we lost something very dear. We lost patterns. I had so much regret, yet I beginning of life! We are our inner knowing, our wisdom of used that to fuel my motivation to consciousness coming into human how to meet and care for the learn how we can support babies life, and we are innately wired with incarnating spiritual being so as to multidimensional needs and potential. the capacity of connection with our support their natural integration of
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As deeply disheartened as I was, I was even more awed, captivated, and found great beauty in learning from babies about their multidimensional world and how to consciously meet them there. As parents saw their babies’ capacity for comprehension and meaningful communication, as well as their human sensitivity and vulnerability, as they saw their baby’s emotional responses and desire for deeper connection, and felt that more whole self in the moment with them, parents were themselves transformed. They began entering that multidimensional world with their babies and children and relating and caring for them in ways that naturally supported their Self connection.
PPN-oriented therapeutic work with babies and young children demonstrates that when babies are related to, cared for, and met as sentient beings-sensitive human beings, and, when babies or children have the opportunity to have their unmet needs, trauma, or life- diminishing imprinted patterns from the prenatal and perinatal period healed, they naturally become more of their Integrated Self embodied. They become more grounded, aligned, connected, and balanced. They are naturally loving, empathetic, caring, and mutual in their relationships. They have greater capacity for seeing the larger picture as well as the current one and an healing is in service of realigning the most of the current issues in our lives innate sense of ethics, intuitive human self and human experience have a relationship with our knowing, and connection to their within the embrace of their experiences during our embodiment inner guidance. They are creative and transcendental Self and Source. What process and our prenatal and have a greater inner motivation for has happened in their life that perinatal period. During the primary the intrinsic value of the joy found in disrupted or damaged this alignment? period, babies experience, learn, the exploration their interests and I see disease, disharmony, pain, imprint, communicate, establish gifts. They are teaching us more suffering, alienation and all of the memory, and form their core about our potential. somatic, emotional, physical and foundation from their holographic relational patterns held as expressions multidimensional experiences (3). What I have learned from babies of separation with Self and Source. and children guides my work with Thus, healing is intended to restore The prenatal and perinatal period clients of all ages. The Integrated that connection, that alignment, and is the most intense learning period of Model lens informs my work and life. to reintegrate that aspect of self that our lives. Babies are learning about I see people as their Integrated Self, has lost connection with their Self. being human, living in a three- that holonomic, holographic whole dimensional world, living within a multidimensional being. I believe all In my experience, many, if not certain culture and family. They build
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their core being in relationship to didn’t know if you were going to founder/author/associate faculty chair their world accordingly. By the time come back.” and faculty of the first graduate degree they are a newborn, their core beliefs programs in prenatal and perinatal and patterns are set in motion. Yet In this conversation, Vinnie very psychology at the Santa Barbara these understandings are not the spontaneously and in a matter-of- Graduate Institute. Her leading-edge work brings together prenatal and cultural consensus understandings fact way revealed that he clearly had perinatal psychology, a multidimensional and all too often babies are left with a sense of himself and of his mother early development lens, consciousness unmet needs, trauma, and life- as being a separate person he was in studies, energy psychology healing diminishing patterns that cascade into relationship with as a newborn… modalities, holistic nursing, and her more challenges as they live their This three-year-old child’s comments intuitive perception. As an international lives. demonstrated he had known his presenter, educator and consultant, she mother was gone, that they were guides professionals and organizations to I find a real elegance in healing separated, he expressed the incorporate these pioneering findings, work at any age that brings attention emotional tones associated with principles and practices. She brings to the relationship between prenatal missing her, AND wondered if she expertise from her 40 years of professional work with individuals and and perinatal experiences and current was coming back in the future–all as families as an obstetrical nurse, childbirth issues. No matter the client’s age, as a newborn! educator, marriage and family therapist, we listen and reconnect with that prenatal and birth therapist working with multidimensional being at the At the time of this conversation, babies, children and families, as well as beginning of life, we honor and repair Vinnie had been having very her current holistic consultation practice that separated adapted self who uncharacteristically intense for families, professionals, and presents with symptoms and life- “meltdowns” when his mother began organizations. Dr. McCarty also co- diminishing patterns, and we help leaving him at preschool, his first foundered BEBA, a non-profit clinic heal their primary relationship of experience of being separated from providing prenatal and birth oriented Self. During this process, they have her and left in a group situation. therapeutic support for babies and parents, and was the director of Natural the opportunity to organically What were the words he would say to Family Living~Right From the Start, an reorganize their alignment creating a her in the midst of this? “But, I’ll organizational community to support more coherent right relationship with never see you again. You may never human potential from the beginning of their transcendent Self and symptoms come back.” It appeared that being life. Her email address is resolve. I know this is too simplistic, left at this group preschool had [email protected] and website is yet it is a core thread within our triggered a traumatic memory from www.wondrousbeginnings.com. healing intentions. I teach parents being separated at his birth. After how to do this with their children by this conversation acknowledging recognizing that what happened what happened at his birth and his during their prenatal and perinatal feelings about it, his current experience may be connected to their separation anxiety response challenges now and how to approach dissipated without further the current problems from this intervention ( pp. 24-25). vantage point. Endnotes: I am writing this article as we near I will end with a story I share in Valentine’s Day. My heart-day wish 1. McCarty, W. A. (2012). Welcoming Welcoming Consciousness that is for every baby, child and adult to consciousness: Supporting babies’ wholeness portrays an elegant healing moment experience falling into love with their from the beginning of life–An integrated model of early development. Santa Barbara, between a mother and her three-year- Self and feeling the loving embrace CA: Wondrous Beginnings Publishing. old son: of their transcendental Self. 2. McCarty, W. A. (2002). The power of After hearing a PPN talk about how beliefs: What babies are teaching us. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & conscious babies are at birth, Rachel Health, 16, 341-360. decided to talk to her three-year-old Dr. Wendy Anne McCarty is a world- son about his birth, their separation 3. McCarty, W. A. (2006) Clinical story of a 6 leader of prenatal and perinatal -year-old boy’s eating phobia: An integrated after birth, and why that separation psychology. Author of Welcoming had occurred. As she began telling approach utilizing prenatal and perinatal Consciousness, an innovative psychology with energy psychology’s him about the separation, he chimed consciousness-based early development emotional freedom technique (EFT) in a in, “Yeah, I didn’t like that. I didn’t model, now available in English, surrogate non-local application. Journal of think you were going to come back. I German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Co- Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health 21(2), 117-139.
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Safe in The Arms of Love: Deepening the Essential Bond with Your Baby
Created by Lisa Rafel, Gary Malkin, and David Surrenda, PhD
Reviewed by Diana Houghton-Whiting, M.A., BED
A Mother's Perspective
"Your baby is listening, even in the womb, your baby is listening."
Music has always been part of my seem to listen to, and there were degree in psychology or neuroscience life. I play music throughout the day tracks that I played that she grumped to understand what is going on. I to accompany most of my activities. about until I changed the music. also appreciate the sidebar I have a wide range of tastes, and the Then she settled down again. information and excerpts that give music will differ depending on my information in a quick and succinct mood. I also play an instrument Three months after her birth, I way, which is also great for (more so in the past than now) and found out about Safe in the Arms of skimming again while you are trying find sitting down and practicing a Love and was excited to add that to to work with your child. soothing experience. my musical soothing repertoire. I was not sure about the premise. I had It distills much of the information I found out I was pregnant my last already found music that she liked to that I got reading my books for my semester in graduate school. I was sleep to, stuff that soothed her when psychotherapy degree about deep into my internship and school, she was upset. I got the CD and attachment, first relationship, and traveling 100's of miles a week to book and tried it right away. I have neuroscience of infants. It was a finish both of these requirements. used the music more nights than not great reminder of one of my basic Needless to say I spent a lot of time to help me get her in the mood for jobs as mother—to be there for her, in the car, with my music on, singing bed, or to help me calm down when to sooth, and to create the secure along to whatever was moving me at she is upset so that I can get her to attachment she will need to navigate the moment. I gave birth to my relax. the world as she gets older so she can daughter in September. After a few recover if she is thrown for a loop by days of recovery, I was up trying to The book is a fast and easy read, the events that life can bring to a run errands and do stuff around the something I did while my daughter human. I believe that the book is a house. So the music came on, and I took a nap, which was great because great resource for any parent. found out that my little girl already these days I seem to start more stuff had an opinion of music. There were than I can ever finish. It is written The premise of the music is that it songs that I played that she sat and for everybody, you don't need a ranges from fifty to eighty beats per
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human communication and relatedness (Stern, 1977).
The authors’ recommended that the mother-to-be starts playing the music to her child in utero. I cannot comment on that experience; I received the set when my daughter was already in this world. I am curious what differences having this material would have made to how we Diana and her daughter, Josephine. both respond to the songs. This has been a successful trial, and I intend to minute, the rate of a resting heartbeat. Arms of Love. Both the melodies are use the music for the foreseeable It was composed for the purpose of beautiful and the stringed instruments soothing, with lyrics that help put the draw me into the music. Being a future. So getting the book and music parent into a mindset of bonding and viola player I really appreciate the either before or after birth can still attaching with their child. As the use of bowed instruments. The lyrics produce a successful experience. dyad of the child and caregiver are are sweet without being too much. I together, influencing each other and tend to have a limit on what I the actions that happen between consider sweet versus overly Diana Houghton-Whiting, M.A., LPC them, mutual and self-regulation can sentimental and that can turn me off (Cand.) has worked with trauma happen (Rustin, 2013). This is what quickly. There are a couple tracks survivors concentrating in combat the music is trying to facilitate on the that push my limit of what I judge to veterans, domestic violence, and sexual assault. She has a Masters in Somatic neurological level. be sweet vs too much. The complete Counseling with a specialization in Body presentation is well done and flows Psychotherapy from Naropa University, from one song to the other nicely. is level 2 trained in EMDR, interned at There are instrumentals placed the VA for two years as a counselor, and throughout the album along with the was a victim’s rights advocate for three years focusing in trauma recovery and lyric music; it is a nice change of PTSD treatment. She became a first time pace that keeps things flowing at a mom in September to an amazing pleasant tempo. I try to use the daughter. album in its entirety instead of picking and choosing the songs that I References like most. There are times that I need Rafel, L., Malkin, G., & Surrenda, D. a reset, and I go to my favorites to get (2011). Safe in the arms of love: me back in the mood. Deepening the essential bond with your baby. Piedmont, CA: Wise The songs are a scaffold, another Parenting Press. way to support the attachment and I can say that the songs from Safe bonding process. I sing, sway, feed, Rustin, J. (2013). Infant research and in the Arms of Love successfully and soothe her; my choreography of neuroscience at work in accomplish what the authors set out my maternal behavior is how she will psychotherapy: Expanding the to do. I appreciate some of the songs learn about the outside world and clinical repertoire. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. more than others. There are two that experience being human. My face touch me deeply and a couple that are and body are telling my daughter Stern, D. (1977). The first relationship. just okay. I am moved by the tracks what her world is about, her Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Always in your Heart and Safe in the emerging experience with the stuff of Press.
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Safe in The Arms of Love: Deepening the Essential Bond with Your Baby
Reflections by Lisa Rafel
Love Made Love Grow – The Creation Of Safe In The Arms Of Love
The book/CD set, Safe In the Arms Of Love; Without realizing it, I had begun my education about Deepening The Essential Bond With Your Baby, was born bonding and attachment through writing these songs. when I wrote a lullaby to my first grandson. I had written many songs before but nothing like this. The music We decided to collaborate upon a companion book poured out of me, guided by this deep experience of love. and create a music/book set. The intent of the book was I played the songs for friends and upon reflection I to create a beautiful, accessible, parent-friendly guide that realized I had naturally incorporated the entraining would focus on the psychological importance of bonding musical principles of tempo, pitch, and tone I had learned and the use of music as a tool for stress reduction and as a sound healer. Listeners reported being deeply connection. My husband, David Surrenda PhD, a clinical touched by the lyrics. They found the songs both calming psychologist, wrote about the universal existence and and evocative of impactful, personal feelings. Adults and importance of The Essential Bond between parent and babies felt more relaxed. child. He explained why bonding is vital to healthy brain development as well as psychological safety and well- My husband David and I decided to create a CD using being. He reflected on the implications of failing to form this collection of songs written for my grandchildren plus a bond. I wrote about how babies can hear us in-utero, original instrumental music written by Gary Malkin, my and the value of using our Positive Intention Music™ to arranger and producer. His beautiful music created a support bonding. Gary wrote Music is Medicine for the place to rest and reflect between the songs. We shared the Heart to explain the value of music. Additionally, we CD with parents, parents-to-be, and adults without wanted the book to be personal. While we were putting children who said they felt more intimately connected other pieces together, we decided to add our personal after listening to the music. Some were deeply moved story of the birth of our own children. and said the music touched them and soothed them as they remembered their lack of receiving love they had so I hadn’t written about my daughter’s premature birth wanted. Others said it was a reminder of the love they before. The more I wrote, the sadder I became. I was had received. People recommended using the music to surprised I felt so sad. When I got to the part about being inspire bonding and attachment between parent and child. encouraged to go home and rest for the 3½ weeks that
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she was in the Neonatal Intensive worked to create better bridges more relaxed and more heart Care Unit (NICU), a profound sense between us, but now I knew why I connected; some said their in-utero of grief overcame me. It was felt “called” to do this work. I believe babies responded; nursing mothers overwhelming, and I started to cry. In it is critical to be educated about the found nursing easier; and moms that moment it became clear to me importance of bonding, but a great reported their toddlers were calmer. that my daughter and I had never number of women have not had the We were excited by the results and bonded. I was shocked by the opportunity to learn. Doctors are desirous to repeat the study. revelation. How could I have not busy, and hospitals don’t promote known this before? The fact of the this information. In fact, mothers are David plus Gary (who had great matter was, until this project, I had commonly led to believe that being success creating his own book/CD never thought about bonding. separated at birth is the right set, Graceful Passages) and I agreed procedure, and that “bonding” will we needed the book to provide My daughter’s delivery was 7 ½ happen naturally. For me and for a information that would be accessible. weeks early. It went relatively many others, that has not been true. We wanted parents to have an easy quickly, but in the end I was given way to remember important facts so Pitosin and then knocked out. I The music of Safe In The Arms Of in addition to The Essential Bond we awoke disoriented and couldn’t make Love is different from traditional added a mix of other sections to sense of what I was supposed to feel. mother/baby music. Written in a make the book informative and My daughter was so tiny and full of lullaby style that babies really like, experiential and added stories and tubes. I saw her in the hospital every the deeper intention of the lyrics reports from parents. We created a day for a few minutes, but I felt inspire feelings of innocence, group of “Dr. David says:” sections incompetent and helpless, and I wonder, gratitude, and amazement. throughout the book that highlight didn’t know what to do. When she Not only do they help parents information to remember. We came home, she was a stranger. I was achieve a relaxed state, they developed an exercise to help people nervous. She had difficulty with stimulate heart-felt connection with “feel” resonance, and we shared digestion. She didn’t like to be held. I their babies. We knew this would be poetry to encourage enchantment. felt rejected. As she grew, we never a perfect aid for supporting bonding. Jennifer Durrant, our exceptional felt truly comfortable with each We decided to get proof. designer, led us to commission art other, and I never knew why. from Anne Kristin Hagesaether for My husband David created a beauty and design elements. My son was born two years later clinical trial to test the music in San (three weeks early). It was a natural Jose, CA. Employing Heartmath™ Creating Safe In The Arms Of birth, and I was able to nurse him software to measure the mothers state Love has awakened a powerful right away. Following his birth I felt of heart coherence as they listened to creative drive in the three of us, and ecstatic. I was a force of nature! I the music, a racially and we are in the midst of a number of literally skipped down the hall I was economically diverse sample of next steps. Gary and I created new so excited and joyous by this miracle mothers showed extremely positive songs and music for parents-to-be of a child born from me! He and I responses on both physiological and that inspires dialogue with the baby felt very comfortable with each other. psychological measures. Ninety five in the womb called, The Journey Of per cent of the mothers achieved Our Lives. David is editing a new The revelation about the difference heart coherence (a measure of book of the same name (to between having bonded with one relaxation and connection to their accompany the music) that focuses child and not the other was horrible. heart) from listening to the music. on the parents’ choices during the pre It was so sad to realize that had I New moms and pregnant moms-to-be -natal period to optimize their baby’s known about bonding when I was communicated their observations and health and wellbeing. Our hope is to young, perhaps the relationship experiences after listening to the inspire and comfort people entering between my daughter and myself music in two ways: through paper this exciting and stressful time in would be different. I think she would and pencil instruments and through such a way that they learn how Continued on page 79 have had an easier time. I have expert interview. They said they felt
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Life in the Womb: Life All Around
Ray Castellino
An Interview with Ray Castellino, DC (retired), RPP, RPE, RCST®
By Nancy Eichhorn, PhD
In the womb, babies experience themselves and their mothers in totality—there’s no sense of separation, individuation. They are a gestalt, merged as one. The baby experiences and internalizes everything the mother experiences and feels.
In the womb, if the mother is experiencing a challenging life event, it is a challenge to the baby, too. If she can verbalize her experiences to her baby, say something to the effect, “Little one, I’m having a hard day. You are not causing this. Daddy and I are working out some stuff, you don’t have to do anything about it,” she is creating a relationship with her baby that leaves imprints for healthy differentiation when her baby is older. If the mother has enough essential support for herself (psychological, emotional, and physical), her baby will be more likely to relax or not be as affected by the stress. She is also creating positive neurological imprints for lifelong patterns of dealing with conflict and stress.
In the womb, babies’ bodies are growing—their physiological, psychological, and physical systems are forming. Babies are shaping, becoming a self in the energetic field of the mother’s reactions to her internal and external experiences. If the mother feels stressed out and unsupported, the baby will grow in the tension of that energy. The dad also has a strong effect on how the baby grows in the womb. If mom feels that she can rely on him and they have clear supportive communication, the baby will grow in a relaxed energetic field.
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Castellino’s work is about strengthening relationships. He focuses on freeing the energy locked in our systems from early adverse experiences and on changing the core beliefs we formed early on that no longer serve us.
Working with parents prenatally contribute to core beliefs about who is that the parents slow down and and perinatally, Ray Castellino, we are, how we are, and that deepen their connections with each director of Castellino Prenatal and influence our relationships with our other and their children. We witness Birth Training (CPBT) (a two and a self and others. the parent’s speech patterns matching half year process he has conducted the internal baseline tempos and since 1994) and co-founder and He says that the only reason to look rhythm of their children’s being. clinical director of BEBA (Building at early imprinting is to improve the and Enhancing Bonding and quality of our lives today and in the “Our work is to slow down with Attachment), understands the future. In addition to ‘Womb the parents in the process, to open importance of acknowledging the Surround Workshops’, BEBA, space so they can perceive their preborn/newborn’s innate sense of CPBT, and ‘About Connections’, he experience. Mary and I sit there and being (consciousness) and the effects is currently collaborating with Anna resonate in those slow rhythms. As of the baby’s internal and external Chitty (Colorado School of Energy the parents slow, the baby relaxes. In environment on his/her development. Studies in Boulder, CO) presenting day-to-day reality, parents are often an Advanced Energetic Bodywork under-supported; they have their own With an extensive background in Training: Body into Being. traumatic histories as well, and spin polarity therapy, craniosacral therapy, in discordant rhythms. As we slow group and family dynamics, somatic A Family Session down together, a harmonic resonance experiencing, play therapy, or attuned energy field emerges. We movement therapy, re-patterning Families can come to sessions in a coach the moms and dads to lean on ancestral imprints, body variety of states. Sometimes parents each other (figuratively and literally). biomechanics, and pre and perinatal have been arguing, moving at We have them do it again and again somatic psychology, Castellino has society’s frenetic speed, exhausted and relax. We ask them to look at several projects that he originated from sleepless nights, disconnected. each other from this relaxed, slow, besides his work in BEBA. They may be mired in a state of frame of view. We often hear parents fragmented energy. Their infant, make statements to each other such He works with small groups of sensing this distortion, this energetic as, ‘Hi, I haven’t seen you since the adults in what he describes as ‘Womb chaos, can be crying, tense and baby was born.’ As the parents slow Surround Workshops’, he sees unable to settle. and reconnect, the baby relaxes and families in private practice and with gazes up. The mother engages and his colleague, Mary Jackson LM, “Mary and I sit down and get dialogues with the infant. RN, RCST called, ‘About quiet. We work with the parents to Connections’. They work with create more space in the compressed families prenatally through birth and energy they appear to be bound in. the first 9 months outside of the As parents share their experience, we womb believing that the work is most support them to create space between effective at the very beginning of life. their words, phrases, sentences and Their goal is to prepare families for paragraphs; to actually create spaces birth and, after birth, to help babies in their narratives with commas, resolve and re-pattern prenatal and periods, especially paragraphs,” birth trauma imprinting. They also Castellino says, using a metaphoric work with families with toddlers and example of how writers create tempo older children/teens. and rhythm on the page to explain how he and Mary first attempt to In all of his work Castellino is establish harmonic resonance or dedicated to changing relationships to attunement with the family and those early adverse experiences that within the family system. “The result
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There is an opportunity here for the was because she smoked three packs sales person who worked hard. I baby to engage in one of the most of cigarettes a day throughout her remember hearing her talk about what profound discoveries that we have teens. Even though she had stopped happened for her and how made: This is that the babies are able smoking early in the pregnancy, her disappointed she was that she was not to show and tell their own stories of body didn’t have the fortitude to hold allowed to birth the way she already how they were born by the way they capillary integrity. knew she could.” move and emotionally express themselves. As we see babies “When I was in my mid-thirties, I How does consciousness come into expressing themselves this way and described my birth to my mother. I the physical realm? being received by their parents, we had a memory of seeing my birth also see how profoundly healing this from the vantage point of looking According to Castellino, many process is for the whole family. down from the ceiling. Seeing my member of the Association for own birth from the ceiling, I believe, Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology “Mary and I ask parents to practice indicated I was in shock and had left and Health (APPPAH) had some these connection exercises every day my body, dissociating from it. I sense that human consciousness at home for 20 or 30 minutes. When described the color of walls and preexisted before we came to life in a they object that life is too busy, we windows, the stainless steel, the physical body. Twenty years ago, say, ‘Leave the laundry, leave the number of people. I described it all members of APPPAH acknowledged dishes. Try to put connecting in this and my mom said, ‘Yes, Ray, that’s that babies’ innate needs for security, way at the top of your priority list. It’s how it happened, that’s what I belonging, love and nurturing, and critical that you connect, resource, remember, too.’ This experience their need to feel wanted and valued, appreciate each other. Watch what strengthened my profound interest in to be seen as a self were present your baby does when you do.’ how our consciousness comes into the before birth. APPPAH members have world.” worked hard to frame it into some “That simplicity is missing in our sense of knowing, he says. For culture,” Castellino adds. Castellino recalls sitting behind the Castellino, part of this frame involves couch in his family living room as a an energetic perspective of human A More Personal Historical ten year old boy listening to his mom consciousness. View and her group of life long, female friends who met regularly to talk Polarity Therapy Castellino was born in 1944, the about their lives. They often spoke first child. His mother was 19 years about their children’s births and their Castellino left his job teaching old when she gave birth. Four years life challenges. They grew up music in 1971 to study Polarity later, she gave birth to Ray’s sister, in together and eventually one by one Therapy with Dr. Randolph Stone, the same hospital, with the same died. DO, ND, DC, the originator of obstetrician she “revered and trusted”. Polarity Therapy, and others. Although their births were not “My brother was the third child. It Castellino watched Dr. Stone work without some complications, was 1954, a different time from 1944 with clients and listened to Dr. Stone Castellino says his mother was proud when I was born. At the time (of my talk about how consciousness comes of the fact she delivered both her brother’s birth), we were part of into being, through body. He learned children without anesthetics or Kaiser Permanente. My mom didn’t about the body’s life force and how interventions. have a choice in terms of her energy moves through the body and obstetrical care and the delivery how someone can sense it when “When I was born,” Castellino protocol. And she was livid because sitting with another person. says, as he describes his memory of the obstetrics team used anesthesia his birth, “my mom hemorrhaged so and interventions that she felt she His interest was piqued and his they cut the cord, fast; they saw I was didn’t needed. I was ten years old clinical work eventually evolved from breathing and pink. They separated hearing these women speak with a dyad approach to working with us. The hospital staff followed the feeling. families and ‘Womb Surround’ protocol of the time; however, they groups. The ‘Womb Surround’ didn’t know we both needed to be My mom was not a therapy person. process is a form of group therapy skin to skin for my needs as well as She was an Italian woman who raised (typically 7 adult members, enough to hers. Her body might have stopped kids, cooked, and lived with the reproduce family dynamics). When bleeding faster had I been able to effects of her own abuse and traumas sitting with this ‘Womb Surround’ nurse. I believe the reason she bled that she had grown up with. She was a ‘family’ and with new families,
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Castellino is interested in the quality ‘must need’. Beyond the basic needs of the energy moving between both of protection, warmth, food and the family members or the human connection, babies also ‘must participants in the workshop. need’ accurate reflection so they can come to know the self When asked to define the word (consciousness) in the physical body. ‘energy,’ he replied, “It’s an That reflection is first and foremost a experiential perception. Words and very somatic, physical process and a descriptions often distract us from the reflection of the rhythm of the baby perception of it. While we can create in the formation of his/her body. Part images of the energy fields and think of accurate reflection is that we as about it, we are moving from the adults ‘must need’ be in alignment actual to an abstraction of the energy. with the baby. There’s a difference between producing a memory of it and “The problem is that virtually all observing and imaging it. There’s a of us, at least some of the time, are difference between imaging and out of harmonic resonance with observing and perceiving. I’m ourselves and with others,” interested in the perception and in the Castellino explains. “The whole observation. universe revolves around the same rhythm and, if we attune with a baby, “With the practice of his Polarity we will discover our own primal Therapy, Dr. Randolph Stone rhythms. But, if we’re caught up encouraged us to observe and living a life that some adult has the infant and his/her parents will be experience the way energy moves figured out for us or at the tempos able to perceive themselves in each through the physical body, sense influenced by modern technology, we other. They are in different bodies. where it gets stuck, and discover do not develop an accurate knowing The child has his/her own soul and what it takes to support the opening of our self. consciousness (Our initial and rebalancing of the energy or life consciousness does not perceive itself force. I can see images in my mind’s “The autonomic nervous system, as separate, it’s merged). eye that are secondary to the including the social nervous system, sensation of the energy flow. The is intricately tied together with “I try to understand all the layers, energy is perceived through rhythm. Porges’ work with sound look at the common denominators in sensation. It’s like if you place a demonstrated that if you get the right all of the simplest forms. From my magnet under a plastic plate with pitch with an autistic child that point of view, relationships involve filings on it, there is movement. The child’s system will move to a higher energy, tempo, rhythm, resonance, filings will take the shape of an order of organization. Sound, pitch, and discourse. The first step is being energy field. Energetic shapes and rhythm; every sound is a vibration, in attunement,” Castellino says. movement in patterns are seen every ray of light is a vibration. throughout the whole of creation. Vibration is rhythm,” he says. Dr. Raymond F. Castellino facilitates people of all ages to resolve and “An energetic perspective “From a perspective of how energy repattern prenatal and birth trauma encourages practitioners to pay moves between people, we can see imprinting. This includes facilitating attention to the health of the system how adults need to give accurate babies and children in the family setting and adults in individual and small group (versus the dysfunction or disease). If reflection to little ones to match their settings. He also offers phone support for you can sit with a person doing tempo and to have connection. If we parents, adults, and professionals seeking trauma work and perceive health and resonate in the right tempos, we have supervision. He works both alone and movement, you can see where the connection. If our tempos are together with midwife Mary Jackson. In energy is blocked, stuck,” Castellino dissonant and out of phase, the infant addition to working with individuals, says. “You can support free will disorganize. groups, and families, Dr. Castellino also movement of that energy so that offers educational services to train others health expresses itself as growth. “In the beginning we are merged in these skills. His educational services beings. Growing up is a process of include a two-year Foundation Training, “Infants arrive with basic needs— differentiation and individuation. as well as numerous presentations and seminars both locally and worldwide. experiences they must have and need If you have well-bonded and well- to have—they come with a state of attached infant-parent relationships,
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Jacqueline A. Carleton, PhD and the USABP Interns
Brandt, A. (2013). 8 Keys to Eliminating using provided checklists to aid in a Midrash: an interpretation of the Torah Passive-Aggressiveness. identifying unmet needs. The accessibility that fills in the gaps an individual might New York: W.W. of this style lends to a light reading that is feel exist in order to understand and Norton & Company, Inc. informative without going into unnecessary connect with religion on a deeper level. 184 pages. ISBN: detail about underlying theory and She fills in these gaps by answering the 9780393708462 research. questions that need to be answered without taking away the magic of faith. Its true Despite the lack of demonstrated research value lies in the readers’ ability to connect support, there is something to gain from with the stories from the Torah and Reviewed by: Joshua D. Wright, Hunter perusing its pages. General readers will understand them at a deeper level through College of The City University of New gain an intimate knowledge of their own one woman’s interpretation of what the York behavior and suggestions for eliminating characters were really like. passive-aggressiveness. Likewise, In 8 Keys to Eliminating Passive- practicing psychotherapists will be exposed Dr. Schmidt tells readers that when she Aggressiveness Andrea Brandt strives to to relevant exercises that can be turned seventy, she took a trip back to her guide readers through practical steps to immediately incorporated in the clinical hometown of Boibrke, Poland. Sharing her eliminating passive-aggressive behavior, a setting. private story connects readers to one surprisingly common response to conflict another, as her pain and loss is universal. that is destructive to relationships. Written The final chapter reconnects to the Her Midrash is on the stories of Isaac, for a general audience of those who either introduction, elaborating on the initial Jacob and his brother Esau, Sarah, have identified their own passive- example of passive-aggressiveness and Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. She wrote it to aggressive behavior, or who may be providing a glimpse into how using the sound like a modern story, from the first involved in passive-aggressive eight keys might change a destructive person point of view, adding life to relationships, Brandt has created a fluid relationship for the better. Ultimately the characters previously too complicated to narrative using expertly drafted anecdotes even begin to understand. She explains path Brandt elucidates “[is not] a and practical exercises to illuminate decisions made by each character, as she succession of doors, rooms you can pass concepts. thinks they were rationalized, in a way that through toward some magical makes sense to the reader. For example, As a psychotherapist, Brandt describes the destination” (p. 180). Instead she states, Jacob’s deception of his father, Isaac, to origins of passive-aggressive behavior as a “you’ll be moving back and forth among receive for his blessing is a complicated suppression of anger due to societal the keys” and eventually realize adjusted event. Dr. Schmidt, writing from Isaac’s constraints and an outwardly passive relationships with more enabled responses perspective, explains that perhaps he knew response to situations due to perceived and less reliance on passive-aggression (p. he was being lied to by his son but gave the anxiety. The eight keys illuminated 180). blessing because his son knew what to do throughout the book have the goal of with it. And perhaps Isaac always knew revealing hidden anger, teaching the use of Schmidt, J.S. (2013). Jacob was destined for greatness, so giving body sensation to understand and express Longing for the the younger son his blessing was always true emotion, teaching assertive Blessing: Midrashic the right thing to do. communication, and guiding people to Voices from Toldot. St. productive conflict negotiation. According Louis, MO: Time Stories that are taught from childhood to be to Brandt, all of this may require “the Being Books. ISBN: unquestionable are questioned and healing of childhood wounds” (p. xxx). 978-1-56809-217-1. 84 beautifully explained and experiencing The key strength of this book is the pages. these religious stories in a different light anecdotal stories throughout each chapter, creates a deeper connection between the which describe couples that struggled and reader and his or her biblical ancestors. overcame relational problems stemming Reading Dr. Schmidt’s Midrash adds more from passive-aggressiveness. Each of the Reviewed by: Nataliya Rubinchik, Hunter beauty to the religious stories and is a eight keys is elaborated through its own College unique experience, which can be dedicated chapter and consists of practical appreciated by all people from a religious exercises such as journaling about one’s Dr. Judith Sarah Schmidt, upon turning background. anger in order to recognize hidden anger or seventy, decided to take up the challenge of
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McMain, S. & Each of the four strategies is dedicated a experiences. The program can Wiebe, C. (Ed.). chapter in the book to relay to the reader complement any approach to personal (2013). the most important points to remember growth and/or development. However, Psychotherapy regarding DBT. Through its clear and listeners cannot practice the techniques Essentials To Go: organized writing, Psychotherapy while driving, etc. as it involves full Dialectic Behavior Essentials To Go: Dialectical Behavior attention. According to Lehmann, Therapy for Emotion Therapy for Emotional Dysregulation is mindfulness is simply resting in a gentle Dysregulation. New a great learning experience as it explains awareness of thoughts, feelings, York, NY: Norton through figures and points how to lead a perceptions and/or body sensations as and Co. ISBN: 978-0 successful DBT therapy session. they occur. The program puts these ideas -393-70825-7. 135 pages into action and shows its effectiveness even within moments of trying the first Reviewed by: Nataliya Rubinchik, Lehmann, E. calming technique. Hunter College (2012) Resilient- Resilient-You puts into practice common- Psychotherapy Essentials To Go: You: sense ideas of mindfulness and body Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Bending psychotherapy. Just the simple awareness Emotional Dysregulation is one of a six With Strong of your feet on the ground can shift your part series, each of which includes a Winds perspective to a more holistic and DVD with instructions and examples, the [Audio CD]. centered one. Although Lehmann assures book itself, and a practice reminder card. listeners that it’s fine if there are no Each book concentrates on one type of effects, even skeptics would have a therapy and pushes the reader—both Reviewed by Tina Lee, New York difficult time to not feel any changes for clinician and student—to learn how to University any one of the techniques presented. The successfully conduct that therapy. audio is also a quick and easy listen, This particular book focuses on Elizabeth Lehmann’s audio program broken down into sections for listeners to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Resilient-You introduces a unique and go back to. The program proves to be an DBT requires four modes of therapy to simple approach to regulating stress. A invaluable guide for those new to be incorporated: skills training, telephone seasoned psychotherapist, Lehmann takes mindfulness or even for those who are consultations, individual therapy, and a the listener through eight physical experienced and wish to supplement their consultation team. These four therapies calming techniques that can be utilized collection with an in-depth resource. put together will hopefully achieve five anywhere and at any time. The functions for clients with emotional techniques mainly focus on breathing and Wachtel, Paul L. dysregulation: teaching new skills, greater awareness of the body. Lehmann (2011) Inside the generalizing new behaviors, improving advises listeners to repeat the steps as Session: What motivation, ensuring that the client’s much as they want. According to Really Happens in environment encourages change, and Lehmann, the calming techniques prompt Psychotherapy. supporting therapists. These five the nervous system to restore “resilient- Washington, DC: functions, if successful, encourage you.” The theory is based on the American patients to change harmful or abnormal assumption that all individuals have inner Psychological behaviors while accepting who they are and outer resources, which can be Association. ISBN: at any given moment. effectively tapped into. Lehmann states 978-1-4338-0940-8. that people have an inner wisdom that 283 pages. DBT was developed by Dr. Marsha knows exactly what is needed; Linehan to be a mixture of Learning individuals only have to allow Reviewed by: Nataliya Rubinchik, Theory, Zen philosophy, and Dialectical themselves to spontaneously and Hunter College philosophy: tying together the idea of internally change. However, Lehmann change and the acceptance of the notes that not everyone has the same Published psychology works often give moment. The push for change and the response and that what works effectively unrealistic expectations to readers by acceptance that the present moment is for one individual may not be so effective providing solely successful examples. By perfect the way it is create the delicate for another. To that end, Lehmann publishing a book with three complete balance that is DBT. DBT includes 12 encourages listeners to experiment with therapy sessions written verbatim with different strategies that can either be used all the techniques and find the ones right his complete commentary, Dr. Paul alone or together, with one another as for them. Wachtel provides a fair and accurate well as with other therapies. Shelley account of just what goes on inside the McMain and Carmen Wiebe focus on The section topics are well-organized and session and opens the door for true four strategies in their book – validation, easy to follow, starting with informative understanding. His goal is to give readers commitment strategies, behavioral chain facts about the nervous system and an accurate account of what he calls the analysis, and skills training. ending with proven resilience-guided “whole arc” of therapy sessions. “The
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moments of feeling unclear, frustrated, goal. This text outlines an approach to efforts inward to self-awareness even incompetent, and the moments when uncovering these destructive processes, reminiscent of Maslow’s self- the skies clear and the direction in which differentiating one’s identity, and actualization. This is a book of grounded to move becomes apparent.” fulfilling the underlying need for theory for psychotherapists and existential uniqueness. Relying on philosophy, this enlightenment for the academically The book is organized into three sections. book is dense and suited for the minded trying to understand something The first section provides background academically minded, specifically deep in the heart of humanity. research on psychotherapy and its factors practitioners with a bent for and expectations. The second section is psychoanalytic theory. Tweedy, R. (2012). the full transcription of three separate The God of the Left therapy sessions, two with one patient and The model of differentiation posits a Hemisphere: Blake, one with a different patient. The third dichotomous construct of the self and anti Bolte Taylor, and the section contains reflections on the -self, in which only one may be activated, Myth of Creation. sessions and what they might say about and it is in the best interest of people to Great Britain: Karnac Dr. Wachtel. “emancipate themselves from imagined Books Ltd. ISBN: 978- connections with parents, to unlearn 1-78049-101-1. 332 Dr. Wachtel includes the thoughts he had destructive aspects of early programming, pages. at the exact moments he had them in his and to learn to embrace more life- transcriptions. He separates his affirming ways of satisfying needs and commentary from the transcription by a pursuing goals” (6). The solution to failed Reviewed by: Tina R. Lee, New York row of asterisks to allow readers the differentiation, according to Firestone et University option of reading his comments al., is voice therapy. This method is immediately or forming their own outlined in detail, describing the use of In The God of the Left Hemisphere, opinions and coming back to the dialogue in the second person as the Roderick Tweedy explores the remarkable comments at the end. Dr. Wachtel chose means for patients to identify negative connections between the activities and to include his commentary with the internalizations. Patients engage in functions of the human brain that poet therapy primarily to show, as the teaching dialogue between the self and the anti- William Blake termed ‘Urizen’ (based on tool this book is meant to be, exactly how self, allowing for differentiation between the mythology in which the entity Urizen a therapist’s mind works while he or she the attitudes and thoughts associated with is the embodiment of conventional law is in session. Textbook examples can the two ends of this dichotomy. Five steps and reason), and the powerful complex of often disregard this as well, as authors in this process are outlined and examples sequencing processes which modern choose to write their final, polished from clinical sessions are used to neuroscience identifies as left hemisphere thoughts at the end of the session when it demonstrate this process. Chapters 5 and brain activity. Tweedy discusses these feels like the i’s are dotted and the t’s are 6 adapt voice therapy to the context of topics in connection with neuro-anatomist crossed. Real life therapy, however, couples. Jill Bolte Taylor’s “Stroke of Insight” – a doesn’t work that way. And real life TED talk and publication recounting her therapy is exactly what Dr. Wachtel is The core conflict within development, experience of a stroke following a major working to relay to his readers. according to Firestone at el., is the hemorrhage in the left side of her brain. “choice between contending with The discussion of Blake’s responses to Firestone, R., emotional pain or defending against religion, to reason, and to language offer Firestone, L., & it” (135) and denial leads to “loss of rich insight and reinterpretation of the Catlett, J. (2013). The personal identity, freedom, and psychological basis of the entity often Self Under Siege: A autonomy” (135) and it is necessary to referred to as ‘God.’ Therapeutic Model for rely on less defense mechanisms in order Differentiation. New to promote differentiation, spurring The book is neatly divided into two parts, York: Routledge. 272 greater creativity, and making “us more which are further divided into sub-topics. pages. ISBN: compassionate toward the rest of Part one, titled “The Looking-Glass,” 9780415520331 humankind who share our fate” (149). focuses on the nature and functions of the Chapter 10 extends this thesis to the larger left hemisphere. Part two, titled “Down society, in an effort to understand the Rabbit Hole,” contextualizes and intergroup conflict. places the left hemisphere in the bigger Reviewed by Joshua D. Wright, Hunter Ultimately, society’s projection of picture. Tweedy elaborates more deeply in College of The City University of New negative group characteristics onto other the second part, which also provides an York groups stems from the individual, where examination of the main themes in the people are not properly differentiating first part. The book is layered with In The Self Under Siege: A Therapeutic themselves and becoming unique, free, Blake’s poetry and Tweedy’s Model for Differentiation, Firestone and and creative individuals. The Self Under interpretation of it. One underlying theme, colleagues express that individuals must Siege concludes with the conception that Tweedy notes, is that we all participate in, differentiate their identity and maintain an empowerment of individuals is the benefit from, and contribute to an inclusive world-view. The problem is that kindling for social change, removing extended social identity which we help to destructive thought processes thwart this negative aspects of society by focusing develop and reflect. In addition, ordinary
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conversation plays a valuable and might have been affected throughout their artworks, curated by Terry Marks-Tarlow fundamental part in this identity. life by their parents’ personalities. This and produced by the Los Angeles County leads to his assertion that working with Psychological Association (LACPA), According to Tweedy, entering the now is narcissistic people is largely illustrates how this assumption of the the immediately simple but unfamiliar intersubjective. Relationships, both therapist cannot be further from the truth. experience that Blake’s poetry both healthy and not healthy, depend on the The collection, titled Mirrors of the Mind: encourages and evokes. The figure of connection between two people. When it The Psychotherapist as Artist, displays Urizen plays a crucial role in this process comes to children, it’s very easy to upset artworks by therapists within various since it is Urizenic thought that currently their delicate development by not fields. keeps man trapped in the matrix of maintaining a good relationship based on linearity, goals, wants, judgments, and, understanding and recognition. Artworks are spread throughout the book above all, suffering. Blake believed that Narcissistic parents justify their inability alongside photos of the artists and on the level of being, everything is to show love by blaming the child for descriptions of the work as well as the correlated and interwoven, and that all being undeserving of it. This causes the artists’ backgrounds. The theme of this being is ultimately divine. To rewrite our child to try to become someone he or she collection lies in the belief that, just as the own neurological and bodily processes is isn’t. As adults, children of narcissistic artist takes the interior and gives it form to rewrite and modify God, according to children still maintain that need to be and substance so that what was once only Blake. In Tweedy’s interpretation of loved and continue to try and please known to the artist, can now be known by Blake’s works, Tweedy states that everybody, since that is the only way they all, the therapist coaches and encourages recognizing humanity’s divinity is not an know to receive love and recognition. clients to give form and substance to their attribute; it is a mode of perception, and it own interior experiences. is our duty to unleash it. Dr. Shaw includes case studies to illustrate the idea of intersubjectivity One artist writes that through the process between narcissistic parents and their of healing and recovery, the self begins to Shaw, Daniel traumatized children. He clearly explains emerge. It is not a linear process - it is (2014) his theories to the reader in a way that is messy and involved but also vital to the Traumatic understandable for experienced clinicians Narcissism: survival of the true inner self. In and inexperienced students. The subject particular, Elisabeth Linn’s “The Relational of this book, the victims of traumatizing Emergent Self” speaks to the idea of the Systems of narcissists, has not been widely studied, true self emerging by breaking through Subjugation. making Dr. Shaw’s book a bridge New York, NY: between past knowledge of children, the boxes and constraints we often lock Routledge. development, and narcissism and the our ‘self’ up in. Mirrors of the Mind is a ISBN: 978-0- hope of finding a way to facilitate therapy collection of artwork reminding us to live 415-51024-0. in the future. our most authentic selves through free 167 pages. and artistic expression.
Reviewed by: Nataliya Rubinchik, Hunter College
Dr. Daniel Shaw, a clinician who practices in New York City, has met with a variety of narcissistic people in his life. His meetings were the reason he decided to study how clinicians might be able to help the victims of traumatizing narcissists.
Narcissists are consciously ignorant of Marks-Tarlow, T. (Ed.) (2012). Mirrors the fact that they need constant attention of the Mind: The Psychotherapist as from others, which is the reason they Artist. Encino, California: LACPA. ISBN: quickly make themselves indispensible in 978-1-62030-733-5. 101 pages. others’ lives, ensuring that their victim will always come back because of this dependency. Even though researchers Reviewed by: Tina R. Lee, New York traditionally viewed victims of traumatic University narcissists as pathological, Dr. Shaw’s goal is to show that victims are just that – To the outside world, psychotherapists victims who suffer from depression due are seen as the archetypal tabula rasa, the to their traumatic experiences. blank slate that interprets the inner worlds Dr. Shaw focuses on narcissistic parents of others while sharing little of their own and the ways in which their adult children inner workings. Yet, a collection of
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TRANSCENDING THE PARADOXICAL BRACE RESPONSE: A MIND/BODY CONNECTION
By Ronan M. Kisch, PhD
In psychotherapy, some clients talk about the stressful issues of work, family, or their physical condition due to illness or accidents. As they talk, their bodies become progressively more physically braced. Their hands may clasp or even wring, shoulders raise, knees lock together, feet turn-in in a pigeon-toed fashion, or their breathing becomes shallow or even held. They assume an increasingly constricted or braced posture. Verbal or physical intervention may release this pattern, but for some it does not remain, the pattern returns. For others the holding or brace patterns simply will not release. What is happening that the body or these individuals, though these reactions are mostly unconscious, do not maintain their release?
It stands to reason that people Furthermore, even if they are other normal body functions. would prefer being in a physically brought to conscious awareness of Respiration, circulation and sleep relaxed state over holding themselves their physical holding, they are still patterns are all diminished and in a braced pattern. What is unable to release the brace or affected by surplus stress.” (Trager & particularly interesting is that many maintain a relaxed posture. I decided Guadagno, 1987, p. 81) The Trager® people are unaware that they hold to explore the nature of this bracing approach utilizes a light meditative themselves in a braced pattern. In behavior. Because different state on the part of the practitioner in spite of observable or palpable data therapeutic techniques have different which gentle rocking is offered to to the contrary, some may even attributes leading to different results release physical holding patterns. report, “I just came from my massage and clients do not respond to the This same procedure can also therapist and I’m really relaxed.” same therapy in the same way, I used identify parts of the body that should, The holding is a familiar way of life, three mind/body integration but for some reason do not move habitual and unconscious. They are techniques independently and freely. People are often unaware of more relaxed after the massage, but together, helping to clarify what was bracing their shoulders, necks, arms, they do not realize they are still occurring in the therapeutic process. legs or hands. Almost no one is holding. aware of the tightness between the The first was a technique known as vertebrae, which shrinks height. In On the surface, I believe that being the Trager® Approach developed by turn, these vertebrae press on and in a more relaxed, flexible or resilient the late Milton Trager, MD. This compromise spinal nerves extending posture lends to feeling calmer, physician believed, “The tension in from the spinal cord. Except for those having less pain even healing faster. the body reflects the degree of in emergency rooms fearing heart Surprisingly, I have found that it is tension that exists in the mind. attack or asphyxiation from panic not possible for some individuals to Maintaining excess tension consumes attacks, not many are aware of the assume or maintain a relaxed posture. a lot of energy that could be used for tightness of the intercostal
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muscles between the ribs. If these simply manipulating the subluxated patterns. Walker recognizes there muscles are contracted they prohibit spine does not release the underlying may be many facets or NECs the rib cage from expanding fully, predisposition of the subluxation. surrounding a holding pattern. This compromising oxygen flow to all the predisposition to be harmonious with cells of the body including the heart According to Dr. Walker, peptides, duress is a variation on a theme. The and the brain. Information regarding the chemical constituents of feelings, following four cases exemplify this what the body is doing is most often flow freely in and out of cell predisposition to maintain a braced unconscious, but not without physical receptors. However, after trauma, posture. and psychological consequences such peptides can remain trapped in the as insecurity, anxiety, depression, and cell receptors for a lifetime if not Barbara pain. While the individual may be released. Cognitive interventions unaware of the holding patterns she alone tend not to release these Barbara is a 54-year-old single or he maintains, the Trager® psychophysical holding patterns. mother and competent social worker practitioner readily senses flexibility NET utilizes applied kinesiology who just received a promotion. Her or restrictions in the body and using (muscle testing) to somatically assess 27-year-old daughter, Gail, recently the Trager® approach most often the congruence (identification with or asked if her fiancé-to-be, Bob, could releases them. oneness) or incongruence of thought, come to the family Christmas dinner feeling or behavior and an and church the following day. This The second technique utilized was individual’s sense of her or his self. created a major problem for Barbara. Craniosacral Therapy. This procedure It identifies a NEC between the No one in the family liked Bob or was developed by William Garner manifest holding pattern and the how he treated Gail. According to Sutherland, DO in the 1930s and latent emotion bound to the cause of Barbara, Bob was controlling, he popularized by John Upledger, DO the wound. It does this by used Gail at her own expense to meet (1983) in the 1980s. It involves gentle determining the particular emotions his needs, and he alienated Gail from palpation to detect the craniosacral related to the NEC. This is her family. pulse (movement of cerebrospinal accomplished by discovering Chinese fluid from around the brain, down to pulse points on the wrists or on the Barbara knew that her daughter the sacrum, and its return). The body that correspond with a particular was aware of her feelings toward procedure releases the pressure of the feeling state. Then using kinesiology Bob. She also knew if she kept meningeal tissue surrounding the it searches for the origin of a NEC. reminding Gail of her disapproval she brain and spinal cord and allows for The procedure also utilizes Pavlovian would further alienate her daughter. profound relaxation of the nervous intervention to extinguish, therefore Barbara felt torn between her love for system. disconnect, psychophysical holding her daughter whom she wanted to patterns due to peptides remaining in support and protect, and her intense The third technique used was cell receptors following traumatic resentment toward the mate of her NeuroEmotional Technique (NET), a events. Using a mental image or a choice. procedure developed by Scott sensation related to the original Walker, DC (1992). In addition to traumatic event and the emotion or As Barbara contemplated either chiropractors, NET is performed by emotions related to it, NET severs the Bob or her own dilemma with her psychiatrists, social workers, holding pattern. As a result, peptides daughter, she became aware of her nutritionists, acupuncturists, and held in the cell receptors are released neck and shoulders automatically psychologists. Walker postulates that and there is a mind/body shift. NET tighten. The NET procedure was with trauma there is a subluxation may also utilize homeopathy if performed with Barbara’s focus on (displacement) of the spine. Even if needed. Bob as the subject. This identified the subluxation is physically released, Barbara’s anger toward Bob in the when a similar stimulus to the Exploring the dimensions of present. But anger for Barbara was original trauma is presented, stimulus psychophysical holding patterns, a scary and made her particularly generalization, the spine returns to particular phenomenon was identified uncomfortable. It was to be avoided the subluxated position. He further — the paradoxical brace response. or pushed out of her awareness. Then postulates that peptides, the chemical This response is a particularly a NET discovered a pulse point constituents of emotion related to the peculiar predisposition for an relating to anger. This led to a trauma, remain locked into cell individual to be congruent with connection with Barbara’s fear of her receptors, maintaining latent affective uncomfortable, often painful, and father’s explosive anger toward her memory of the trauma. Walker limiting holding patterns and to be mother and her siblings in her stipulates where there is a incongruent with relaxing, pain childhood. Her father yelled and neuroemotional connection (NEC) releasing and healing, resilient threw things.
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Her only thought was to somehow Samuel relaxed. get away. She said, “My lifetime experience with anger is bracing Samuel is a 48-year-old middle Samuel was incongruent with being against it like protection or escape.” manager for a large manufacturer. relaxed. What was again revealed This protective posture generalized to The company is in the process of was his sense of vulnerability. “I’m any situation involving anger, even cutting costs by sending jobs to Asia supposed to be constantly vigilant,” her own. The NET procedure for where there is inexpensive labor and he said. The NET procedure then release from a NEC holding pattern ready access to a growing middle identified that this belief started at was preformed. Barbara placed her class in China. Samuel felt himself age 13 when Samuel went to junior finger on her anger pulse point and growing both professionally and high school. “It was a different her other hand on her forehead. She personally at work and he appreciated school, a different environment, new closed her eyes, bowed her head, and the support his salary afforded him. kids,” he said. During our session, a focused on the image from childhood Knowing full well one day he may be memory struck Samuel like a shock. of her father’s rage and her fear. In on the receiving end, he had the “I remember a girl said to me, ‘You moments she lifted her head, opened distasteful task of having to tell walk like a woman.’ That was 1968. her eyes, and smiled. The NEC was employees that their job had been If they knew you were gay, that was released. Barbara immediately felt eliminated. What made the task the kiss of death! It was like you more relaxed, grounded, in a secure particularly stressful for him was that killed your mother.” Samuel was gay adult state of mind. he had empathy for those workers and being gay was reprehensible. He and what it meant for their states of had to remain vigilant to protect his Interestingly, kinesiological testing mind, lives, and families. He knew sexual identity. Relaxing felt like a revealed that Barbara was full well the implications of being threat to the integrity of his survival. incongruent with her relaxed, laid off when other manufacturers Again the NET procedure released resilient feeling. There was a NEC were doing the same thing and the the holding pattern and a profound regarding being relaxed. In actuality, job market was tight. There was no sense of “softness, wholeness, and the resilience in being relaxed would emotional, corporate support for his calm” came over him. Perhaps for the give Barbara greater ability to cope executing this task, just the first time since the age of 13, he was due to increased oxygen allowing dispassionate expectation of his congruent with being relaxed. At clear thinking to create strategies to performance. By the time the work work he recalled the sensations of deal with a conflict or to have week was over, the stress in his body “softness, wholeness, and calm” strength and flexibility to stand and was palpable. Samuel was exhausted. when facing duress. Relaxation once fight or flee. But she felt protected in again returned. her childhood state of freeze. If she A NET intervention was provided was softer in her body she felt regarding Samuel’s feelings toward Tim “unprotected.” Again, using the NET the harsh consequences of corporate procedure the connection between decisions. This raised the issue of Tim, a pleasant, mild-mannered, childhood immobilization in the face Samuel’s empathy for employees’ good-natured, retired, 74-year-old of vulnerability was performed — the vulnerability. “I love being had just returned from his connection was extinguished. empathetic. I hate being part of the acupuncturist where he was treated problem. I’m a person.” Samuel for peripheral neuropathy. Tim Following the procedure, Barbara placed a finger on his wrist for the chronically suffers from pain and said that she felt more like an adult in pulse point for vulnerability and a numbness in his legs and feet. While command. She continued to be hand across is forehead. He then he reported feeling better after his disappointed in her daughter’s choice rested his forearms on his legs with treatment, upon examination using of mate, but she was grounded and his head in his hand and envisioned Trager®, when an attempt was made ready to handle her ambivalence himself at work performing his to move his legs, they were braced toward her daughter, Bob, and her distasteful role. When he lifted his and stiff. Gentle exertion by the family members. She was prepared to head a relieved, relaxed countenance practitioner upon his legs revealed handle them as competently as she came over Samuel and his entire that they did not move. They did not dealt with difficult clients at work. body softened. This was followed by rock. Craniosacral therapy on his Christmas dinner went better than yet another NET intervention right leg was performed. Through Barbara imagined. regarding Samuel’s sense of feeling gentle touch to Tim’s leg supported
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by his own gentle full breaths the There were four outstanding points old. In a double homicide, Vanessa’s practitioner communicated a message to this intervention. First the NET mother’s boyfriend murdered her of lightness, freedom, and resilience. procedure identified Tim feeling mother and then shot himself. This After a matter of moments, Tim’s leg congruent with the stiff left leg and left Vanessa with NECs of both fear released its brace and was able to incongruent with the less painful, and anger. After the extinction flow in a full rock — back and forth. mobile right leg. Second, solely process and without physical providing physical interventions did intervention Vanessa’s left leg To the contrary, Tim’s left leg not release the etiology of traumatic spontaneously released its holding remained braced. At that point, NET holding pattern. Third, the NET pattern. was performed on the freedom Tim procedure identified the holding felt in his right leg as compared to the pattern that was maintained by a However, kinesiological testing brace of his left leg. The applied NEC. This indicated a clear revealed a NEC with regard to the kinesiology procedure then revealed relationship between an emotional experience of released, resilient legs. that Tim was congruent with his reaction to an environmental stressor The feeling of vulnerability was braced left leg and incongruent with and a physiological holding pattern in identified with this phenomenon. his right flexible leg. the body — one that lasted for Vanessa reported, “Vulnerability, I decades. There was congruence, an don’t like the word. It means weak. While the overt symptoms of Tim’s automatic predisposition to the I’d lose the ability to protect myself. leg problem, neuropathy, was familiar bracing pattern, and If you are weak, people take diagnosed to be physiological in incongruence with alien sensations of advantage of you.” Again, the NEC nature, examination using the NET release and comfort. Somatically he originated at age 16 and the slaying procedure revealed that the may have felt allowing himself to be of her mother. The NET intervention neuropathy was related to an free would result in physical was applied and released the unresolved emotional trauma, (NEC), punishment again. This would further incongruence of comfort with from childhood. Further examination suggest merely releasing the physical resilience. Her left leg then had free uncovered that Tim’s holding pattern holding pattern itself and not dealing movement. in his legs dated back to the age of 10 with the neuroemotional connection where in school he had a teacher would not maintain the release of Conclusion whose disciplinary method was to . . . chronic holding patterns. Fourth, rap (young ‘Timmy’) on his knuckles without any physical intervention to The four stories that have been with a ruler. The brace pattern was Tim’s left leg and solely with the presented reveal an unusual one of suppressing his angry reaction extinction of the somatoemotional phenomenon. They highlight a clear toward the authoritarian, punitive holding pattern provided by the NET discomfort with resilience and a teacher. Using NET intervention, the procedure, the physical holding predisposition to assume a mind/body early traumatic experience paired pattern in Tim’s left leg released. He posture that compromises free with the angry reaction was then walked away feeling “much thinking, a sense of well being and subjected to the NET classical improved” with less pain and the body’s ability to either heal or extinction procedure. Tim placed his numbness, more freedom in his stride feel more comfortable in the presence index finger on the anger pulse point, and a smile on his face. of pain. This defensive posture stands placed his other hand over his against reason. But it is linked to an forehead and pictured the early Vanessa earlier stage of development when the traumatizing school scene with his viable coping options were held-in anger. Vanessa is a 52-year-old medical compromised or limited. Self- assistant. She has a physically tight inhibition in the presence of fear or There was no hands-on body with holding in her legs that she vulnerability may have been the most intervention with Tim’s left leg, only says is, “definitely not a conscious practical choice for survival. This the NET procedure. Subsequently, thing. I didn’t do anything to make response was then locked into body there was full range of motion in that happen.” Craniosacral and chemistry and neurology through Tim’s left hip joint. His left leg Trager® intervention were applied on ongoing developmental stages and rocked. When he stood up, he felt her right leg, it released its braced generalized to other situations when taller. Both legs moved freely and the posture, and moved freely. NET was similar or related stimuli were numb sensation he had in his legs was applied to her braced left leg and a presented. The fact that these patterns no longer present. Smiling, Tim NEC was uncovered. This NET exist for many individuals is largely commented, “I can’t remember brought to light a trauma Vanessa unconscious. feeling this good.” underwent when she was 16 years
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What is striking about the brace seek those traits from other people patterns can be brought to response in all of the preceding cases who do not have them like their early consciousness, freed from their is not merely a neuroemotional caregivers. Therapeutic treatment inhibiting influences, and replaced by reaction of bracing related to stress. must also attend to this issue. new, more adaptive actions. What is striking is that the bracing is Transcending from the paradoxical paradoxically in reaction to My exploration of the brace pattern is releasing from past relaxation, softening, comfort and transcendence from the regression to wounding, and provides for greater well-being. Repetition of this brace brace phenomenon remains in freedom of physical movement, and pattern locks into chemistry, progress. Yet the findings derived opening for actualization of formerly neurology, musculature, and from the cases above have important unknown self-potential. personality a defensive pattern. It implications for health care maintains a brace of fear, practitioners and their clients. These vulnerability, insecurity, and low self unconscious psychophysical holding -esteem. patterns tend to chronically return even when physically released. And, Ronan M. Kisch, PhD is a somatic Evident from the cases of Vanessa they resist release even when there is psychologist in Dayton, Ohio. He and Tim is that physical interventions conscious awareness of their received his doctorate from the alone can at least temporarily release presence. There is an almost University of Kentucky where he was a somatic holding patterns. However, immediate regression to brace. NIMH Trainee at the Department of they do not unlock or extinguish the Apparently, memory of traumatic Medical Science. He received post deeper psychophysical holding events is not solely stored in the doctoral training at The Gestalt Institute patterns related to the traumas that brain, but can be in the physiology of of Cleveland. Dr. Kisch is a Certified originally brought about those the entire body. To transcend the NeuroEmotional Technique (NET) holding patterns. Releasing the holding takes a mind/body Practitioner, a Trager® Practitioner, a deeper somatic-affective holding can intervention. A practitioner with the Nationally Certified Bodyworker and he holds an Advanced Certificate from the spontaneously release overt physical knowledge that the paradoxical Santa Barbera Graduate Institute in holding. regression to brace phenomenon Somatic Psychology. He served as a exists is in a position to help a health psychologist in Dayton’s Miami Important to note, one can remove vulnerable client transcend the latent, Valley and Sycamore Hospitals. He is the underlying NEC using a debilitating, holding pattern. the author of Beyond Technique: The psychophysical intervention. Hidden Dimensions of Bodywork and However, this does not replace the Likewise, information of this The Miraculous Achievements of tender loving care, confirmation, somatic holding is of importance to Bodywork: How Touch Can Provide nurturing, and coaching that was clients with intellectual awareness or Healing for the Mind, Body and Spirit. absent in the early life environment at sophistication of their psychosocial or References or before the time of the trauma or physical wounding, but who are injury. Many arrested in NECs may unable to overcome their emotional Trager, M. & Guadagno, C. (1987). be looking for the recognition, traumas. This knowledge is also of Trager Mentastics. Barrytown: Station support, nourishment or appreciation particular significance to clients with Hill Press. that they did not have at an earlier post traumatic stress and survivors of time of their life. They may seek this accidents or war, as well as those Upledger, DO, & Vredevoogd, JD from those caregivers who did not with psychosocial histories of (1983), Craniosacral Therapy. Seattle: have it in the past and in all attachment disorders, early family Eastland Press. likelihood still do not have the dysfunctionality, and those who knowledge or skills to deliver those suffered from molestation and other Walker, S. (1996). Neuro Emotional Technique: N.E.T basic manual. traits in the present. They may also abuse. Latent, learned holding Encinitas, CA: N.E.T, Inc.
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Heller continued from page 15 combine/coordinate dimensions in Institutions. As a clinician, he trained in body body psychotherapy,” he says. “We psychotherapy in Gerda Boyesen’s school, and has participated in the development of According to Heller, we can teach have the aim but not the training for body psychotherapy with his colleagues of the other practitioners (in other fields/ it. Gerda Boyesen thought she was European Association of Body Psychotherapy modalities) how to connect the treating the whole human being, but (EABP). He has participated in the creation of dimensions. Using the example of in fact she was only treating specific several journals in the field of body touch—the importance of touch in parts. She didn’t analyze behavior psychotherapy, and has occupied key posts in the EABP (Vice-president, chair of the Ethics our work—he says, “They (other like behaviorists or dreams like Committee and Scientific Committee). He is fields of psychotherapy) don’t know psychoanalysts. She had the ambition on the editorial committee of the International why touch is important. A to work on combination but not Body Psychotherapy Journal and an Associate psychoanalyst does not know more enough knowledge or techniques for Editor of Body, Dance and Movement in Psychotherapy. He publishes and teaches than baby touch. When doing a each. We need to train body regularly on clinical and research issues massage, you are not taking the client psychotherapists how to work with related to body and mind. He is now back to when he was in a baby body; the different dimensions together psychotherapist and supervisor in Lausanne, yoga, dancing, and meditation are not (e.g., combine movement with breath Switzerland, while continuing to teach and regressive. Touch may offer even work) in their work as well.” publish at an international level. more awareness and complexity than References what psychoanalysis assumes.” Michael C. Heller is a USA and Swiss citizen, born in Paris. He is a psychologist Heller, M. (2012). Body Psychotherapy: History, who has studied, as a researcher and a Concepts, Methods. New York, NY: W. W. We can teach others how to make the clinician, the relation between mind and body. Norton & Company, Inc. connections. However, Heller offers As a researcher, he has primarily studied the Stern, D. N. (2010). Forms of Vitality. Exploring a slight warning creating the space nonverbal behavior of suicidal and depressive Dynamic Experience in Psychology and the Arts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. for education. “We think we can patients in the Geneva University Psychiatric
Rolef Ben-Shahar cont. from page 24 Psychiatry section of the Royal Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2002b). Hypnosis and Society of Medicine and Psychiatry bodywork part II: Trancework in 1997. As a psychotherapist, his work is Special Interest Group of the Royal the body. AnchorPoint, 16(8), 30- relational body-psychotherapy, integrating College of Psychiatrists, London. 35. trancework and Reichian body-psychotherapy Dmochowski, S., Rolef Ben-Shahar, A., & Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2008a). Embodied within a relational framework. He enjoys Carleton, J. (2014). Body trances, relational hypnosis. The writing and has written dozens of professional Psychotherapy treatments for eating British Journal of Psychotherapy papers on psychotherapy, body- disorders. In G. Marlock, M. Soth, Integration, 5(1), 17-29. psychotherapy, hypnosis, and their H. Weiss & C. Young (Eds.), Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2008b). The integration. He is an international board Handbook of Body Psychotherapy. Woodpecker. Attachment: New member for Body-Psychotherapy Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Directions in Psychotherapy and Publications and an associate editor for (forthcoming). Relational Psychoanalysis, 2(2), Body, Dance and Movement in Freud, S. (1915). The Unconscious. In J. 216-224. Psychotherapy. His book, Touching the Strachey (Ed.), The Standard Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2013). Fairy wings and Relational Edge: Body Psychotherapy, Edition of the Complete the psychotherapeutic act: Who’s was published by Karnac in 2014. His Psychological Works of Sigmund regulating whom. Somatic Freud (Vol. 14). London: Hogarth Psychotherapy Today, 3, 50-53. PhD dissertation (Surrender to Flow), focused Press. Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2014). Touching the on the moments of surrender in three different Keleman, S. (2012). Forming an embodied Relational Edge. London: Karnac. fields: relational psychoanalysis, body- life: The difference between being Soth, M. (2005). Embodied psychotherapy and hypnosis, and these three bodied and forming an embodied countertransference. In N. Totton form the axes of his theoretical and clinical life. International Body (Ed.), New Dimensions in Body- curiosity. Psychotherapy Journal, 11(1), 51- Psychotherapy (pp. 40-55).
56. Maidenhead: Open University References Lewis, T., Amini, F., & Lannon, R. (2000). A Press. Asheri, S., Carroll, R., Rolef Ben-Shahar, A., General Theory of Love. New York: Taylor, K. (2004). Self-Relations in Soth, M., & Totton, N. (2012). Random House. holotropic states of consciousness: Relational body-psychotherapy Miller, A. (1981). The Drama of the Gifted Articulating the therapeutic panel presentation. The Body in the Child. New York: Basic Books. relationship in Holotropic World, The World in the Body - Mindell, A. (1982). Dreambody. Henley-on- Breathwork. In S. G. Gilligan & D. 13th International EABP congress Thames: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Simon (Eds.), Walking in Two of Body-Psychotherapy. Mindell, A. (2004). The Quantum Mind and Worlds (pp. 267-275). Phoenix: Cambridge: Owl Production. Healing. Charlottesville, VA: Zeig, Tucker & Theisen. Crowly, N. (2005, May 9th). Holotropic Hampton Roads. Totton, N. (2010). Being, having, and becoming Rolef Ben-Shahar, A. (2002a). Hypnosis and bodies Body, Movement and Dance in Breathwork - healing through a non Psychotherapy, 5(1), 21-30. -ordinary state of consciousness. bodywork part I: Trancework. Paper presented at the Hypnosis and AnchorPoint, 16(7), 18-22.
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Kamalamani continued from p. 35 Maybe in 2014 we can balance who we are on the inside and the outside, and found in nature. Her first book although in truth, such a distinction 'Meditating with Character', published in doesn't really exist. Find space to 2012, explores engaging with meditation tend to our rich inner world, through the lens of post-Reichian character positions. She is a steering occupying the space we take up and group member of the UK-based looking out for our fellow beings Psychotherapists and Counselors for near and far. Social Responsibility (PCSR) and editor of its in-house journal, 'Transformations'. Kamalamani is an Embodied- She co-facilitates Wild Therapy Relational therapist, supervisor, workshops with Nick Totton and facilitator and writer living and working meditation workshops based on her book. in Bristol, UK. She has been a practicing www.kamalamani.co.uk Buddhist since her early 20s and loves seeing how age-old teachings and References practices are relevant to contemporary life. She works at the interface of body (1) http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/ psychotherapy, ecopsychology and Learn/world%20hunger%20facts% pigeon-hole us, or rational men ecodharma, drawing upon her 202002.htm Accessed 14th January 2014. as economists like to depict us. No, experiences of being a development (2) http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/? worker in sub-Saharan Africa, a lecturer gclid=CKHVv_Tf_rsCFQMYwwodrRgAwg we're flesh and blood, beautifully Accessed 14th January 2014. in International Development at the messy, simple and complex beings. (3) http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/ University of Bristol, her current water/Accessed 14th January 2014. meditation practice and being a child lost
Rafel continued from page 61 bedside and the impact the music has that through our work we can help on the babies when played in the young parents to experience a bond powerful they are during this highly whole NICU. We will also measure that ensures greater health and well- formative time in the baby’s life. the experiences of the nurses and being in their babies lives and in parents as well. themselves. We currently have a hospital supported clinical trial targeted to I am amazed and most grateful for discover if the vitals of a premature that fateful day I sat at the piano and Lisa Rafel is an expert in Vocal Sound infant improve while being held by wrote the first song to my grandson. I Healing™, an author/composer/performer and their mother if only the mother is never imagined that it would lead us an international presenter on sound and listening to the Positive Intention toward forming a company that resonance, using intention for healing and transformation, and the benefits of music to Music™. Preliminary results are would be so personal and life enhance bonding/attachment. Lisa showing that every infant so far has affirming. I am developing creative founded Resonant Sounds, LLC to support the shown dramatic improvement. We are projects for premature and newborn connection between new parents and their about to begin additional trials at babies, toddlers, and especially for babies. Lisa has two children and six another hospital that includes their parents. That realization, while grandchildren. You can email her at discovering if our music can improve writing my daughter’s story, changed [email protected] and learn more at the vitals of premature infants at the the direction of my life. I am hoping www.lisarafel.com ©2014 Lisa Rafel
For more than 25 years, Gary Malkin has composed and produced music for media, including countless soundtracks and musical atmospheres for film, television and radio programming. Using the emotional language of music, he used his music to enhance the impact and create an alchemy between the visual or audio content by ending up with a multi-dimensional experience that was greater than the sum of the parts.
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