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the body as an ally
body psychotherapy
the body as an ally
body psychotherapy
body psychotherapy and counseling services

What is Body Psychotherapy?
What is Body Psychotherapy?
Body Psychotherapy centralizes the connection between body and mind and explores their interactions in a therapeutic context. Our body as well as our memory holds our life history. Think of how we can tell if someone is “shy” or “outgoing” merely by watching them enter a room. When we include the body in the therapeutic process, we connect to a deeper level of understanding of the ways that we move through life and navigate relationships.
-Susan Aposhyan-
-Susan Aposhyan-
“Communication specialists agree that 70% of communication occurs non-verbally. Therefore, the body is doing 70% of the work of therapy. The more that we become aware of our bodily processes, the more effective we are in both observing and communicating.”
“Communication specialists agree that 70% of communication occurs non-verbally. Therefore, the body is doing 70% of the work of therapy. The more that we become aware of our bodily processes, the more effective we are in both observing and communicating.”
History
History
Body psychotherapy reaches back to the 1920’s when Wilhelm Reich, a student and colleague of Sigmund Freud, noticed how the repression of feelings corresponded to the inhibition of the body. He developed the concept of ‘character armor’ - which describes how people develop fixed and rigid postures and patterns of relating in order to protect themselves against emotional pain.
Reich originated a range of complimentary approaches within psychoanalysis. And from this work, his students and clients went on to develop and diversity these concepts. Now, there are a variety of modern schools of body psychotherapy, such as bioenergetics (Alexander Lowen), Radix (Charles Kelly), Core Energetics (John Pierrakos), Integrative Body Psychotherapy (Jack Rosenberg), Emotional Anatomy (Stanley Keleman), Biodynamic Psychology (Gerda Boyesen), Hakomi (Ron Kurtz), and Biosynthesis (David Boadella).