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Body-oriented psychotherapy. Body-oriented therapy: theory and practice

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In recent years, body-oriented psychotherapy has gained wide recognition in our country among practical psychologists and psychotherapists. At the same time, not only the bodily and breathing techniques of Eastern teachings (for example, Patanjali’s yoga), but also the therapeutic concepts of the unity of the psyche and body of European researchers, among whom it is necessary to mention the name of Wilhelm Reich, receive deserved attention. According to Reich, neurotic and psychosomatic problems are the result of stagnation of biological energy, sexual in nature, which he called orgone. Stagnation leads to the fixation of energy blocks on one or another muscle group, creating tension in them that becomes chronic over time. This is how it appears "muscle shell", which can be considered the universal equivalent of emotional suppression. The “muscle shell” becomes the basis for the formation "character armor", which creates fertile ground for the development of a neurotic character. According to Reich, in the “muscular shell” one can distinguish seven main protective segments, forming a series of seven rings that cross the body in a horizontal plane. They are located in the area of the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, diaphragm, lower back and pelvis(this causes strong associations with the seven chakras of yoga). Reichian body therapy is aimed primarily at restoring the free flow of energy through the body by “unraveling the shell” in each segment. To achieve this goal, three main techniques are used:

1. deep breathing, through which energy accumulates;

2. manual influence for chronic muscle clamps(massage, pressure, touching, stroking, kneading muscles);

3. verbal analysis and frank elaboration together with the patient, the causes of muscle tension.

One of the body-oriented psychotherapists should include M. Feldenkrais, who believed that any emotional state is imprinted on the matrices of the neuromuscular system and generates chronic blocks in them, which, in turn, have a negative effect on the psyche. In his opinion, as a result of the emergence of this vicious circle, the deformation of the self-image intensifies, it becomes amorphous and unstructured. The Feldenkrais method “is one of the approaches to bodily therapy, which is aimed at affirming and structuring the image of the Self, expanding self-awareness, perception and development of one’s own capabilities.” In training for the development of self-awareness, bodily therapy techniques are used quite actively due to their effectiveness in relieving some psychosomatic symptoms, as well as for overcoming physical and mental stress, creating a feeling of liberation and freedom, which, in turn, allows you to activate personal resources in relation to psychological growth and process self-knowledge.

In recent years, body-oriented psychotherapy has gained wide recognition in our country among practical psychologists and psychotherapists. At the same time, not only the bodily and breathing techniques of Eastern teachings (for example, Patanjali’s yoga), but also the therapeutic concepts of the unity of mind and body of European researchers, among whom it is extremely important to mention the name of Wilhelm Reich, receive deserved attention. According to Reich, neurotic and psychosomatic problems are the result of stagnation of biological energy, sexual in nature, which he called orgone. Stagnation leads to the fixation of energy blocks on any muscle group, creating tension in them that becomes chronic over time. This is how it appears "muscle shell", which can be considered the universal equivalent of emotional suppression. The “muscle shell” becomes the basis for the formation "character armor", which creates fertile ground for the development of a neurotic character. According to Reich, in the “muscular shell” one can distinguish seven basic protective segments, forming a series of seven rings that cross the body in a horizontal plane. Οʜᴎ are located in the area of the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, diaphragm, lower back and pelvis(this causes strong associations with the seven chakras of yoga).

Reichian body therapy is aimed primarily at restoring the free flow of orgone energy through the body by “unraveling the shell” in each segment. To achieve this goal, three main techniques are used:

1. deep breathing, energy accumulates through ĸᴏᴛᴏᴩᴏᴇ;

2. manual influence for chronic muscle tension (massage, pressure, touching, stroking, kneading muscles);

3. verbal analysis and frank elaboration together with the patient, the causes of muscle tension.

In training for the development of self-awareness, bodily therapy techniques are used quite actively due to their effectiveness in relieving some psychosomatic symptoms, as well as for overcoming physical and mental stress, creating a feeling of liberation and freedom, which, in turn, allows you to activate personal resources in relation to psychological growth and the process of self-discovery.

At the same time, studies by S. Jurard, L. Johnson and others.
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found a high positive correlation between body satisfaction and self-satisfaction, and self-satisfaction is, in our opinion, a psychological mechanism of the behavioral substructure of self-awareness.

Methods of group work in neurolinguistic programming (NLP)

Group work in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is most often used to teach effective communication. The range of NLP applications in the West is quite wide: psychotherapy, education, organizational activities, etc. We are primarily interested in the possibility of using group NLP methods in order to develop self-awareness. Since the provisions of neurolinguistic programming, in our opinion, are not sufficiently covered in the domestic literature, we will dwell on this approach in more detail.

Under Neuro-Linguistic Programming its authors - R. Bandler and D. Grinder - understand the process of modeling internal human experience and interpersonal communication by highlighting the structure of the process. NLP is a synthesis of successful training strategies and uses methods used by the best psychotherapists of all disciplines. Bandler and Grinder themselves point to this when discussing their method of structured regression (changing personal history): “Indeed, there is no difference between what we do and what Gestalt therapists do when they make people travel into the past. The resolution process in transactional analysis is also similar to this.” (1993, p. 128).

One of the main differences between NLP and other psychological directions is the lack of any interest in the content of communication processes, but instead the study of the structure of the process: all the successive steps of the interaction program or internal action of the most effective communicators. It is extremely important to describe this structure based only on the categories of sensory experience, in which neurolinguistic programmers distinguish three main modalities - visual, auditory and kinesthetic. “Cleansing” and sharpening of one’s own sensory channels by a psychotherapist working in the field of NLP is the most important condition for adequate understanding of non-verbal responses to his questions on the part of clients. The possibility is based on the same condition effective use NLP methods in all other areas of human life.

The most meaningful indicators of nonverbal responses in the process of communication in NLP are considered to be stereotypes of oculomotor reactions, which are associated with the predominance of a certain modality in the structure of a person’s internal experience. So, for example, the upward movement of the interlocutor's eyes to the right speaks, according to Bandler and Grinder, of visual memories. These nonverbal cues reveal to us representative, leading and referent interlocutor systems. By “master system,” NLP authors mean the system used to find specific information. A “representative system” is something that has already been introduced into consciousness and designated by certain words. “The reference system is what you use to decide whether the information you know is true or false” (Grinder D., Bandler R., 1993, p. 28).

These systems can also be determined by specific predicates used in human speech (for example: “I I see this problem is so...", "prospects for me clear", "question illuminated from all sides”, etc.).

Studying the structure of subjective experience is extremely important for neurolinguistic programmers in order to help a person change his behavior. According to Bandler and Grinder, almost all psychological problems arise in people due to the subjective impossibility of breaking out of the chains of habitual behavior patterns. A person in any situation must have at least three choices, otherwise he becomes a slave to one single program. “If you understand the order of what steps the process consists of, then you can change the order of the steps, change their content, introduce a new step or remove one of the existing ones” (Grinder D., Bandler R., 1993, p. 68).

One of the most powerful tools used for this purpose in NLP is setting the "anchor". By this term, Bandler and Grinder mean the introduction of an additional component into any sensory system of a person, establishing a connection between a certain state of consciousness of a person and some action of a psychologist. Most often, the kinesthetic system is used for this. The psychophysiological mechanism of “anchoring” is Pavlovian conditioned reflexes. For example, at a moment of strong joyful excitement of the client, the psychologist touches his left shoulder. When this touch is repeated with the same pressure at the same point and the client will not have this moment stronger competing states of consciousness, the experience of joy will again arise. The introduction of the necessary “anchor” during the operation of a person’s stereotypical (and harmful) program “knocks down” this program and rebuilds it.

Thanks to such reprogramming of behavior, a person develops a wide range of possibilities in which he does best choice.
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Here it is extremely important to note another specific feature of NLP: in this direction of practical psychology, unconditional preference is given to the subconscious choice of behavior options. If psychologists and psychotherapists of other schools see their task as helping people understand problems, the causes of their occurrence and consciously searching for ways to solve them, then neurolinguistic programmers consider the main thing to be to join the client’s subconscious mind, bypassing his consciousness, to communicate with the subconscious mind , and, as mentioned above, try to change the strategy of the subconscious without delving into the content of the problems of this particular person. They are based on the belief that “people have the resources they need to change if they are helped to access these resources in the appropriate context” (Grinder D., Bandler R., 1993, p. 143).

Neurolinguistic programmers disdain all reflexive actions, awareness of themselves and their capabilities, but in fact, by teaching psychotherapists, clients, managers methods of effective communication, they build a path to the choice of subconscious reactions and flexibility of behavior through self-awareness of internal states and stereotypes , through the conscious development of certain strategies. Only later do these skills become automatic and subconscious, rising to the level of “unconscious competence.”

However, this approach can also be considered as a kind of new one, unusual way development of self-awareness.

Neuro-linguistic programming is a powerful tool that can be used effectively in education. As Bandler and Grinder note, many schoolchildren fail precisely because there is a mismatch between the primary representative systems of the student and the teacher. If neither the student nor the teacher are flexible enough to adapt, no learning occurs. A teacher who masters NLP methods turns out to be the owner of a wide range of behavior strategies that allow him to show maximum flexibility in the processes of communication with students. In our opinion, this indicates a high level of development of professional self-awareness, and above all, in its behavioral aspect. To achieve success in pedagogical interaction between teacher and students, you should heed the advice of Bandler and Grinder: “If you want to benefit them, then, having joined their model, you need to superimpose another model on it in order to expand their opportunity to learn " (1993, p. 40).

Due to the clarity of the proposed recommendations, their amazing effectiveness, combined with minimal time expenditure, neurolinguistic programming methods can be used in almost any psychotechnology (which, by the way, Bandler and Grinder themselves point out). As experience shows, these methods and techniques are especially effective in group work and the development of self-awareness.

At the same time, one cannot help but pay attention to the real-life danger of incorrect and unethical use of NLP methods for manipulative purposes, since a very common technique in this area is introducing group members into a trance state of consciousness, in which almost any behavioral programs can be introduced through “anchoring.” For this reason, working in NLP techniques leaves it up to the psychotherapist or psychologist to ethically use these techniques. However, this remark can be attributed to many of the most effective techniques from other psychological areas.

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Let us turn to the concept of “corporality”. The concepts of “body” and “corporality” are key in body-oriented psychotherapy. “Corporeality” is not only the core - the body itself, but also its time dimension (past, present, future), and the space around the core, including various phenomena of consciousness - traditions, desires, needs. It is extremely important that the body is a fundamental value of human life and is of paramount importance in life processes. The body is an initial given in the life of a born child. As he develops, it is his body that he first of all isolates from reality. Later body is structured as the basis of the personality and its consciousness and is perceived as “I”. It is the bodily and sensory experience that becomes the foundation of mental development and self-knowledge. This is true both in phylogenetic and ontogenetic aspects.

Corporality, one or another way of perceiving the world of corporeality, constitutes the basis of a person’s primary experience, the basis of the structure of human self-awareness.

Body-oriented psychotherapy is a group of psychotherapeutic methods focused on studying the body, the client's awareness of bodily sensations, exploring how needs, desires and feelings manifest themselves in various bodily states, and teaching realistic ways to solve problems in this area.

The body-oriented method of psychotherapy works with a wide range of problems:
difficulties of personal growth and development;
experiencing crises and stress;
neuroses, fears, depression;
chronic fatigue, physical and mental stress, sleep disturbances;
addictions in relationships;
difficulties in relationships with people, lack of self-confidence;
dissatisfaction with oneself and the world;
difficulties in sexual relationships;
problems associated with finding oneself and the meaning of life;
and others.

Body-oriented psychotherapy was started by Wilhelm Reich, a student of Sigmund Freud, who moved away from psychoanalysis and focused on effects on the body.

His work was continued by Ida Rolf (founder of Rolfing), Gerda Boyesen (founder of biodynamics), Franz Alexander (one of the founders of psychosomatic medicine), Marion Rosen, founder of the Rosen method, and Alexander Lowen (one of the founders of bioenergetic analysis). In Russia, the Feldenkrais Method is also commonly referred to as body-oriented psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy. Textbook for medical students memory

Karvasarsky B.

1. Characteristic analysis of Reich

Wilhelm Reich - Austrian psychiatrist, representative of neo-psychoanalysis. He proposed a personality structure consisting of three independent levels.
The “superficial level” is formed by socially approved forms of interpersonal communications under the influence of the social values of society. The “intermediate level” represents impulses, including aggressive-sadistic drives and libido drives. The “deep level” is natural-social impulses that have a truly human character; here a person is emotionally healthy, harmonious, capable of sincere love.

According to Reich, under the influence of the social structure of bourgeois society, natural-social impulses are transformed into aggressive tendencies. Their blocking and masking at the surface level of the personality in the form of social conformity leads to the formation of a neurotic character. Reich saw the immediate cause of the emergence of a neurotic character in the social and cultural conditions of a person’s existence in society. That is, neurosis and neurotic character are a disease of human existence in specific historical and social conditions.

According to Reich's theory, character consists of a person's habitual positions and attitudes, a constant set of his reactions to various situations, includes conscious attitudes and values, behavior style, physical postures, habits, etc.

Reich believed that a person's character includes a constant "set" of defenses.
Chronic muscle tension blocks 3 main emotional states: anxiety, anger and sexual arousal. Reich came to the conclusion that the muscular and psychological armor are one and the same. Chronic tension blocks the energy flows that underlie strong emotions. The protective shell prevents a person from experiencing strong emotions, limiting and distorting the expression of feelings. Emotions blocked in this way are never eliminated because they cannot fully express themselves. These blocks (muscle clamps) distort and destroy natural feelings, in particular suppress sexual feelings, and interfere with a full orgasm. According to Reich, complete liberation from a blocked emotion occurs only after it is deeply experienced.

Reich began by applying the technique of characteristic analysis to physical postures.
He analyzed in detail the patient's postures and physical habits to make patients aware of how they suppressed vital feelings in various parts of the body. Reich asked patients to strengthen a particular clamp in order to become more aware of it, feel it and identify the emotion that is connected to this part of the body. He saw that only after the repressed emotion finds expression can the patient completely give up chronic tension or pressure.

Reich constantly tried to make patients aware of their characteristic features. He often imitated their characteristic features or postures, or asked the patients themselves to repeat or exaggerate a pattern of behavior - for example, a nervous smile.
When patients stop taking their characteristic way behavior as a matter of course, their motivation to change increases.

He believed that every characteristic attitude has a corresponding physical posture, and that the character of the individual is expressed in his body in the form of muscular rigidity or muscular armor.

Reich believed that chronic tension blocks the energy flows that underlie strong emotions. The protective shell prevents a person from experiencing strong emotions, limits and distorts the expression of feelings. By
Reihu, a person can free himself from a blocked emotion only by fully experiencing it; Moreover, negative emotions must be worked through before the positive feelings that they replace can be experienced.

Reich emphasized the importance of releasing, relaxing the muscular armor in addition to analyzing psychological material, because he viewed mind and body as an indissoluble unity. Reich sought to unravel the protective armor, the blocks of feeling that distort a person's psychological and physical functioning; considered therapy as a means of restoring the free flow of energy through the body through the systematic release of blocks in the muscular armor, and therefore called his method of treating neuroses “biophysical orgone therapy.”

When working with the muscle armor, Reich discovered that the release of chronically tight muscles often gives rise to special physical sensations - a feeling of warmth or cold, tingling, itching or emotional uplift. He believed that these sensations resulted from the release of vegetative or biological energy.

Reich believed that the muscular armor consists of 7 main protective segments, consisting of muscles and organs of corresponding functions. These segments form a series of 7 horizontal rings at right angles to the spine. The main segments of the shell are located in the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, diaphragm, abdomen and pelvis.

Reichian therapy consists primarily of opening the shell in each segment, starting with the eyes and ending with the pelvis:

1. Eyes. The protective armor in the eye area is manifested in the immobility of the forehead and the “empty” expression of the eyes. Blooming is accomplished by opening the eyes as wide as possible, as well as free eye movements, rotation and looking from side to side.

2. Mouth. The oral segment includes the muscles of the chin, throat and back of the head. This segment holds the emotional expression of crying, screaming, anger, biting, sucking, grimacing. The protective shell can be relaxed by the client by imitating crying, making sounds that mobilize the lips, biting, gagging, and by directly working the relevant muscles.

3. Neck. This segment includes the neck muscles and tongue. The protective shell mainly holds out anger, screaming and crying. The means of opening the shell are screams, screams, vomiting, etc.

4. Chest (broad muscles of the chest, muscles of the shoulders, shoulder blades, chest, arms and hands). This segment holds back laughter, sadness, and passion. Holding your breath, which is important means suppression of any emotion is carried out largely in the chest. The shell can be released by working on breathing, especially by fully exhaling.

5. Diaphragm. This segment includes the diaphragm, solar plexus, various internal organs, and muscles of the lower vertebrae. The shell here holds mainly strong anger. The first four segments need to be largely dissolved before moving on to dissolve the fifth by working with the breath and the gag reflex.

6. Belly. The abdominal segment includes the broad abdominal muscles and the back muscles.
Tension of the lumbar muscles is associated with the fear of attack. The protective shell is associated with the suppression of anger and hostility.

7. Pelvis (all muscles of the pelvis and lower limbs). The stronger the protective shell, the more the pelvis is stretched back, sticking out backwards. The pelvic shell serves to suppress excitement, anger, and pleasure. The shell can be released by mobilizing the pelvis and then kicking the legs and hitting the couch with the pelvis.

Reich's therapy consists primarily of opening the shell in each segment, from the eyes to the pelvis. Each segment is more or less independent and can be worked on separately. 3 types of means are used to open the shell:

Accumulation of energy in the body through deep breathing;

Direct impact on chronic muscle tension through pressure, pinching, etc.;

Openly exploring with the client the resistances and emotional limitations that are identified.

Reich discovered that as patients became capable of full “genital surrender,” their entire being and lifestyle changed fundamentally.

The techniques of breathing, emotional liberation, and increasing tension in blocked areas of the body developed by Reich formed the basis for:

Bioenergy

Structural integration (rolfing)

and other psychotechnics.

Thus, Reich was actually a pioneer in the field of body psychology and body-oriented psychotherapy.

2. Structural integration (rolfing)

The method of structural integration (or “rolfing”) was developed by Ida Rolf. It is a direct physical intervention used for psychological modification of personality, but is based on Reich's psychotherapeutic views.

According to Rolf, a well-functioning body remains straight and upright with a minimum of energy expenditure, despite the force of gravity, but under the influence of stress it can adapt to the latter and become distorted.
The most dramatic changes occur in the fascia - the connective membrane covering the muscles.

Structural integration is a system that strives to return the body correct position and correct lines through deep and often painful stretching of the muscular fascia accompanied by direct deep pressure.

The goal of structural integration is to bring the body into better muscular balance, into better alignment with the lines of gravity, closer to an optimal posture that can draw a straight line through the ear, shoulder, hip and ankle. This leads to a balanced distribution of the weight of the main parts of the body - the pores of the head, chest, pelvis and legs - leading to more graceful and efficient movements.

Rolfing works primarily with the fascia, the connective tissue that supports and connects the muscles and skeletal system. Rolf pointed out that psychological trauma or even minor physical damage can result in small but permanent changes to the body. Bones or muscle turn out to be slightly displaced, and the build-up of connective tissue prevents them from returning to place. Violation of the lines occurs not only at the site of direct damage, but also at fairly distant points of the body in order to compensate. For example, if a person unknowingly spares an injured shoulder for a long time, it can affect the neck, the other shoulder, the hips.

The purpose of Rolfing is to manipulate the muscle fascia and relax it so that the surrounding tissue can move into the correct position. The therapy process is based on deep massage using the fingers, knuckles and elbows. This massage can be very painful. The greater the tension, the greater the pain and the greater the need for such manipulation. Due to the interconnection of fascia throughout the body, tension in one area has a pronounced functional compensatory effect on other areas.

Certain types of emotional problems are often associated with specific areas of the body. Massaging the relevant area of the body relieves tension and leads to emotional release. The Rolfing procedure is often associated with pain and the possibility of structural damage to the body. The method is especially effective in cases where “ muscle armor” and the tension reaches a significant degree.

The Rolfing procedure consists of 10 main sessions, during which the reorganization of movement in the joints occurs. As in Reich's therapy, the pelvis is of primary importance for overall health. During structural integration sessions the following work is typically performed:

Working on specific areas of the body often releases old memories and promotes deep emotional releases. At the same time, the goal of Rolfing is primarily physical integration; the psychological aspects of the process do not become the subject of special attention. Many who have combined Rolfing with some form of psychological therapy or growth work have noted that Rolfing helps release psychological and emotional blocks, facilitating progress in other areas.

3. Bioenergetic analysis of Lowen + (see question 20)

Lowen was greatly influenced by Reich, with whom he was a student.
Bioenergetics has its origins in the system of orgone therapy proposed by Reich, which Lowen worked on in 1945–1953, and is directly related to it. In 1953, he became one of the founders of the Institute of Bioenergy Analysis. For a number of years, Lowen led seminars in Esalen (California), gave lectures, led groups and seminars in
America and Europe. He is the author of several books, the most famous of them are “Physical Dynamics of Character Structure”, “Bioenergetics”, etc.

The main focus of Lowen's body-oriented technique is the study of the functions of the body in their relation to the psyche. According to Lowen, personality and character are reflected in the physical structure, neuroses are manifested in the physical appearance - in the structure of the body and movements. The premise of bioenergetic analysis is the position that the sensations that a person experiences from his own body and which are manifested in movements serve as the key to understanding the emotional state. Movement is considered from the point of view of basic physical laws. The single energy contained in the body manifests itself in both mental phenomena and movements; this energy is bioenergy. The goal of bioenergy therapy is the reunification of consciousness and body, for which it is necessary to get rid of the obstacles that prevent the body from spontaneously releasing tension.

The system of psychotherapy proposed by Lowen helps to free the body from tension resulting from its incorrect position.
According to Lowen, rigidity in the body prevents the free circulation of energy. The bioenergetic concept is based on the assertion that people are, first of all, bodies that store tension and release it. Healthy man has “contact with the soil” and enjoys life. In a sick body, free circulation of energy does not occur, which is hampered by bodily rigidity, which manifests itself in the form of muscle tightness and forms areas of tension in the body.
The therapy provides stress relief through physical exercise and certain poses aimed at unblocking these zones and relaxing the muscular armor.

An important element Bioenergy therapy is learning how to become “grounded” and merge with nature. Bioenergetics emphasizes the need for “grounding” or rooting in the physical, emotional and intellectual processes of a person. Bioenergetic work often focuses on the legs and pelvis to establish a better, more rooted connection with the earth.

Lowen took into account Reich's mistakes and used more acceptable terms: bioenergy instead of orgone (which was perceived with hostility by the scientific community), so his work met with less resistance. Bioenergy in the USA is more widespread than the Reich method.

4. Primary Yanov therapy
Arthur Yanov is an American psychologist who, in the late 60s, formulated the main provisions of “primary therapy”, which was developed in the activities
Institute of Primary Care in Los Angeles.

Primary therapy is based on the idea that trauma experienced in childhood and repressed during adulthood, as well as early unmet needs, lead to neuroses and psychoses. Yanov calls these injuries primary. They are stored in humans in the form of tension or transformed into mechanisms psychological protection. Primary traumas and unmet needs prevent natural progression through all stages of development that every person goes through, preventing them from becoming
“real”, prevent a person’s normal access to his feelings.
Stress associated with primary traumas can lead to psychosomatic illnesses.

Primary therapy is based on the fact that a person must re-experience the primary trauma, return to the situation that caused it, and free himself from it by screaming. The goal of primary therapy is to get rid of everything “unreal” that causes a person to drink alcohol, drugs, smoke, or make rash, uninformed decisions simply because he cannot otherwise cope with ever-increasing internal tension. These regressive and neurotic reactions force a person to live in the past without changing or changing the way he perceives the world. The words and actions of such a person are determined by his neurosis, since he is not free from feelings that arose in some situations in the past. Training in primary therapy is necessary in order to identify feelings and sensations caused by early traumas, express them and experience therapeutic changes.

Primary therapy is used to treat clients of all ages, both adolescents and adults. It depends on the client how much he will be able to come into contact with those feelings that arose as a result of primary suffering. Primary therapy involves following a rigid set of instructions and breaking away from habits acquired through pent-up tension. The first phase of psychotherapy lasts approximately three weeks, and during this time you cannot attend school or work. The course of treatment is very intensive
– the patient is treated daily for up to 3 hours a day. At the end of the third week, the client is included in the work of the primary therapeutic group, which meets 2-3 times a week for 8-12 months.

A carefully planned primary therapy process begins with a discussion of the client's problems with a specially qualified psychotherapist. During psychotherapeutic sessions, early memories, grievances and wounds are revealed. The psychotherapist encourages the client to “physically” relive them, causing the manifestation of tension, psychological defense, etc. The main task at this stage is to gradually weaken the psychological defense. When a client begins work in a psychotherapeutic group, the discussion of his problems continues; he now enters into a wide variety of relationships with other group members, which may contribute to the experience of a greater number of primary emotions than in individual psychotherapy. Clients recall traumatic events from early childhood, up to and including birth. The task of the psychotherapist at this stage is to guide the client in searching for exactly those events that caused these destructive feelings, without the expression of which healing is impossible.

Group psychotherapy is combined with deep breathing training to help participants get rid of shallow, neurotic breathing and move closer to the experience of primary suffering. The psychotherapist also works to change the client's manner of speech, which is seen as one of defense mechanisms. The purpose of these and many other techniques is to enable a person to get in touch with primary experiences and gain the ability to express those feelings that he has become aware of.

Clients who complete primary therapy release the burden of previous suffering and begin to cope better life situations, without needing such a high degree of recognition and acceptance by other people. Their actions acquire meaning and become “real,” which contributes to the acquisition of mental comfort and social status. Release from tension and a new sense of self allow the client who has completed primary therapy to more accurately assess his emotional and physical state in any situation.

To be “real,” according to Yanov, means to be free from anxiety, depression, phobias, to be able to live in the present, without the obsessive desire to satisfy one’s needs.

Primal therapy was one of the first psychotherapies to radically move away from psychoanalysis, placing greater emphasis on focusing on feelings and experiencing the wholeness of the self.

5. Alexander method

Franz Mathias Alexander was an Australian actor. He suffered from recurring loss of voice for which there was no organic reasons.
Through prolonged self-observation, he discovered that the loss of voice was associated with a pressing backward and downward movement of the head. Having learned to suppress this tendency, Alexander stopped suffering from laryngitis; in addition, eliminating the pressure on his neck had a positive effect on his entire body.
Working on himself, Alexander created a technique for teaching integrated movements, based on a balanced relationship between the head and the spine.

Alexander believed that the prerequisite for free natural movements is the greatest natural stretch of the spine. Method formula
Alexander: “Release the neck to allow the head to move forward and upward to allow more lengthening and expansion.”

The goal is not to try to engage in any muscular activity; the student strives to allow the body to automatically and naturally adapt during the concentrated repetition of the formula: and in the lesson - when responding to the guiding movements of the teacher. During the lesson, movements taken from normal daily activities are worked through, and the student gradually learns to apply the principles of the technique. Balance between the head and spine provides relief from physical tension and tension, improves posture lines and creates better muscle coordination. On the other hand, a violation of these relationships creates tension, distortion of body lines, and spoils the coordination of movements. Alexander Technique lessons provide gradual, subtle guidance in mastering the more effective and satisfying use of the body. The leader must be able to see various blocks that impede the free movements of the body, and anticipate movements with preliminary unnecessary tension. By guiding the adaptation of the student's body in small movements, the teacher gradually gives him the experience of acting and resting in an integrated, collected and effective manner.

Alexander's classes typically focus on sitting, standing, and walking, in addition to what is called “table work,” where the student lies down and experiences a sensation of energy flow in the teacher's hands that lengthens and expands the body. This work should give the student a feeling of freedom and spaciousness in all ligaments, an experience that gradually weans a person from the clamps and tensions in the ligaments generated by excessive tension in Everyday life. The Alexander Technique is especially popular among creative people, but is also used effectively to treat some injuries and chronic diseases.

Alexander's psychotechnics helps people who use their bodies incorrectly and ineffectively to avoid these irregularities in action and at rest. “Use” refers to habits of holding and moving the body, habits that directly affect a person's physical, mental, and emotional functioning.

6. Feldenkrais Method

Moshe Feldenkrais worked with F.M. Alexander, studied yoga, Freudianism,
Gurdjieff, neurology, was a judo specialist; His method is designed to restore the natural grace and freedom of movement that all young children possess. Feldenkrais techniques are working with muscle movement patterns to help a person find the most effective method movements and eliminate unnecessary muscle tension and ineffective patterns that have become habits over the years.

Feldenkrais developed many exercises that vary from lesson to lesson.
(they are systematized and described in detail in the book “Awareness through Movement”). They usually start with small movements that gradually combine into larger and more complex patterns. The goal is to develop ease and freedom of movement in every part of the body.

Feldenkrais points out that it is necessary to take greater responsibility for yourself, understand how the body works, and learn to live in accordance with your natural constitution and abilities. Every action involves muscle activity. Feldenkrais emphasizes the need to learn to relax and find your own rhythm in order to overcome bad habits in using the body. People need to let loose, play, experiment with movement to learn something new; but while they are under pressure, in tension, in a hurry, they can only repeat old patterns. Feldenkrais exercises typically break down a seemingly simple activity into a series of related movements in order to identify an old pattern and develop a new, more efficient way of performing the same activity.

Every human activity goes through three stages. The first is the natural way. Next comes the individual stage, where many people develop their own special and personal way of doing things that comes naturally. Finally, the third stage of the studied method begins, in which the action is performed in accordance with a system or a special method, and ceases to be natural.

The learned systematic method has the advantage of efficiency and the ability to develop a high level of performance. According to Feldenkrais, the predominance of formal learning in our civilization leads to the predominance of professionalism in those areas that have been natural throughout human history. Therefore, the goal of Feldenkrais work is to create in the body the ability to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through increasing muscular strength, but through increasing understanding of how the body works.

By balancing the cortex and reducing the level of arousal, Feldenkrais discovered that we can achieve extremely expanded awareness and become able to try new combinations of movements that were not possible when the connections between the cortex and the musculature were locked into prescribed limited patterns.

7. Sensory awareness

This psychotechnics was developed in the USA by S. Selver and C. Brooks, based on the works of E. Gindler and H. Jacobi. The technique is aimed at studying the holistic organic functioning in the world that a person perceives, of which we are a part. For a therapist working in this tradition, the “personal ecology” of a person is of interest: how he performs actions, how he relates to people, situations and objects. He seeks to find what is natural in this functioning and what is conditioned; what is a product of the evolutionary development of human nature, and what has become “second nature” that isolates him.

Sensory awareness is the process of learning to get back in touch with the body and senses, with abilities that one had as a child but lost during formal training.
Parents react to children in terms of their own ideas and preferences, rather than trying to sense what might help the child's actual development. Another problem in children's experience is effort: parents do not want to wait for the natural development of their children's abilities, and teach them to “try.”

The work of sensory awareness focuses on direct perception, learning to distinguish own feelings and sensations from culturally and socially instilled images. Many exercises in this system are based on everyday human activity - to open the relationship to the environment, to develop conscious awareness of what a person is doing. Another aspect of sensory awareness involves relating to others. Most of the exercises in the system have an internal, meditative orientation.

Other methods

I will briefly talk about other psychotechniques used in body-oriented psychotherapy, but which have received relatively less fame.

For example, “biosynthesis”. Its specificity lies in its respectful attitude towards the client’s problems. Distinctive feature biosynthesis – in-depth study by the therapist; the therapist must constantly feel very subtly what is happening with the client, which is the key to productive work.

My separate abstract (on group psychotherapy) was devoted to the method of dance and movement therapy. In short, the instrument here is dance; Dance here refers to any natural movement of the body or natural position. By real dance we mean language that conveys feelings, the way people deal with them. Exploring the language of movement opens up a new diversity of physical, emotional and spiritual life.

A method called “thanatotherapy” was developed by Vladimir Baskakov and translated means “healing by death.” This is a way of therapeutically using the “healing properties of death.” Specific techniques that accurately simulate the situation of death make it possible to experience deep states, as a result of which many things are re-evaluated and many problems find their solution. Any fear, ultimately, is the fear of dying, and thanatotherapy is one of possible ways working with your own fears.
In this case, only body-oriented techniques are used, and this is the uniqueness of this method. In fact, this method is even more related to transpersonal psychotherapy.

Contraindications to body-oriented forms of psychotherapy: oncology, recent injuries, fractures, pregnancy, victims of sexual violence, skin diseases with significant damage to the skin.

List of used literature:

1. “Anthology on body-oriented psychotherapy and psychotechnics”

(edited by V. Baskakov). M., 1997. 2nd edition.

2. K. Rudestam. “Group psychotherapy.” St. Petersburg, 1998.

3. “Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia” (edited by B. Karvasarsky).

4. A. Lowen. “Physical dynamics of character structure.” M., 1996.

5. D. Fadiman, R. Frager. “Personality and personal growth.” M, 1994.

Reich V. Character analysis / trans. from English E. Field. - M: April Press: EKSMO-Press, 2000. - 528 p. - (Series “Psychological Collection”).

Sandomirsky M. E. Psychosomatics and bodily psychotherapy. - M.: Independent company "Class", 2005. - 592 p. - ISBN 5-86375-059-6.

Topic No. 18. Body-oriented psychotherapy.

Basic approaches to working with the body.

Body-oriented psychotherapy is an ambiguously understood direction of psychotherapy, the goal of which is to change a person’s mental functioning using body-oriented methodological techniques.

The lack of a coherent theory, a clear understanding of the features of the impact and principles of application of body-oriented techniques leads to an unreasonable expansion of the boundaries of body-oriented psychotherapy.

There are currently at least 15 different approaches described as “bodywork.” Some of them are purely psychotherapeutic in nature, while others are more accurately defined as therapies whose main goal is bodily health. The practice of combined methods such as Rolfing, bioenergetics and Gestalt therapy is widespread; Alexander methods, Feldenkrais method and Gestalt therapy (method); hypnosis, applied kinesiology;

Primary Janow Therapy, Reich Therapy and Gestalt Therapy.

The most famous types of body-oriented psychotherapy are Reich's characterological analysis, Lowen's bioenergetic analysis, Feldenkrais's concept of bodily awareness, Alexander's method of movement integration, Selver and Brooks' method of sensory awareness, Rolf's structural integration, etc.

Less known in our country are the techniques of biosynthesis, bonding, the Rosen method, and Baskakov’s “thanatotherapy” technique.

Body-oriented psychotherapy arose on the basis of practical experience and many years of observation of the relationship between the spiritual and the physical in the functioning of the body. To a greater extent than other areas of psychotherapy, it adheres to a holistic approach, the need for the development of which is constantly increasing. Overcoming the dualism of body and mind and returning to a holistic personality leads to profound changes in the understanding of human behavior.

The most “expensive” thing you have is

it is your own body.

Body-oriented psychotherapy

The body-oriented approach is a combination of practical work with the body and a psychological component.

The body-oriented approach is based on the idea that there is a connection between the body and human consciousness.
The body-oriented approach uses techniques and exercises aimed at releasing muscle tension in the body, which leads to the resolution of many psychological problems, "coded" in the body.
When a person experiences traumatic experiences, suppressed emotions, internal conflicts, or receives psychological trauma, the unresolved problem remains in the body, in the form of blocks and clamps that bind the person in a shell. A person begins to move, react, and live in a new way. From this stage, it is not the person who controls his body and dumps his unresolved problems into it, but the body forces the person to live based on its capabilities. The memory of a traumatic experience is repressed into the unconscious and makes itself felt in the form of physical pain and negative emotions. To remove negative past experiences from the body map and release blocked energy, there are techniques and exercises aimed at exploring and changing habits rooted in the client's bodily expression.

How is this method different from others?

The advantage of the body-oriented approach is that it is not subject to censorship of the client’s consciousness, which means it worksfaster and more effective than “verbal” techniques. This method allows you to very carefullyapproach the roots of problems that sometimes you don’t want to talk about, find the source of the problems and process it.

How does a specialist work in a body-oriented approach?

The body-centered approach uses group and/or individual work.
While working in a body-oriented approach, a specialist, with the help various techniques affects muscle tension, helps release pent-up unresolved problems, feelings that “live” in the body, helps change unconstructive bodily, and with them, psychological habits that interfere with a person in different areas of life. At the same time, working with the body is aimed not only at solving psychological problems, but also at the general improvement of the body.

In what cases is body-oriented psychotherapy necessary and especially effective?

1. Loss of contact with own body(“it’s there, but I don’t feel it”).

2. Loss of sensitivity in individual parts of the body.

3. Constant feeling of pain and tension in the body.

4. The presence of injuries that resulted in impaired motor activity, especially during the rehabilitation period.

5. Problems with coordination of movements, sense of boundaries. (“I often miss turns, hang on to corners, rarely hit the target if I throw something, am unsteady on my feet, can’t walk on curbs, etc.”).

6. Poor posture.

7. Obsessive states.

8. Delayed physical and mental development (the body seems to be stuck at a certain age and does not want to grow).

9. Emotional imbalance (difficulty containing or expressing emotions).

10. Visible lack of stability in life.

11. Experienced violence, including sexual violence.

12. Acute grief, unexperienced grief, fear of losing loved ones.

13. Fear of death.

14. Psychological trauma, conscious or unconscious.

15. Rejection of oneself, one’s external image.

16. Weight problems.

17. Inability to find satisfaction in sex.

18. Fears and psychological difficulties related to conception, pregnancy, childbirth, birth and raising children.

19. Sleep disturbance.

20. Neoplasms.

21. Stress, state of chronic stress.

22. Anxiety, fears, phobias, especially related to space.

23. Loss of taste and joy of life.

24. Chronic fatigue syndrome.

25. Professional “burnout”.

26. The desire to understand oneself, the causes of one’s injuries and attitudes.

27. Bad habits.

28. Inability to rest, fear of stopping, inability to live “here and now.”

What does body-oriented psychotherapy provide and what results can it achieve when working with the body?

1. Reduce the level of anxiety, increase resistance to stress, develop skills of confrontation in conflict situations.

2. Cope with various diseases, normalize metabolic processes, improve sleep.

3. Restore energy balance, develop energy abilities, sensitivity, attention.

4. Increase flexibility, plasticity, improve posture, freedom of movement and gait.

5. Learn to better understand and feel your own boundaries, both physically and socially.

6. Learn to hear and understand your body, focusing on its signs and choices.

7. Expand the boundaries of perception.

8. Gain the ability to cope with pain.

9. Get rid of negative habits, abandon outdated strategies and behavioral patterns.

10. Gain integrity, stability, a sense of reality, self-confidence.

11. Heal psychological trauma, accept the past, realize new internal guidelines and values.

12. Accept yourself, your uniqueness, beauty, purity and wisdom, understand the limitlessness of your own possibilities.

In body-oriented psychotherapy you can work with different topics:

Consequences of stress, depression
- Negative emotions
- Anxiety, fears
- Anger
- Internal and interpersonal conflicts
- Neurotic conditions
- Problems in the family
- Chronic fatigue and many others.

In most methods of body-oriented psychotherapy, the developmental aspect of the techniques used dominates - the development of the bodily potential of the individual, the functional resources of the body and the awareness of psychosomatic processes. The physical development of personality is ensured by modeling various functional processes. Such processes are possible as the manifestations of patterns (models) of protective, maladaptive or clearly pathogenic behavior decrease.

Based on the focus of their work, the approaches of bodily psychotherapy are combined into the following groups:

1. Analytical areas focused on use in practical purposes, in addition to working with the body, analyzing the unconscious (repressed) components of the bodily and social experience: vegetative-analytical character therapy (W. Reich), bioenergetic analysis (A. Lowen), biosynthesis (D. Boadella), psychosomatic therapy (G. Ammon), Hacom therapy (R. Kurtz).

2. Structural-functional directions, mainly focused on active work with the body and integration of the new bodily experience obtained in the process: vegetative therapy (A. Raknes), F. Alexander technique, structural integration (I. Rolf), sensory awareness (Sh Selver, Ch. Brooks), functional integration (M. Feldenkrais), biodynamics (G. Boysen).

3. Culturological direction, which, in addition to bodily components, also considers the ethical-aesthetic, cultural and existential characteristics of the individual: p-stick-cognitive approach (V. Nikitin), thanatotherapy (V. Baskakov), as well as approaches based on theatrical and dance-movement techniques.

4. Spiritual-physical directions that use in practical work technologies of bodily development that are non-traditional for Western culture: approaches based on the adaptation of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese psychophysical systems (Hatha Yoga, Yantra Yoga, Qi Gong, Wu Shu), technologies ethnic (mainly shamanic) practices, acupuncture and acupressure, bodily practices of spiritual traditions (Chan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Bon Po, Sufism, Hesychasm, etc.).

This classification does not exhaust the variety of approaches, many of which are difficult to correlate with only one direction.

The targets of psychotherapeutic influence are manifestations that violate the natural dynamics and harmony of bodily functioning in the process of achieving the subject’s set goals and objectives at a certain stage of life. In addition, bodily psychotherapy is aimed at stimulating the mechanisms of auto-correction of subjective states and the conscious search for compensatory effects on psychosomatic imbalances.

Among the methods of bodily psychotherapy, the following main types of techniques are distinguished:

1) cognitive-analytical techniques. Focused on an analytical study of the sources and psychosomatic consequences of traumatic experiences and awareness of the characteristics of current bodily processes, they require an analysis of early childhood traumas and their fixation in somatic structures;

2) breathing techniques. Aimed at relieving tension from the respiratory muscles (diaphragm, intercostal muscles, etc.), they offer analysis of the respiratory pattern, control of the respiratory cycle, as well as increasing or “releasing” the body’s energy by increasing (hyperventilation) or inhibiting (hypoventilation) respiratory activity;

3) relaxation techniques. Associated with autocorrection of psychosomatic tension and focused on achieving autogenic trance (relaxation) due to decreased muscle tone

4) post-isometric and massage techniques. They use additional external hetero- or autotactile actions aimed at activating renewal and corrective processes in the body. Formally, techniques are associated with warming up, stretching, tonic tension and relaxation, respectively, of muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, skin and tissues of the abdominal organs;

5) theatrical techniques. Aimed at achieving psycho-emotional freedom, reacting and overcoming internal experiences and complexes in theatrical action (dramatic sketches, psychodramatic productions); also support the development of new experiences of bodily activity through creative self-expression in staged actions;

6) expressive techniques. Associated with spontaneous motor activity, motor and speech intensification of states, cathartic responses to emotional complexes and depressed affective states help;

7) dance and movement techniques. Aimed at developing skills of spontaneity and free self-expression, the ability to differentiate elements of bodily perception; provide the opportunity for emotional self-expression, overcoming motor stereotypes with the help of dance steps, movements and actions (classical, modern, spontaneous or trance)

8) tactile-communicative techniques. Related to the use of tactile communication; touching is carried out by the therapist on the client’s body, if it is therapeutically justified, expedient, moral and correct, or in group work - by participants to each other. These techniques are aimed at overcoming internal communication barriers in achieving personal openness, developing bodily sensitivity and deepening understanding of another person;

9) motor (locomotor) techniques. It is assumed that a person moves in space and aquatic environment in the relevant areas of bodily therapy, various modifications of motor activity aimed at “immersing” a person in movement and awareness of structure and direction. The range of intensity is from extremely slow to the fastest (provided that awareness is maintained at the moment of performance), the form of movements is any of those actually available to a person - from simple, linear and single to complex, plastic and sartorially straightened;

10) alternative techniques. Focused on achieving the plasticity of human behavior in a social context, the formation of harmony and balance in the psychological state using specific psychophysical techniques developed in various ethnic cultures (Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, African, Latin American). Most often, in the context of bodily psychotherapy, motor (asanas) and breathing (pranayama) techniques of hatha yoga are used, as well as motor and breathing techniques of Chinese plastic gymnastics tai chi chuan.

Therapeutic control of the respiratory cycle is one of the central techniques of body-oriented psychotherapy, which is actively used along with biosynthesis in most other body-oriented approaches. It is effective for relieving the client of psycho-emotional or muscular tension, arousal and for achieving a certain trance effect in order to implement, for example, imago-native techniques or deep focusing on somatic sensations caused by muscle blockades.

Managing the respiratory cycle begins with the client being asked to sit comfortably, leaning back in a chair, and consistently relax the muscles of the back, shoulders, arms, legs, and face. Phonoverosis-weakening is an important preparatory stage; it further ensures the client’s close attention to his breathing and eliminates distraction by the sensation of muscle hypertension in different parts of the body (which, in turn, can be associated with feelings of anxiety or the need for compulsive control over his body).

After achieving background relaxation, you can move on to working with breathing, which involves focusing the client’s attention on the phases of the respiratory cycle. He is invited, without straining, to follow his inhalation, how the air is slowly drawn into the lungs, fills them evenly and a feeling of internal expansion arises. Attention is concentrated on this sensation. At the end of the inhalation there is a short natural pause, after which a smooth exhalation begins. You need to exhale slowly, stretching the air. After exhalation, a natural short pause may also occur, after which the transition to the inhalation phase occurs again. With each inhalation and exhalation, breathing becomes quieter, deeper and more even. The duration of the respiratory cycle will increase.

The therapist pronounces a similar, perhaps expanded and detailed version, a kind of “hypnotic song”, forming and maintaining the client’s focus on his own breathing. “Immersion” of a person in his breathing gives a more lasting and generalized relaxation effect than trying to relax by force of will. Achieving elongation of breathing is an important diagnostic sign of the state in which the client is.

This breathing procedure can be carried out independently, but it is more expedient to carry it out in the context of other techniques, gradually connecting the process of imagination to breathing - the formation before the client’s internal vision of sensually or visually perceived associative images that have both diagnostic and cathartic meaning, which ensures the process itself in recovery internal order souls.

So, breathing itself can provide or restore in case of disruption of the connection between the organic nature of the body and the mental level of reflection of processes determined by the bodily nature of a person.

Most of the techniques mentioned are specific to body-oriented therapy. However, some of them can be used as part of other treatment strategies. It's connected with general trend in modern psychotherapeutic practice towards the integration of various approaches and methods, for example in psychoanalytic therapy, when the problem of somatization of a symptom is addressed and the need arises to consider issues of physicality. This also applies to Gestalt, cognitive behavioral and existential therapy. In particular, cognitive-analytical bodily techniques are widely used in various areas of psychotherapy, aimed at identifying events, relationships, as well as mental mechanisms that led to the transition of experiences to the somatic level; breathing and relaxation techniques. their use is due to the need to remove a situational or stance psycho-emotional stress or create a hypnotic backdrop for therapeutic interventions. Tactile communication techniques are often used in humanistic and existential approaches to use touch to build more trusting, meaningful and open relationships.

Mastering the skills of working with the client’s corporeality by a specialist can significantly enhance his therapeutic productivity, since, as a rule, it is the person’s corporeality that turns out to be the crossroads where the lines of tension of symptoms, pathological relationships and experienced traumatic situations intersect.