Body Psychotherapy Perth
What Is Body Psychotherapy
Body Psychotherapy is a style of psychotherapy that explores the interaction and unity between your mind and body. It may also go under the names Mind-Body Psychotherapy, Body Centred Psychotherapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, Somatic Therapy, or Somatic Psychotherapy as “soma” means body.
Our Body Psychotherapy at Energetics Institute in Perth, Australia is both an expressive and experiential therapy based on the principles and practices used in Integrative Body Mind Psychotherapy™ which is an affect focused body psychotherapy method.
affect focused body psychotherapy encompasses groundedness and psychoanalysis. Body Psychotherapy addresses all aspects of your being including your body, mind and emotions. Body psychotherapy also embraces a spiritual aspect if that is something of relevance and importance to you. It works with your feelings, impulses, reactions, and adaptations your body has made in response to influences that shaped it.
Accessing the root of the issue- an Integrative Approach to Healing
Treatments focusing on talking about the tough stuff, learning skills or relying purely on psychodynamic relationships, without psychodynamic or mind/body awareness or psychological interventions, are helpful for some time. In some cases, clients actions seem like they’re doing everything right. The therapist often emphasizes the focus of brain problems, often assuming that mental or thought patterns cause a psychological problem. Of course, sometimes it isn’t “just in your mind” and isn’t always related to anxiety or depression.
What Are The Benefits Of Body Psychotherapy
Body Psychotherapy integrates your body with your mind in a wholistic way, treating all aspects of your being. It makes sense that any form of therapy must include, and cannot exclude or discount your body and its reactions and produced responses.
Body Psychotherapy has a wider scope of inclusion and is aligned to how you have your human experience. The cause of your issue is most likely to be found if your whole of self is treated in the therapy process.
Traditional psychology or counselling only treats the mind and cannot directly treat the manifestation of symptoms in your body. Body Psychotherapy is often better able to the uncover causes and dynamics which may be contributing to your bodily symptoms. Your healing has a potentially higher rate of success using this approach than with conventional treatment approaches.
Click here to book your body psychotherapy somatic therapy Perth Session.
What can body psychotherapy treat?
There are many conditions that the international body psychotherapy journal (click here) discusses. At the Energetics Institute, our body psychotherapists use a somatic psychology approach to treat many conditions including
- generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety symptoms
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- chronic pain or physical pain
- body awareness
- psychological trauma
- childhood abuse
- chronic depression
- psychological distress
What Techniques Are Used In Body Psychotherapy
Body Psychotherapy starts with exploring your reason for coming to therapy, as well as aspects of your clinical history. Your therapist will discuss any past injuries or issues, and also the current state of your body. Your breathing, Autonomic Nervous system, posture, voice and language are all noted by the therapist. This data gathering also focuses on your body and so is a departure from conventional approaches such as counselling or psychology.
A history of trauma, abuse or accidents, are regarded as shaping or formative events or patterns. Your therapist will note where your body may reveal or hold a defence pattern. Your body is the doorway into your mind and your mind is a doorway into your body.
How we complete body oriented psychotherapy
When we start body oriented psychotherapy both of the somatic psychotherapy specialists will observe your body and get you to use your body as part of our body psychotherapy treatment session. body oriented psychotherapy may include many movements and activities such as:
- Grounding your consciousness in your body via movement particularly in your legs
- Breathwork bring energy into your body and stimulate nervous system arousal
- Link your body and mind through visualisation and tracking sensations through your body
- Associating your bodily reactions to images, memories, thoughts
- The physical release of your anger, rage, grief, terror using body-centric emotional release
- Physical techniques including body touch to bring attention and awareness to a numb or tense area
- Bodywork and other physical techniques to promote the release of a defensive posture by musculature in your body
- Symbolic and therapeutic touch such as a hand touch to signal support or sympathy
- Postural significant triggering such as an outstretched hand to signal NO.
What’s involved in Body Psychotherapy
Body Psychotherapy encompasses a lot of different therapy modalities including
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Talk therapy
- Somatic experiencing
- Breathing techniques
- Somatic awareness
- Eye movement desensitization
- Body experience
Are There Any Concerns Using Body Psychotherapy Perth
You may come into therapy with either a history of abuse, trauma or poor personal boundaries. As such, a touch of your body may trigger trauma or alarm. Body Psychotherapy must be selectively used by qualified therapists who are properly trained in abuse and trauma dynamics. The therapist must also practice good personal boundaries and be sensitive to you as a client. Our Body Psychotherapists at Energetics Institute in Perth, Australia are highly professional and have the experience and skills to guide you in your therapy process. We are happy to answer any questions or discuss any of your concerns directly with you.
Caution around touch is always primary in the mind of a Body Psychotherapist. This is especially the case if you regress, dissociate and leave your body when touched. At the same time, Body Psychotherapy can re-introduce you to your body. If you have felt abandonment or lack good personal boundaries with others, touch and bodywork may be a critical part of your healing. Both benefits and risks may exist with using Body Psychotherapy.
Reach Out to the No 1 Body Psychotherapy training experts in Perth
For more information about body psychotherapy or somatic psychotherapy please reach out to our friendly team to book an appointment. Our WA mental health professionals can be reached on 0414 897024 or you can reach out to us here to make an appointment or discuss anything to do with bookings. Due to Covid-19 we also offer video counselling. For more information please see our skype counselling page.
