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Working with the body, we get the opportunity to cope with the consequences of mental trauma that happened to us in the distant or recent past.
Body Oriented Psychotherapy
Our body is an embodied memory: everything that happens to us is “recorded” in it. When we suppress some feelings, not allowing ourselves to express them with facial expressions and, moreover, move on to actions, muscle clamps arise. Habitual clamps turn into a “shell” that restricts our movements and makes it impossible to express our feelings and understand them. And therapeutic touches and specially selected exercises can restore emotional freedom, the grace of an unfettered body and a clear awareness of oneself. This approach is especially effective when clients are unwilling or unable to talk about their concerns. The method was founded by Freud’s student Wilhelm Reich. There are many directions in body-oriented therapy; one of them is the bioenergetics of Alexander Lowen.
- Institute of Group and Family Psychology and Psychotherapy, t.: (495) 917 8020, www.igisp.ru;
- “Guide to body-oriented therapy” (Rech, 2007).
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Trauma Treatment)
The method was discovered by psychologist Francine Shapiro in 1987 … by accident. Walking in the park, she noticed that as soon as she returned to her anxious thoughts, her eyes began to involuntarily move from side to side and diagonally up and down. And the feeling of “I am powerless” is replaced by others: “it’s all in the past.” She explained it this way. Our mind and body are capable of self-regulation. The brain is constantly processing information, sending it to storage. But too strong experiences block self-regulation, and then we constantly return to disturbing memories. Directed eye movements activate the neural networks of the brain, where the memory of the traumatic experience is stored, and it begins to be processed at an accelerated rate. The therapist holds fingers, a pencil, or a ruler at a distance of 30–35 cm from the patient’s face. He, focusing on the painful memory (or sensation), talks about it in detail and at the same time follows the therapist’s hand with his eyes. He repeats his story until the memory no longer hurts him. Gradually, a difficult event becomes just a fact of biography.
- Psychological consultation Psyline, tel. (495) 643 3325, 517 2706, www.psyline.ru;
- F. Shapiro “Psychotherapy of emotional trauma with the help of eye movements. Basic principles, protocols and procedures” (Klass, 2001).
Body movement therapy
“Movements reflect the depth of our sensory experiences, even if we are not aware of it,” assured Jungian analyst and founder of this method, Mary Whitehouse (Mar y Whitehouse). In dance, we satisfy our need to move in response to sensory impulses. The psychotherapist observes which movements prevail, how the dancer interacts with space. They then interpret the dance together. For example, a person began to move vigorously and suddenly stood up because he was not sure that he was acting correctly. And you could continue this movement, listening to yourself. The psychotherapist helps to develop a “middle way” strategy: if some feature of the movement prevails, weaken it and, conversely, develop what is missing. And as a result, internal tension disappears, clarity and self-confidence appear.
- Center “To live while dancing”, tel. (903) 286 4764, www.girshon.ru;
- A. Girshon “Stories told by the body” (Speech, 2010).