Three Ways to Get Closer to You

You can often hear this definition of psychotherapy: “treatment with a word.” And this is true, but not all. There are methods in which the therapist communicates with the client not through words, but through touch and directed movements. After all, what we call “I” is not only our consciousness, but also our body.

Before we knew a word, the body already existed, moved, perceived. Our whole world began with those long-standing, now forgotten by us, verbatim impressions: warm, cold, cramped, spacious, painful, pleasant, hungry, sleepy. And until now, our mood, performance, perception of the world are largely determined by how our body lives. Although we rarely talk about it. Usually – when something is wrong with the body. And maybe it would be useful for us to hear him before he gets sick. Restore the connection with your body that is given to us from birth. And which we eventually begin to drown out, forcing the body to obey the requirements of the mind.

As children, we played and moved freely and easily. We often expressed feelings not with words, but with actions. And now we have to re-learn to allow the body to move freely, to allow ourselves to cry, to laugh, to stamp our feet, to wave our hands – to show emotions that, without being expressed, have turned into bodily clamps that deprive us of natural mobility. The methods of body-oriented psychotherapy help us to regain our freedom, to feel the life of our body. Some of them use massage as one of the methods of psychological work.

Read more about the methods of psychotherapy in the section “Work on yourself”.

Feldenkrais method

“I listen to feelings”

“Bring loose clothing. And socks.” This message was sent to me by arranging a meeting, Peter Andreev. I change clothes, look out the door: “Ready!” Peter enters the room, sits down on the edge of the yellow massage table. “I’m not a psychologist, I’m a Feldenkrais practitioner,” he warns, “but anyway, let’s talk a little first.” I’m wondering: about what? The answer is unexpected: “About what you would like in life.” Nothing special, I think, and suddenly I remember how I learned to dance flamenco. And she quit. Turns out I don’t remember movements. Two – I can, but three – it doesn’t work anymore … I’m talking about this.

After listening, Peter invites me to the massage table. I lie down on my yellow skin on my side, slightly bending my knees. Under my head I have several comfortable – flat, one on top of the other – pillows. I want to doze off, but at the same time I am too anxious: what will they do with me? A hand rests on my shoulder. Then the fingers touch the back under the shoulder blade, a little pressure. I sigh, noticing that I almost stopped breathing. The palm leaves the shoulder. Looking forward to the next touch. The hands of the practitioner lift my right hand, holding it by the elbow and wrist. Trying to figure out what I should do. I want to guess where the movement will be directed, but my hand has already been returned to its place. Now the practitioner works with my foot, gently turning it … I do not understand who is the author of this movement – me or him. The hour flies by. Peter asks for a walk. How strange! The body is divided into left and right parts. “I wanted to give you the experience of directly perceiving the difference,” explains Piotr. “It develops the ability to notice bodily signals and how they change. We often ignore unpleasant sensations, and they become habitual. But if one side is “pleasant”, and the second is some other, then this is direct knowledge. The body itself will look for a more pleasant and economical – and therefore less harmful – posture. At home I dream that I am painting. And suddenly I notice: I do not dip the brush into the paint. It is enough to want, and the color changes. “Red!” – and then a red stripe comes out from under the brush. Yes, I’m sleeping! I understand. So I can do whatever. Now that’s freedom! The spirit is captivating. But I have nothing to want. Because if everything comes true, then everything that I could wish for already exists here, at this moment. From happiness I laugh and cry. And I wake up in a state of delight. I had a lucid dream! I rejoice, as if my dream came true. Will my life change? Do not know. For now, I continue to listen to the sensations. O.S.

The Feldenkrais Method is not exercise, massage, or psychotherapy. Rather, a learning process: slow movement helps to remove unnecessary effort and better feel your body. As a result, tension goes away, replaced by joy. You can find out more at feldenkrais.ru

Thanatotherapy

“I took the first step towards harmony by “teaching” the body to relax”

“The very first words of the body psychotherapist Vladimir Baskakov, the author of the thanatotherapy method, made me nervous: “The purpose of the session is to help you completely relax, so that the body becomes a “thing”. The arms will fall apart, the eyes will close, maybe even the jaw will drop. Relax? Ask my yoga teacher: all six years of practice, the most difficult thing for me is shavasana – relaxation at the end of the class. “Many people, especially in big cities, strive to constantly control themselves and their bodies,” says the psychotherapist. “They always seem to be ready to attack.” “I recognize myself,” I thought, lying down on the couch.

“Look at how you lay down: your legs are tense, your hands are crossed on your chest, your eyes are wide open. You can’t work right now. You need to wait until you feel that you are safe and relax a little, ”comments Vladimir. After a couple of minutes, this is exactly what happens: the feet themselves turn in opposite directions, the fists open… At this moment, the thanatotherapist gently touches my feet and lightly presses on some points. Legs become heavy, and goosebumps begin to run along them. “You hardly react to my movements. Your control over the body is extremely high. You must be experiencing some kind of loss.” At these words, my eyes, ready to close, look in surprise at the speaker: “Two weeks ago I had to leave my beloved city, in which I lived for a long time.”

The therapist goes to the hands: gently twists my palm. So smoothly that at first I’m sure that he just keeps her on weight. This technique is called bodily homeopathy, when “minimal actions cause strong feelings.” I feel the therapist release my hand millimeter by millimeter, as if testing to see if I can lower it or turn on the control again. First, a long-term habit takes over: the palm freezes in the air in the most unnatural position. But already the other hand, under the influence of “homeopathic” manipulations, falls on the couch, as if I do not have the strength to hold it. I take a deep breath…

“Finally! Vladimir rejoices. – Inhale means consent. This is how the body expresses acceptance, for example, kissing a loved one, we are always inhaling. While the therapist is trying to get my legs to relax even for a second, I close my eyes and think about why it is so difficult for me to let go of my body. From doctors, fitness instructors and even a manicurist, I hear the same thing: “Please relax.” Perhaps motherhood is hard for me for the same reason: I can’t stop controlling not only my life for a second, but also every step of my loved ones. And perhaps the first approach to harmony is to teach your body to relax. Of course, one session did not allow me to achieve complete rest, but my body clearly “saw” the direction in which it is worth moving.” Yu. V.

Thanatotherapy uses the knowledge of what happens to the body during dying. Simplifying, they can be described as complete relaxation and acceptance. The method helps to restore the balance of tension and relaxation, activity and passivity. For more information visit tanatoterra.com

Rosen method

“The pain is gone, in the body – lightness, in thoughts – silence”

“Relaxation is the gateway to awareness,” said the founder of the Rosen Method, physiotherapist Marion Rosen. This interested me, a person who finds it difficult to relax even on vacation. I came to the clinical psychologist Alexandra Dolnykova, who practices the Rosen Method. “Do only what you like,” she asked. It’s better to stay in your underwear. But if it’s not comfortable, don’t undress.” I undress and sit on the massage table. Alexandra asks: “What do you think it is necessary to report about your body?” “The upper back hurts,” I say the first thing that comes to mind. She touches my ankles, calves, moves to my shoulders. “It’s important for you as a journalist to be outgoing and confident, but I don’t think you’ve always been that way,” she says. “I’m not like that now,” I confess.

“Are you afraid that you will be offended?” “Yes, but knowing this, for example, before calling a stranger, I remind myself that people are not so bad,” I am surprised at my frankness. Alexandra touches an unexpectedly painful point in the middle of her back. I shudder, and she asks me to remember who offended me at the age of 12. A stranger on the street reprimanded me. It seems like a trifle and it’s not worth talking about, but why do I still remember this? The movements of the warm hands of the practitioner are soothing. I notice that my hands are tense. I try to relax them and catch myself breathing deeply, as in a dream. My body keeps talking…. Concluding, Alexandra explains: “Being aware of your feelings does not mean letting them go. Chronic stress suggests that they still affect your life. But the pain between the shoulder blades went away, lightness appeared in the body, silence in my thoughts. “The method works gently, without hastening events,” says the psychologist in parting. “The tension will only disappear when you are ready to experience what happened many years ago.” Without a doubt, it will be easier to do this in the peaceful atmosphere of rosen sessions. O. M.

The Rosen Method is based on the notion that tension in the body results from the repression of emotions that we cannot cope with. Soft touches relieve muscle and emotional tension. You can find out more on the website rosenmetod.ru