You may have heard expressions like “swallow frog”, “butterflies in the stomach” and others. You may have even experienced emotional situations that resulted in physical discomfort, as mentioned above.
Traditional Psychotherapy Vs Body Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapy traditional is through word and interaction with the psychotherapist. Body Psychotherapy mixes the traditional approach with body language in the psychotherapeutic process.
The founder
Wilhelm Reich was the founder of psychotherapy with an emphasis on the body, which is called Reichian / body psychotherapy. He was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and also a dissident of some of his ideas, consequently, he founded his own methodology.
Reich’s followers are called neorreichian psychotherapists, who have developed new body approaches such as bioenergetics, vegetotherapy, among others.
Body-based psychotherapy enables the integration of mind and body by combining traditional psychotherapy techniques, which take place through the word, with specific body exercises .
Our emotions cannot always flow freely because culture, religion and education act unconsciously, and they have police power over our minds!
This energy, which cannot be expressed, is trapped in the body and starts to act negatively, which can cause different symptoms, such as:
- Lack of energy,
- Pain,
- Stress ,
- Emotional difficulties,
The benefits of body psychotherapy
Body psychotherapy, using different body techniques, allows the release of these tensions located in the body and allows the improvement of symptoms, providing relief and a better quality of life.
The techniques used
We have active techniques , where the body psychotherapist actively participates and the patient is also a protagonist in the process. One of the fantastic active resources we have is working on breathing! When breathing is blocked, our vital energy is diminished and in order to carry out our daily tasks there is a feeling of very tiredness and even physical exhaustion .
To reverse this situation, several breathing techniques are used. Body perception and the learning of techniques are an important tool that the person can use in stressful situations, including by people who suffer from panic syndrome .
In passive techniques, the patient receives care directly from the psychotherapist without being asked to cooperate. The passive techniques especially only occur in person service.
The massage therapy is a passive technique where the therapist initially assesses the energetic condition of the patient. There are cases where there is a need to release body tension and balance vital energy, or else to energize the person when he is devitalized.
