How Body-Centered Therapy Helps Relieve Stress and Other Problems

What is Body Focused Therapy

Body-Oriented Therapy is a general name for various areas of psychotherapy in which the main object of study and influence is the human body.

The main principle of body therapy consists of that there is no strict boundary between the physical and mental levels. Therefore, through manipulations with the body, it is possible to influence the emotions and thoughts of a person, release psychological clamps and work through negative experiences.

Founder of Body-Oriented Therapy counts Austrian psychologist Wilhelm Reich. He put forward the theory that in the process of growing up, a person creates an "armor" of tense muscles and connective tissue - a "frozen history" of his adaptation to the world.

Reich believed that the suppression of natural desires, fixed in the body, causes neurotic disorders, prevents a person from being happy, working productively and loving. By paying attention to the body and breaking the existing clamps in it, one can release repressed emotions and cope with psychological trauma.

Current trends in body-focused therapy use a variety of methods, including body awareness. experiences and their discussion with the therapist, touch, massage, breathing, relaxation techniques, various movements And dancing.

What are the directions of body-oriented therapy

There are many branches of body-oriented therapy. In one scientific work suggested conditionally divide them into three categories.

Concentration Therapy

These are methods based on the awareness of bodily processes and their connection with the mind. A person learns to track tension and other sensations in the body in response to any thoughts and emotions, gets acquainted with techniques for relaxation and getting rid of clamps.

These include progressive muscle relaxation - skill independently relieve tension by alternately tensing and relaxing the muscles of the whole body.

Another method is functional relaxation. This is a conscious "scanning" of your body and allotment special attention to breathing.

Also in this direction is the popular sensorimotor therapy by Pat Ogden, which includes concentration on their bodily reactions and their connection with emotions and past experiences.

Neo-Reichianism

In addition to the very concept of the connection between body and mind, Reich also offered idea of ​​the vital energy of the libido and called the latter "orgone". He believed that this is a real-life force that moves freely through the body, and if blocked, can cause health problems.

In modern therapy, there are also similar directions. For example, biodynamics is the method of Gerda Boysen, founded on the fact that the vital force of the libido moves in the human body. And its blockage can lead to physical and mental problems.

In biodynamics, the therapist uses massage, vegetotherapy - teaches the client to explore bodily sensations and impulses in order to bring unconscious material to the surface. And also organic psychotherapy - a conversation about what is happening with the body, why it arose and how to fix it.

Dance Movement Therapy (TDT)

This usage movement and dance practices for psychotherapeutic purposes.

Unlike regular classes, where people learn connections and combinations and repeat them to music, on In therapy sessions, clients learn to move freely, improvise, and express their emotions through movement.

Through movement, improvisation and various exercises, people learn to release their repressed emotions and experiences, as well as to better understand partners.

Unlike other types of body-oriented therapy, dance therapy is often carried out in groups and may include contact improvisation - non-verbal communication between two or more people through movement.

When to Use Body-Oriented Therapy and When Not to

Like other areas of psychotherapy, methods of working with the body apply for a wide range of disorders and problems. Here are the main ones:

• depression;
• anxiety;
• psychosomatic disorders;
• social anxiety;
• eating disorders;
• post-traumatic stress syndrome;
• stress and tension;
• relationship problems;
• difficulties in the sexual sphere;
• headache and back pain;
• fears, phobias, insomnia;
• chronic fatigue syndrome;
• self-doubt, rejection of one's body, problems with being overweight;
• addictions and codependencies;
• communication difficulties, low self-esteem;
• lack of self-determination, feeling lost in life;
• difficulty in recognizing physical or mental boundaries - one's own and another person;
• lack of contact with yourself and your true desires.

However, there are also some disorders and conditions for which body work is not suitable.

What methods are used in body-oriented therapy

The specific work in the session depends on how the therapy will be carried out - structurally or procedurally.

In the first option, the therapist has a clear task: for example, to relieve tension in the body, to help with a headache that has arisen because of it, to relieve muscle clamps. In this case, the session will take place according to a strictly defined system. For example, the therapist will teach the client techniques relaxation, give a massage or ask you to perform certain movements.

The process approach involves more work with the psyche. In this version of therapy, the client and the therapist will explore the causes of problems together: cultivate awareness, identify repressed emotions and live them, change the established life strategy.

Concrete work depends from what the client wants. It may include:

• Conversations with the therapist, discussing the goals of therapy and the history of the client, talking about feelings and sensations in the body.
• Massage and pressure on the muscles. These can be hard techniques for relaxation or soft touches designed to increase the client's attention to their feelings.
• Breathing practices and training in muscle relaxation skills.
• Physical activity or exercise. For example, the therapist may ask the client to move their hips or shoulders, or to hold a certain position.
• Using a gymnastic ball, mat, balls and rollers for self-massage and working out points where tension accumulates.
• Meditation techniques and exercises with the inclusion of imagination. For example, the therapist might have the client imagine their body melting and spreading across the floor. This technique is very helpful in relaxing.

Body-oriented practices also lend themselves well to family therapy.

How to Try Body-Oriented Therapy

Find out what body-oriented therapy methods are offered in your city. Sign up for a class and find out what format it will take.

Some methods, such as dance movement therapy, require comfortable clothing. Others resemble a visit to the usual psychologist, involve more talking and less movement or impact on the body.

You can also try some simple techniques yourself. Here are three exercises you can do at home.

Exercise "Tuning fork"

Lilia Zamaltdinova says that this technique helps to relax after a hard day and fall asleep quickly.

1. Go to a quiet place where no one will disturb you.
2. Take off your shoes and stand on the floor, feeling the support under your feet. Imagine that you are magnetized to the surface.
3. Place your palms on your stomach, just below your navel. Take a couple of deep breaths in and out.
4. Start swinging without taking your feet off the floor. Lean forward as far as possible and lean back. At the same time, keep your body as straight as a string.
5. Perform movements in the same rhythm, gradually reducing the amplitude of the slope. When it decreases, the pace may slightly accelerate. From the outside, it will resemble the work of a tuning fork.
6. When you stop rocking, close your eyes and bring your attention to your body. Feel what sensations arise in it, where there is tension, where comfort and relaxation are felt. You can repeat the exercise several times.

progressive relaxation

This exercise will help to relax all muscle groups well, reduce the level of anxiety and stress, improve sleep and relieve headaches if they are caused by tension.

1. Lie on your back in bed.
2. Put all your attention on your feet. Tighten them, then mentally rise higher - to the shins. Tighten your calf muscles without relaxing your feet.
3. Thus, rise to the very top of the head, in turn straining the hips, buttocks, stomach, back, chest, arms, neck, face, head.
4. Hold the tension for as long as possible and with an exhalation, relax the whole body at once.

You can repeat this exercise several times if you wish. If, despite this, you can’t manage to relax some specific areas of the body, such as the shoulders or forehead, you can work with them separately.

Releasing tension

Valeria Chechelnitskaya suggests using this practice in times of high tension:

1. Take a deep breath and pay attention to the body. Feel where it was created voltage and exactly how it feels. For example, pressure in the chest, throbbing in the temples, tension between the eyebrows.
2. Stretch your arms at the level of the place where tension has accumulated, and as you inhale, try to repeat what is felt inside. For example, if it is constant pressure, squeeze your fingers; if there is a pulsation, repeat it.
3. As you exhale, relax your arms and see how the sensations have changed. You can do this exercise for as long as it takes for the tension to go away.

These techniques will help you relax your body, and at the same time streamline your thoughts and calm down.