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Working therapeutically with and through embodiment is a topical issue in the psychoanalytic literature. Vice versa, body psychotherapy is deeply rooted in psychoanalytic theory and practice. This paper will explore corresponding themes, historic developments, and recent literature with reference to their actual and potential mutual influences, aiming to demonstrate: (1) that contemporary body psychotherapy practice continues to be informed and influenced by psychoanalytic theory, in particular the relational emphasis in psychoanalysis; and (2) that psychoanalytic psychotherapy, in turn, can be enriched and furthered while utilizing the theoretical paradigm of embodiment and body-oriented, experiential intervention strategies developed in body psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychotherapy practice and research are supposed to complement each other; however, links between them are usually only weakly developed. This study was designed and conducted with the aim of collecting information about body psychotherapy (BP) practice, and about research resources among body psychotherapists (BPs). A total of 404 body psychotherapists from 36 countries participated in an online survey. The findings revealed a great diversity of BP modalities currently practiced within and across different countries, especially diversity in respect to body psychotherapists' socio-demographic characteristics: 66.4% of participants were over 50 years old, suggesting a shortage of young people involved in both BP practice and research. Most therapists provide BP for adults in the format of individual sessions in private practice. Only a few BP practitioners work in mainstream healthcare settings. The results also suggest significant research knowledge, experience, and interest in research among BP practitioners; however, a lack of application of these research resources in body psychotherapy is noticeable. Results are discussed with an emphasis on the practical implications: i.e., the possible role for BP training schools to strengthen the research culture among practitioners, the importance of sharing BP experiences and research among different countries (and languages), and the need to develop collaborations between practitioners and academic groups in order to strengthen research capacities and accumulate knowledge about the intriguing construct of applied embodiment in BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current phenomenological approaches consider schizophrenia as a fundamental disturbance of the embodied self, or a disembodiment. This includes (I ) a weakening of the basic sense of self, (2) a disruption of implicit bodily functioning and (3) a disconnection from the intercorporeality with others. As a result of this disembodiment, the pre-reflective, practical immersion of the self in the shared world is lost. Instead, the relat.onship of self and world is in constant need of being reconstructed by deliberate efforts, leading to the growing perplexity and hyperreflexive ruminations that are found in schizophrenia patients. The paper distinguishes different levels of self-experience and relates them to :he psychopathology of schizophrenia, taking particularly into account disturbances of self-awareness, perception, action and intersubjectivity. On this basis, psychotherapeutic approaches based on body awareness and movement techniques are outlined that are suited tc foster self-management and enable patients to re-establish a more stable and coherent sense of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Chronic major depressive disorder and dysthymia are associated with a high burden and substantial care costs. New and more effective treatments are required. This is the first randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Body Psychotherapy (BPT) in patients with chronic depression. Methods: Patients with chronic depressive syndromes (more than 2 years symptomatic) and a total score of ≥20 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) were randomly allocated to either immediate BPT or a waiting group which received BPT 12 weeks later. BPT was manualized, delivered in small groups in 20 sessions over a 10 weeks period, and provided in addition to treatment as usual. In an intention to treat analysis, primary outcome were depressive symptoms at the end of treatment adjusted for baseline symptom levels. Secondary outcomes were self-esteem and subjective quality of life. Results: Thirty-one patients were included and twenty-one received the intervention. At the end of treatment patients in the immediate BPT group had significantly lower depressive symptom scores than the waiting group (mean difference 8.7, 95% confidence interval 1.0–16.7). Secondary outcomes did not show statistically significant differences. When the scores of the waiting group before and after BPT (as offered after the waiting period) were also considered in the analysis, the differences with the initial waiting group remained significant. Conclusions: The results suggest that BPT may be an effective treatment option for patients with chronic depression. Difficulty recruiting and subsequent attrition was one of the limitations, but the findings merit further trials with larger samples and process studies to identify the precise therapeutic mechanisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Persistent negative symptoms are an ongoing challenge in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia. Evidence from randomised controlled trials suggests that arts/non-verbal therapies may be effective in treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia. These treatments have not yet been evaluated in open clinical settings. The present uncontrolled clinical trial examines the therapeutic processes and clinical outcomes of group body psychotherapy (BPT) on marked negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Changes in symptom scores, subjective quality of life, social functioning and emotional processing between baseline and post-treatment were assessed. The ratings from clinical assessments of independent researchers were compared with the post-therapy summary assessment of the therapists. A total of 39 eligible patients were referred, out of which 18 patients agreed to participate and received BPT in addition to treatment as usual within three therapy groups run by different therapists. Patients had high symptom levels and low psychosocial functioning at baseline. Negative symptoms and general psychopathology significantly reduced during treatment. Positive symptoms and other outcomes did not change. Researcher ratings of psychopathology were in line with the assessment of clinical outcome by therapists and qualitative observations on changes in movement behaviour during therapy. The results of this study are consistent with findings from a RCT (), indicating that BPT is associated with reduced negative symptoms even when administered in routine clinical settings. Therapists’ qualitative judgements may be considered as a valid source for assessing treatment outcomes. Future studies should explore effects of longer term treatments on other outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Depression and bodily dissatisfaction are associated with personal construing. • This study explores this association and the effects of body psychotherapy. • During body psychotherapy the bodily self became more salient to participants. • There was evidence of impact of the intervention on self-construing. Abstract The frequent association of depression with somatic symptoms suggests that body psychotherapy may be an appropriate therapeutic intervention for people with chronic depression. Using a subset of twenty-three participants from a randomized controlled trial that had demonstrated the effectiveness of such an intervention in reducing depressive symptoms, the present study investigated whether it may also impact aspects of construing which have been associated with depression. Patients presenting with chronic depression were randomly allocated to a treatment group or a waiting list group, which received body psychotherapy after a period on a waiting list. Correlations between repertory grid, questionnaire, and visual analogue measures indicated that depression and bodily dissatisfaction were associated with features of the content and structure of construing. There were no significant changes while patients were on the waiting list, but during treatment reduction in depression and bodily dissatisfaction, together with increase in self-esteem and quality of life, were accompanied by an increase in the salience of construing of the bodily self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]