By Tanya M. Williams
Mind-body, body-mind – these days the two terms are used interchangeably, often somewhat flippantly, to describe everything from spa treatments to group exercise classes. And while there’s no denying that a good yoga class or an amazing massage can uncoil and relax the mind as they physically work the body, mind-body therapy goes much further, exploring the intersection of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual landscapes that comprise us all, and inform our individual experiences of reality.
So what is mind-body therapy, exactly? In many ways, it is the next step in the evolution of psychotherapy and counseling – the realization that intellectualizing emotions and talking about experience is not enough. Mind-body therapy looks at the individual as a whole person – body, mind, and spirit; present and past; emotion and intellect. It understands that who we are isn’t always who we think (or say) we are, and that the body holds keys to unlocking our ‘core’ selves. It recognizes that body and mind are symbiotic – that what affects one, affects the other – and that healing only comes through addressing both.
In order to explore these concepts more thoroughly, I met with three practitioners of different mind-body disciplines, interviewed them, and experienced their work first hand. What follows is an introduction to some of the emerging and established methods, and a list of resources for finding the therapy or therapist right for you.
Integrative Body Psychotherapy
Integrative Body Psychotherapy is a mind-body psychotherapy focused on recognizing and sustaining an individual’s core self. This core self is comprised of a combination of the five senses and the mind’s awareness, interpretation, beliefs, and responses to these sensations. IBP employs breathing and movement practices, as well as mindfulness and other self-awareness techniques to promote greater physical, mental, and energetic awareness. By integrating verbal and cognitive methods with somatic techniques and breathwork, IBP seeks to identify and address the life experiences that underlie the emotional responses and behaviors which may not be accessible through talking alone.
Using breathing, movement, boundary, and presence work to release the body’s energetic holding patterns, IBP seeks to enable clients to live fully in their bodies. For example, IBP breathwork involves rapid breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth, which hyper-oxygenates the body and activates the sympathetic nervous system’s ‘fight or flight’ response. The purpose is for both therapist and client to observe where the blockages occur, what parts of the body aren’t warm and tingly from the experience. As these holding patterns become apparent, movement is incorporated, helping to release some of the physical tension preventing the flow of energy down the body.
IBP’s focus is to help clients tune in to their core selves and recognize their own repetitive patterns and behaviors, making them better able to access their intuition, inherent wisdom, and authentic self.
The Hakomi Method
Like IBP, Hakomi approaches therapy as a process of self-discovery which comes through exploring the mind-body interface and accessing the individual’s unconscious. A synthesis of existing philosophies and techniques, the method is influenced by modern body psychotherapies as well as Buddhism and Taoism. At its essence, Hakomi is based on the following principles: mindfulness, unity, mind/body/spirit holism, non-violence, and organicity. Its primary interest is studying the organization of experience as it is lived and present, and how it is manifest in sensation, emotion, tension, and movement.
Hakomi asserts that the true self is shaped by ‘core material’ – the memories, beliefs, images, neural patterns, and deeply held emotional dispositions which influence our habits, perceptions, attitudes, physical postures, and behaviors.This core material organizes our responses to life’s major themes and questions. Some of this material supports our true self, while some of it is limiting. Hakomi enables the client to distinguish between the two and then modify any material that restricts their wholeness.
The Hakomi session is centered on the meditative state called mindfulness – “the practice of studying one’s present moment experience without judgment or effort.” This practice enables clients to become more aware of their internal bodily sensations as the therapist observes the client’s verbal and non-verbal cues. The therapist may use ‘probes’ – questions or statements around a key theme, suggestions to change positions, or make certain gestures – all the while checking in with the client about what’s going on internally. Therapists track client responses such as, “my chest feels tight,” while also watching for their non-verbal signs like sighing, looking away, or becoming flushed. The session’s flow is guided by client response and the therapist’s intuition and observation, and the core material influencing the client’s responses begins to emerge. When this material becomes conscious and understood, change becomes possible. Limiting or destructive responses can be challenged, helping the client to reorganize their core material on that theme and allowing healing to begin.
Sacred Healing
A fusion of specialized kinesiology, Time-line therapy, color therapy, Chinese meridian theory, and shamanism, Sacred Healing heals mind, body, and spirit so that “one’s true purpose may be actualized.” Like Hakomi and IBP, this therapy works to access the ‘authentic self’ and transform root patterns and experiences that keep individuals from embracing their truth. Sacred Healing, however, goes a step further and explores not only the client’s major life events and family history, but also includes the energies that accompany one into life, through previous generations’ traumas and life experiences.
This approach uses muscle-testing, a hands-on biofeedback tool, to access the client’s subconscious mind in order to discover root emotional and behavioral patterns that may be interfering with their life path and true purpose. Unlike Hakomi and IBP, Sacred Healing also addresses specific physical ailments that often correspond to emotional and spiritual issues. Through Autonomic Response Testing (a specific form of muscle testing), the therapist looks for nutritional deficiencies, bio-chemical imbalances, energetic blockages, chemical and heavy metal toxicity, and microbial infections that conventional medical exams may miss. Nutritional, herbal, and homeopathic treatments are then used to restore the body’s health and pave the way for emotional and spiritual healing.
The session begins with an overview of the client’s family history, major life events and traumas, and their desired focus. This information is gathered and “placed on the back burner.” Then the client is moved to a bodywork table for the ‘exam.’ Through the combination of specialized kinesiology techniques and Chinese meridian monitoring, the therapist tests the body’s organs and systems for blockages, and then explores the root of the block. Is it emotional? Is it a metal or chemical toxin? Is it an infection?
Once the type of blockage is determined, the therapist begins to test for both the cause and the cure. If it is emotional, what is it related to? If infectious, what is the cause? The search is for themes, and questions become more specific as the session progresses. Muscle testing is used throughout, so the client isn’t responding verbally to the therapist’s inquiry. Rather, the client’s body responds. With the conscious mind out of the way, the session is a process of discovery for both therapist and client. The therapist acts as a guide, occasionally inquiring for the client’s interpretation of his or her body’s response, helping to reveal patterns, and discover and peel away layers separating the client from his or her authentic self.
Mind-body therapy is a vast field of both entirely new and evolving methods, of which the above are only a few. This family of therapies is vital for anyone who is seeking greater self-awareness through holistic methods, or for whom more traditional therapies and western medicine have been ineffective or simply incomplete. Whether the mind is accessed through the body or the body through the mind, whether discovery takes place through rapid breathing, muscle testing, or mindfulness, these therapies hold great promise for those ready to confront and let go of past traumas, change limiting or destructive behaviors, and embrace their true selves.
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