Selected publications |
Diversity and culture as psychophysiological phenomena and states of being Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, Published online: 06 Dec 2021 https://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2021.2012258 |
Abstract: This
article aims to explore psychophysiological phenomena and dynamics
associated with diversity and culture in the therapeutic relationship.
Clients/patients experiences of feeling culturally met appears crucial
for a successful therapeutic relationship but the historic struggle to
include diversity and culture as psychological dimensions that
generally warrant attention in the psychotherapeutic endeavour is
ongoing. The author explores diversity and culture as
psychophysiological states of being and associated presentations
dynamics in therapeutic relationship, and considers ways to
constructively engage with the complexities of culture and diversity in
psychotherapy. |
Acute crisis states as a presenting issue and some psychophysiological interventions
Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, Vol 16 (1) 2020 https://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2020.1845798
|
Abstract: Crisis
intervention has become a widespread concern during the Covid-19
pandemic for psychotherapists seeking to support people acutely
affected by this crisis. This article aims to introduce core principles
of the crisis intervention conception as well as expanding these with
relevant contemporary psychophysiological perspectives on somatic
crisis phenomena and interventions. Conceptions and interventions are
relevant and applicable in face to face, digital and telephone
settings. The author draws on the contents of a virtual workshop, held
multiple times from March to May 2020, which was created to assist
psychotherapists who volunteered for online psychological initiatives
and projects aiming to support frontline medical staff during the
pandemic and assist with Covid-19 related acute psychological stress
issues. The article clarifies distinctions between crisis and trauma
and offers perspectives on recognising crisis states as well as ideas
and conceptions that may guide psychotherapists seeking to support,
contain and resource clients during a crisis. |
The transpersonal is very personal: The transpersonal field in integrative psychotherapy practice
British Journal of
Psychotherapy
Integration, Vol 15, 2019 (Download as PDF Document) |
Abstract: This
article considers challenges and controversies associated with the
transpersonal field in psychotherapy for clients and psychotherapists,
how transpersonal themes or concerns might be avoided or rejected,
allowed or disallowed in the therapeutic relationship. It questions
attitudes and hidden underlying conflicts or assumptions such as
aggrandizement and shame dynamics, and puts forward a proposition how
we might integrate transpersonal psychological spaces in integrative
clinical practice.
|
The chronic fatigue enigma - ME Awareness Week Blog - Part 1 - Part 2
|
In support, Taylor & Francis currently offer a free download of my 2017 article "Chronic fatigue phenomena - somatic and relational perspectives" (see below for details)
|
The therapist's body and the intersubjectivities of the unconscious In:
T. Fuchs, S. Koch, H. Payne, J. Tantia, (eds) The Routledge International Handbook of Embodied Perspectives in Psychotherapy: Approaches from dance movement, arts and body
psychotherapies. Routledge 2019, pp 333-341.
|
Abstract:
The therapist's body is not only a body to think and feel with but also
a clinical utility that may contribute crucially to the therapeutic
endeavour. By developing the art of looking inwards, a therapist's
body-in- process may serve as a theatre for the intersubjectivities of
the unconscious. 'Sensory-motor' and 'calm and connect'
psychobiological systems may potentially facilitate a container for a
client's psychic fragments, for raw somatic pre-verbal and pre-symbolic
phenomena, an anchor for a therapist acting as a character in a
client's internal drama, or a Winnicottian (1951) 'not me' space for
creatively unfolding transitional phenomena.
|
Eros in body psychotherapy - A crucible of awakening, destruction and reparation Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy. Volume 13 (3) 2018: Special Issue on Eros, Gender and Sexuality pp 143-155 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17432979.2018.1468822
|
Abstract: Eros and Sexuality have been central to the development and the
philosophy of body psychotherapy but have since been pushed towards the
margins of the field. The author reviews historic paradigm shifts
alongside contemporary perspectives and conceptions that recognise the
continued significance of Eros and erotic dynamics for body
psychotherapy practice. Relational and psychobiological perspective on
working with Eros and erotic dynamics are illustrated with the help of
clinical vignettes. |
Chronic fatigue phenomena: somatic and relational perspectives
Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy 2017 Vol 12 (4) pp 269-283 DOI: 10.1080/17432979.2017.1385536 |
Abstract:
This paper aims to develop therapeutic perspectives on relational and
somatic phenomena but also difference and diversity dynamics associated
with chronic fatigue as a presenting issue. In common with other
complex and severe conditions, chronic fatigue will often appear as a
single issue dominating the therapeutic space, a dynamic that may
easily obscure sight of the person. The author reviews contemporary
literature and considers dynamics associated with chronic fatigue
phenomena commonly encountered in the therapeutic relationship.
Autonomic nervous and sensory-motor systems also appear crucial for
developing better understanding of, and sensitivity for, working with
chronic fatigue phenomena.
|
A comparative analysis of body psychotherapy and dance movement psychotherapy from a European perspective With Helen Payne, Vicky Karkou and Gill Westland Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy 2016 Vol 11 (2-3) Doi: 10.1080/17432979.2016.1165291 |
Abstract: The
role of embodiment within contemporary psychotherapy practice and its
discussion are gathering momentum, and are part of a paradigm shift in
psychotherapy in which theory and practice are being reformulated. Body
psychotherapy and dance movement psychotherapy are playing a leading
role in these deliberations. Although these two professions have
separate professional bodies, distinct theoretical grounding and
clinical methodology, they both place enormous value on the central
role of the body and its movement as indicators of relational problems,
and as agents of therapeutic change. There are few authors comparing
and contrasting BP and DMP although they have much in common as they
are both embodied, enactive psychotherapies. However, neither their
overlaps in theory, methodology and some of their clinical practice nor
their distinct character has been sufficiently delineated. This article
elucidates some similarities and differences in fundamental
assumptions, compares and contrasts definitions and terms and considers
common and contrasting theoretical perspectives, techniques and
methods. It is expected that this will contribute to the ongoing
discussion of the articulation of core characteristics in both
professions and will facilitate a better understanding and
collaboration between them.
|
The Psyche in the Modern World - Psychotherapy and Society - Warnecke T. (Ed.) UKCP Book Series Karnac 2015
|
Abstract: This
book aims to transport psychotherapy from the consulting rooms into the
realms of public discussion and interdisciplinary discourse. A
psychotherapeutic culture of carefully guarded clinical
confidentialities has inadvertently build its own proverbial ivory
tower which contributes to the widespread myths that surround and veil
psychotherapy in the public space. In this book, current discussion on
a broad range of relevant subjects, encompassing socio-political as
well as philosophical, theoretical and clinical dimensions, is
presented without avoiding uncomfortable questions and in an accessible
manner.
Interview by Tracy Jarvis at Psychotherapy Excellence (opens in new window) |
Psyche and Agora: the Psyche at the crossroads of personal and societal contexts In: The Psyche in the Modern World. T. Warnecke (Ed.). UKCP Book Series Karnac 2015
|
What can psychotherapy do? Psychotherapy paradigms and sexual orientation
In: International Journal of Psychotherapy, 2013, Vol. 17 (2): 74-85 (Download as PDF Document)
|
Abstract:
Homosexuality and same-sex attraction have vexed the psychotherapy
field throughout its history and continue to draw controversy in the
21st century. Debates and arguments about the mental health of gay,
lesbian and bisexual people mirrored and dwelled within the tremendous
tensions that exist in society around this subject. The author examines
the troubled relationship of psychotherapy theory and practice with
gender and sexual orientation. Psychotherapy ideas, while
revolutionizing the understanding of human functioning in the 20th
century, blindly incorporated many common western cultural values but
also a Christian-Judaic premise that procreative sex was normative. The
ensuing conjecture of hetero-normativity created a conceptual bias
about homosexuality's supposed pathological nature and left
psychotherapy with a toxic legacy.
|
Stirring
the depths - Transference, countertransference and touch
In:
Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, Volume 6, Issue 3,
2011
(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17432979.2011.592390) |
Abstract:
Touching is not just a skin to skin meeting but involves and affects
psyche and soma far below the surface. Tactile contact and touch embody
essential aspects of human existence and development. Touch directs our
attention both outwards and inwards. Perceptions and sensations of the
external, the 'not I', mingle with sensations of the living body and
awaken the body-mind to itself. Developing our awareness and
sensitivity for intersubjective engagement with touch and associated
transference phenomena allows their meaning and creativity to come
alive in the therapeutic relationship.
|
Developing
through Embodiment and Movement
In: Self Awareness and
Personal Development - Resources for Psychotherapists and Counsellors,
Rose C. (ed.) Macmillan, 2011 (Flyer
in Acrobat PDF format) |
Abstract:
Self awareness and learning through others involves examining our ways
of being in the world, within ourselves and with others, the impact of
personal and cultural experiences, our values and beliefs and our
patterns of communication. All these dimensions of being invariably
include bodily aspects - our self placement in the world is necessarily
and irreducibly embodied. Paraphrasing Simone de Beauvoir (1989), our
body is the primary instrument of our grasp upon the world. In this
chapter, I will explore the body as an agency for self-discovery and
learning and introduce some physiological aspects of mind-body
relations to de- mystify and make psyche-soma dynamics accessible.
|
Paper - Scissors -
Stone
Pluralism, psychotherapy values and public benefit
In: The Psychotherapist, Issue 49,
2011
(Download as an Acrobat PDF
document)
|
Working as a
psychotherapist in Europe
In: The
Psychotherapist, Issue 47, 2010
(Download as an Acrobat PDF
document)
|
The
therapeutic modality of touch and statutory regulation
In:
Self & Society, Vol 37-2, 2009
|
Abstract:
Perceptions of touch and tactile contact are permeated by associations
with nurture, care and healing on the one hand, and with erotic
pleasures, sexual taboos and abuse on the other. With the prospect of
statutory regulation looming, do we need to review touch as a
therapeutic intervention?
|
The
well tempered therapist - Psychotherapy integration and the personality
of the therapist
In: British Journal of
Psychotherapy
Integration, Vol 5-2, 2008. (Download as an Acrobat PDF document) |
Abstract:
Integration is inherent to the art and science of psychotherapy and
constitutes a core function of the psychotherapeutic process. But
integrative processes not only facilitate our clients' process of
change but also crucially contribute to the development of
psychotherapists. This paper is about the integration of the therapists
personality with his or her clinical approach as a necessary aspect of
professional individuation and maturation.
|
The Borderline
relationship
In: Contemporary Body
Psychotherapy:
The Chiron Approach;
Ed. Hartley, Routledge 2008. (Flyer
in Acrobat PDF format) |
Abstract:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has always been considered an
elusive and puzzling phenomenon. Concept and theory are indeed anything
but straightforward. The 'personality disorder' construct appears to
suggest a pathological condition located solely in the client. At the
same time, the borderline dynamic is most famously associated with
difficult or unstable relationships and evokes images of harassed and
tormented therapists. But borderline relationships are challenging for
clients and therapists alike. Both may feel attacked, invaded,
helpless, misunderstood or unappreciated by the other. Borderline
patterns of organisation are evidently active across the continuum of
intrapsychic and interpersonal fields. The word borderline - 'a line
that indicates a boundary' - incidentally names what is most lacking in
the borderline dynamic. But the borderline dynamic is also particularly
apparent as a bodily experience for both client and therapist.
Hyperarousal and catastrophic anxieties, both cardinal features of BPD,
suggest disturbances of very basic functions and indicate that the
organism is in a state of somatic disorganisation. Body and psyche of
the therapist are impacted by and respond to disorganized or
dissociated psyche and body states of borderline individuals. In this
chapter, I propose clinical perspectives to psychological and somatic
phenomena and disturbances commonly experienced by borderline
individuals and their therapists.
|
The Borderline
experience - A somatic perspective
A presentation given at the
AChP
AGM in 2004. Published in: British Journal of Psychotherapy
Integration, Vol 4-1, 2007 (Download
as an Acrobat PDF document |
Abstract:
This paper explores a therapeutic approach to BPD that integrates
somatic and relational aspects. From a somatic perspective, the
Borderline dynamic is characterised by chronic dis-regulation of the
autonomic nervous system, inadequate muscular structuring and a lack of
surface boundaries. In the therapeutic relationship with BPD clients we
are confronted with episodes of catastrophic anxiety which the
borderline body-ego is unable to contain or defend against. Such
catastrophic anxieties constitute states of unintegration which
manifest at times as despair, rage, clinging or self-destructive
pathologies. The therapist is frequently experienced as either 'too
close' or 'too far away'. Somatic dimensions of BPD are equally evident
in the transference relationship. The ruptures and dissonance typically
associated with Borderline relationships reflect the extend of somatic
dissonance, arousal and affect dis-regulation of the fragile Borderline
structure. Our bodies constitute our primary means of dialogical
engagement with the world and the complexities of BPD are best met by
engaging with both dimensions.
|
Some thoughts on
involuntary
muscle
Published
in: AChP Newsletter, No 25, 2003 (Download
as an Acrobat PDF file) |
Biosynthesis - a
body centred
psychotherapy
Published
in: London & South East Connection, No 23, 1999 (Download
as an Acrobat PDF file)
|