Somatic psychology

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Somatic psychology was introduced in the early 20th century by the Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich.[1]

It builds upon the somatic theory which proposes a connection between the mind and body. The body is no longer seen as an independent and passive entity but rather as manifesting mental states in physical conditions.[2] This branch of psychology emphasizes that experiences, which shape our emotions, are primarily made by the body. The somatic theory of trauma illustrates this explicitly by demonstrating that traumatic experiences can be transferred onto physical symptoms such as back pain.[3]

Methods in somatic therapy place attention on reconnecting with the own body, which may enable to listen to what your body might tell you about your mental well-being.[2] This can be assessed by practices such as breath work or mindful movement. The therapist aims to fine tune the interventions to the patients individual conditions.

Techniques[edit]

Somatic therapy techniques are commonly used to treat cases like Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Failed prior therapy techniques enforced the need for more sophisticated ways of caring for the condition, through which Cognitive Behavioural Somatic Therapy was introduced.[4]

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is used as such a treatment for PTSD. SE focuses on interoceptive, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive experience, which can resolve symptoms of chronic and traumatic stress.[5] This bottom-up process focuses on the psycho-physiological consequences of the traumatic event and aims to recalibrate the dysregulation of the bodily responses in an indirect way.[6]

This technique aims to help regulate cognition and body, and is therefore powerful in addressing clinical dissociative disorders. Such sensorimotor techniques are often versatile and highly individual, created and adjusted for the patient, ranging in differing physical movements targeting the patient's weak point in an effort to build self-awareness and self-regulation.[7] Such bottom-up movements stimulate self-awareness and self-regulation[6], like dance, breathing, and even a full-body workout depending on the individual's condition and need.[7]

Combining somatic psychology with group therapy can be effective for attachment disorders, transference impasse, and trauma. Incorporating somatic components through sensory awareness and movement of the body, is most effective for patients who experienced physiological trauma.[8] Teaching body awareness through monitoring physiological responses or behaviors, achieves or improves self-regulation, stabilization and a close connection to themselves or others.[9]

Trauma storing in the body[edit]

Whenever someone experiences trauma, it can manifest in the body and lead to mental and physical health issues. Experiencing trauma, leads to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis getting sensitized. The HPA is responsible for the endocrine stress response and controls body functions such as breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure.[10]

When the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system and the hormone epinephrine gets released which triggers the fight-or-flight response. As long as the brain perceives the situation as dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) which leads to the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which leads to the release of cortisol. In a healthy person the HPA axis ensures that if the threat passes, the cortisol release is stopped. The parasympathetic nervous system dilutes the stress response. If a person experiences trauma, the stress response can become chronic and the HPA axis stays activated.[11]

The constant release of those stress hormones can lead to physiological problems, like heart damage, diabetes and digestive issues through the excessive release of epinephrine and cortisol. Psychological effects such as anxiety, depression and disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can as well be triggered by the constant stress response of the body.[12][10]

Origins[edit]

The body and the mind have always been seen either connected, one thing or two separate things. This has become one of the main problems in philosophy. Many philosophers can be cited writing about it, such as Descartes with his dualism. Freud, which is usually seen as one of the most influential figures preceding psychology, also saw the body as central within his theory. For him, the ego was first of all a “body ego”.[13]

Somatic psychology was first studied by Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian physician that initially was Freud’s student. His approach has been influenced by Salvador Ferenczi, a Hungarian neurologist who also studied with Freud and gave insight to Reich to write his book “Character Analysis”.[14] Reich was also interested in the origin of psychosomatic illness where George Groddeck, a friend of Ferenczi, influenced him a lot. He was the pioneer of somatic psychology from a medical point of view. Reich used vegetotherapy to name somatic psychology as it was touching upon the nervous system.[15] Reich's approach goes beyond traditional therapies, it emphasizes the significance of the body on therapeutic processes, by exploring the connections between the body, brain and mind to avoid certain tensions. His discovery continues to influence contemporary therapy processes and is still relevant in today’s practice.[16]

Efficiency/Positivism[edit]

The effectiveness of somatic psychology and experiencing is still unclear. There are studies that show beneficial data points of somatic experiencing (SE) on PTSD-associated symptoms and depression. SE also showed positive impacts on affective and somatic symptoms, and general well-being outside of PTSD-treatment.[6] Different limitations are encountered within studies that show positive results, such as small samples and not following rigorous methodological criteria. Insufficient research has been done to evaluate and compare the differential impacts of various modalities, despite the results of those modalities being relatively similar. [17] The data is encouraging, but more objective studies are required to completely comprehend the efficacy of somatic psychology and experiencing, and improving the method-specific factors.[6]

Criticism and limitations[edit]

Few studies have shown the beneficial effects of implementing somatic psychology into PTSD treatment.[6] However, the evidence for the effectiveness of somatic therapy has yet to be proven. Assessing the efficacy of that method, requires a broader examination of scientific research on body-oriented psychotherapy.[18] Another problem regarding the subject is an increased potential for re-traumatization of a patient. While somatic experiencing can be healing, it is also accessing trauma stored deeply in the body. That, if not taken with careful care, may lead to resurgence of traumatic symptoms.[19] That is why a practitioner using such methods must be efficiently trained to help their patients with adequate caution and sensitivity.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The History of Somatics: The Pioneers". Stephanie Mara. 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  2. ^ a b "What is Somatic Psychotherapy?". www.anshinpsychotherapy.co.uk. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. ^ "What is Somatic Therapy".
  4. ^ Baranowsky, Anna B.; Gentry, J. Eric (2023). "Trauma practice: A Cognitive Behavioral Somatic Therapy". Hogrefe Publishing GMBH (4th ed.). ISBN 9781616765927.
  5. ^ Payne, Peter; Levine, Peter A.; Crane-Godreau, Mardi A. (2015-02-04). "Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy". Frontiers in Psychology. 6: 93. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 4316402. PMID 25699005.
  6. ^ a b c d e Kuhfuß, Marie; Maldei, Tobias; Hetmanek, Andreas; Baumann, Nicola (January 2021). "Somatic experiencing – effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review". European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 12 (1). doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023. ISSN 2000-8066. PMID 34290845.
  7. ^ a b Reuille-Dupont, Stacy (2021-04-03). "Applications of somatic psychology: movement and body experience in the treatment of dissociative disorders". Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy. 16 (2): 105–119. doi:10.1080/17432979.2020.1844295. ISSN 1743-2979.
  8. ^ Payne, Peter; Levine, Peter A.; Crane-Godreau, Mardi A. (2015-02-04). "Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy". Frontiers in Psychology. 6: 93. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 4316402. PMID 25699005.
  9. ^ Cohen (2011). The Application of Somatic Psychology to Group Psychotherapy. pp. 397–413.
  10. ^ a b "How Trauma Affects the Body | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  11. ^ "Understanding the stress response". Harvard Health. 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  12. ^ Functional Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents. Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy. 2020. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-46184-3. ISBN 978-3-030-46183-6.
  13. ^ Krueger, D. W. (1989). Body self & psychological self: A developmental and clinical integration of disorders of the self. Brunner/Mazel.
  14. ^ "Somatic Psychology: Meaning and Origins". Meridian University. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  15. ^ Boadella, D. (1990). Somatic psychotherapy: Its roots and traditions. A personal perspective. Energy and Character, 21(1).
  16. ^ Blackstock, Joel (2023-05-20). "The Curious Case of Wilhelm Reich". Taproot Therapy Collective. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  17. ^ Brom, Danny; Stokar, Yaffa; Lawi, Cathy; Nuriel-Porat, Vered; Ziv, Yuval; Lerner, Karen; Ross, Gina (June 2017). "Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 30 (3): 304–312. doi:10.1002/jts.22189. ISSN 0894-9867. PMC 5518443. PMID 28585761.
  18. ^ Bloch-Atefi, Alexandra; Smith, Julie (2015-07-01). "The effectiveness of body-oriented psychotherapy: A review of the literature". Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia. 3 (1). doi:10.59158/001c.71153.
  19. ^ Levine, Peter A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: how the body releases trauma and restores goodness. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1-55643-943-8. OCLC 496956960.

Further reading[edit]

  • Marlock, G.; Weiss, H. (2015). The Handbook of Body Psychotherapy & Somatic Psychology. North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-158394841-5.
  • Shane, P. (2023). Principles of Somatic Psychology: An Evidence-Based, Transdisciplinary Approach for the Holistic Healthcare Professions. Center for Bodymind Education. ISBN 978-166788-590-2.

External links[edit]

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