Keeping It Up

SUMMARY

Clients benefit from an eclectic approach. In the case of a presenting problem such as failure to maintain an erection, the assistance of body psychotherapy in the form of Core Energetics brings additional dimensions to couples work. In this case, only the male partner came to the office; but both benefited from the integration of bodywork into the therapeutic enterprise. The client needed access to his body to incorporate the insights and the skills of other therapeutic work. This article offers a sample of the work.     

Towards an understanding of the psychodynamic processes of the body

Abstract

Counselling clients frequently mention bodily symptoms, yet, within the therapy world, the body largely remains off-limits. This, in some part, is undoubtedly due to the prevailing issues around the touch taboo. However, the symptoms emanating from the body may well have profound psychodynamic meaning. This paper sets out to describe a psychodynamic perspective for how these symptoms may arise. Notions such as libido and preverbal theories, along with primal defence mechanisms, are used to show how the body becomes involved in unconscious processes. A case study is presented as illustrative of some of the psychodynamic concepts that may be implicated. It is argued that bodywork may help in providing a preverbal supportive environment from which a therapeutic alliance may develop, thus allowing for a verbalization of unconscious conflict.