Bodylistening – a Practical Introduction to Body Psychotherapy

The programme is presented in four weekend modules (25th & 26th April, 9th & 10th May, 13th & 14th June, 11th & 12th July). Please note, you need to attend all eight training days.

Fundamentals of Deep Bodywork and Body Psychotherapy - 25th & 26th April

Introductory concepts and theoretical background to Neo-Reichian Bodywork and body psychotherapy, including links to attachment theory, development of character, models of contact, embodied-relational therapy.

Safety: how to create and maintain a safe working environment for bodywork. Self-regulation and the relational field. Boundaries, orientation, and safety protocols. Taking risks.

Bodylistening skills: how to talk to the body and encourage its responses. Working with parts and channels. Body-gestalt techniques. Listening to my own body.

Body Dialogue and Process Work - 9th & 10th May

Bodylistening means listening to the body and taking its messages seriously. This involves a dialogue – between client and therapist, and a process – of change and growth. We will explore ways in which we make contact with the ‘mind’ of the body and create the conditions for it to relax, release, and move into healing process. The work draws on Process-Oriented Psychology, Gestalt, Embodied-Relational Therapy, Mindfulness… and your own creativity, gut instinct and inspiration. Topics include:

• Creating and maintaining safety
• Exploring dialogue
• Channels: Image, Movement, Breath, Emotion, Sensation, Thought
• Working with resistance
• The meaning of symptoms
• Somatic countertransference

Contact, Movement and Touch in Therapy - 13th & 14th June

We learn who we are, we learn how to be, by moving in and out of contact. As our nervous systems develop over the first few years of life, the way we contact the world, and the way it responds, sets up deep patterns which are reawakened in therapy. We make contact through our eyes, our words, our bodies.

Touch is a powerful form of contact. Traditionally, the talking therapies avoid touch, but used with awareness it can be an important channel for therapeutic process. Bodyworkers know that touch can contact directly places in our bodymind which aren’t easily accessed by talking. Like any verbal intervention it can be used sensitively or abusively, respecting boundaries or overwhelming them.

By bringing attention to movement, gesture, posture and proximity, we open new possibilities in the client-therapist relationship. Movement disciplines such as Authentic Movement can engage the transpersonal realms, bringing new understanding and meaning to self-exploration. They can also be valuable tools for developing therapeutic presence. Topics include:

• What kind of contact, where, and when?
• Exploring proximity and reactions to contact
• Seven different styles of touch, and their shadow aspects
• Authentic Movement and therapeutic presence
• Working safely and respectfully

Working with Trauma - 11th & 12th July

Understanding trauma and helping it to release through the body is a fundamental skill. Modern neuroscience research now shows the way in which the body ‘remembers’ past traumas. Painful or difficult experiences can trigger a shock response which remains frozen in the body. Whilst trauma theory often emphasises shocking events, it can also explain long-term chronic developmental difficulties. As therapists, we don’t need to go looking for trauma – it will surface sooner or later. We need to welcome it as an important aid to process, and give the body space and time to tell its story directly.

This isn't a 'trauma training'. We will be looking at how early attachment forms a somatic imprint which shows itself in the way we hold ourselves, move, and make contact. It's a way into therapeutic process which gets straight to the heart of early wounding. Topics include:

• The trauma model as a basis for therapeutic process
• Shock trauma and developmental trauma
• How to spot trauma and work with it
• Mindfulness and tracking sensation
• Hyper- and Hypo-arousal, and self-regulation
• Avoiding retraumatisation
• Dealing with overwhelm.

Why would someone want to do this workshop?

There is growing interest in the field of body psychotherapy and somatic psychology. Body-centred approaches to dealing with psychological problems are now well established. Recent advances in neuroscience explain how the body is involved in our growing sense of self, and how this can be affected during early development. Our bodies hold the key to old problems and new possibilities; Body Psychotherapy is a therapeutic approach which gets to the root of who we are, and what we can become.

Working with the body is a creative process. This programme will give you background theory on how and why body-centred techniques work. You will develop 'bodylistening' skills to contact and work directly with the body. This includes greater self-awareness of your own body as a channel of wisdom and useful information – an incredibly useful resource, both personally and professionally.

The Bodylistening model provides a simple and safe framework for including the body in one-to-one client work, with somatic intelligence and trauma-informed sensitivity.

Who is this event for?

This workshop is for:

• counsellors and psychotherapists who want to explore body-centred approaches to therapeutic work with clients

NB. This introductory level training is not a therapy qualification in itself.

Additional Information

Anyone wishing to discuss the course in more detail is welcome to contact Tim on [email protected] to ask questions, or to organise an online chat.

Useful background reading is available on https://www.bodyworks.org.uk/

Meet the Tutor: Tim Brown

Tim is a body psychotherapist, workshop and group facilitator and trainer. He worked as an environmental scientist and campaigner on pollution and energy issues for many years, whilst becoming increasingly involved in personal growth work. He has a body psychotherapy practice in Ashburton – see www.bodyworks.org.uk .

Tim has a Diploma in Deep Bodywork from the Entelia Institute, is certified by the International Center for Release and Integration (ICRI) as a Postural Integrator, and has an ICRI Diploma in Advanced Somatic Integration. He has also trained in Authentic Movement with the Institute for Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy, and has an Advanced Diploma in Embodied-Relational Therapy. He is a full member of the European Association for Body Psychotherapy, and was an Associate Hospital Manager for mental health services in Sussex.

www.embodiedtherapy.org.uk

www.bodyworks.org.uk

Host or Publisher Iron Mill College