Defining the Body-Oriented Approach
Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship-building, dialogue, communication, and behavior change that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or to improve family or group relationships (such as in a family). In addition to the more common forms of psychotherapy (including humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches), there are several alternative, body-oriented therapies that serve specific purposes.
Body-oriented therapies, also referred to as body psychotherapies, are based on the principles of somatic psychology, which involves the study of the body, somatic experience, and the embodied self, including therapeutic and holistic approaches to the body. A wide variety of techniques are used in body-oriented therapies, including sound, touch, mirroring, movement, and breath. There is an increasing use of body-oriented therapeutic techniques within mainstream psychology (such as the practice of mindfulness), and psychoanalysis has recognized the use of such concepts as somatic resonance and embodied trauma. These alternative methods include (but are not limited to) eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), light therapy, hypnotherapy, and yoga.
EMDR
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy technique discovered in 1987 by Francine Shapiro for use in the treatment of anxiety, stress, and trauma. The goal of EMDR is to reduce the long-lasting effects of distressing memories by developing more adaptive coping mechanisms. The therapy uses an eight-phase approach that includes having the patient recall distressing images while receiving one of several types of bilateral sensory input, such as side-to-side eye movements. EMDR was originally developed to treat adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, it is also used to treat other conditions.
Light Therapy
Light therapy (also known as phototherapy or heliotherapy) consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using polychromatic polarized light, fluorescent lamps, or very bight, full-spectrum light. Light is usually controlled with various devices. The light is administered for a prescribed amount of time and, in some cases, at a specific time of day.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy used to create unconscious change in the patient in the form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, or feelings. Under hypnosis, a person experiences heightened suggestibility and responsiveness.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is different than the sort of hypnosis performed on stage. It is a form of psychotherapy used to create unconscious change in a person and can be effective in treating many disorders.
Yoga Therapy
Yoga as exercise or alternative medicine is a modern phenomenon that has been influenced by the ancient Indian practice of hatha yoga. It involves holding stretches as a kind of low-impact physical exercise, and is often used for therapeutic purposes. Yoga in this sense often occurs in a class and may involve meditation, imagery, breath work, and music.
History of Body-Oriented Therapy
Body-oriented therapies are based on the principles of somatic psychology, which was founded by Wilhelm Reich in the 1930s. Reich was the first person to bring body awareness systematically into psychoanalysis and also the first psychotherapist to touch clients physically. Reich's work significantly influenced the development of body psychotherapy; several types of body-oriented psychotherapies trace their origins back to Reich, though there have been many subsequent developments and additional influences.
Efficacy of Body-Oriented Therapy
A review of body-oriented therapy research finds there is a small but growing empirical-evidence base about the outcomes of these approaches; however, it is weakened by the fragmentation of the field into different branches and schools. Research across eight different schools of body-oriented therapies suggests overall efficacy in symptom reduction, though more research is needed. The review of outcome research across different types of body-oriented psychotherapy concludes that the best evidence supports efficacy for treating somatoform/psychosomatic disorders and schizophrenia. There is also support for positive effects on subjectively experienced depressive and anxiety symptoms, somatisation, and social insecurity.
EMDR is commonly used in the treatment of psychological trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (C-PTSD). Other body-oriented therapies can help a client to recover a sense of physical boundaries, thereby helping to reestablish trust after a traumatizing incident.
Light therapy is used to treat certain sleep disorders and can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder. There is also some support for its use with non-seasonal psychiatric disorders and skin disorders such as psoriasis. Modern hypnotherapy is widely used for the treatment of anxiety, subclinical depression, certain habit disorders, irrational fears, insomnia, and addiction. Both the meditative and the exercise components of hatha yoga have been researched for both specific and non-specific health benefits. Hatha yoga has been studied as an intervention for many mental health conditions, including stress and depression. In general, it can help improve quality of life, but does not treat disease.
Criticisms of Body-Oriented Therapy
As with many alternative therapies, body-oriented therapy is criticized for its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence. Many of the claims regarding the efficacy of body-oriented therapies are considered controversial due to lack of research. Many critics point to the fact that there is no clear explanation or evidence for how or why various body-oriented therapies work.
In addition, the importance of ethical issues in body-oriented therapy has been highlighted on account of the intimacy of the techniques used in several kinds of therapies. In particular, care must be taken when working with clients who have experienced trauma, especially when a body-oriented therapy involves touch by the practitioner.