Becoming Alive Through
Bioenergetic Therapy
By Nicole Dockter
Becoming Fully Alive through Bioenergetic Analysis
There
are times in therapy when words cannot express what you are experiencing
inside.
You may be touching experiences in childhood's very early weeks and
months, before you had words. You may be uncovering the emotional
overwhelm that accompanies trauma. You may be glimpsing something only
dimly recognized from the past, something unknown to the conscious
mind.
In
each of these circumstances, as well as in many others, expression other
than language can often give deeper understanding.
One
powerful form of therapy that provides such access and insight is
Bioenergetic Analysis. Bioenergetic Analysis is a traditional,
psychoanalytically-based therapy that works with the body as well as
words. Established in the 1950s by psychiatrist Alexander Lowen, it
developed directly out of the pioneering psychological work of Sigmund
Freud and Wilhelm Reich in the early 20th century.
Bioenergetics explores the language of the body: it's musculature,
holding patterns and chronic imbalances, often manifested in various
medical and mental disorders. A Bioenergetic therapist will pay as much
attention to these bodily expressions as to what the client says
verbally.
In Bioenergetic
therapy, one learns to "tune in" to bodily sensations, particularly as
they accompany thoughts and emotions. One comes to understand how they
relate to important issues and relationships. As bodily awareness grows,
one forms a stronger, fuller sense of self--no longer a self narrowly
defined by the thoughts of the mind, but also experienced in the wisdom
of the body.
For
example, a young woman suffers from chronic and severe neck and shoulder
pain that gets worse each time she must before professional peers, a
task often required of her. In Bioenergetic sessions, she is encouraged
to deepen her breathing and feel more contact with the ground, through
specific exercises. She moves with and against the contractions in her
neck and shoulders, paying attention to the physical sensations as well
as the thoughts and feelings that arise. As she expresses herself to
the therapist, sometimes in words, sometimes with simple sound, she
comes to recognize important associations. She realizes that the
contractions started when she began to develop sexually and her
previously loving father became critical and cold. She remembers wearing
baggy clothes to cover herself, curling in her shoulders to hide her
developing form and protect herself from his hostility. She intuitively
sensed her father's withdrawal had something to do with her becoming a
woman.
By
her early 30's this posture had become a rigid holding. Through her work
in Bioenergetics, she gradually loosened the contraction, freed her
breathing and came to accept the value of her personal and professional
qualities. She became more comfortable in her body, and felt more free
to express herself naturally. She lost her fear of speaking publicly.
Most
importantly, the result of her therapy was that she felt more integrated
and complete as a person, and therefore, more fully alive. She was able
to pursue healthy pleasure in work, love and life.
The
is the ultimate aim of any successful therapy. Bioenergetic Analysis
directly addresses the body, so often marginalized in our contemporary
mechanized culture, and helps return us to our full humanity.
If you would like to experience the energizing yet
calming effects of basic Bioenergetic exercises, a newly released DVD
takes the viewer through the movements easily and safely. These
exercises are excellent to use to prepare for a challenging workday, or
to release stress at the end of the day. It also includes a relaxing
10-minute body centered meditation. The DVD is available online at
www.StresslessWorkplace.com.
Written by: Maggie Locke, MFT, CBT and Nicole Dockter LCSW
