Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)

A book for clinicians and clients to use together that explains key concepts of body psychotherapy. The body’s intelligence is largely an untapped resource in psychotherapy, yet the story told by the “somatic narrative”-- gesture, posture, prosody, facial expressions, eye gaze, and movement -- is arguably more significant than the story told by the words. The language of the body communicates implicit meanings and reveals the legacy of trauma and of early or forgotten dynamics with attachment figures. To omit the body as a target of therapeutic action is an unfortunate oversight that deprives clients of a vital avenue of self-knowledge and change. Written for therapists and clients to explore together in therapy, this book is a practical guide to the language of the body. It begins with a section that orients therapists and clients to the volume and how to use it, followed by an overview of the role of the brain and the use of mindfulness. The last three sections are organized according to a phase approach to therapy, focusing first on developing personal resources, particularly somatic ones; second on utilizing a bottom-up, somatic approach to memory; and third on exploring the impact of attachment on procedural learning, emotional biases, and cognitive distortions. Each chapter is accompanied by a guide to help therapists apply the chapter’s teachings in clinical practice and by worksheets to help clients integrate the material on a personal level. The concepts, interventions, and worksheets introduced in this book are designed as an adjunct to, and in support of, other methods of treatment rather than as a stand-alone treatment or manualized approach. By drawing on the therapeutic relationship and adjusting interventions to the particular needs of each client, thoughtful attention to what is being spoken beneath the words through the body can heighten the intimacy of the therapist/client journey and help change take place more easily in the hidden recesses of the self. 100 illustrations Title Contents Introduction Section One Getting Started Chapter 1 Essential Principles Chapter 2 Orientation for Therapists Chapter 3 Orientation for Clients Section Two Basic Concepts and Skills Chapter 4 The Wisdom of the Body, Lost and Found Chapter 5 The Language of the Body: Procedural Learning Chapter 6 Pay Attention: The Orienting Response Chapter 7 Mindfulness of the Present Moment Chapter 8 Directed Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity Chapter 9 The Triune Brain and Information Processing Chapter 10 Exploring Body Sensation Chapter 11 Neuroception and the Window of Tolerance Chapter 12 Three Phases of Therapy Section Three Phase 1: Developing Resources Chapter 13 Appreciating Your Strengths: Survival and Creative Resources Chapter 14 Taking Inventory: Categories of Resources Chapter 15 Somatic Resources Chapter 16 Grounding Yourself Chapter 17 Core Alignment: Working with Posture Chapter 18 Using Your Breath Chapter 19 A Somatic Sense of Boundaries Chapter 20 Developing Missing Resources Section Four Phase 2: Addressing Memory Chapter 21 Implicit Memory and Your Resource Repertoire Chapter 22 Reconstructing Memory: Finding Resources in a Painful Past Chapter 23 Dual Awareness of Past and Present Chapter 24 Sliver of Memory Chapter 25 Restoring Empowering Action Chapter 26 Recalibrating Your Nervous System: Sensorimotor Sequencing Chapter 27 Emotions and Animal Defenses Section Five Phase 3: Moving Forward Chapter 28 The Legacy of Attachment Chapter 29 Beliefs and the Body Chapter 30 Making Sense of Emotions Chapter 31 Moving through the World: How We Walk Chapter 32 Boundary Styles in Relationships Chapter 33 Connecting with Others: Proximity-Seeking Actions Chapter 34 Play, Pleasure, and Positive Emotions Chapter 35 Challenging Your Window of Tolerance Afterword Glossary References Acknowledgments Index Also by Pat Ogden Copyright This practical manual will help therapists integrate sensorimotor psychotherapy a technique that promotes safe and gradual reconnection with the body into their work with individuals, groups, families, and couples suffering from complex trauma