This inspiring and encyclopedic book was originally published in German as ‘Handbuch der Körperpsychotherapie’ (Schattauer, 2006) [see left], where it was well reviewed and proved very popular: selling more than 3200 copies and even going into a second printing. It was then decided in 2009-10 to attempt an English-American version, which would also be a 2nd edition (quite a different volume), retaining some of the original articles. This mean translating a number of the German articles into (good) English; updating all the previous English-language articles, that had been translated into German, as well as commissioning about 15 new English-American articles.
This Handbook has been designed to be the definitive book about Body Psychotherapy and Somatic Psychology. Several other very good introductions to Body Psychotherapy and books about different types of Body Psychotherapy have recently been published, however this book defines and represents the whole field: the embodiment and scope of Body Psychotherapy theory, knowledge and practice to date, and the list of international authors reads like Who’s Who; the contents are What’s What.
What we wanted to present is an in-depth perspective on what is steadily emerging as a major, significant branch of the profession of psychology and psychotherapy and it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is an essential connection between mainstream psychotherapy and the fields of psychosomatics, neuroscience, psycho-physiology, trauma-work, etc., as well as the whole wide range of other various body therapies. There is much growing interest in therapeutic work with the body far beyond the field of Body Psychotherapy itself.
This handbook, as a work of major reference, is designed as a standard text for all Somatic Psychology university courses in the USA, for every trainee in Body Psychotherapy, and an essential read for most practicing psychotherapists from whatever discipline or orientation.
We invite you to examine the contents and chapter titles of this new edition. We do not apologize for the length (though we realize that this takes it out of the ‘usual’ type of book), as we have always planned for it to be really comprehensive. The German-language edition had 99 chapters and 1002 pages: this has 82 authors; 84 chapters; 940 pages and over 500,000 words, as well as an author and subject index.
As you will be able to see, nearly all the major international ‘players’ in the field of Body Psychotherapy have contributed to this volume. The editors are well known and experienced; the publisher is familiar with the field. Every chapter in this edition has being re-edited, made relevant and coherent, with standardized spellings, references checked, and all brought up-to-date, and it has just been released (08-Dec, 2015) by North Atlantic Books.
The original German 2006 edition
The newly released English-American 2015 edition
THE HANDBOOK OF BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY & SOMATIC PSYCHOLOGY
(North Atlantic Books, 2015)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword: Bessel van der Kolk
Introduction to the American-English Edition: Michael Soth and Courtenay Young Preface: The Field of Body Psychotherapy: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
SECTION I: Historical Perspectives
Introduction to I: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
The History and Scope of Body Psychotherapy: Ulfried Geuter
The Influence of Elsa Gindler: Judyth O. Weaver
The Work of Wilhelm Reich (Part 1): Reich, Freud & Character: Wolf Büntig
The Norwegian Tradition of Body Psychotherapy – A Golden Age in Oslo: Nicholas Bassal & Michael Coster Heller
The Work of Wilhelm Reich (Part 2): Reich in Norway & America: Courtenay Young, with material from Wolf Büntig
Body Psychotherapy as a Major Tradition of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Gustl Marlock
The Genealogy of Body Psychotherapy: A Graphic Depiction: Heike Langfeld & Dagmar Rellensmann with Ulfried Geuter, Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss. Graphics: Hans-Jürgen Buch
a) Introduction; b) The Roots of Body Psychotherapy; c) Body Therapy; d) The Influence of Psychoanalysis; e) Reichian Traditions; f) Non-Reichian Traditions; g) Humanistic Psychology; h) Dance Therapy
SECTION II: The Fundamentals of Body Psychotherapy
Introduction to II: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
The Primacy of Experiential Practices in Body Psychotherapy: Don Hanlon Johnson
Neurobiological Perspectives on Body Psychotherapy: Christian Gottwald
Body Psychotherapy as the Reanimation of the Self: A Depth-Psychological and Phenomenological-Experiential Perspective: Gustl Marlock
Energy Concepts in Body Psychotherapy: Andreas Wehowsky
The Organization of Experience: A Systems Perspective on the Relation of Body Psychotherapies to the Wider Field of Psychotherapy: Gregory J. Johanson
SECTION III: Psyche and Soma
Introduction to III: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Soma-Semantics: Meanings of the Body: David Boadella
The Neurotic Character Structure and the Conscious Ego: Alexander Lowen
The Embodied Unconscious: Ian J. Grand
The Body Unconscious: The Process of Making Conscious: Psychodynamic & Neuroscience Perspectives: Marilyn Morgan
Maturation of the Somatic Self: Stanley Keleman
“Body Schema”, “Body Image” and “Bodily Experience”: Concept Formation, Definitions and Clinical Relevance in Diagnosis and Therapy: Frank Röhricht
The Bodily “Felt Sense” as a Ground for Body Psychotherapies: Eugene Gendlin & Marion Hendricks
The Body and the Truth: Halko Weiss & Michael Harrer
Body, Culture and Body-Oriented Psychotherapies: Ian J. Grand
SECTION IV: Somatic Dimensions of Developmental Psychology
Introduction to VI: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Shapes of Experience. Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology and Somatic Character Formation: Marianne Bentzen
The Main Variants of Character Theory in the Field of Body Psychotherapy: Andreas Sartory with Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Early Interaction and the Body: Clinical Implications: George Downing
Affect-Motor Schemata: Andreas Wehowsky
Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology: Vital Foundations of Body Psychotherapy: Marti Glenn
Multiple Levels of Meaning Making: The First Principles of Changing Meanings in Development and Therapy: Ed Tronick & Bruce Perry
Patterns and Plasticity: Utilizing Early Motor Development As a Tool for Therapeutic Change: Susan Aposhyan
Attachment Theory and Body Psychotherapy: Embodiment and Motivation: Mark Ludwig
The Development of Autonomy from a Body Psychotherapy Perspective: Ute-Christiane Bräuer
SECTION V: Methodological Foundations
Introduction to V: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss (with Michael Soth)
Sensory Self-Reflexivity: OTherapeutic Action in Body Psychotherapy: Gustl Marlock
Consciousness, Awareness, Mindfulness: Halko Weiss
Bodily Expression and Experience in Psychotherapy: Ron Kurtz
The Experiencing Body: Halko Weiss
Movement As and In Psychotherapy: Christine Caldwell
‘When is Now? When is Now?’: Corrective Experiences: With Whom? When? And Where?: Albert Pesso
On Vitality: Michael Randolph
SECTION VI: The Therapeutic Relationship in Body Psychotherapy
Introduction to VI: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss Entering the Relational Field in Body Psychotherapy: William F. Cornell
Enhancing the Immediacy and Intimacy of the Therapeutic Relationship through the Somatic Dimension: Richard A. Heckler & Gregory J. Johanson
Transference, Countertransference & Surpervision in the Body Psychotherapeutic Experience: Michael Soth
Touch in Body Psychotherapy: Gill Westland
The Somatics of Touch: Lisbeth Marcher with Eric Jarlnaes & Kirstine Münster
The Empty Voice of the Empty Self: On the Link between Traumatic Experience and Artificiality: Tilmann Moser
SECTION VII: Clinical Aspects of the Therapeutic Process
Introduction to VII: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
The Relevance of Body- Related Features and Processes for Diagnostics and Clinical Formulation in Body Psychotherapy: Frank Röhricht
The Role of the Body in Emotional Defense Processes: Body Psychotherapy and Emotional Theory: Ulfried Geuter & Norbert Schrauth
The Spectrum of Body-Psychotherapeutic Practices & Interventions: Ilse Schmidt-Zimmermann
Regression in Body Psychotherapy: Peter Geissler
The Unfolding of Libidinous Forces in Body Psychotherapy: Ebba Boyesen & Peter Freudl
Risks within Body Psychotherapy: Courtenay Young
SECTION VIII: Functional Perspectives of Body Psychotherapy
Introduction to VII: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Energy and the Nervous System in Embodied Experience: James Kepner
The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System: Dawn Baht & Jacqueline Carleton
The Role of Breath in Mind-Body Psychotherapy: Ian Macnaughton with Peter A. Levine
Heart, Heart Feelings and Heart Symptoms: Courtenay Young
Dreams and the Body: Stanley Keleman
Visual Contact, Facing, Presence and Expression: Narelle McKenzie
Segmental Holding Patterns of the Body-Mind: Jack Lee Rosenberg & Beverly Kitaen Morse
Horizontal Grounding: Angela Belz-Knöferl
Vertical Grounding: The Body in the World and the Self in the Body: Lily Anagnostopoulou
Entering the Erotic Field: Sexuality in Body-Centered Psychotherapy: William F. Cornell
SECTION IX: Body Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Specific Disorders
Introduction to IX: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Body Psychotherapy and Severe Mental Disorders: Frank Röhricht
Body Psychotherapy and Psychosis: Guy Tonnela
Body Psychotherapeutic Treatments for Eating Disorders: Sasha Dmochowski, Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar & Jacqueline Carleton
Body Psychotherapy with the Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Manfred Thielen
Vegetotherapy with Psychosomatic Disorders: Functionalism in Practice: Xavier Serrano Hortelano
Oral Depression: Guy Tonella
Sensory-Motor Processing for Trauma Recovery: Pat Odgen & Kekuni Minton
SECTION X: Some Areas of Application of Body Psychotherapy
Introduction to X: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Body Psychotherapy with Parents, Babies and Infants: Thomas Harms
A Return to the “Close Body”: Child Somatic Psychotherapy: Nicole Gäbler
Subsymbolic Processing with an Alexithymic Client: John May A Somatic Approach to Couples Therapy: Rob Fisher
Emotional First Aid: Eva R. Reich & Judyth O. Weaver
The Use of Body Psychotherapy in the Context of Group Therapy: Michael Soth
Research in Body Psychotherapy: Barnaby B. Barratt
SECTION XI: Interfaces with Other Modalities of Psychotherapy
Introduction to XI: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss
Dance Therapy: Sabine Trautmann-Voigt
The Significance of the Body in Gestalt Therapy: Wiltrud Krauss-Kogan
Somatic Emotional Release Work among Hands-On Practitioners: Ilana Rubenfeld with Camilla Griggers
Cognitive Behavioral Therapists Discover the Body: Serge K.D. Sulz
The Positive Management of the Body: A Salutogenetic and Transcultural Perspective: Nossrat Peseschkian
SEGMENT XII: Existential and Spiritual Dimensions of Body-Oriented Psychotherapy Introduction to §XII: Gustl Marlock & Halko Weiss The Awakened Body: The Role of the Body in Spiritual Development: Linda H. Krier & Jessica Moore Britt
Existential Dimensions of the Fundamental Character Themes: Halko Weiss
Body Meditation in the Tibetian Buddhist and Bön Traditions: Daniel P. Brown
Index of Names
Subject Index
Addendum
Thus the American-English edition is not just a simple translation of the 2006 German edition. Some of the chapters, originally in German, French, Spanish etc., have now been translated into English: the (original) English chapters have been updated and revised. Authors have all been re-contacted and many have revised their original work. New chapters were commissioned and then edited. The whole Handbook has thus been totally re-edited, brought up-to-date, and with many more recent references added.
Developments & Possibilities
The publishers asked us about marketing this volume and future developments and possibilities. Currently, USABP has about 600 members, and the (roughly) bi-annual conferences attract 300-400 people, of which only about 100 are USABP members. There are at least 4 universities that teach Somatic Psychology Masters & PhD programs. There are a large number of modality-based schools as well. It would therefore be reasonable to assume there are about 6,000 – 7,500 people directly involved in Body Psychotherapy / Somatic Psychology practice and training, and – of course – many more interested in this field.
We believe that various USABP colleagues are also starting a campaign to create a new ‘division’ of Somatic Psychology in the American Psychology Association (APA), similar to the Society of Humanistic Psychology or the Division of Clinical Neuropsychology, which should help create a lot more parallel interest from professionals in other areas of psychology and psychotherapy. It is hoped that this Handbook – and other recent publications in Body Psychotherapy & Somatic Psychology from mainstream publishers – will assist this process.
Its sister organization, EABP has about 750 members. There are 12 national associations and about 40 accredited training organizations. Their bi-annual conferences attract about 300-400 people (with only 50-60 EABP members attending). There are at least two European university courses (one in Italy, one in Germany), which teach Body Psychotherapy modules and one of the UK Body Psychotherapy schools is now linked to a university and thus offers a Masters Program. It would therefore be reasonable to assume about 6,000 – 9,000 people are directly involved in Body Psychotherapy practice and training in Europe.
Most of the English, Scandinavian, and Latin countries tend to have English (rather than German) as their second language and would therefore tend to buy the English-American edition, rather than the German edition. Extrapolating these proportions, it would be reasonable to assume that there is a population of about 5,000 European Body Psychotherapists who form a potential sales market.
The Australian Association of Somatic Psychology is smaller, with about 100 members and people directly involved; ditto there are groups and trainings in Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. There is also considerable interest in Japan, and an association is beginning to form. All these would all almost certainly be interested in this English-American edition.
There is also a fairly large population of Body Psychotherapists in South America, and recent Body Psychotherapy Congresses in Sao Paulo and Venezuela attracted about 600 and 350 people respectively. Given language differences, travel difficulties and costs, this could indicate a population of interest in Body Psychotherapy of around 6,000 people: and, although most would be more open to a Spanish (or Portuguese) translation of this edition (which is possible), many may well buy an American edition, often having English as a second language. This present edition is already being re-translated back into German to be published as a 2nd edition of the 2006 volume.
Additional to all of the above, there are two other major ‘populations’ where there would be considerable interest. Many psychotherapists (of all sorts) are becoming attracted to exploring with the increasing interest just how the ‘body’ fits into their field and theories of the ‘mind’ and ‘psyche’, and especially how to work with it. Enthusiasm for body-oriented techniques like EMDR and Mindfulness practice shows something of this interest. There are close links (and a shared professional, peer-reviewed, international journal) with Dance Movement Psychotherapy, which is growing rapidly. There are conferences planned for psychodynamic psychotherapists on ‘working with the body’. It would be reasonable to expect a steady level of sales to universities and colleges with general clinical psychology and psychotherapy courses.
Additionally, and almost totally separate from this, there is also a huge range of ‘body therapies’ – Feldenkrais, massage therapies, Alexander Technique, Rolfing, Bowen technique, etc. (to name just a few), as well as all the ‘natural health’ therapies and the field of complementary medicine. Many of the practitioners (and clients) of these would have some interest in how to work with the more psychological aspects of their bodies. Depending on how and where the volume is presented and marketed, the potential of both these populations (in mainland America alone) is huge.
Contributions & Co-operation
The Handbook of Body Psychotherapy contains contributions from nearly every major living figure in Body Psychotherapy (plus some that have died recently), many of whom are established authors, founders of schools, lecturers, training therapists and supervisors in universities or postgraduate training institutions. The ‘body’ of knowledge, the depth of experience, the breadth of theory would be very difficult to surpass. The ‘impact factor’ of the Handbook with regards to future journal article citations, over the next 15 years or so, will hopefully be immense.
The authors themselves – about 80 all told – will (hopefully) also be open to recommending the book to their courses and students, helping to obtain reviews, and assisting marketing through their own websites and professional contacts. Many of them also speak at and go to international conferences or give seminars, in the general field of psychotherapy and psychology.
So, we hope that you will all agree with us that this has been a very worthwhile project, with a reasonable chance of success, and that you might like to become involved in some way towards its development and the development of the field of Body psychotherapy & Somatic Psychology.
Editors: Gustl Marlock, Halko Weiss with Courtenay Young & Michael Soth
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