Forms of Vitality

'As science advances in the exploration of the nature of feelings, there is an emerging trend: we are forced to move closer to origins, at the scale of both historical evolution and individual development. In either case, we move closer to life. Daniel Stern, whose studies of the non-verbal interactions of mothers and infants are a landmark, contributes to this trend by investigating the experience of vitality, a composite experience drawn from movement, force, time, space and
intention. Here is an important meditation on a central aspect of humanity.' - Antonio Damasio, Director, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, USA

(Oxford)

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND; 1. Introducing "Forms of Vitality"; 2. The Nature and Conceptual Framework of "Forms of Vitality"; 3. Ideas from Psychology and Behavior Leading to the Notion of Dynamic Forms of Vitality; THE ROLE OF THE AROUSAL SYSTEMS, AND THE EXAMPLES OF MUSIC, DANCE, THEATRE AND CINEMA; 4. A Neuroscientific Basis for Dynamic Forms of Vitality: The Arousal Systems; 5. Forms of Vitality in Music, Dance, Theatre and Cinema; DEVELOPMENTAL AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS; 6. When do Dynamic Forms of Vitality Begin?: A Developmental View; 7. What Implications do Forms of Vitality have for Psychotherapeutic Theory and Practice

(Oxford)