Pat Ogden – författare

Our physical habits—of sensation, posture and movement—reflect implicit knowledge of our histories of trauma, relationships and resources, as well as our future possibilities. However, this wealth of information often eludes our awareness. The intention of the somatic practices in this card deck is to experientially illuminate the innate and unique knowledge that resides in our bodies, and to nurture a more deeply embodied connection with ourselves, others and the world.The cards are divided into sixteen themes:Ancestors and communityBody connectionBody sensationBoundariesBreathContainmentCultureFive fundamental movementsGroundingMindfulnessMovementPostureThe sensesPositivityResourcesThe futureOur bodies have different lessons to teach us at different points in our lives, so readers are encouraged to revisit these enlightening, somatic exercises time and again to glean new insights.

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:developing personal resources, particularly somatic onesutilizing a bottom-up, somatic approach to memoryexploring 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.

Psychotherapists who have been trained in models of psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, or cognitive therapeutic approaches are skilled at listening to the language and affect of the client. They track the clients' associations, fantasies, and signs of psychic conflict, distress, and defenses. Yet while the majority of therapists are trained to notice the appearance and even the movements of the client's body, thoughtful engagement with the client's embodied experience has remained peripheral to traditional therapeutic interventions. Trauma and the Body is a detailed review of research in neuroscience, trauma, dissociation, and attachment theory that points to the need for an integrative mind-body approach to trauma. The premise of this book is that, by adding body-oriented interventions to their repertoire, traditionally trained therapists can increase the depth and efficacy of their clinical work. Sensorimotor psychotherapy is an approach that builds on traditional psychotherapeutic understanding but includes the body as central in the therapeutic field of awareness, using observational skills, theories, and interventions not usually practiced in psychodynamic psychotherapy. By synthesizing bottom-up and top down interventions, the authors combine the best of both worlds to help chronically traumatized clients find resolution and meaning in their lives and develop a new, somatically integrated sense of self.Topics addressed include:Cognitive, emotional, and sensorimotor dimensions of information processingmodulating arousaldyadic regulation and the bodythe orienting responsedefensive subsystemsadaptation and action systemstreatment principlesskills for working with the body in present timedeveloping somatic resources for stabilizationprocessing

Following an already- established and successful “pocket guide” format, Pat Ogden discusses sensorimotor psychotherapy. Whether you are new to the approach or in need of a handy reference, this book will help. Topics include: trauma and early attachment injuries, dissociation, dysregulation, and mindfulness. Case studies round out the book.