Uncle Able Makes a House Call

Sandra is one of those delightful clients who see therapy as integral to life’s journey. Now retired and in her mid-sixties, Sandra has worked on residuals of childhood trauma, health related issues, and various circumstantial and existential personal problems. I have seen Sandra through family crises, car accidents, and a variety of health related issues. After surviving each event Sandra has emerged more psychologically integrated and more spiritually connected. From day one I’ve been impressed with Sandra’s courage and her shining spirit, inner strengths that fund her ability to adapt to and overcome difficulties. However, on a certain cold, misty afternoon in early spring, Sandra came in as overcast as the day. In fact there was reason to be worried. “Things aren’t coming out quite right.” She announced, “I’m assuming you’re referring to the art project you’ve been working on.” “Not exactly.” Sandra turned her head and looked sideways under one raised brow, a nervous smile at the edges of her eyes. “Actually, it’s a bit more personal.”

Diving Into the Healing: Trusting the Heart

Vacillating between emotional pain and the somatic relief of psychic numbing, Marie came to my office bewildered and in shock. Two weeks earlier a truck had crashed into a car in which Marie’s mother was riding. Although the truck driver had survived, Marie’s mother and her partner had instantly died. “I don’t know how you can help,” Marie said, her tired eyes revealing her grief. “You can’t bring my mother back or help me make sense of my loss. I’ve always had faith in a divine spirit, in an afterlife, but now nothing seems right.” Given the traumatic impact of Marie’s loss, how could I help?

Get In-Touch with Touch: A Powerful Tool for Emotional and Physiological Regulation

During the workshop, she will begin by looking at some key scientific aspects of the neurobiology of touch and how they relate to the diverse uses of touch in Biodynamic psychology. Scientific findings underpin our understanding of the use of touch clinically. She will explore an updated understanding of the place of touch in the therapeutic encounter, referencing current research on the neuroscience of touch, affective touch, attachment, and trauma using clinical examples and integrated experiential work. She will pay attention to the phenomena of embodied transference, countertransference, resonance and interference (Boadella, 1981) whilst negotiating the dilemma: to touch or not to touch, and, if to touch, how to touch. Exploring how we as psychotherapists can “hold the possibility of touch, as it can be both an appropriate or inappropriate therapeutic intervention” (Asheri, 2009 page 108).

Origins

Join Pedram Shojai, OMD, for his free, exclusive, full-length movie screening of Origins. According to the Origins Film Premiere website, this film took four years...

Grief’s Reach: Avoiding its Lure Back into Early Developmental Shame

When we help clients neurobiologically separate out early shame from grief, we bring them to the awareness of how present day experiences are actually a confusing entanglement of calling cards from the past. As the responses separate and integrate with support into the client's present day self, a felt sense of choice and autonomy emerge.

In Utero: A New Documentary Brings Educational Opportunities

In Utero is intended to help prevent some of the negative imprints and trauma that ensue through personal and professional ignorance. It does not delve into the known and applied modalities for addressing and healing trauma that occurs between conception and birth. It is essential for all of us to understand that, yes, we want to focus on the importance of this primal or primary period, and, if that time was not ideal, it does not have to be a life sentence. Current research is demonstrating that healing can occur at any time.

GenPax: Birth Matters

It is no longer acceptable for the more than 20 organizations dedicated to pre and perinatal life to operate as singular entities. We must band together and collaborate, we must aggregate our collective power to change the behaviors of the medical maternity community. If we are to successfully move the needle from traumatic birth – as a daily practice of U.S. hospitals – to a peaceful birth culture, we must form a unified front.
Volume 7- Number 1, Winter 2017

Our Winter 2017 issue is coming soon.

Our Winter 2017 issue will be online one week from today. We're pleased to share articles and reviews, author reflections and ways to make professional connections. John Chamberlain writes about GenPax and why birth matters. Kate White discusses early trauma and ways to heal its impact while she and Ray Castellino share Womb Surround as another healing process. Erik Jarlnaes offers an intimate look into his rebirthing process and Sharon King discusses the need for a new birthing paradigm. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for daily excerpts of what's to come.

The Neuroscience of Pain:

The central nervous system plays a critical role in the association between psychological factors and pain. The neural circuits that are involved in these bi-directional relationships include several systems that influence peripheral processes relevant to pain perception. It is possible that transient psychosocial factors as well as long-term consequences of developmental trajectories adversely affect these neurobehavioral pathways. Exploring the neuroscience of the biobehavioral and developmental mechanisms of pain is the goal of the upcoming Special Issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Leading from the Heart

I grew up believing I was alive because other people needed me, because I played a significant role in their lives. And in truth, my choice to become a therapist was a choice to be at service for others. But, does the choice to open, to touch and be touched, to share our heart and our time with others have to come at the expense of our lives?