Mind/Body/Spirit

Dirk Marivoet introduces a clinically derived fascial texture typology—a tactile language that captures the unseen but deeply felt states of the living body. Rooted in somatic psychotherapy and trauma-informed bodywork, the typology identifies distinct patterns in fascial tone, responsiveness, and energetic presence that reflect character defenses, developmental wounds, and healing potentials.

Most of us have learned that the autonomic nervous system has three states: safety (ventral vagus), stress (sympathetic nervous system), and shutdown (dorsal vagus). This model has helped many people understand how the body responds to trauma or threat. But what if that isn’t the whole truth? What if the nervous system doesn’t function like a switchboard between fixed modes, but instead acts like a dynamic spectrum, where everything depends on presence? I see ventral presence not merely as one branch in a neural blend, but as the modulating force that determines how any sympathetic or dorsal activity is experienced.

Genovino Ferri shares his interaction with ChatGPT motivated by his need to “ ‘grasp the Other to better understand them’ and to confirm that my Analysis of the (Characterial) Marks Incised in AI was correct.” Asking ChatGPT, “What do you think of yourself?”, Ferri notes that “Its reply confirmed my expectations, but being perfectly honest, it worried me a lot.” . . . “I accepted the conversation that ChatGPT offered and repeated it here in its entirety because when re-reading it I found it extraordinary and that it perhaps offered the possibility of a careful Relational Position for Man to assume with AI."

By Jeanne Denney This year, the conversation about AI has become almost deafening; it arrived on all my devices as a new authority about everything. ...

SPT Magazine is pleased to share our review of Somatic-Oriented Therapies., Edited by Herbert Grassmann, Maurizio Stupiggia, and Stephen W. Porges. The 32 chapters in Somatic-Oriented Therapies blend Polyvagal Theory principles into body psychotherapy as the contributors discuss research, the science of embodying, and embodied practice.

Fear can paralyze a nation. Franklin D. Roosevelt inherited chaos when he was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States: the banking system had collapsed, unemployment had soared, and the economy had hit rock bottom—it was the Great Depression. Facing a national crisis, Roosevelt sought to reassure a fearful nation by proclaiming, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His message aimed to shift the national mindset from despair to hope, encouraging Americans to recognize the pervasive power of fear and its ability to stop forward growth and further darken an already bleak situation. The same psychological truths about fear apply today. Thanks to advances in neuroscience, psychology, and the social sciences, we now have a deeper understanding of fear and its effects on the mind and body (Porges, 2011).

Genovino Ferri offers an in-depth consideration of the removal of the Father from his role as the symbol of the West’s patriarchal family. He notes that we are witnessing the erosion of the Family and the consequent removal of the Father. Per Dr Ferri, It is a body psycho-analytical description seeking to clearly articulate the container-contained interaction, placing greater emphasis on the container: ‘Being a Father figure is an organisational, evolutive state in the sense that this “paternal” role may be performed by men, women, individuals, and groups.’”

When clients come to us in crisis with racing thoughts, potent emotions, and harsh inner voices, didactic approaches to awareness training are not easy. After noticing their breath for a few minutes, people may be accosted by thoughts: I can’t do this; It’s just another thing for me to fail at; or I have too much to do. Beginners need to practice persistence before they experience meditation’s benefits, like improved concentration, reduced reactivity, and even lower blood pressure. In a culture where immediate gratification is expected, people often give up.

Over time, I experimented with different body-based movements and meditations. The most effective for me were sensory strategies that emphasized the body's crucial role in self-regulation and healing. For individuals like me, BED is not merely a psychological issue. Insights from my studies in somatic psychology and occupational therapy suggest that binge eating is a somatic manifestation of nervous system dysregulation.

SPT Magazine is pleased to share Volume 14, Number 1, 2024: a compilation of articles and reviews we've posted individually so far this year. As we transition from an independent publication to join with the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy, we look forward to new submissions for Vol. .14, No. 2.