By Gabriel Shiraz
Overview
Body Psychotherapy for Couples (BP4C) is a comprehensive framework for applying body psychotherapy in the field of couples therapy. The method addresses challenges through dialogue combined with deep listening to the body, breath, movement, and the energy field that arises between partners and the therapist.
The primary tool of Somatic Resonance emphasizes the embodied dimension of relationship dynamics and the importance of restoring somatic connection as a therapeutic pathway for addressing stress in intimate relationships.
The method emphasizes that relationships are not just psychological structures, but living somatic fields. The basis of this method lies in the concept of somatic resonance, where resonance is defined as a felt sense that facilitates bodily and emotional attunement, becoming a transformative force in couples’ therapy. It allows partners to access layers of emotion, memory, and connection that words alone cannot reach, as described in a case study.
One of the main concepts of this therapy is the reawakening of memories relating to the couple’s original connection—their Primary Couple Personality (Shiraz, 2015), which is the essence & qualities of the relationship.
Introduction
In the ever-evolving landscape of intimate relationships, couples frequently encounter emotional distance, communication breakdowns, and the pressures of modern life. These stressors can lead to frustration, disconnection, and relational stagnation. Body Psychotherapy for Couples (BP4C) offers a unique, integrative framework that addresses these challenges not only through conversation, but also through deep listening to the body, breath, movement, and energy between partners, and a process of melting the Couple Armour (Shiraz, 2020). At the core of this approach lies a powerful yet often underappreciated concept: somatic resonance.
Somatic resonance refers to the therapist’s ability to feel, sense, and respond to the inner experience of another through their own bodily and emotional awareness. In couples therapy, this resonance becomes triadic, occurring between the partners themselves, between each partner and the therapist, and between the therapist and the relational field of the couple as a whole. It is in this three-way resonance that transformational healing becomes possible—not just through understanding, but through embodied empathy.
Theory of Somatic Resonance
The roots of somatic resonance can be traced back to Wilhelm Reich (1945), Gerda Boyesen (1980), David Boadella (1982), and Bessel van der Kolk (2021), who emphasized the body as a central arena for psychological expression. According to Boyesen’s biodynamic model, each individual is born with a ‘Primary Personality’—an authentic, vibrant core of aliveness, emotional fluidity, and potential. As we grow, we develop defenses to protect ourselves from pain, which form a ‘Secondary Personality’—a psychological and bodily armour that restricts expression and connection.
In couples, this dynamic is amplified: two individuals bring their own histories, traumas, and body armour into the relationship. Over time, these armours interact to form a third structure—a shared couple armour. This shared armour, while initially protective, can block intimacy, understanding, and emotional safety. Through working with somatic resonance, both partners—and the therapist—can begin to feel and soften this armour together.
This article explores these concepts via an extensive case study.
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