Summer Issue 2022, Vol 17, Issue 2

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Dear Reader,

Welcome to the summer issue.

As we write this issue we find the UK, along with other countries, beginning to emerge from the pandemic, albeit with many uncertainties particularly affecting demographic groups identified as vulnerable. At the same time, Europe and particularly Eastern Europe, are thrown into turmoil by horrific war scenes in the Ukraine that also threaten to spill over into neighbouring countries. Civilian survivors of Putin’s invasion are fleeing, and we are witnessing another heart-breaking refugee crisis in the making.

Mental health distress has already risen significantly amongst children, young people and adults due to the Coronavirus pandemic which has shone a light on what was an already enormous need. Putin’s war can only add to this plight. Psychotherapy aims to improve a person’s well-being and mental health, their relationships and social skills, but cannot hope to fill the gaps ignored by policy makers. As the poet T. S. Eliot phrased it so eloquently, ‘for us there is only the trying’ (1944/1959, p. 27).

But it is both reassuring and encouraging to see more research taking place in both dance movement psychotherapy and body psychotherapy. All but the first of the international articles in this issue report on research studies from both fields of practice.

The first article is by Janka Kormos from Hungary, entitled ‘History and psychoanalytical foundations of the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP)’. The author presents findings from her doctoral research and introduces the KMP within the historical context of its origins and theoretical foundations, particularly KMP’s early influences from Freudian drive theory and ego-psychology. The KMP forms a complex integrative approach of movement assessment and analysis that examines the interplay between movement development and the process of self-formation. Janka Kormos argues however, that KMP should not be primarily seen as a technique of movement assessment but considered for its influences on the psychotherapy field, including parent and child psychotherapy, dance-movement psychotherapy, infant mental health and education, amongst others.

Secondly, we have, from Australia, Janine Stirling and Katrina Andrews with their article on ‘Somatic interventions therapists use when treating women presenting with sexual assault trauma that involve tonic immobility’. The authors identified an apparent gap in available literature regarding ‘tonic immobility’ phenomena which they hope to address with this single participant case study. Sexual assault leaves a lasting imprint on the life of a survivor and tonic immobility appears to add further complexity. The article explores interventions used by a body psychotherapist, such as specific exercises, movements, body awareness training, breathing and grounding techniques, aimed to address tonic immobility in sexual assault contexts. While preliminary findings are promising, they will need further research as the authors recommend.

Next is an article called ‘Dance movement therapy for depressed clients: profiles of the level and changes in depression’ by Kaisa Kella, Katriina Hyvonen, Päivi Pylvänäinen, Joona Muotka from Finland. This article reports on a research study which profiled 137 working age participants for severity of diagnosed depression and subsequent improvements following a 20-session dance movement therapy (DMT) intervention. Results showed a sharp reduction in mild depression of 58% and severe depression reduced by 33% using the Beck Depression Inventory scores. The study concludes that all participants benefitted from DMT. However, DMT may offer a good outcome for patients with less complex depression, whereas those with more complex symptomology may require longer treatment than 20-sessions.

Fiona Papps and Scott Kelly from Australia share their article entitled ‘Really caring, really curious, and really there’: a qualitative exploration of therapeutic presence from a Hakomi therapy perspective’. This study examines qualitative aspects such as therapeutic presence (TP) which is defined as the ability to be fully human and fully engaged with another person emotionally, cognitively, physically, and spiritually. Hakomi is a mindfulness based, psychodynamic psychotherapy that integrates the body into the therapeutic process, emphasising the personhood of the therapist as a therapeutic tool. The study explored four Hakomi graduate therapists’ understanding and experience of TP through interviews. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis showed that two elements comprised TP from the participants’ perspectives: a) a felt state of being and, b) dual awareness. The authors conclude that TP, in the Hakomi definition, may support therapeutic change and could be incorporated into training of mental health practitioners, regardless of their therapeutic modality.

Finally, from the USA Mark Sossin reviews Nick Totten’s book ‘Reflections on Embodied relating: the ground of psychotherapy’ and critically reflects on its relevance to the field of body psychotherapies.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue.