Body Process: A Gestalt Approach to Working with the Body in Psychotherapy

by James I. Kepner

Traditional psychotherapy approaches, focusing on working with and correcting mental events and conditions, have placed little importance on the fundamentally physical nature of the person. Yet many of the problems people bring to therapy are linked with or manifested in the body--such as obesity, psychosomatic distress, chronic tension, and sexual problems. This book provides a therapeutic approach that addresses both the physical and mental nature of clients.

In this book, James Kepner shows that a client's posture, movements, and bodily experiences are indeed relevant to therapy, and he offers an insightful framework for incorporating these aspects into a therapeutic framework. This comprehensive treatment explains how body work can be integrated with the aims, methods, and philosophy of psychotherapy, offering a framework within which practitioners of different theoretical approaches can better appreciate body processes in the context of the whole person, rather than as isolated events.

This book, including an updated introduction by the author, explores the range of body work in psychotherapy, from the development of body awareness to intensive work with physical structure and expression. And it demonstrates how this approach can be particularly effective with a range of clients, including survivors of sexual abuse, recovering drug addicts or alcoholics, or those suffering from chronic illness.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[EL]

Although it’s not really an instructional book on the somatic aspects of Gestalt therapy (which I hoped it would be), it was nonetheless highly illuminating of the topic. Through the somatic context, I also gained a more in-depth and practical understanding of the Cycle of Experience. This is a great textbook I will come back to.

[George]

Great read. I learned a lot in this text. I really liked how Keppner connected The Cycle of Experience with Resistance/Contact Style (Gestalt theory).

[Maria Koisina]

Very practical book for gestalt therapists and others who want to add body perspective in work

[Emilis Kuke]

Exceptionality good book about gestalt therapy and body process.

[Agnieszka Kloc]

So happy I have stumbled upon it. A truly life-changing read, made me understand so much about myself.

[Nina]

Informativno, sažeto, lepo. 👏🏼

[Jádisha Déciga]

excelente como libro de consulta para todo aquel que estudie la terapia gestalt. Práctico y muy entendible.