The Psychology of the BodyThe Psychology of the Body is the name of a book by Elliot Green The body and mind are intricately connected. More and more research is now proving this. Candace Pert in her book "Molecules of Emotions" writes about how there is a biochemical connection between our emotions and the cells in our body and they communicate through receptors that were once thought to be only in the brain but are found throughout the body. Touch is the first sense that we develop as infants. We are surrounded in a safe womb floating in amniotic fluid. When we are touched the person doing the touching is also touched. Touch is a two way street. Human growth and development depend on touch. Tiffany Fields research on touch and premature infants began the quest for more information on just how powerful touch can really be. In the book "The Psychology of Touch" it says : Feelings take place in the body as well as the mind In massage school most only get an hour or so of presentation on the concepts of psychology and how the body and mind interact. As infants we develop attachments to our caregivers which becomes the basis for how we will interact with others in future relationships throughout our lives. Tension patterns throughout the body are also developed early in life. Just looking at newborns you can see that they hold one leg/arm differently just from their placement in the womb and the process of delivery. The parent/child relationship will be repeated again and again throughout a persons life. We will develop attachments to other people and when it occurs with a healthcare professional such as a massage therapist the chance for healing the wounds of childhood attachments happens by the massage therapists maintaining clear boundaries. When a client projects their feelings onto the massage therapist, clients have the opportunity to become more conscious of their feelings when the other person does not fulfill their attachment needs. Learning about the therapeutic relationship, transference and countertransference is really an ongoing process in a massage therapists career. While this book is a great learning tool for understanding the clients process, it may not make much sense until you go through the process of becoming attached to your own health care providers to work out your own issues of attachment. Psychotherapists as well as massage therapists, supervisors and consultants can assist you in this process of becoming more conscious and therefore more present in your massage sessions. See also:Transference for Massage therapists on my blog Share your information on this topicVoice your information, opinion, comments or story on this topic. || FAQ's || Career Guides || Websites || Supervision || About Me || |
