Somatic-Oriented Therapies represents a significant consolidation of innovative research and clinical approaches aimed at addressing trauma through various somatic modalities. In the past six decades, a multitude of therapeutic methods have emerged globally, revolutionizing trauma treatment and existential distress management. However, these approaches have often diverged, hindering the development of a cohesive, distinct field independent of traditional paradigms.
This volume of collected work from some of the world's leading experts in trauma aims to delineate this novel domain of research and clinical intervention. It elucidates the common thread linking the contributing authors and introduces a new clinical perspective. Central to this perspective is the recognition of the profound significance of the body-to-body relationship between therapist and patient; the critical role of trust establishment within the clinical context as a prerequisite for deep transformation; and the possibility to "question" the body, finding "unthought-of" avenues of transformation.
Contributors include: Aline LaPierre, Arielle Schwartz, Betsy Polatin, C. Sue Carter, David Berceli, Pat Ogden, Jan Winhall, Robert Schleip, Susan Harper, Vittorio Gallese, Zahabiyah Yamasaki, and many others.
About the Author
Herbert Grassmann, PhD, is professor of Psychosocial Studies at the Parkmore Institute/South Africa and former Chair of the EABP Research Committee. He lives in Nuremberg, Germany.Maurizio Stupiggia, PhD, is professor in the department of clinical sciences, University of Milano. He resides in Pianoro, Italy. Stephen W. Porges, PhD, originator of Polyvagal Theory, is a Distinguished University Scientist and founding director of the Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at Indiana University, and a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Industry Reviews
"Somatic-Oriented Therapies delivers a brilliant, state-of-the-art compilation of the underlying science and therapeutic interventions, including touch and embodied self-awareness. Read this book!" -- Bessel van der Kolk, MD, president of the Trauma Research Foundation, and author of The Body Keeps the Score
"This magnificent volume has been created with a clinician in mind, offering clear descriptions of physiological processes, accessible scientific discussions of research, and fascinating descriptions of real-life therapeutic examples applying these somatic principles in everyday practice. What an exciting offering for the waiting field of mental health!" -- Daniel J. Siegel, MD, founding editor of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, and New York Times–bestselling author of Mind, IntraConnected, and Personality and Wholeness in Therapy
"The readers of this volume will be enriched in their understanding by this inclusive theory...[A] rare gift to a generation of practitioners and their clients." -- Peter A. Levine, PhD, author of An Unspoken Voice, How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, and An Autobiography of Trauma
