Each of us during his life notes periods of extraordinary lightness and vivacity, and sometimes, on the contrary, sadness and melancholy rolls in, performance decreases, and what is the reason is completely unclear. A person begins to look for symptoms of a variety of diseases that are not confirmed by medical examinations, his quality of life decreases, and his career may be in jeopardy. At the same time, even classical psychological help can be powerless, because a person cannot explain what is happening to him. But where client-centered therapy has failed, the body-centered therapy exercise can help. Today we want to consider the simplest and most accessible, but at the same time very effective exercises that, when used systematically, can help you change your life for the better and get rid of many serious problems.
What is Body Focused Therapy
Bfirst of all, we need to tell a little about what the direction that Wilhelm Reich discovered is. Body-oriented therapy, the exercises of which sometimes have something in common with the teachings of yoga, is based on the belief that the mental and physical "I" of a person is in closer connection with each other than we think. Accordingly, any changes can be achieved by influencing the body, which will then entail a change in the psychological state. This is despite the fact that classical psychotherapy goes the other way, influencing the psyche, so the therapist has to overcome numerous psychological defenses. At the same time, a well-chosen exercise of body-oriented therapy can give excellent results much faster.
Basics of Body-Oriented Therapy
The reader probably already really wants to go to the very essence, to choose for himself a practical exercise in body-oriented therapy. However, we will dwell on the theory a little more so that you understand how this system works in practice. Wilhelm Reuch believed that the mechanisms of psychological defense and the protective behavior associated with them, with which we compensate for our tension, fear, pain, insecurity, and much more, result in the formation of a "muscle shell" or "clamp". That is, a repressed, unrecognized or unprocessed emotion is expressed in the unnatural tension of various muscle groups, which makes the gait angular, violates posture (hunchback or, conversely, a straight back and gait like a robot), constrains breathing.
Noveltyapproach
Reich proposed an innovative method of solving the problem by influencing a tense muscle group. Specific techniques have been developed to relieve chronic tension in each muscle group and to physically release repressed emotions. Usually, pinching massage is used for this. And so, moving down the body, the patient is helped to break the “muscle shell”. That is, the concept of organ energy is the basis of this doctrine. Energy must move freely from the core of the body to the periphery and leave. Blocks or clamps interfere with its natural flow, they serve to distort and destroy natural feeling, this also applies to the suppression of sexual feelings.
Problems locked in the body
We would like to tell you more specifically about the problems body-oriented therapy deals with. Breathing exercises, special massages and gymnastics help you get rid of a huge burden and move on in life with fun and ease. This may be a loss of contact with your body, that is, it is there, but we do not feel the pits. By the way, the problem of excess weight also often has the same reason: a person does not know how to hear the signals of his body. This may be a loss of sensitivity of individual parts of the body, severe tension and pain. If you have problems with coordination of movement, often do not fit into turns, do not hit the target when throwing objects, then this is your therapy. This also includes bad posture and obsessive-compulsive states, a delay in bodilymental development when the body gets stuck at a certain age. Such therapy will help those who find it difficult to restrain emotions, who have experienced violence, acute grief and fear. If you reject yourself, your external image, you cannot enjoy sexual relations, then come to body-oriented therapy. This also includes sleep disturbance and chronic stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, inability to live "here and now".
This is how Reich describes the segments of the protective carapace. The eyes are the segment that holds back crying. Usually, two components give out tension - a motionless forehead and empty eyes. Too compressed or, on the contrary, relaxed jaw (these may be other grimaces) gives out a suppressed cry, crying or anger. In general, the head is an area of overcontrol, that is, the inability to let go of oneself, turn off the control of consciousness in moments of creativity, relaxation, in sex, at any moment when sincerity and intuition are needed.
The neck, shoulders and arms are the area of responsibility, fears and obligations are locked here. This is the border between "take" and "give" in which you need to achieve harmony. Resentment lives in the chest, which makes it difficult to breathe freely. Anger and greed are localized in the stomach. Legs are our support, uncertainty is localized here.
The basis of success is proper breathing
Every body-oriented therapy exercise begins with correct breathing. All our diseases are from the nerves, and strong tension stimulates the formation of a "muscle shell", fromwhich all our problems begin. And something as simple as breathing can do wonders. Literally in 3-4 days, a person begins to feel better, he has a surge of strength, he alth improves, and the need to constantly take medication disappears.
Body Oriented Therapy, Beginner Exercises
According to statistics, almost 50% of all people do not use the largest, lower part of the lungs. That is, only the chest works, and the stomach remains motionless. Starting the workout, you need to lie on the floor and put your hand on your stomach. You will need to breathe through your nose. Exhale the air completely and feel the front wall of the abdomen descend. If necessary, push it down slightly. Now you need to work on inhaling, inflating your stomach as much as possible, as if it had become a ball. In this case, the chest does not rise and does not expand, the air goes only to the stomach.
It is very important to fully concentrate on the exercise. Disconnect from external worries and be in harmony with yourself - this is body-oriented therapy. Exercise should be performed twice a day on an empty stomach. Don't forget to ventilate the room first. Start with one minute and gradually add 20 seconds until you reach 5 minutes.
When you have fully mastered the belly breathing technique, move on to chest breathing. To do this, also sit on the floor, but now inhale and increase the volume of the chest. In this case, the ribs will move up and out. As you exhale, your ribs should move down and in. Do not fill your belly while breathing. Bytime, this exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one.
Finally, you can move on to full yogic breathing. It is necessary to inhale slowly, first with the stomach, and then with the chest, so that the air completely fills the lungs. Exhale, emptying the chest first, and then the stomach. At the very end of the exit, make an effort with your muscles to completely remove the remaining air.
Different types of breathing
It would seem that we all know how to breathe, but it turns out that we usually breathe incorrectly. Shallow breathing is a consequence of fear. When a person is afraid, his breathing almost stops. Body-oriented therapy works with this. Nose-not-breathing exercises come down to learning how to breathe fully and defining personal boundaries. With people who are inherent in such breathing, you need to work very delicately, because they do not have the "right to life." The second group are people whose breath is disturbed. They do not know how to accept, they deny themselves in many ways and always "owe everything to everyone." With these people, they work precisely on the provocation of a deep breath. The third group is people whose exhalation is disturbed. Finally, the fourth group is people who breathe easily and freely, with full breasts and belly.
Warm-up
It is very important to prepare yourself for the subsequent work, because the smoothness and lack of violence in relation to your body is the main task pursued by body-oriented therapy. Exercises (warm-up) at the very beginning are aimed at diving into oneself. settle downcomfortable and start by massaging your fingers and palms. Work each point slowly. Now do some breathing exercises to get you ready for work. Now curl into the fetal position and stay in it for as long as your body requires. Now you need to work with all muscle clamps. In turn, you need to strain each muscle group, moving from head to heels. Work out all the facial muscles, tensing and relaxing each of them. Then move on to the muscles of the neck, shoulders, arms, abs and legs. Note which of them is the most difficult to relax. The warm-up ends with an exercise sprout. To do this, sit on all fours, close your eyes and imagine a small sprout that reaches for the sun. Rise up slowly. The entire growing process should take a few minutes. Stretch your arms as far as possible and stretch well. Now you can move on to more complex and specialized exercises that will help you live a more harmonious life.
Depressive states
What is this? Depression doesn't just happen on its own. This is the result of prolonged exposure to stress, which leads to a distortion of the worldview, as well as a change in the image of oneself in this world to a negative one. All these changes are registered in our body in the form of a sullen grimace, an uncertain gait. And these are signals, reading which, others do not want to make acquaintances and business relations with us. In this case, body-oriented therapy can be of great help. Exercise (depression is treated not onlypills) will help you find harmony with yourself, and therefore with the world.
First of all, it is important to work with supports and boundaries, that is, the help of a therapist. The client needs to be laid on the couch and ensure the most comfortable stay, cover with a warm blanket, turn on pleasant music. The therapist performs support for both feet alternately, for about 10 minutes. In this case, you can be interested in how a person feels. Further, the legs alternately bend and unbend until the person completely relaxes them, and then begins to feel them. Then you can move on to the hands. Support is performed simply, the therapist's hand is brought under the foot or the back of the patient's hand. After performing the support, the arms also bend and unbend until the patient ceases to control their movement. The last support is performed under the head. In this case, the patient's head lies on a pillow, the therapist sits behind and brings his hands under his shoulders. Light massage possible.
Accepting yourself
Depression is a state of many faces, and one of the components is the need to accept yourself as you are, to let go of all muscle clamps. And one of the best ways to achieve this is body-oriented therapy. Self-acceptance exercises begin with breathing exercises and warm-ups. The next exercise you can do is to define your own boundaries. To do this, try with your eyes closed to put on the wall the width of your shoulders and hips, your height. Now measure the resulting silhouette and your own. This knowledge is only the first step. Now your goal is to explore all the contours of your body. To do this, you need to sit on the floor and slowly walk with a tightly pressed palm over every centimeter of your body. If you are trying to slip through the area of \u200b\u200bthe abdomen, chest, genitals, then it is they who should be given the most attention. And to consolidate this is the dance. Stand against a wall and wait for movement to start in your body. Don't interfere with it, let the body do what it wants. After some time, you will feel that you are moving in a very strange and bizarre way, while a huge number of images appear in your head, emotions suddenly come to life. It can be laughter and crying, anger and rage. Keep moving as long as you want and try to let your emotions flow.
Body-Oriented Therapy, Panic Attack Exercises
What is a panic attack? This is a strong anxiety, which results in an accelerated heartbeat, sweating, weakness. A person is frightened by these sensations, anxiety is growing, and they are repeated. Now he is already sure that he has a heart disease, but the doctors deny this diagnosis, and the patient begins to look for incurable ailments in himself, each time entangled in his fears even more.
In fact, a person only needs help to break the vicious circle, and auto-training and relaxation are perfect for this. In this case, rebirthing also works great - it is essentially a combination of a specialbreathing technique and suggestion. However, unlike auto-training, which can be done at home, rebirthing can only be done by a specialist.
Therapy for children
This is a separate direction - body-oriented therapy for children. Exercises in this case are aimed at increasing self-confidence, developing creative abilities and the ability to accept oneself as a person. They are usually carried out in groups. Don't forget where body-oriented therapy begins. Breathing exercises must be included in the lesson plan. After a breathing warm-up, you can play "cake". One child is asked to lie down on the floor. We will make a cake out of it. All other children are eggs, sugar, milk, flour. The host is a cook, he alternately covers the future cake with ingredients, pinching and stroking it, “sprinkling”, “watering” and “kneading”. Then all the participants, led by the cake, breathe like dough in the oven, and then decorate the cake with flowers. They can be painted with paints on the arms and legs. Now everyone is telling how beautiful and delicious the cake turned out.
Now we need to move a little. The host invites the children to climb a high and steep mountain. As the children march around the room, he tells them which way they are going. As they walk along the sunny path, they notice many fragrant flowers. At the same time, the sun's rays touch the hair and bring peace and relaxation. As the mountain gets steeper, the breeze blows across your face, and with every step you feel the joy of anticipating something new. One more step and you are at the top. Bright light embraces you and youyou feel like you can do anything now. A great feeling of joy, happiness, love and security surrounds you. You yourself are this light, everything is in your power. You can finish the lesson with the “sprout” exercise.
