Body Psychotherapy Brighton
Body Psychotherapy
Practitioners: Heather French
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy provides a non-judgemental and totally confidential space where you can explore any current difficulties or problems in your life. With the help of the therapist, you can gradually trace back and unearth the root causes of these problems which often lie in the repression of feelings regarding earlier traumatic life events and experiences. The process of 're-visiting' the event and fully owning your feelings abut it, may often be the key to letting go and moving on in life. Psychotherapy aims to bring the unconscious to consciousness as a means to understand unhelpful behaviour patterns and to change them for your own well-being.
What is Body Psychotherapy?
In conventional psychotherapy the client and therapist explore problems on a purely verbal level. In Body Psychotherapy (BP), however, the therapist may also work physically to help access the unconscious and inner life of the client. Unlike our minds, our bodies cannot lie or deny feelings. Physical sensations are real and can connect us to our true unconscious thoughts and emotions.
Using techniques such as biodynamic massage, gestalt therapy and vegeto-therapy, the therapist helps you to develop an awareness of the inter-relationship between body and mind, and to listen to your body's inherent wisdom. When your body is in pain it is trying to tell you that something is amiss. Through BP one can become attuned to subtle tensions & pains in the body and learn to make adjustments in one's attitudes, lifestyle and actions to prevent illness and disease.
In BP the 'here & now' relationship between the client & therapist is explored to enable the client to see how s/he habitually relates to others e.g partners, friends, family, colleagues etc. In a safe and confidential environment, you have the opportunity to explore the dynamics of any unsatisfactory relationship in your life and to find more healthy & satisfying ways of relating.
BP aims to help you achieve long term health and well-being through an integrated mind/body approach as opposed to the short term and temporary relief of symptoms.
Body Psychotherapy can be helpful for:
- All psychosomatic disorders e.g Asthma, IBS, chronic fatigue
- Stress & anxiety and related disorders e.g Panic attacks, eczema, depression
- The relief of chronic muscular tension
- Overcoming trauma and post traumatic stress (PTS)
- Improving relationships with self and others
- Stimulating the immune system and preventing disease
- Increasing vitality, libido and one's sense of well being
- Gaining an holistic understanding of health
- Restoring the body to its natural energetic equilibrium
What happens in a typical session?
There is no set structure or pre-determined format. A session could be entirely verbal, entirely physical or a combination of both. The session will evolve organically and spontaneously from your needs and whatever issues you wish to bring. Sessions are normally weekly and last 50 mins.
About Me:
I am a Body Psychotherapist accredited to the UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy), I am qualified in Biodynamic Massage and Somatic Trauma Therapy. I am also a member of the CABP (Chiron Association of Body Psychotherapy). I hold a firm belief in the innate wisdom of the body and our potential for self-healing.
How do I decide if BP is right for me?
The first step would be to book an initial consultation where I would gather your physical and emotional life story and assess whether your concerns can be addressed by BP or referred elsewhere. It's also an opportunity for you to assess, on a gut level, whether you feel I am the right person for you. A trial period of 6 sessions is then recommended. This should allow sufficient time for the development of trust, a deeper level of relating and the experience of the different ways in which I work. At this point we can make an informed decision about whether to continue to work together for a longer period.
How much does it cost & how do I book an appointment?
For further information, current charges or to book an appointment please contact me by any of the following means:
Mobile: 07748 386 356
Email: hevafrench@gmail.com
Albion Clinic 01273 628221