Psychotherapy

Body Oriented Psychotherapy

Body Psychotherapy, Body-oriented Psychotherapy, or Somatic Psychology or Somatic Psychotherapy takes the person's - the client's - body into proper account and sees the therapeutic relationship - essentially - as an interaction between two bodies.  Whilst there may be no actual physical contact (though touch is sometimes used occasionally by some therapists), the client's body carries a lot of wisdom and has a very important story to tell.  Many of the early childhood traumas and one's reactions to the outside world are still carried unconsciously within the body and this sort of approach can access them.  However, the therapist's body also has a massive amount of information (on a non-verbal level) that can be used quite constructively in the therapeutic interaction - as a sort of sounding-board. 

For more information about Body Psychotherapy: see the recently published The Handbook of Body Psychotherapy & Somatic Psychology (see here) or go to the EABP website: here.
For more details about what Body Oriented Psychotherapy is, its history, origins, background and links, please click here.

I trained originally in Body Psychotherapy at the Gerda Boyesen Centre in Acton, London (1979-1983), which included working on occasions with John Pierrakos, Jack Lee Rosenberg, Eva Reich, Ebba and Paul Boyesen  David Smith, and others. Subsequently, I have had training workshops with people such as David Boadella (Biosynthesis); Helen Davies (Minster Centre - Object-Relations)); Diana Whitmore (Psychosynthesis); Arnold & Amy Mindell, Max Shupback, Jean-Claude & Arlene Audergon and others (Process-Oriented Psychotherapy); Stanislav Grof (Holotropic Breathwork); Bessel van der Kolk, Pat Ogden & Babette Rothschild (Trauma work); and others.  Body Psychotherapy still informs much of my work.

Currently, I work clinically in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, UK and also in the Scottish Borders (Melrose/Galashiels).  I also work by Skype, Zoom, telephone (+/- Face-time), and by e-mail - though I obviously prefer meeting with the person first and getting a proper sense of who they are. I am also a qualified supervisor, and give Body Psychotherapy-oriented supervision.
I have also been very actively involved in:
Several professional associations within psychotherapy; in developing the politics of professional psychotherapy in Europe; in presenting at international conferences; in leading workshops & seminars; in editing books and journals; in writing many articles & chapters on psychotherapy and Body Psychotherapy; and in writing a couple of books; and editing and publishing several others, etc.  These include several edited books published by my own imprimatur, Body Psychotherapy Publications.   

In 2021, I am presenting a series of seminars on Somatic Psychotherapy to psychotherapists in Australia interested in training in Somatic Psychotherapy (see here).

... as well as occasionally writing poetry, looking after the garden, going on holiday, meeting with friends,
... and being as loving a husband, father and now grandfather, as I can be.