Embodied Echoes : A Qualitative Exploration into Body Psychotherapy and Trauma

Irfan, Daniyal and Klein, Maike and Boyd, Kyle and Rivers, Zoe (2027) Embodied Echoes : A Qualitative Exploration into Body Psychotherapy and Trauma. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis comprises three chapters, a systematic literature review, an empirical study and a critical appraisal, all in relation to body psychotherapy for recovery from psychological trauma (henceforth trauma). Chapter one is a scoping study of 24 peerreviewed papers, exploring the psychotherapeutic support options for people with trauma. The review illuminates that trauma can be held somatically within the body and how, by weaving the somatic dimension with the cognitive and emotional ones, body psychotherapy can promote body awareness, grounding and stability within trauma survivors. Chapter two employed a combination of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and body mapping to explore the lived experiences of body psychotherapy among seven survivors of childhood trauma, as well as how they made sense of these experiences in the context of their recovery. Findings highlight that trauma recovery is often marked by periods of progression and regression. Participants reflected on how body psychotherapy provided a sense of validation for the inner (traumatised) child, often being the first treatment experienced which addressed the physical manifestations of trauma. Relief and progress within recovery were felt following the release of the somatic energy built up within the body, leading to improvements in mind-body relationships. Clinical and research implications include the consideration of body psychotherapy or body techniques within trauma treatment guidelines, cascading into further opportunities for training and service provision, and the applicability of BM as a methodology for both non-verbal data collection within research, and integration within assessments, formulations, and treatments. The thesis concludes with chapter three, a critical appraisal of chapters one and two as well as an honest reflection of the process and learnings involved with conducting the thesis project. Discussions surrounding the limitations and strengths of the empirical study and an evaluation of personal learning, are included.