Customer Reviews

Childhood Psychotherapy: A Bioenergetic Approach

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The title of this book is misleading. I expected bioenergetic therapy to relate to electromagnetic fields, as in a force field around the body. I eagerly anticipated how the writers of various essays would utilize these energy fields in psychotherapy.
Instead, the theory and techniques seem to address body awareness and movement, making use of the psychotherapist's countertransference. The body does store memories and trauma. A body-centered therapy is especially useful when working with children. Some of the interventions were fascinating and probably would yield benefits in a psychotherapy practice.
I found the translations in some essays to be unwieldy: sentence structures in some essays were clearly not auf Englisch. In addition, the translations were not sensitive to common usage in English. One intervention which used a "blue ball" was particularly interesting. I would, however, feel uncomfortable referring to a "blue ball" intervention given the sexual connotation of the phrase in English.
Even though I was thoroughly mislead by the title, I am glad to have been introduced to some of the concepts of this body-centered therapy. However, I am not certain the information contained in its 87 pages provided sufficient value to justify the cost of the book.