Trauma and the Body - Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton and Clare Pain

Trauma and the Body - Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton and Clare Pain

A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy

Traumatic experiences can trigger profound sensory-motor reactions: intrusive images, sounds, smells, bodily sensations, physical pain, tension, and a sense of numbness. Effective treatment therefore requires a holistic mind-body approach. By combining the theory and techniques of traditional psychotherapeutic methods with body-oriented—or sensory-motor—psychotherapy, Pat Ogden, a pioneer in the field of somatic psychology, has achieved a breakthrough in the treatment of trauma. With her extensive expertise, she explains how movement and awareness of bodily sensations can be used to heal traumatic wounds.

The book is organized into two parts: theory and treatment. Part one outlines the theoretical framework and foundation of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy interventions, drawing on the fields of trauma treatment, neuroscience, attachment, affect regulation, and dissociation. It explains how traumatic experiences disrupt the body's physiological and emotional regulation and how to work with the client's own defense systems, self-regulation, and adaptive responses to help them reconnect with their bodies.

Part Two focuses on the practical aspects of treatment and describes the rationale, techniques, and skills of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, illustrated with case studies. These chapters present a three-phase treatment approach: (1) developing somatic stabilizing tools, (2) processing traumatic memories, and (3) mastering somatic integration. Using the methods presented, clients can become more aware of their own bodies, learn to perceive and monitor their bodily sensations, and gradually implement physical actions that foster self-reliance and competence.

This is the Dutch translation of the first book that Pat Ogden wrote with her co-authors. She also published Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma Processing and Attachment Recovery (co-authored with Janina Fisher), which further clarifies Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for use in therapeutic practice.

Dutch | Paperback | 9789463160469 | 512 pages

Pat Ogden (USA) , PhD, is a pioneer in the field of somatic psychology and the founder/Educational Director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute: an internationally recognized training institute specializing in the treatment of trauma.

Kekuni Minton
Kekuni Minton is co-founder and, since 1993, a trainer at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. He also has a private practice.

Clare Pain
Clare Pain is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Western University. She is also the director of the Psychological Trauma Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital.