Working With Body Psychotherapy
Biosynthesis

The Biosynthetic Approach

Biosynthesis is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by David Boadella over the last 40 years and is based on:

Wilhelm Reich's work on energy and the physical shielding of neurosis.
Embryology regarding the importance of the conditions under which the primary tissue from which the human organism evolves is formed, and on the discoveries of Francis Mott and Frank Lake on pre- and perinatal processes.
Psychoanalysis and especially on object-relations theory about the important role of the mother-child relationship and their physical correspondence as described by Stanley Kelleman. Modern investigations of relational neuroscience have reintroduced the importance of the body in emotional life, and then in psychoanalytic practice (Allan Shore).
Bio-spirituality restores the primary role of the soul as a meaning factor in the psychotherapeutic process. The spiritual basis of biosynthesis is based on Robert Moore's discoveries and work on the connection of the soul and body and in particular on his work with the essential qualities of the nucleus and his research on anatomy and the circulation of subtle energy. The discoveries of quantum physicist David Bohm on the importance of consciousness, as well as biologist Rupert Sheldrake on morphogenetic fields, form the scientific framework of Biospirituality.

Fields of Life

Biosynthesis acknowledges the uniqueness and multi-dimensionality of each person, and recognises seven different levels of experience that are influencing human existence. These are the Fields of Life.

The Fields of Life are each related to a different aspect of life and are a key concept that both explain and express the strategies that are used during the therapy session. Each unique individual is affected by each one of these fields and the way it has been experienced and manifested in their life, that is as a closed or as an open system. A closed system results in characterological problems, physical and mental blockages whereas an open system results to energy vitality, a healthy connection to the core, balanced psychic qualities and abilities, an open heart relating with healthy boundaries and an overall well being with a positive connection to the universe as a whole!

Energy centre: Root

Correspondence in the body: soles of feet, posture

Polarity: control - collapse, hypertonic muscle tone - hypotonic muscle tone

Body work: coccyx, upright posture, spine, legs, soles of feet Psychological issues: basic security, survival, stability.

A sense of basic security, survival, stability, contact and trust. The main mental function is commitment and grounding to physical existence and the right to exist. The focus is on contact with the body with increased awareness on the soles and feet. The aim is balanced grounding, which consists of having eutonia, that is, adapting our muscle tone to the conditions and requirements without becoming rigid or collapsing.

Energy centre: Belly area

Correspondence in the body: Vagus nerve

Polarity: inside – out, contraction – expansion, schizoid structure - hysterical structure

Body work: Rebirthing-revival of childbirth

The polarity in childbirth represents the transition from the inside to the outside, from full contraction to full extent.

Psychological issues: contain - diffuse

What is at stake in the therapeutic process is the centered breathing rate, where breathing is neither overcontrolled nor chaotic, and the centered posture between dramatasiation and emotional apathy. The purpose is to find a balance between containing and feeling good and releasing without getting lost, with connection and with direction.

Energy center: Solar plexus

Correspondence in the body: Diaphragm

Polarity: Fear - Anger

Body work: Diaphragm, limbs (hands, feet)

Psychological issues: Boundaries, empowerment of the ego

It's all about emotional balance. This particular field of life and its proper functioning contributes to the building of boundaries and the strengthening of the ego. Excessive boundaries are associated with anger, aggression, a tendency to dominate, etc. Incomplete boundaries lead to low self-esteem, passivity, decreased willpower, submission, anxiety, etc. Healthy boundaries contribute to vitality, spontaneity, a sense of purpose and self-confidence.

Energy centre: Heart

Correspondence in the body: Natural organ of the heart, Heart energy centre at the middle of the chest

Polarity: Closed – open heart

Body work: Hands, sexuality

Psychological issues: Connecting sexuality with spirituality, compassion, love.

A too open heart leads to dependent relationships, possessiveness and a tendency to victimisation. A closed heart leads to loneliness, sadness and a feeling of worthlessness. In balance we meet self-acceptance, compassion and the ability to love and be loved. Therefore, the point in therapy is to loosen the armour around the heart and connect with confidence. The heart needs security to remain open and this is ensured by protecting it with managing anger, establishing clear healthy boundaries and containing fear.

Energy centre: Neck

Correspondence in the body: Neck, back of the neck, ears, mouth Polarity: Connected / Disconnected, truth-lie

Body work: Tensions of lips, mouth, jaw, maturity of sound.

Psychological issues: Introspection, projection, inner truth.

Sound has a direct connection with muscle tone. The condition of the muscles and the vocal cords affect the tone of voice. Tensions in the mouth points of the lips and jaw created by breastfeeding, as well as biting, need to be worked on to improve the sound and voice. Speech is the result of breathing movements and breastfeeding. Through appropriate exercises we allow the sound to mature, to organise the body in this way and thus produce the sound of our own voice and truth.

In the area of the neck we find the polarity hypertonic – hypotonic muscle tone. At the level of the Extreme Polarity of the Hypotonic muscle tone, the person has internalised the words, experiences and criticism of others. He has an inability both to hear his own inner voice and to feel his inner processes as well as to express himself through speech. At the level of the Hypertonic muscle tone, the person makes excessive use of speech, projects his experiences to others and shows inability to hear. It is all about Eutonia, that is, the connected speech with the heart and the head, so that expression through speech is the liberation of inner truth. It is our right to say or not to say something.

Energy centre: 3rd eye

Body: Eyes, forehead

Polarity: open – closed, Grounded – ungrounded. Limited imagination – creative imagination

Body work: eye contact, dreams, turning restrictive images into creative ones.

Psychological issues: intuition, visualisation, mirroring

David Boadella believes that the child during the first months of life, works through the third eye and comes biologically equipped to search for eye contact. The inner world is connected to the outside in the eyes. There are people who look more with natural eyes and there are those who see more intuitively. It is about having balance, that is, trust in our inner self, intuition, instinct, dreams and in the messages we receive from the environment.

Energy centre: head centre (crown)

Correspondence in the body: head, spine, spinal cord.

Polarities: open-closed, body-spirit

Body work: Connecting the head to the base centre and spine Psychological issues: The value system and the meaning of life

When the head centre is too open, the individual is possessed by messianic ideas, depersonalisation and ungrounded spirituality. When closed, it tends towards scepticism, materialism and fear of death. Biosynthesis works towards offering a bridge between the grounded energy of the physical body and dreams, visions, aura and the liberation of the spirit. We work towards the contact with the essence - core and the realisation of these qualities in the everyday life of the person (grounded spirituality).

Trauma Work with Biosynthesis

Trauma is defined as the disorganisation of the nervous system that can no longer complete the cycles of stimulation and relaxation that constitute its normal function.

The traumatic experience can be related to catastrophic events as well as to painful events of our everyday life.

It is not the magnitude of the event, rather the magnitude of the threat experienced by the individual, that is decisive. What injures is not the event but its effect on the nervous system which is expressed in a wide range of symptoms from overstimulation to apathy, organic problems and illnesses, physical symptoms, phobias, aggressive behaviour, insomnia, concentration difficulties, etc.

The way we approach trauma is first of all to focus on the bodily senses. Trauma 's memory is in the body, and through that we approach the overall experience of the individual, through the body's truth. These leads us to transform the trapped traumatic experience into a liberating healing experience. It is in the nature of our nervous system to created balance and thus create at the core of the traumatic experience another core, that of the therapeutic pathway. The latter core we access through our sensory perception and that is what we follow.

For example, a person who has experienced fear, would have their shoulders elevated, the diaphragm contracted, maybe feet turned inwards if there was an experience of sexual abuse, numb and cold. Following the biosynthetic body work approach we would work with the shoulders, releasing tension in parallel to deep breathing, and working with the opening of the diaphragm in a gentle way as a straight opening of the diaphragm could be overwhelming still, since the diaphragm contracts in order to create a boundary to these painful emotions in order for the person to survive. We would in addition work with the feet, in order to bring better grounding, stability and security on one's own feet, opening the flow of the energy from the contracted diaphragm and solar plexus down. Release of memories images emotions that follow the work, crying screaming hitting, are all part of the process. Of course this is a simple example and there are so many other parameters that we would need to put attention on, like a constant breathing re-regulation, re-birthing especially if the fear is based on the birth experience, work on the hands which are the wings of the heart, the heart, solar plexus and personal power and boundaries, anger etc., the voice in order for the person to express the fear and all other emotions that go with the experience, vision as the eyes are very much affected when we are in a victim's position, the crown as the connection there gets severely disturbed when we loose trust to the spirit that is personalised significant other carer with whom the traumatic situation is connected, etc. etc.

The goal here is to bring back to the body and thus to

the Self, the long lost dignity, freedom, natural movement, natural self expression. Body psychotherapy and Biosynthesis is the path for you to re-claim your right to be exactly who you are, to walk your path free from patterns and programming that otherwise would keep you in re-experiencing the trauma.

Body work is an adventure on its own, a return to the self, to the personal truth, to our own words and our own vision of the self and the world around us. Re-claim your self heart and life and walk on your rightful life path!

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Usefull Links:

David Boadella about Biosynthesis, June 2019

David Boadella - Interviewed by Sally Potter [Part 1]

David Boadella - Interviewed by Sally Potter [Part 2]

David Boadella - Interviewed by Sally Potter [Part 3]

Alexander Lowen - Evolution of Psychotherapy - The integration of ego and sexuality

About Peter A. Levin

Stanley Keleman - Dreams: The Body Talks to Itself

EMBODYING EXPERIENCE A TRANSCENDENT JOURNEY Stanley Keleman

Institutes within the Internation Foundation of Biosynthesis (IFB)

Research and Publications on Biosynthesis

Biosynthesis Greece

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Working With Body Psychotherapy Biosynthesis