Author Archives: empatherapynl

Sometimes we might find our current relationship to be oddly similar to a previous one. The people we are dating are different, but some dynamics keep coming up. Why is it so common to repeat patterns in our relationships? Attachment theory gives some important answers to this question.  Since our birth, we start engaging inContinue reading “Repetition and expectations in relationships”

Relationships: the place where some of the biggest issues of life lie. How to relate to others, how to be independent from others, how to give them the right space in our life, how to avoid making them our coping strategy, how to detach the image we have of ourselves from the one others haveContinue reading “How do we relate?”

“Happiness is only real when shared” is the conclusive statement of a famous movie.Christopher McCandless flees conventional society, of which he has increasingly grown disenchanted, and goes to live into the wilds of Alaska, with the only company of books, reflection and himself. Disappointed and cynical about human relationships, he seeks with determination the solitudeContinue reading “Is happiness only real when shared?”

What have we learned during this month? Hopefully, we have a new perspective on our body.When our usual headache kicks in, we can take some time to reflect: “When was the last time I had one? What had happened that is similar to this time? Perhaps I get one when I am stressed and needContinue reading “Learning the language of our body”

We have seen how our body is interconnected, if not inseparable, with our mind, and how this led to its increased integration in psychology and psychotherapy.⁣⁣We have seen how the body speaks at a louder voice than the mind, and informs us about our needs, if we are careful enough to listen.⁣⁣We have seen howContinue reading “Physical exercise and mental health”

Have you ever heard of body psychotherapy?⁣It’s a form of psychotherapy based on the idea that people experience the world simultaneously through their mind and their body. ⁣⁣There are five essential concepts of body psychotherapy:⁣1. Bodymind: the embodied integration of thoughts, feelings, and physical bodily experiences and sensations.⁣2. Armoring and character: armor is a muscleContinue reading “Body psychotherapy”

Sometimes the body knows things our conscience ignores. And this is not only true for somatisation and trauma, it’s not only about expressing what the mind needs or lacks, it’s also much more. When we approach the concept of FLOW, it’s useful to understand an important difference: the one between instinct and intuition. While theContinue reading “The wisdom of our body: the state of FLOW”

Trauma has a way of ‘marking’ the body, other than the mind.⁣M. Guidotti talks about the differences between humans and animals and their respective reactions to trauma.⁣⁣When experiencing trauma, animals often go through a limited freezing. After some time, they burst into an aggression (fight) or they run away (flight), manifesting an actual reaction toContinue reading “Trauma & body”

Today we talk about somatisation. Polyvagal theory is useful once again to see more in depth what are some connections between body and mind. This theory tells us how, based on an internal or external stimulus that we perceive as dangerous or even life-threatening (so, something we elaborate with our brain), our internal system triggersContinue reading “Somatisation”

Cartesian dualism stated that body and mind are fundamentally different, as the former is made of physical matter and the latter isn’t. This created a division that is still, to some extent, sustained by some today. In more psychological – and recent – terms: the mind cannot be reduced to neurobiology and physics.⁣These theories allContinue reading “March theme: BODY”