Principles and origin of body oriented psychotherapy

The literary review part of this thesis focuses on selected body-mind principles that are relevant for body work in psychotherapy, both in the context of body oriented psychotherapy and beyond. Working with the body within psychotherapy is a relatively new approach, but the practices and techniques from which this approach draws and builds upon often have a long tradition. With increasing scientific knowledge, it is now possible to understand much better why and how they work. This thesis illustrates the context and dynamics of the social turn in thought that accompanies the exploration of these mechanisms. The thesis thus presents these basic and supporting principles of body-mind connection in light of the new paradigm of holistic health care and places them in a broader cultural context by highlighting how these principles figure in Eastern traditions, where a different mind-set prevails than in modern Western society. The thesis builds on the literature review by proposing a research project that involves extending the SPECS practical questionnaire to the Czech context. The research aim is to map the awareness of practicing psychotherapists of body-mind principles through reflection on the work with the questionnaire and accompanying qualitative research methods. Keywords body oriented..