Zentrum für integrative Körper- und Psychotherapie

Michael Meiffert, Joachim Nordheim

Paulinenallee 32

D-20259 Hamburg

Tel / Fax: +49-40-435077

hzik@koerper-psychotherapie.de

www.koerper-psychotherapie.de

 

School history

The Training Institute was founded in 1980 by Joachim Nordheim and Michael Meiffert, who were trained in body-psychotherapy by Michael Smith (Skan - Neoreichian Bodywork) and were senior trainers in his field.

 

Basic theory and concepts

The foundation of the work:

-          Integrative body-psychotherapy draws from the work of Wilhelm Reich - the character analysis and the vegetotherapy, in which Reich provided psychoanalysis with a body - by pointing out the biological foundation of character structures and defence mechanisms.

-          Integrative body-psychotherapy includes the psychoanalytic way to describe human existence psycho-dynamically. Of particular importance is the description and the understanding of the phases of human psychosexual development. The object relationship theory gives important impulses in its way of describing the significance of the early object relations for neurotic development. The current efforts of baby and infant researchers is to compare the theoretical model previously derived from the analytical work with observable reality.

-          Another major influence is gestalt therapy whose development was largely influenced by the vegetotherapy of Wilhelm Reich. Gestalt therapy utilises the reality of the therapeutic contact as a tool of therapeutic work and adds another dimension to transference – the counter-transference aspect of the therapeutic relationship.

The basis of the work is the understanding of the functional Identity of processes on the physical, vegetative level and the processes in the psychological, emotional realm. Neurosis is therefore not only a psychological phenomenon but is rooted deeply in the physical body of a person. The neurotic character structure has its equivalent in the structure of (physical) armour. Armour we understand as the chronic inhibition of the natural pulsation of the different structures of the body, which can happen at the pole of contraction as well as at the pole of expansion. Chronic armour diminishes the possibility of healthy self-regulation of a person on the biological, psychological and social level of reality.

 

In the process of therapy there is no way out of neurosis without working on the change of these physical structures of armour. On the other hand it is obvious that changes at the biological level are not necessarily followed by significant changes of behaviour. Body work opens new possibilities of feeling and expression but to lead these possibilities into new, less neurotic behaviour is another learning step. For the therapeutic process it is therefore essential to pay attention to the psychological and social realm of the personality. It is necessary to support people on the psychological level to develop an understanding of the roots of actual patterns of behaviour. It is necessary to offer room, in which it is possible to experiment with new behaviour so that choices can be made.

 

Training description

In the first two years of the basic training the teaching is experiential. The transmission of knowledge is linked to the experience the trainees go through in their therapeutic process. In the basic training a fundamental knowledge of body psychotherapeutic principles should be achieved.

The second two to three years still have experiential elements but the focus is laid on the teaching of theory and supervision of therapeutic practice.

 

Trainers

 

State of recognition

The Zentrum für integrative Körper- und Psychotherapie was accredited as a Body-Psychotherapy Training Institute by the EABP FORUM in September 1999.

 

EABP Members

Joachim Nordheim, Michael Meiffert, Annedore Hansen, Barbara Meiffert

 

Literature - publication - research

Übertragung – Gegen – Übertragung, Gedanken zur therapeutischen Beziehung

Körpertherapie und Gestalttherapie, eine Auseinandersetzung mit den Wurzeln

veröffentlicht in “Energie und Charakter”

 

 

Joachim Nordheim                                                                                  Michael Meiffert