Società Italiana di Biosistemica (SIB)
Italian School of Biosystemic Therapy
Prof. Jerome Liss, M.D.
Pzza S.M. Liberatrice, 18,Rome I-00153 Italy
Contact Jerome Liss:
+39-06-574-4903
j.liss@fastwebnet.it
www.biosistemica.org
School history
The Italian School of Biosystemic Therapy was founded by Jerome Liss, M.D., in 1986 in collaboration with several colleagues.
Basic theory and concepts
Biosystemic theory can be understood by its two roots: bio, referring to biology, and systemic, referring to the theory of systems.
The biological roots of our emotional processes means that our consciousness of emotions is only the top-level part of a process involving the whole brain, including its sub-cortical and lower brain stem areas, and the somatic body. On the somatic level, there is the relationship between the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems (the autonomic nervous system), which either can create knots and contradictions or which can function with smooth and healthy alternance. (Ernst Gellhorn) That means emotional deepening can help the person return to a healthy functioning of the active sympathetic system followed by a natural rebound to the parasympathetic receptive system.
In terms of brain functions, Henry Laborit showed that prolonged inhibition of action creates a series of physiological disequilibriums. This chronic inhibition creates the pre-conditions for:
1. psychosomatic disease (suppressed immunological system, high blood pressure, digestive difficulties)
2. emotional distress (increased corticosteroid levels, over-reaction of the emotional amygdala and decrease of the context-creating hippocampus.) These psycho-physiological disturbances explain the importance of helping the anxious or depressed patient with sympathetic activation methods and parasympathetic receptive methods.
Other aspects of brain functions support the therapist’s body-oriented interventions: The need for language to contain traumatic experience (B. Van Kolk), the use of expressive action including micro-movements to unblock the basal ganglia movement system (G. Edelman), the encouragement of bodily expressed free association processes to integrate cortical and sub-cortical activities, the development of non-verbal synchronisation, also called body empathy, within the therapeutic relationship (D. Stern), etc.
A series of original methods have been initiated by the Biosystemic school: the energy curve, the re-establishment of sympathetic-parasympathetic reciprocal interplay, body empathy, organic language, key words, directional phrase, the bath of sound, from problem to solution, solution work with concrete re-enactment, psycho-theatre for collective research. Specific verbal methods include Ecological Communication, the meta-communication, the verbal identification method and the epistemology of respect for repairing negative interactions.
Training description
The Biosystemic School’s training program is based on active learning. (See the book with this title.) Diverse methods are used to help create the reality of the problem. The student-therapist’s intuitions are respected and appreciated. At the same time, theoretical designs on the wall are referred to, so that method-and-theory remain in close interaction.
The present psychotherapeutic training course is four years consisting of 500 training hours per year, as required by Italian law.
Written requirements are:
1. monthly writing of two pages based on the structured reading program
2. monthly filling in of Reciprocal Collaboration forms
3. thesis of 25 pages to integrate "general psychology" texts
4. exam on fundamental questions are given every year.
Therapy requirement: students work with a partner in the centre during monthly training groups to, explore their own emotions based on specific exercises created during weekend training groups. For example, specific exercises to teach body empathy, key words, emotional deepening, solution work, etc. are developed at these weekend training groups. The most important learning comes from twice monthly practice using the Reciprocal Collaboration protocol described in Chapters 3 to 7 of the book, Insieme per Vincere L'Infelicità, Superare la Crisi con la Collaborazione Reciproca ed i Gruppi di Auto-Aiuto. The monthly feedback papers confirm that the work has been accomplished and give students and teachers the opportunity of checking students’ progress according to precise criteria.
Trainers
· Prof. Jerome Liss, M.D.
Prof. Jerome Liss studied medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and psychiatry at Harvard University, Boston. He worked with Dr. R. D. Laing and Dr. David Cooper at the School of Anti-Psychiatry in London and then collaborated with Prof. Henri Laborit in the study of the neurophysiology of emotions in Paris. He is a consultant for the World Food Program of the United Nations. He has contributed many articles to Energy and Character (Editor David Boadella. Jerome Liss
· 
Dr. Maurizio Stupiggia received his Diploma in Philosophy from the University of Bologna. He has integrated body-psychotherapy and family therapy into his approach. He has been guest Professor at the University of Bologna, Science of Communication. He is President of the Italian School of Biosystemic Therapy and Director of the Psychotherapy Program at Bologna.
· Dr.ssa Rita Fiumara, Dr. Eugenio Roberto Giommi, Dr. Stefano Cristofori , Dr. Giorgio Giorgi Maurizio Stupiggia
State of Recognition
The Italian School of Biosystemic Therapy was accredited as a Body-Psychotherapy Training Institute by the EABP FORUM in September 1999. It received approval from the Italian Minister of the University and of Scientific Research on February 12, 2002.
EABP Members
Jerome Liss, Maurizio Stupiggia
Literature- publication - research
Liss, Jerome, Family Talk, New York, Ballantine, 1972
Liss, Jerome, Free to Feel, Finding Your Way Through the New Therapies (Liberi di Sentire, Trovando la Propria Strada Grazie alle Nuove Terapie), Fraeger Press, New York, 1974, Wildwood House, London, 1974.
Liss, Jerome, La Psicoterapia del Corpo (con David Boadella), Ed. Astrolabio, Roma, Marzo 1986.
Liss, Jerome, La Comunicazione Ecologica, Ed. La Meridiana, Molfetta, 1992.
Liss, Jerome (curato dal) La Terapia Biosistemica, Un Approccio Psicocorporeo Originale per Affrontare La Sofferenza Emotiva
Liss, Jerome, e dal Dr. Maurizio Stupiggia, Milano, Ed. Francoangeli, 1994. Insieme Per Vincere L'Infelicità: Come Superare La Crisi con La Collaborazione Reciproca ed I Gruppi di Auto-Aiuto, Milano, Ed. Franco Angeli, 1996.
Liss, Jerome, e dal Stupiggia, Maurizio, Dr., Apprendimento Attivo, Roma, Ed. Armando, 2000.
Liss, Jerome, e dal Stupiggia, Maurizio, Dr., L’Ascolto Profondo, Ed. La Meridiana, Molfetta, 2004