Diverse Bodies, Diverse Practices: Toward an Inclusive Somatics

by Don Hanlon Johnson (Editor)

Overview

A cutting-edge anthology that opens the door for emergent voices from African American, Indigenous, Latin American, and Asian embodiment traditions to transform  the field of somatics
 
The notion of “body” that underlies most available writings about somatic theories and practices often assumes a universal normality of structure and function that has now come into question. In this collection, viewpoints grounded in neural, hormonal, gender, and physiological diversities challenge convention and open up a more inclusive world of somatics for psychotherapy and many forms of bodywork. The authors embody these differences and have developed their particular somatic practices out of direct experience. Their narratives offer new approaches to the transformation of our social order’s bodily roots enabling a healing of the recurrent traumas of the past. Covering topics such as the autistic body-mind, how the human body is both shaped by and shapes contemporary society, and somatic psychotherapy as a trustworthy resource for healing within the African American community, these poignant essays will help students and practitioners of somatics broaden the scope and efficacy of their therapeutic practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623172886
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.96(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor of Somatics at the California Institute of Integral Studies; he founded the degree program there in 1983, the first of its kind. He is the author of Bone, Breath, and Gesture, Groundworks: Narratives of Embodiment, and The Body in Psychotherapy, among other books. He is a contributing editor of the professional journal Somatics and the director of the Somatics Research Center at CIIS, where there are several studies in process about the relevance of Somatic methods to major issues facing our society, including programs in rehabilitation and recovery, PTSD, and the education of parents for bonding with their children. He also directs the Somatic wing of the Esalen Institute.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Introduction: Borderlands Don Hanlon Johnson 1

Chapter 1 Fieldwork: Seeking Balance through the 5Rhythms Roger J. Kuhn 21

Chapter 2 Multiple Paths: Intersectional Pneumasomatic Approaches to Mental Health Alyssa N. Zelaya 45

Chapter 3 Thank god i'm fat: gifts from the underbelly Jules Pashall 71

Chapter 4 Somatics and Autistic Embodiment Nick Walker 89

Chapter 5 The Gap: Social Wounds and Personal Transformation Tayla Ealom 121

Chapter 6 Black and White: Biracial in America, Reflections on my Embodied Experience Stephanie Francis-Ecoffey 151

Chapter 7 Dancing with Babaylan: A Somato-Spiritual Herstory of a Burgeoning Somatic Psychotherapist Antoinette Santos Reyes 181

Chapter 8 The Void of Experienced Meaning in Japanese Society: Ambivalent Attitudes toward Traditional Bodily Practices Haruhiko Murakawa 199

Chapter 9 Sankofa: A Journey of Embodied Re-Membering Muriel Jamille Vinson 221

Chapter 10 Psychotherapy and Gay Men: A Return to Yourself Kurt Wagner 249

Index 283

Contributors 293

Editorial Reviews

This is an extraordinary, brave, and important book, bringing together the wisdom of a diverse group of inspiring individuals who have worked in the field of somatics. It is also a book that will touch all those who read it.”
—Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
 
“A well-orchestrated body of ideas, embodied in the psyche and narrative experiences of others across cultural ethnicities, at the intersections and across disciplines. Much for us to reflect upon.”
—Alan G. Vaughan, PhD, JD, Jungian analyst, C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, and core psychology faculty at Saybrook University

From the Publisher