Christine Caldwell

Breathwork in body psychotherapy: Towards a more unified theory and practice

The use of conscious breathing practices for the purpose of physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual healing has a long and extremely varied history, yet little work has been done to see if these practices can be brought into a coherent and unified form that contributes to the field of body psychotherapy. This article attempts to meta-analyse the literature and research on breathwork in psychotherapy, with an emphasis on body psychotherapy, and to find common themes so that a general theory of breathwork and guidelines for practice might be developed. This paper provides an overview of the physiology of breathing, a review of the literature on breathwork.

Body identity development: definitions and discussions

Abstract As the fields of body psychotherapy and dance/movement therapy mature, they tend to create their own theoretical models. This article articulates a theory of body identity that may provide conceptual resources for these fields, both theoretically and clinically. The historical and developmental roots of body identity are discussed and contextualised, both socioculturally and psychologically. Body identity development is mapped onto a current developmental theory called narrative identity, resulting in a more inclusive discourse of multiple selves and non-conforming identities. The concept of body narrative is introduced, and is seen as the mechanism for the development of body identity. Clinical implications are discussed, though further work is needed to ‘flesh out’ how body identity is navigated in body-centred psychotherapies.

The Role of Privilege and Oppression in Arts-Based Research: A Case Study of a Cisgender and Transgender Research Team

This chapter discusses the importance of examining how identity, power, and privilege show up in research relationships. An arts-based research process is described in which the theme was the somatic effects of oppression for a transgender person. Metaphors and images are explored to illuminate how aspects of power and privilege impacted the relationship and work of the two authors. Conflicts and learning are discussed to illuminate how power played out in the relationship and how the authors built trust and worked toward healing the harm that became part of the research process. Suggestions are made for intentional transparency with the aim of causing less harm as well as actively practicing equity when engaging in social justice research.

Breathwork in body psychotherapy: Clinical applications

The use of conscious breathing practices for the purpose of physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual healing has a long and extremely varied history, yet little work has been done to bring these practices into a coherent and unified form that contributes to the field of body psychotherapy (BP). This article focuses on translating theoretical themes developed in a previous publication (Caldwell & Victoria, 2011. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 6(2), 89–101) into practical applications in the BP profession. The authors propose six clinical themes for the use of breath in BP, a balanced breathing exercise, and four clinical models for integration into BP practice. Recommendations are made for future research and training in this crucial area of BP.