An introduction to a new science-based somatic psychotherapy that effectively relieves emotional difficulties, regulates behavior, and improves wellbeing. Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP) is an easy-to-learn therapeutic modality developed by author and psychologist Dr. Raja Selvam, who believes optimal mental health relies on our ability to fully embody our emotions. Drawing on neuroscience, body-psychotherapy, somatic psychology, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, Selvam describes how our bodies can be used as vehicles for affective processing, thereby alleviating mental suffering while regulating behavior and enhancing memory, language, and critical thinking. Clinicians will learn capacity-building skills to teach their clients, like how to tolerate all feelings (especially the uncomfortable ones) while navigating life's inevitable challenges. Selvam describes what he sees as four new categories of emotional embodiment work: • Situation, which links context to affect response. • Emotion, which fosters acceptance of emotions. • Expansion/Regulation, connecting brain and body to expand emotional tolerance. • Integration, where attention is used for bolstering bodily and energetic stability. ISP has been tested internationally and shown to shorten the average treatment times for most patients. It can be used either as a primary or complementary approach for therapists of any orientation who may be looking for innovative ways to help their patients self-regulate and enjoy a wider range of emotional experiences. About the Author: Raja Selvam, PhD, is the developer of Integral Somatic Psychology, an approach based on the paradigm of embodied cognition, emotion, and behavior in cognitive and affective neuroscience. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and a senior trainer in Dr. Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing program. Dr. Selvam has taught for 25 years in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His work is informed by several methodologies including body psychotherapy systems, postural integration and craniosacral therapy, quantum physics, yoga, and polarity therapy. Selvam's work includes the 2013 “Jung and Consciousness,” published in Spring; the 2008 study “Somatic Therapy Treatment Effects with Tsunami Survivors,” published in Traumatology, about working with survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; and a practice alongside other mental health professionals in Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2013 with survivors of war, violence, and loss after end of the civil war in 2009. |