{{Short description|Academic concept}} {{more citations needed|date=April 2019}} '''Bodymind''' is an approach to understanding the relationship between the human body and mind in which they are seen as a single integrated unit. It attempts to address the mind–body problem and resists the Western traditions of mind–body dualism.
== In philosophy == In the field of philosophy, dualism is the view that human minds and bodies are different entities that can be understood separately.<ref>{{Citation|last=Robinson|first=Howard|title=Dualism|date=2017|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2017/entries/dualism/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Fall 2017|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=2020-04-10}}</ref> This paradigm solidified in the Western world during the Enlightenment, and is associated with the work of René Descartes, among others.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Berrios |first=German E. |date=2018-03-31 |title=Historical epistemology of the body-mind interaction in psychiatry |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/gberrios |journal=Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience |language=en |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=5–13 |doi=10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/gberrios |issn=1958-5969|pmc=6016044 }}</ref> Despite the influence of the dualist model, empirical support for the relationship between mental illness and physical changes in the brain has been documented since the 17th century.<ref name=":0" />
Holism is the position that the body and mind are one integrated system. As a term for that system, bodymind emphasizes the inextricability of consciousness, cognition, and the body's physical processes.
== In neuroscience == The emergence of neural imaging techniques has reframed the mind-body debate to incorporate theories from both philosophy and neuroscience.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Singer |first=Wolf |date=May 2025 |title=The Mind–Matter Dichotomy: A Persistent Challenge for Neuroscientific and Philosophical Theories |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejn.70143 |journal=European Journal of Neuroscience |language=en |volume=61 |issue=10 |doi=10.1111/ejn.70143 |issn=0953-816X |pmc=12086611 |pmid=40384323}}</ref> Researchers such as Candace Pert have posited a neurophysiological basis for emotions and their foundation in human meaning-making and mental function.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pert |first=Candace |date=2012 |title=Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPDRP9DV8twC |publisher=Simon & Schuster UK|isbn=978-0671033972}}</ref>
==Relevance to alternative medicine== In the field of alternative medicine, bodymind implies that * The body, mind, emotions, and spirit are dynamically interrelated.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness|last = Damasio|first = Antonio|publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year = 2000|isbn = 978-0156010757|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/feelingofwhathap00dama_0}}</ref> * Experience, including physical stress, emotional injury, and pleasures are stored in the body's cells which in turn affects one's reactions to stimuli.<ref>Keleman, Stanley: ''Your Body speaks its Mind'', Center Press (US) (1989) {{ISBN|978-0934320016}}</ref> The term can be a number of disciplines, including: * Psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body.<ref>{{cite book | last = Michael Irwin| first = Kavita Vedhara | title = Human Psychoneuroimmunology| publisher = Oxford University Press|year=2005| isbn = 978-0-19-856884-1}}</ref> * Body psychotherapy,<ref>Totton, N. (2003) ''Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction'' Open University Press. {{ISBN|0-335-21038-4}} (pb); 0-335-21039-2.</ref><ref>Staunton, T. (Ed.) (2002) ''Body Psychotherapy'' Brunner Routledge. {{ISBN|1-58391-115-4}} PB0; 1-58391-116-2 (pb)</ref><ref>Macnaughton, I. (2004) ''Body, Breath and Consciousness: A Somatics Anthology'', ed. Macnaughton, North Atlantic Books. {{ISBN|1-55643-496-0}} {{ISBN|978-1-55643-496-9}}</ref><ref>Courtenay Young (2010) article [http://www.courtenay-young.co.uk/courtenay/articles/The_Science_of_Body_Psych_Part_1.pdf The Science of Body Psychotherapy Today]</ref> a branch of psychotherapy<ref>Sharf, R. S. (2011) ''Theories of Psychotherapy and Counselling'' p. 600</ref> which applies basic principles of somatic psychology. It originated in the work of Pierre Janet and particularly Wilhelm Reich. * Neurobiology, the study of the nervous system<ref>Hill, Daniel (2015) ''Affect Regulation Theory. A Clinical Model'' W. W. Norton.& Co {{ISBN|978-0-393-70726-7}}</ref> * Psychosomatic medicine, an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, and behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals. Clinical situations where mental processes act as a major factor affecting medical outcomes are areas where psychosomatic medicine excels.<ref>{{cite book | last = Levenson| first = James L. | title = Essentials of Psychosomatic Medicine| publisher = American Psychiatric Press Inc|year=2006| isbn = 978-1-58562-246-7}}</ref> * Postural Integration, a process-oriented body psychotherapy originally developed in the late 1960s by Jack Painter<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ziehl|first1=Silke|title=Jack Painter - Obituary|url=http://www.icpit.info/documents/Jack%20Painter-Obituary.pdf|access-date=2011-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063443/http://www.icpit.info/documents/Jack%20Painter-Obituary.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> (1933–2010) in California, US, after exploration in the fields of humanistic psychology and the human potential movement.<ref>Erken, Rita and Schlage, Bernhard: Editors: ''Transformation of the Self with Bodymind Integration.'' Postural Integration – Energetic Integration – Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration; Articles by 14 international authors; Hubert W. Holzinger Verlag, Berlin (2012) {{ISBN|978-3-926396-67-9}}</ref> The method aims to support personal change and self development,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.icpit.info/articles/J_Painter_PosturalIntegration1985_.pdf |title=Painter, Jack: ''Postural Integration, Transformation of the Whole Self'' (1985) |access-date=2015-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002824/http://www.icpit.info/articles/J_Painter_PosturalIntegration1985_.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> through a particular form of manipulative holistic bodywork.<ref>Painter, Jack: ''Technical Manual of Deep Wholistic Bodywork'', Postural Integration; published by The International Centre for Release and Integration, Mill Valley, Calif. USA (1984) (2nd edit. 1990)</ref>
== See also == * Ableism * Binding problem * Bodymind (disability studies) * Developmental disability * Disability * Disability and religion * Disability culture * Disability in the United States * Disability rights * Disability studies * Emotional or behavioral disability * Inclusion (disability rights) * Invisible disability * List of disability studies journals * Medical model of disability * Services for the disabled * Sexuality and disability * Social model of disability * Society for Disability Studies
==References== {{reflist}}
== Further reading == * Benson MD, Herbert; ( 2000) (1975), '' The Relaxation Response'', Harper {{ISBN|0-380-81595-8}} * Bracken, Patrick & Philip Thomas; (2002), [http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7378/1433 ''"Time to move beyond the mind-body split"''], editorial, British Medical Journal 2002;325:1433–1434 (21 December) * Dychtwald, Ken; (1986), ''Bodymind'' Penguin Putman Inc. NY, {{ISBN|0-87477-375-X}} * Gallagher, Shaun; (2005) ‚ '' How the Body Shapes the Mind'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-920416-0}} * Hill, Daniel (2015) ''Affect Regulation Theory. A Clinical Model'' W. W. Norton.& Co {{ISBN|978-0-393-70726-7}}. * Keinänen, Matti; (2005), ''Psychosemiosis as a Key to Body-Mind Continuum: The Reinforcement of Symbolization-Reflectiveness in Psychotherapy''. Nova Science Publishers. {{ISBN|1-59454-381-X}}. * Mayer, Emeran A. 2003. ''The Neurobiology Basis of Mind Body Medicine: Convergent Traditional and Scientific Approaches to Health, Disease, and Healing''. Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20070403123225/http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/MindBody.html (accessed: Sunday January 14, 2007). * Money, John; (1988) ''Gay, Straight, and In-Between: The Sexology of Erotic Orientation''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-505407-5}} * Rothschild, Babette; ( 2000) ''The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment''. W W Norton & Co Inc. * Scheper-Hughes, Nancy, and Margaret M. Lock; (1987) [https://archive.today/20120722103133/http://www.anthrosource.net/doi/abs/10.1525/maq.1987.1.1.02a00020 ''The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future Work in Medical Anthropology''] with Margaret Lock. Medical Anthropology Quarterly. (1): 6–41. * Seem, Mark & Kaplan, Joan; (1987) ''Bodymind Energetics, Towards a Dynamic Model of Health'' Healing Arts Press, Rochester VT, {{ISBN|0-89281-246-X}} * Clare, Eli. "Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure" * Schalk, Sami. "Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction" * Patsavas, Alyson. "Recovering a Cripistemology of Pain: Leaky Bodies, Connective Tissue, and Feeling Discourse" * Price, Margaret. "The Bodymind Problem and the Possibilities of Pain" * Kafer, Alison. "Feminist, Queer, Crip" *Hall, Kim. "Gender" chapter from "Keywords for Disability Studies".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Keywords for Disability Studies|last=Hall|first=Kim|publisher=NYU Press|year=2015|isbn=9781479839520|pages=89–91}}</ref> *McRuer, Robert, and Johnson, Merri Lisa. "Proliferating Cripistemologies: A Virtual Roundtable".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=McRuer|first1=Robert|last2=Johnson|first2=Merri|date=2014|title=Proliferating Cripistemologies: A Virtual Roundtable|url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A375817483/LitRC?sid=LitRC&xid=017e06ab|journal=Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=149–170|doi=10.3828/jlcds.2014.13|s2cid=144682086 |issn=1757-6458|url-access=subscription}}</ref> *Garland-Thomson, Rosemarie. "Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature|last=Garland-Thomson|first=Rosemarie|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1996|isbn=9780231105170}}</ref> *Garland-Thomson, Rosemarie. "Becoming Disabled".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/opinion/sunday/becoming-disabled.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Becoming Disabled|last=Garland-Thomson|first=Rosemarie|date=2016-08-19|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-25|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Category:Body psychotherapy Category:Popular psychology