Psychomotor therapy for patients with stress-related complaints

Psychomotor therapy for
patients with stress-related
complaints
A cognitive-behavioral approach
Olivier Glas
Teacher at HAN-university
Psychomotor therapist at Kairos (forensic psychiatry)

Some basic assumptions
Human beings are related to the world by
their bodies and movement.
Movement-behavior should always been
seen in relation to the context their moving
in.
Movement behavior, cognitions and
emotions are interacting with each other

Patients with stress & anxiety
CBT: problematic behaviour is learned
CBT: Healthy behavior can be learned also
Complaints related to stress & anxiety have
their origin in a problematic way of dealing
with emotions.
The way of dealing with emotions is
influenced by cognitions and
(movement)behaviour

In terms of DSM-IV
All anxiety and mood disorders (except
PTSD)
Somatoform disorders
Substance related disorders (?)
Impuls-control disorder (i.p. agression) (?)

The model of David H. Barlow
How a CBT-model can be used as a
theoretical frame for PMT…..
A model that makes the patient responsible
for its own behavior, emotions and thoughts
The importance of doing something else
than the psychotherapist

Negative affect
(emotion, sensation, thought)
Tadaaa!!!!!
Judged Attempt to Fails
as unbearable supress or avoid
Judged No supressing Recovery
as bearable or avoiding in a
natural
way
Campell-Sills, L., Barlow, D.H., Brown, T.A. & Hofmann, S.G. (in preparation).
Appraisal and regulation in anxiety and mood disorders.

What should I (as a psychomotor therapist)……….
………..do with this???
Observe very well (posture, tension and
movement) in context!
Try to understand movement-behavior in
terms of the model
Name the opposite and incompatible
movement-behavior
Find the way to work towards the
incompatible movement-behavior
Relaxation, exercise, fitness and increasing
tension

An other useful model
Expressional
Sensoric Motoric
Impressional
Self Other
Hekking & Fellinger, 2003

An example……