This study (n = 148) explores the relationship between psychodrama’s curative agent, spontaneity, with PTSD, depression, anxiety, traumatic grief, and Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Findings demonstrate moderate negative correlations between spontaneity and both PTSD and anxiety, as well as low-to-moderate negative correlations between spontaneity and both traumatic grief and PGD. A low-negative correlation was found between spontaneity and depression. These findings further support psychodrama’s spontaneity-creativity theory which positions spontaneity as a measure of health and wellbeing. Psychodrama’s founder, Jacob Moreno, hypothesized an inverse relationship between anxiety and spontaneity many decades ago; the findings of this research study support this claim. This study was conducted as a secondary data analysis, building off Giacomucci, Marquit, Briggs, & Gupta’s (2025) effectiveness study on psychodrama, to exploring spontaneity’s relationship to mental health disorder symptoms.
{"title":"Spontaneity’s relationship to PTSD, depression, anxiety, and traumatic grief: An analysis of psychodrama’s curative agent","authors":"Scott Giacomucci , Joshua Marquit , Ritika Gupta , Haydn Briggs","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study (n = 148) explores the relationship between psychodrama’s curative agent, spontaneity, with PTSD, depression, anxiety, traumatic grief, and Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Findings demonstrate moderate negative correlations between spontaneity and both PTSD and anxiety, as well as low-to-moderate negative correlations between spontaneity and both traumatic grief and PGD. A low-negative correlation was found between spontaneity and depression. These findings further support psychodrama’s spontaneity-creativity theory which positions spontaneity as a measure of health and wellbeing. Psychodrama’s founder, Jacob Moreno, hypothesized an inverse relationship between anxiety and spontaneity many decades ago; the findings of this research study support this claim. This study was conducted as a secondary data analysis, building off Giacomucci, Marquit, Briggs, & Gupta’s (2025) effectiveness study on psychodrama, to exploring spontaneity’s relationship to mental health disorder symptoms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102407"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102406
Irit Shochat
This paper introduces the Synchronization Modulation Transitions (SMT) model as a preliminary theoretical framework for conceptualizing synchrony as a core therapeutic process rather than a secondary outcome. Despite growing interest in synchrony within psychotherapy research, an integrated framework encompassing its embodied, relational, and cognitive dimensions remains lacking. The SMT model offers an initial step toward defining synchrony as a dynamic, embodied mechanism that facilitates therapeutic change through actively modulated transitions aligned with neural and attentional shifts between Minimal and Narrative Self-states. It provides a multidimensional perspective on synchrony within embodied therapeutic practice and is illustrated through sensorimotor art therapy. By offering a structured and integrative foundation, the SMT model positions synchrony as an organizing principle spanning intrapersonal and relational processes in therapeutic change, and lays the groundwork for future clinical and interdisciplinary research on embodied experience.
{"title":"Synchrony as a therapeutic framework: Synchronization modulation transitions model through sensorimotor art therapy","authors":"Irit Shochat","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper introduces the Synchronization Modulation Transitions (SMT) model as a preliminary theoretical framework for conceptualizing synchrony as a core therapeutic process rather than a secondary outcome. Despite growing interest in synchrony within psychotherapy research, an integrated framework encompassing its embodied, relational, and cognitive dimensions remains lacking. The SMT model offers an initial step toward defining synchrony as a dynamic, embodied mechanism that facilitates therapeutic change through actively modulated transitions aligned with neural and attentional shifts between Minimal and Narrative Self-states. It provides a multidimensional perspective on synchrony within embodied therapeutic practice and is illustrated through sensorimotor art therapy. By offering a structured and integrative foundation, the SMT model positions synchrony as an organizing principle spanning intrapersonal and relational processes in therapeutic change, and lays the groundwork for future clinical and interdisciplinary research on embodied experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102406"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102403
Thilaga Letchumi Sarunga Raja , Ella Dumaresq , Sabine Koch
The global prison population has grown by a total of 27 % since year 2000. Rehabilitation programs in prisons are based on ‘Risk Needs Responsivity Model’, however there is a need to avoid overintellectualized models of therapy. There is growing interest in creative arts therapies in forensic care, however, literature around dance and dance movement therapy (DMT) remains scarce. This systematic review aims to assess the application of dance and DMT in prisons and the state of research. Data was collected on therapeutic outcomes, target population, intervention dosage and outcome measurements. Due to the heterogeneous studies, a narrative synthesis was completed, and clusters were classified using the Dunphy Outcomes Framework. Six studies were included, revealing dance and DMT in prisons have an extensive range of effects on across the following domains of the DOF: emotional, social, physical, cultural, cognitive and integration. The studies remained at a low evidence level with just two controlled trials. The review highlights the need for more empirical research. Results so far are promising and suggest that dance and DMT can have beneficial effects in forensic settings.
{"title":"Dance in prisons: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.","authors":"Thilaga Letchumi Sarunga Raja , Ella Dumaresq , Sabine Koch","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global prison population has grown by a total of 27 % since year 2000. Rehabilitation programs in prisons are based on ‘Risk Needs Responsivity Model’, however there is a need to avoid overintellectualized models of therapy. There is growing interest in creative arts therapies in forensic care, however, literature around dance and dance movement therapy (DMT) remains scarce. This systematic review aims to assess the application of dance and DMT in prisons and the state of research. Data was collected on therapeutic outcomes, target population, intervention dosage and outcome measurements. Due to the heterogeneous studies, a narrative synthesis was completed, and clusters were classified using the Dunphy Outcomes Framework. Six studies were included, revealing dance and DMT in prisons have an extensive range of effects on across the following domains of the DOF: emotional, social, physical, cultural, cognitive and integration. The studies remained at a low evidence level with just two controlled trials. The review highlights the need for more empirical research. Results so far are promising and suggest that dance and DMT can have beneficial effects in forensic settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102403"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102405
Lenka Terezie Ruzickova , Veronika Andrashko , Roman Prochazka
This narrative review synthesises current knowledge on neural networks, relevant brain structures, and their functions with phenomenological perspectives on embodiment and creative processes in dance movement therapy (DMT). DMT is an established therapeutic approach, and the review presents a conceptual framework for mechanisms of change in DMT, while offering arguments for the integration of embodied, movement, and creative processes within integrative psychotherapy. The review discusses interventions engaging the bodily dimension through nonverbal and artistic modalities involving embodied experience and multisensory perception (interoception, exteroception and proprioception). In the proposed conceptual framework, From Perception to Transformation, bodily experience and movement contribute to the reconstruction of self-concept and personal meaning. This process is examined through a combined lens of phenomenological philosophy and contemporary neuroscience. From a phenomenological standpoint, artistic expression is understood as a pathway to truth through the lived experience of embodiment, grounded in attuned presence (Anwesenheit) and receptive openness (Gelassenheit), which allow concealed aspects of the self to emerge. Neuroscientific perspectives highlight neuroplasticity and the integrative role of the insular cortex in linking multisensory input with self-awareness within large-scale brain networks involved in introspection, executive functioning, and salience processing. The review concludes by outlining implications for therapeutic practice and future research directions.
{"title":"From perception to transformation: The contribution of dance movement therapy through phenomenological and neurobiological lenses","authors":"Lenka Terezie Ruzickova , Veronika Andrashko , Roman Prochazka","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This narrative review synthesises current knowledge on neural networks, relevant brain structures, and their functions with phenomenological perspectives on embodiment and creative processes in dance movement therapy (DMT). DMT is an established therapeutic approach, and the review presents a conceptual framework for mechanisms of change in DMT, while offering arguments for the integration of embodied, movement, and creative processes within integrative psychotherapy. The review discusses interventions engaging the bodily dimension through nonverbal and artistic modalities involving embodied experience and multisensory perception (interoception, exteroception and proprioception). In the proposed conceptual framework, <em>From Perception to Transformation</em>, bodily experience and movement contribute to the reconstruction of self-concept and personal meaning. This process is examined through a combined lens of phenomenological philosophy and contemporary neuroscience. From a phenomenological standpoint, artistic expression is understood as a pathway to truth through the lived experience of embodiment, grounded in attuned presence (<em>Anwesenheit</em>) and receptive openness (<em>Gelassenheit),</em> which allow concealed aspects of the self to emerge. Neuroscientific perspectives highlight neuroplasticity and the integrative role of the insular cortex in linking multisensory input with self-awareness within large-scale brain networks involved in introspection, executive functioning, and salience processing. The review concludes by outlining implications for therapeutic practice and future research directions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102405"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102394
António-José Gonzalez , Íngride Martins Correia , Margarida Pedroso de Lima , Miriam Bernardino , Francisco Forte
Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre (PPT) is a form of group psychotherapy that was developed from Playback Theatre (PT). In PPT, participants share a narrative that is enacted theatrically by the other group members. As the narrative is central to the therapeutic process, the present study aimed to investigate the subjective experience of participants in a PPT session, particularly their relationship with the story told by the teller. In this in-depth case study, a qualitative methodology was used, applying Thematic Analysis to interviews conducted with five participants from the PPT group. The resulting themes were then crossed with the description of the audiovisual recording of the session and with responses from the respective Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT) questionnaires. Analysis revealed three principal themes: 1) Narrative as a meeting point; 2) Exploring vertical and transversal dimensions of the story: from the individual to the sociopolitical; and 3. Beyond the Narrative. The findings suggest that PPT, as a group therapy setting, served as a safe and affirming space for the protagonist, exploring his gender expression, fostering not only a sense of belonging and acceptance but also greater awareness of personal resources and of the complex roots of their suffering. Other members of the group referred to benefits that can be connected to common therapeutic factors of group and expressive therapies.
{"title":"Gender-expression through a session of Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre: A case study","authors":"António-José Gonzalez , Íngride Martins Correia , Margarida Pedroso de Lima , Miriam Bernardino , Francisco Forte","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre (PPT) is a form of group psychotherapy that was developed from Playback Theatre (PT). In PPT, participants share a narrative that is enacted theatrically by the other group members. As the narrative is central to the therapeutic process, the present study aimed to investigate the subjective experience of participants in a PPT session, particularly their relationship with the story told by the teller. In this in-depth case study, a qualitative methodology was used, applying Thematic Analysis to interviews conducted with five participants from the PPT group. The resulting themes were then crossed with the description of the audiovisual recording of the session and with responses from the respective Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT) questionnaires. Analysis revealed three principal themes: 1) Narrative as a meeting point; 2) Exploring vertical and transversal dimensions of the story: from the individual to the sociopolitical; and 3. Beyond the Narrative. The findings suggest that PPT, as a group therapy setting, served as a safe and affirming space for the protagonist, exploring his gender expression, fostering not only a sense of belonging and acceptance but also greater awareness of personal resources and of the complex roots of their suffering. Other members of the group referred to benefits that can be connected to common therapeutic factors of group and expressive therapies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102394"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145665440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-30DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102393
Emily Brooks, Steve Trenoweth, Maddy Greville-Harris
Over a third of men in UK prisons are known to be affected by drug dependency, alongside a rise in drug-related deaths since 2020. This crisis exposes limitations of punitive strategies that neglect the neurocognitive and emotional roots of addiction. Drama-based interventions are recognised for fostering emotional expression, identity exploration, and agency, while creating space to hear and value the voices of those in prison. This review draws on 18 studies (2000–2025) focused on men in prison—who face disproportionate risks linked to substance use, overcrowding, and suicide—to examine how creative approaches might disrupt entrenched paradigms. Findings reveal few longitudinal, UK-based studies and an overreliance on outcome-driven metrics. Future research should prioritise participant-centred, creative art methodologies that foreground lived experience and support more inclusive, contextually grounded carceral practice, without imposing predefined success criteria.
{"title":"Drama-based interventions for men in prison who use substances – A literature review","authors":"Emily Brooks, Steve Trenoweth, Maddy Greville-Harris","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over a third of men in UK prisons are known to be affected by drug dependency, alongside a rise in drug-related deaths since 2020. This crisis exposes limitations of punitive strategies that neglect the neurocognitive and emotional roots of addiction. Drama-based interventions are recognised for fostering emotional expression, identity exploration, and agency, while creating space to hear and value the voices of those in prison. This review draws on 18 studies (2000–2025) focused on men in prison—who face disproportionate risks linked to substance use, overcrowding, and suicide—to examine how creative approaches might disrupt entrenched paradigms. Findings reveal few longitudinal, UK-based studies and an overreliance on outcome-driven metrics. Future research should prioritise participant-centred, creative art methodologies that foreground lived experience and support more inclusive, contextually grounded carceral practice, without imposing predefined success criteria.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102393"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102390
Mikaela Leandertz , Esa Ala-Ruona , Jussi Joukainen , Tuula Pesonen , Jaakko Erkkilä
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a neuropsychiatric condition caused by impairment of the functioning of the nervous system. Common subgroups include functional movement disorders (gait disturbances, limb weakness, tremor), and functional seizure disorders (dissociative seizures, non-epileptic attacks). Though not a requirement for diagnosis, prevalent comorbid diagnoses include anxiety and mood disorders. The interdisciplinary overlap between neurology and psychiatry combined with patients’ diverse experiences of the diagnosis and related symptoms makes it difficult for professionals to develop treatment plans truly individualised to meet the unique needs of each patient. Recent literature states that multimodal approaches to therapy would have strong implications for success in their ability to integrate the care of patients’ physiological symptoms and psychological needs. The MTFUND (Music Therapy for FND) clinical protocol utilises a multimodal music therapy approach, incorporating vibroacoustic therapy and active music therapy methods, utilising flexible interventions to meet the complex and individual needs of patients with FND. In collaboration with neurology and psychiatry units of the central regional hospital, a series of case studies were conducted in which the proposed protocol was utilised with patients diagnosed with FND, across different subtypes. Ten case descriptions are shared, illustrating the present variability in symptom experience, and the unique interactions with elements within the protocol. In addition to utilisation of flexible interventions to address unique and variable symptom experiences, treatment responses and factors of change are discussed in relation to known neurological mechanisms involved in current etiological understanding of FND.
{"title":"Multimodal vibroacoustic music therapy for functional neurological disorder: A case series using the MTFUND clinical protocol","authors":"Mikaela Leandertz , Esa Ala-Ruona , Jussi Joukainen , Tuula Pesonen , Jaakko Erkkilä","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a neuropsychiatric condition caused by impairment of the functioning of the nervous system. Common subgroups include functional movement disorders (gait disturbances, limb weakness, tremor), and functional seizure disorders (dissociative seizures, non-epileptic attacks). Though not a requirement for diagnosis, prevalent comorbid diagnoses include anxiety and mood disorders. The interdisciplinary overlap between neurology and psychiatry combined with patients’ diverse experiences of the diagnosis and related symptoms makes it difficult for professionals to develop treatment plans truly individualised to meet the unique needs of each patient. Recent literature states that multimodal approaches to therapy would have strong implications for success in their ability to integrate the care of patients’ physiological symptoms and psychological needs. The MTFUND (Music Therapy for FND) clinical protocol utilises a multimodal music therapy approach, incorporating vibroacoustic therapy and active music therapy methods, utilising flexible interventions to meet the complex and individual needs of patients with FND. In collaboration with neurology and psychiatry units of the central regional hospital, a series of case studies were conducted in which the proposed protocol was utilised with patients diagnosed with FND, across different subtypes. Ten case descriptions are shared, illustrating the present variability in symptom experience, and the unique interactions with elements within the protocol. In addition to utilisation of flexible interventions to address unique and variable symptom experiences, treatment responses and factors of change are discussed in relation to known neurological mechanisms involved in current etiological understanding of FND.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102390"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102392
Juan David Filizzola Bermúdez , María José Morillo Peña
A performance, defined through the lens of performing arts, is essentially an encounter that occurs between two main parts: a performer and a receptor. This encounter has been studied to provide multiple effects in both parties involved, as well as activating various mental functions and permitting emotional recognition. This manuscript examines how performing arts have facilitated methods for emotional recognition and representation; and the evolution of the viewer who can also encounter emotional response from its receptive role. It also explores catharsis, and its evolution into a therapeutic concept in psychotherapy through Freud and Breuer's work; and the intersection between performance arts and how it can relate to various concepts in psychotherapy, through the multidisciplinary lenses of psychotherapy and performing arts. Finally, it highlights how performing arts have been successfully integrated into mental health interventions, demonstrating their potential in both clinical and community settings. Through examining different theoretical frameworks and practical applications, the text illustrates how performance and catharsis serve as bridges between artistic expression and therapeutic practice, offering innovative approaches to mental health care that extend beyond traditional clinical boundaries.
{"title":"Performance and catharsis: Interactions between performing arts and mental health","authors":"Juan David Filizzola Bermúdez , María José Morillo Peña","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102392","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102392","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A performance, defined through the lens of performing arts, is essentially an encounter that occurs between two main parts: a performer and a receptor. This encounter has been studied to provide multiple effects in both parties involved, as well as activating various mental functions and permitting emotional recognition. This manuscript examines how performing arts have facilitated methods for emotional recognition and representation; and the evolution of the viewer who can also encounter emotional response from its receptive role. It also explores catharsis, and its evolution into a therapeutic concept in psychotherapy through Freud and Breuer's work; and the intersection between performance arts and how it can relate to various concepts in psychotherapy, through the multidisciplinary lenses of psychotherapy and performing arts. Finally, it highlights how performing arts have been successfully integrated into mental health interventions, demonstrating their potential in both clinical and community settings. Through examining different theoretical frameworks and practical applications, the text illustrates how performance and catharsis serve as bridges between artistic expression and therapeutic practice, offering innovative approaches to mental health care that extend beyond traditional clinical boundaries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102392"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102383
Megan E. Buys , Raquel Peel , Denise Buiten
Body mapping has gained popularity as a research method across diverse disciplines and is frequently reported to offer therapeutic benefits. However, a synthesis of studies specifically using body mapping as a therapeutic activity has not yet been undertaken. As a result, there remains limited understanding of how body mapping is applied therapeutically and in what contexts. This scoping review aimed to synthesise the available literature on body mapping as a therapeutic activity, identifying the clinical populations involved, how body mapping was used, and clients’/participants’ reported experiences and outcomes. Medline, Scopus, PsycInfo, Google Scholar, and citations were systematically searched to identify studies that used body mapping as a therapeutic activity. Fifteen studies were included that explicitly reported on the use of body mapping as a therapeutic activity, where eight were qualitative exploratory studies and seven were case studies. Body mapping was used in both one-to-one and group contexts. The majority of studies used body mapping in the context of trauma therapy or as a tool for fostering self-empowerment and self-compassion. Body mapping shows strong potential as a therapeutic activity, offering a creative and embodied pathway to emotional insight, empowerment, and client engagement across diverse clinical settings. While the existing literature affirms its promise, much of the work remains small in scale and exploratory in nature. Examining how body mapping as a therapeutic activity is therefore important to understand how it has been applied therapeutically, the clinical populations it has engaged, clients’ experiences and acceptability of body mapping, and to identify limitations and gaps to inform future practice and research.
{"title":"Body mapping as a therapeutic activity in psychotherapy practice: A scoping review","authors":"Megan E. Buys , Raquel Peel , Denise Buiten","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Body mapping has gained popularity as a research method across diverse disciplines and is frequently reported to offer therapeutic benefits. However, a synthesis of studies specifically using body mapping as a therapeutic activity has not yet been undertaken. As a result, there remains limited understanding of how body mapping is applied therapeutically and in what contexts. This scoping review aimed to synthesise the available literature on body mapping as a therapeutic activity, identifying the clinical populations involved, how body mapping was used, and clients’/participants’ reported experiences and outcomes. Medline, Scopus, PsycInfo, Google Scholar, and citations were systematically searched to identify studies that used body mapping as a therapeutic activity. Fifteen studies were included that explicitly reported on the use of body mapping as a therapeutic activity, where eight were qualitative exploratory studies and seven were case studies. Body mapping was used in both one-to-one and group contexts. The majority of studies used body mapping in the context of trauma therapy or as a tool for fostering self-empowerment and self-compassion. Body mapping shows strong potential as a therapeutic activity, offering a creative and embodied pathway to emotional insight, empowerment, and client engagement across diverse clinical settings. While the existing literature affirms its promise, much of the work remains small in scale and exploratory in nature. Examining how body mapping as a therapeutic activity is therefore important to understand how it has been applied therapeutically, the clinical populations it has engaged, clients’ experiences and acceptability of body mapping, and to identify limitations and gaps to inform future practice and research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102383"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102373
Tamar Hadar
Background
The October 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel caused mass displacement, leaving children and families facing acute psychological distress, emotional dysregulation, and relational strain.
Gap
While music therapy is increasingly used in crisis and trauma contexts, little is known about how recording can function as a therapeutic tool for displaced children and their families.
Aims
This case study examines how recording in music therapy may support emotional regulation, narrative processing, and relational repair in a post-crisis setting.
Method
A single-case qualitative design was employed, drawing on trauma-informed, relational, and dyadic music therapy principles.
Participants
The case involved an 8-year-old Israeli child and his parents who received therapy in a temporary clinic established for displaced families.
Data Collection and Analysis
Clinical notes, session recordings, and therapist reflections were thematically analyzed to trace therapeutic processes across sessions.
Findings
The intervention centered on musical play, improvisation, and multi-layered recording, culminating in a collaborative project involving both parents. The recording process created a co-creative space for self-expression, relational repair, and symbolic meaning-making. The child’s progression from structured exploration to creative leadership reflected increased safety, self-efficacy, and emotional openness.
Implications
This case highlights the potential of recording to facilitate both individual recovery and dyadic healing, underscoring the importance of including caregivers in early trauma interventions. It demonstrates the value of flexible, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate music therapy in addressing complex trauma among displaced children and families in times of collective crisis.
{"title":"Relational repair through recording: A music therapy case study with a child and parents following the october 7 attack","authors":"Tamar Hadar","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The October 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel caused mass displacement, leaving children and families facing acute psychological distress, emotional dysregulation, and relational strain.</div></div><div><h3>Gap</h3><div>While music therapy is increasingly used in crisis and trauma contexts, little is known about how recording can function as a therapeutic tool for displaced children and their families.</div></div><div><h3>Aims</h3><div>This case study examines how recording in music therapy may support emotional regulation, narrative processing, and relational repair in a post-crisis setting.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A single-case qualitative design was employed, drawing on trauma-informed, relational, and dyadic music therapy principles.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>The case involved an 8-year-old Israeli child and his parents who received therapy in a temporary clinic established for displaced families.</div></div><div><h3>Data Collection and Analysis</h3><div>Clinical notes, session recordings, and therapist reflections were thematically analyzed to trace therapeutic processes across sessions.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The intervention centered on musical play, improvisation, and multi-layered recording, culminating in a collaborative project involving both parents. The recording process created a co-creative space for self-expression, relational repair, and symbolic meaning-making. The child’s progression from structured exploration to creative leadership reflected increased safety, self-efficacy, and emotional openness.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>This case highlights the potential of recording to facilitate both individual recovery and dyadic healing, underscoring the importance of including caregivers in early trauma interventions. It demonstrates the value of flexible, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate music therapy in addressing complex trauma among displaced children and families in times of collective crisis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102373"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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