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By Paultre Ligonde PH.D
It may seem shocking to some practitioners to associate biofeedback that relies on data from electronic equipments and Humanistic and psychoanalytic psychotherapies. As early as 1982, Colin Doyle, in his review of literature for the biofeedback society of America has attracted our attention on the fact that Operant conditioning, Cognitive-instrumental learning and behavioristic models had priority over Humanistic models; which means that they do notoverrule the dynamic, non-directive and analytic interventions. |
Some mention that Biofeedback is not in itself humanistic or anti-humanistic.
From my viewpoint, I can affirm with Joseph Barr (1981), that Biofeedback seems to be consistent with many of the fundamental principles of Gestalt therapy and can also prove to be a potent complement to more traditionaltherapies such as Gestalt intervention. Besides the concept of awarenessthat is the center of Gestalt and constitutes the objective of BiofeedbackTraining, the concept of perception is common to both Biofeedback and Gestalttherapy. Sensing, keyword in Gestalt is as important as sensing in soma.The client in Gestalt therapy visits his sensations, which means that herecognizes them deeper and deeper through its effects on his body. Sensingis important in Gestalt therapy as well as in Biofeedback; awareness is bodyawareness and leads to self-disclosure and self-regulation. ''What sensationyou have in your body now at this particular instant while you are role-playingthis particular event?'' Situate your sadness, visit your sorrow deeper anddeeper, become more aware of it, let it overcome you, let it affect you deeperand deeper...now, take deep breath. Rejoice from the satisfaction you aresensing from this self-disclosure. Biofeedback therapy will not make progresswith its sophisticated equipments and its experimental framework. In my experienceBiofeedback training has some gain to make when it is associated with psychoanalyticor humanistic intervention such as Gestalt therapy. (To be continued)
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