The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to share possible ways in which nonverbal attunement, somatic countertransference, mirroring and embodied use of language could contribute to bridging the gap between the worded and wordless. In the case and the analysis, it becomes apparent those therapeutic interventions that are coming from the field of body-based therapies, could be used in verbal approaches to contribute to a fuller understanding of the therapeutic process.
","abstract_html":"<p>The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to share possible ways in which nonverbal attunement, somatic countertransference, mirroring and embodied use of language could contribute to bridging the gap between the worded and wordless. In the case and the analysis, it becomes apparent those therapeutic interventions that are coming from the field of body-based therapies, could be used in verbal approaches to contribute to a fuller understanding of the therapeutic process.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rayska, Aleksandra"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Benjamin Harris"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Diana Punales","Steven Tuber","Melissa Ilardi","Rebecca Campon"],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-09-30T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-09-30T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:22Z","subjects":["Clinical Psychology","Counseling Psychology","Dance Movement Therapy","Mental Disorders","Other Psychiatry and Psychology","psychodynamic psychotherapy; body-based psychotherapy; nonverbal attunement; embodiment; dance-movement therapy"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2291","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Benjamin Harris"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Diana Punales","Steven Tuber","Melissa Ilardi","Rebecca Campon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rayska, Aleksandra"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-04-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Clinical Psychology","Counseling Psychology","Dance Movement Therapy","Mental Disorders","Other Psychiatry and Psychology","psychodynamic psychotherapy; body-based psychotherapy; nonverbal attunement; embodiment; dance-movement therapy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2291"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to share possible ways in which nonverbal attunement, somatic countertransference, mirroring and embodied use of language could contribute to bridging the gap between the worded and wordless. In the case and the analysis, it becomes apparent those therapeutic interventions that are coming from the field of body-based therapies, could be used in verbal approaches to contribute to a fuller understanding of the therapeutic process.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Conceptualization of the Body in Psychodynamic and Body-Based Psychotherapies: Areas of Overlap and Possibilities for Integration"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Benjamin Harris"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Diana Punales","Steven Tuber","Melissa Ilardi","Rebecca Campon"],"dc:creator":["Rayska, Aleksandra"],"dc:date.available":["2017-04-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to share possible ways in which nonverbal attunement, somatic countertransference, mirroring and embodied use of language could contribute to bridging the gap between the worded and wordless. In the case and the analysis, it becomes apparent those therapeutic interventions that are coming from the field of body-based therapies, could be used in verbal approaches to contribute to a fuller understanding of the therapeutic process.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2291"],"dc:subject":["Clinical Psychology","Counseling Psychology","Dance Movement Therapy","Mental Disorders","Other Psychiatry and Psychology","psychodynamic psychotherapy; body-based psychotherapy; nonverbal attunement; embodiment; dance-movement therapy"],"dc:title":["A Conceptualization of the Body in Psychodynamic and Body-Based Psychotherapies: Areas of Overlap and Possibilities for Integration"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:22Z"}