Presenter: |
Nancy R. Hicks, PsyD |
Chair: |
Andrea Harms, PhD |
Self Psychology Page | 22nd Conference Program
Summary
This paper is an attempt to investigate the issue of bodily experience from a conceptual as well as a clinical perspective. The first half of the paper addresses theoretical concerns including: the relationship between mind and body, the development of a sense of being embodied, the intersubjective dimensions of bodily experience, and the bodily self as embedded in enduring patterns of intimacy. These concerns are then elaborated as they appear in a specific context, adult sexual relating. Focusing on the couple dyad, the paper explores why the sexual relationship seems to be ideally suited for the expression of psychological meanings, and how such meanings emerge in the interbodily exchange.
The second half is a clinical example which illustrates the ideas discussed earlier in the paper. Taken from a long-term treatment of a heterosexual couple with sexual problems, the example shows how issues such as erectile difficulties and lack of sexual desire can emerge out of a dyadic exchange, reflecting the interplay between self and other, and manifesting psychological meaning of which neither partner may be fully aware.
The process and outcome of the couples treatment powerfully illustrates the capacity of bodily experience to carry and convey psychological meaning. It also appears to demonstrate that, as individuals become more cognizant of what they are communicating through their bodily interacting, their emotional range is expanded. This has a positive impact on the dyadic exchange, making it less likely that problematic meanings will be manifest in the couple's sexual relating.