Biodynamic psychology and massage

Domain IV · Body-oriented psychotherapy · Gerda Boyesen · 1969 · London

What it is

Biodynamic psychology is a post-Reichian body psychotherapy developed by Gerda Boyesen (1922–2005), a Norwegian clinical psychologist and physiotherapist who had vegetotherapy with Ola Raknes (Reich-trained) and worked alongside physiotherapist Aadel Bülow-Hansen; she moved to London in 1969 and…

Format

• No phase manual with fixed session numbers is given in the sources. The structure below is what IDMET and practitioner accounts describe, with session counts where given.
• Phase A: Intake and contracting (session 1). Clarify the client's goal, take a medical and psychiatric history, explain the method (including touch and the stethoscope), agree conditions and fees. Screen against the published contraindications (Section 5). Move on when goals are agreed,…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Phase C: Working phase (most of therapy). Each session opens by asking about reactions since the last session; the therapist then follows the body process, chooses massage or vegetotherapy according to intention, offers a "bridge" when the process stalls, and helps the client become aware of and self-regulate what arises. Practitioner case accounts describe a year or more of weekly-type work; a UK directory suggests…
• Format. Individual therapy for children, adolescents and adults; group exercises are used in training. Clients lie on a massage table for massage or stand/sit/kneel for vegetotherapy; practitioner pages describe working without oil, and clients need not undress.
• What it is. Biodynamic psychology is a post-Reichian body psychotherapy developed by Gerda Boyesen (1922–2005), a Norwegian clinical psychologist and physiotherapist who had vegetotherapy with Ola Raknes (Reich-trained) and worked alongside physiotherapist Aadel Bülow-Hansen; she moved to London in 1969 and founded a training institute there. It is not one fixed protocol but a family of methods: biodynamic massage…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• competitiveness, injury risk (wrists, knees, back).
• home practice turning into a performance task; keep it small and optional.
• pain (stop), sudden tearfulness (slow down, offer to stay with it or pause).
• head and neck touch can feel exposing; always tell the client before moving there.
• intention drift mid-session; Green notes the therapist may change it as non-verbal signals change.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.