ISP Curriculum

Integral Somatic Psychology™ (ISP™) is a training consisting of three 4-day live training modules, reflected in the curriculum description below.

Module 1: The Physiology of Emotions

Working with Emotions with Greater Efficiency through the Science of the Physiology of Emotions and Principles of Energy Psychology.

You will learn how to work with emotional or affective experiences more deeply and completely through the physical and energy bodies, work that can also significantly improve cognitive and behavioral work that you do with yourself and your clients. You will also learn how to work with psychophysiological or psychosomatic symptoms with greater effectiveness. You will learn how different layers of your physical body are involved in generating and defending against different types of emotions and other psychological experiences. You will learn how to work with your energy body through your physical body to balance cognition and emotion in your work.

Course Content:

  1. Basic principles of Integral Somatic Psychotherapy:
    • The ISP framework: The individual physical (gross) body, the individual energy (subtle) body, the dynamic collective physical (gross) body, the dynamic collective energy (subtle) body, the dynamic collective body of unity, and the absolute collective body of unlimited pure awareness or consciousness. Multi-disciplinary theoretical and empirical evidence for different levels of the ISP model from Western and Eastern sources.
    • All Western and Eastern therapeutic approaches as special cases of the integrative ISP framework. ISP as a master training for experienced professionals in any therapeutic modality with prior psychological and somatic expertise.
    • Embodiment of psychological experience in the individual physical (gross) body as the core clinical strategy in ISP. Four inter-related aspects of embodiment of psychological experience with a broad definition of emotion or affect as the bridge: Working with psychological, physiological, and energetic defenses to expand and deepen the experience in the body and to build capacity for tolerating it; and working with the experience cognitively and behaviorally to facilitate greater embodiment of the experience in the body, defined as a person’s stable relationship to the experience such as love or grief over time. Scientific evidence for effectiveness of embodiment in increasing clinical outcomes in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral work.
    • Three aspects of regulation: physiological, energetic, and psychological.
    • Presentation of case studies of the effectiveness of the Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP) approach in different cultures including a published peer reviewed research article.
  2. Working to improve self-regulation across the three layers of the individual physical (gross) body:
    • The muscular system governed by the somatic nervous system
    • The viscera governed by the autonomic nervous system
    • The central nervous system and structures that surround it
    Presentation of a model of regulation with seven easy-to-learn flow patterns to regulate the physiology during psychological work without compromising or destroying the very psychological experience one is working with, a common problem in many body-oriented and energy-oriented approaches in mainstream psychology.
  3. Understanding the seven basic dynamics such as constriction/flaccidity and hyper/hypo arousal through which the three layers of the individual physical (gross) body are used to generate as well as defend against different psychological experiences such as perception, cognition, memory, imagination, affect, verbal and non-verbal expression, behavior, and relationship. Theoretical and empirical evidence for these generative and defensive dynamics from scientific research in academia and clinical research in body psychotherapy traditions.
  4. Affect theory. Theories of affect and affect development. Levels or types of affect. Affect and psychophysiological disorders. Relevant research.
  5. Choice of tools: Awareness, intention, imagination, breath, sound, movement, self-touch, touch of another, bodywork, and energy work as clinical tools that can be used appropriate to the therapist’s training, preference, and licensure context. Understanding of the relative advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of each tool.
  6. The role played by the muscular system in generating as well as defending against psychological experiences. The psychological functions of the muscles of the legs, arms, head, face, neck, and torso areas including shoulder, respiratory, and pelvic diaphragms. Relevant research and techniques for working with muscles in these areas during psychological work.
  7. Introduction to the role of the individual energy (subtle) body in psychological experiences. The heart center, the air element, and their physiological and psychological functions. Working with the zones of the air element in the physical (gross) body to bring about greater balance between cognition and emotion in psychological work using basics of Polarity therapy.

Module 2: The Physiology of Attachment, Stress, and Trauma

Working with Attachment with Greater Efficiency through the Science of the Physiology of Attachment and Principles of Energy Psychology.

You will learn how to work with attachment experiences more completely through the physical and energy bodies. You will learn how to work with emotional or affective experiences of relationship more fully in the musculature in more parts of the body than in module one and in the deeper layer of organs, glands, and blood vessels. You will learn how to work with layers of your energy (subtle) body through your physical (gross) body to access and transform the unconscious roots of current psychological problems especially your attachment difficulties. And you will learn how to develop your inter-personal resonance and use it help yourself and your clients especially in relationship work.

Course Content:

  1. The science of the physiology of attachment in the muscular, visceral, and central nervous system layers of the individual physical (gross) body. Relevant findings from scientific research and body psychotherapy traditions.
  2. The role played by the muscular system in generating as well as defending against physiological and psychological experiences. In particular, the physiological and psychological functions of the muscles and other structures of the torso including the shoulder, respiratory, and pelvic diaphragms. Relevant research and techniques for working with muscles and diaphragms of the torso during psychological work.
  3. The role of the autonomic nervous system and the organs, glands, and the blood vessels governed by it in generating as well as defending against physiological and psychological experiences. Relevant research including the emotional and attachment implications of the polyvagal theory of the autonomic nervous system and simple techniques for working with organs, glands, and blood vessels during psychological work.
  4. The definition of the individual energy (subtle) body as a sub atomic particle level or quantum body and the emerging evidence for it from neuroscience, quantum physics, and research on near death and out of body experiences. The role of the individual energy (subtle) body in generating as well as defending against physiological and psychological experiences, and in the regulation of the individual physical (gross) body. Relevant findings and evidence from Western approaches such as biodynamic cranial osteopathy and Western and Eastern energy psychology approaches.
  5. The psychological and physiological functions of three to four of the five lower energy centers and the elements associated with them (ether, air, fire, water, and earth, metaphors for the felt sense experience) of the different layers of the individual energy (subtle) body.
  6. Understanding the relationship between the individual physical (gross) and energy (subtle) bodies in terms of basic concepts of energy zones and primary energy flow patterns from Polarity therapy. Simple strategies for expanding the individual energy (subtle) body and for embodying it in the individual physical (gross) body in a balanced way to improve physical, energetic, and psychological regulation in clients and yourself.
  7. The role of resonance between individual bodies and between individual and collective bodies in physical, energetic, and psychological self-regulation and interactive regulation. Evidence for different types of resonance between individual bodies and between individual and collective bodies from theoretical and empirical scientific research including findings from quantum physics. Differentiation of transference, counter-transference and resonance. Strategies for developing and utilizing such resonance in clinical work.

Module 3: The Physiology of Stress and Trauma

Working with the Physiology of Stress and Trauma with Greater Efficiency through the Science of the Physiology of Stress and Trauma and Principles of Energy Psychology.

You will learn how to work with extra-ordinary experiences of life-threatening stress and trauma as well as ordinary but overwhelming life experiences of development in the central nervous system areas of the brain and spinal cord and the structures that surround them. You will also learn how to improve your work with extra-ordinary life threatening stress and trauma through the individual energy (subtle) body. You will learn how to work with energy centers and associated elements not covered in module two. You will learn how to work more efficiently with life-threatening stress and trauma as well as ordinary but difficult life experiences of development by mobilizing and embodying archetypal resources of the collective bodies to facilitate physiological and psychological transformation in an individual. You will also learn how to ensure that your spiritual growth unfolds in an embodied and grounded manner.

Course Content:

  1. The role of the central nervous system area of the brain and spinal cord and surrounding structures in generating as well as defending against extra-ordinary experiences of life-threatening stress and trauma. Findings from science, body psychotherapy, and energy psychology.
  2. Simple strategies for working directly with the physiology of the brain and spinal cord and surrounding structures when working with experiences of life-threatening stress and trauma in psychological work settings. Simple strategies for working with the root center and the associated earth element involved in existential traumas of life and death.
  3. The role of the central nervous system areas of the brain and spinal cord and surrounding structures in generating as well as defending against ordinary but difficult physiological and psychological experiences due to development (as opposed to extraordinary experiences of life-threatening stress and trauma). Relevant research findings from science, body psychotherapy, and energy psychology.
  4. Simple strategies for working with the central nervous system area of brain and spinal cord and surrounding structures (bone, ligament, membrane, muscle, tendon, and cerebrospinal fluid) during psychological work with ordinary but difficult experiences of development (as opposed to the extraordinary experiences of life-threatening stress and trauma) to improve physiological and psychological functions in clients.
  5. The role of the two higher energy centers at the brow and the crown of the head. The relationship between these two higher energy centers in the individual energy (subtle) body and the dynamic collective physical (gross) body, the dynamic collective energy (subtle) body, the dynamic collective body of unity, and the absolute collective body of pure awareness or consciousness. The nature of the four elements associated with the two higher energy centers. The higher-order (spiritual) and lower order (physiological and psychological) functions of the four higher elements.
  6. Simple strategies for working with the two higher energy centers, the four higher elements, and the archetypal resources they constitute to help heal symptoms of extra-ordinary experiences of life threatening stress and trauma and symptoms of ordinary but difficult life experiences of development. Simple strategies for embodying the higher elements from the two higher energy centers in the individual energy (subtle) and physical (gross) bodies. Study of the lower energy centers, associated elements, and their physiological and psychological characteristics not covered in module two. Review of the lower energy centers, the elements associated with them, and their physiological and psychological functions covered in module two.
  7. Understanding of the range of possibilities for the growth of the human psyche, from resolving physiological and psychological problems at the individual level, to improving the individual’s relationship to other individuals and other collective levels of the psyche, to self-actualization as conceptualized by Maslow or individuation as theorized by Jung, to enlightenment, the highest personal and spiritual achievement possible for the human psyche according to Advaita Vedanta. Evidence from philosophy, neuroscience, quantum physics, and inter-subjectively verified multi-cultural multi-traditional empirical research for integrative models of the psyche such as Jungian psychology, Integral Psychology of Ken Wilber, and Advaita Vedanta.

Quelle / Source: www.integralsomaticpsychology.com, Raja Selvam