Spirituality can offer an important path toward growth, liberation, and connection to something deeper. However, sometimes in the name of spirituality we may end up overlooking essential aspects of our humanity, such as our emotions, needs, or wounds that require healing. Perhaps we have come to believe that this is what the spiritual path demands: …
Posts by anna.backholm
Meditation and psychological healing
I spent many years in traditional talk therapy earlier in my life. At the time, it was very helpful. However, when I later immersed myself deeply in meditation practice and long silent retreats, I began to notice that therapy had only addressed the tip of the iceberg. Through meditation, much more of my inner psychological …
Spiritual dimension in therapy
In the forest, the frost gently nips at my cheeks. A woodpecker taps somewhere nearby, though I can’t see it. My gaze meets the sun peeking through pine branches and lingers there. The light comes in and touches. Suddenly there is space to breathe, to exhale. My feet feel steady against the bedrock. The branches, …
“Something in my body is different now”: an example of Focusing
What is it like to listen to the body through Focusing? What exactly is Focusing, and what can it offer? Of course, each time and for each person it is different, but perhaps this example of a twenty-minute Focusing session can open a little window into the possibilities of Focusing. I close my eyes. My …
Focusing in therapy
Focusing is a natural, but often forgotten, way for us to listen to the body and the wisdom that arises from within. It can be a fruitful practice alone or with a partner. Focusing can also be an important ingredient in therapy – knowing it can be enriching both as a client and as a …
Embodiment in therapy – Part 3: The body as part of talking therapy
Body-based therapies and treatments come in many forms—each valuable in its own way—so I want to clarify the role of the body in my therapeutic work. This is not a body treatment based on massage or other forms of touch, nor does it focus on movement in the same way as, for example, dance or …
Journey to embodiment with the hand
A few years ago, I broke my wrist when I slipped on an unexpected ice patch on a rocky forest floor. I fell down with quite some force. The healing journey with the broken wrist offered interesting perspectives on embodiment and the connections between body and mind. Enduring the pain was not easy. It felt …
Embodiment in therapy – Part 2: The significance of the body
How easily our experience – at least here in the West – is that “I” am somehow in the mind, perhaps in the head area? We tend to think that it is the mind through which we can know things and with which we should to try to control things. We often view our bodies …
Embodiment in therapy – Part 1: Sensing into the body
When someone starts therapy with me, sooner or later, during our conversations, they encounter the question: “What do you feel in your body?” We may also end up exploring bodily sensations regularly. What is this about, why do I inquire about the body? Sensing into the body is one possible – and sometimes very valuable …
Mindfulness in therapy as ”a way of being”
Mindfulness is starting to be quite widely known these days. It is also integrated into several forms of psychotherapy or therapy in one way or another, for example as exercises. In Core Process therapy, mindfulness is an essential component. However, it is not about me guiding you through exercises or presenting techniques for you to …