Special article: Importance and therapeutic benefits of touch in body psychotherapy (Rohricht, 2025)

Fachbeitrag: Bedeutung und therapeutischer Nutzen von Berührung in der Körperpsychotherapie

Rohricht, Frank

körper tanz bewegung, Issue: 2025/1, Pages: 2-15

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Based on the central importance of touch for self-experience, this article deals with the scientific basis for the use of touch in body psychotherapy. This includes philosophical-phenomenological perspectives, a brief summary of the organic-physiological, somatosensory dimension of touch and its bridging relational function in the therapeutic relationship against the background of psychosomatic developmental psychology. The second part summarizes the literature in response to key questions: Why, how and when to touch in psychotherapy? Finally, disorder-specific indications, treatment-related problems and the current evidence for the use and effectiveness of psychotherapeutic touch are briefly summarised.