Dr. Angela DeVita practices integrative psychotherapy and global coaching with specialization in working with expatriates throughout the world, anxiety, relationship with Self and others, trauma healing, vocation and purpose, and navigating cultural transitions when living abroad and repatriating. She integrates somatic, mindfulness, creativity, spiritual and depth approaches, IFS and intergenerational family systems. She earned her doctorate in Depth Psychotherapy at Pacifica Graduate Institute and Master's in Marital & Family Therapy with a specialization in Art Therapy at Loyola Marymount. She lives in both California and Spain. Address: drangeladevita.com
Psychotherapists' somatic responses have largely remained an untapped resource of information and... more Psychotherapists' somatic responses have largely remained an untapped resource of information and healing potential in the field of psychotherapy. This may be due in part to the difficulty of describing and understanding these experiences as well as an educational gap in teaching therapists to recognize and value them. This dissertation asks: What types of somatic phenomena do psychotherapists experience in the context of therapeutic work with clients, and what therapeutic value can be made of these experiences? This study examines the role of the therapist's woundedness in his or her experience and understanding of somatic phenomena, with particular reference to the Wounded Healer archetype.
Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis as a research methodology, seven psychotherapists to whom the research questions were meaningful and significant were chosen to participate. They shared their somatic experiences and reflections in an interview. Several different categories of somatic phenomena emerged, which included physical sensations, physiological responses, medical conditions, behavioral impulses, postural shifts, emotions, and conceptual images. The images and themes conveyed participants' conceptual understandings of somatic field dynamics.
The study found that participants unanimously related to the Wounded Healer archetype, agreeing that their wounding experiences played a significant role in their therapeutic work, including but not limited to their vocational call, countertransference, heightened awareness and understanding, and increased capacity for empathy. The majority of participants made a variety of meaningful connections between their wounding experiences and somatic experiences. Specific types of somatic experiences were related to areas of the body that were either previously injured, ill, or associated with previous emotional traumas. The necessity of self-care was emphasized as it related to their wounds, discernment processes, and perceived demands of the profession.
The findings of this study validate the significance of therapists' somatic experiences, highlight the presence of both personal and interactive field dynamics, and suggest that the therapist's own woundedness deepens empathy and thus predisposes one to somatic experiences. Participants used their somatic experiences to further explore and deepen into the psychotherapeutic work.
Psychotherapists' somatic responses have largely remained an untapped resource of information and... more Psychotherapists' somatic responses have largely remained an untapped resource of information and healing potential in the field of psychotherapy. This may be due in part to the difficulty of describing and understanding these experiences as well as an educational gap in teaching therapists to recognize and value them. This dissertation asks: What types of somatic phenomena do psychotherapists experience in the context of therapeutic work with clients, and what therapeutic value can be made of these experiences? This study examines the role of the therapist's woundedness in his or her experience and understanding of somatic phenomena, with particular reference to the Wounded Healer archetype.
Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis as a research methodology, seven psychotherapists to whom the research questions were meaningful and significant were chosen to participate. They shared their somatic experiences and reflections in an interview. Several different categories of somatic phenomena emerged, which included physical sensations, physiological responses, medical conditions, behavioral impulses, postural shifts, emotions, and conceptual images. The images and themes conveyed participants' conceptual understandings of somatic field dynamics.
The study found that participants unanimously related to the Wounded Healer archetype, agreeing that their wounding experiences played a significant role in their therapeutic work, including but not limited to their vocational call, countertransference, heightened awareness and understanding, and increased capacity for empathy. The majority of participants made a variety of meaningful connections between their wounding experiences and somatic experiences. Specific types of somatic experiences were related to areas of the body that were either previously injured, ill, or associated with previous emotional traumas. The necessity of self-care was emphasized as it related to their wounds, discernment processes, and perceived demands of the profession.
The findings of this study validate the significance of therapists' somatic experiences, highlight the presence of both personal and interactive field dynamics, and suggest that the therapist's own woundedness deepens empathy and thus predisposes one to somatic experiences. Participants used their somatic experiences to further explore and deepen into the psychotherapeutic work.
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Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis as a research methodology, seven psychotherapists to whom the research questions were meaningful and significant were chosen to participate. They shared their somatic experiences and reflections in an interview. Several different categories of somatic phenomena emerged, which included physical sensations, physiological responses, medical conditions, behavioral impulses, postural shifts, emotions, and conceptual images. The images and themes conveyed participants' conceptual understandings of somatic field dynamics.
The study found that participants unanimously related to the Wounded Healer archetype, agreeing that their wounding experiences played a significant role in their therapeutic work, including but not limited to their vocational call, countertransference, heightened awareness and understanding, and increased capacity for empathy. The majority of participants made a variety of meaningful connections between their wounding experiences and somatic experiences. Specific types of somatic experiences were related to areas of the body that were either previously injured, ill, or associated with previous emotional traumas. The necessity of self-care was emphasized as it related to their wounds, discernment processes, and perceived demands of the profession.
The findings of this study validate the significance of therapists' somatic experiences, highlight the presence of both personal and interactive field dynamics, and suggest that the therapist's own woundedness deepens empathy and thus predisposes one to somatic experiences. Participants used their somatic experiences to further explore and deepen into the psychotherapeutic work.
Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis as a research methodology, seven psychotherapists to whom the research questions were meaningful and significant were chosen to participate. They shared their somatic experiences and reflections in an interview. Several different categories of somatic phenomena emerged, which included physical sensations, physiological responses, medical conditions, behavioral impulses, postural shifts, emotions, and conceptual images. The images and themes conveyed participants' conceptual understandings of somatic field dynamics.
The study found that participants unanimously related to the Wounded Healer archetype, agreeing that their wounding experiences played a significant role in their therapeutic work, including but not limited to their vocational call, countertransference, heightened awareness and understanding, and increased capacity for empathy. The majority of participants made a variety of meaningful connections between their wounding experiences and somatic experiences. Specific types of somatic experiences were related to areas of the body that were either previously injured, ill, or associated with previous emotional traumas. The necessity of self-care was emphasized as it related to their wounds, discernment processes, and perceived demands of the profession.
The findings of this study validate the significance of therapists' somatic experiences, highlight the presence of both personal and interactive field dynamics, and suggest that the therapist's own woundedness deepens empathy and thus predisposes one to somatic experiences. Participants used their somatic experiences to further explore and deepen into the psychotherapeutic work.