Consciência gestáltica: a busca de autorregulação do organismo (corpo/mente) / Gestalt Awareness: searching an organismic self-regulation (body/mind)

O artigo objetiva apresentar as reflexões que resultaram de uma pesquisa sobreo que ocorre biopsicologicamente com o ser humano na busca de autorregulação do organismo (corpo/mente). As seções do artigo destacam as contribuições de Friederich (Fritz) Salomon Perls, Daniel Goleman, Daniel Kahneman e outros autoresà elucidação dos processos envolvidos na regulação entre o organismo e o meio, sempre com um viés de defesa da indissolubilidade corpo/mente. Por fim, o texto infere que um organismo saudável é aquele que se experimenta como um todo integrado e se autorregula em relação ao ambiente ao dar-se conta, de forma holística, da figura que emerge no aqui e agora.

The article aims to present the results from a research about what biological and psychological processes occurs in the human being during the organismic (body/mind) self-regulation. The sections of the article highlight the contributions of Friederich (Fritz) Salomon Perls, Daniel Goleman, Daniel Kahneman and other authors to elucidate the processes involved in the regulation between the organism and the environment. Every conclusion is taken always with a bias towards the defense of the body/mind indissolubility. Finally, the text infers that a healthy organism can get an integrated experience as of self-regulation with the environment in the here-and-now.

The Effect of Body Awareness Therapy on Pain, Fatigue and Health-related Quality of Life in Female Patients with Tension-type Headaches and Migraine

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the effect of body awareness therapy on pain, fatigue and quality of life in women with tension-type headaches (TTH) and migraine. Methods: Socio-demographic features of patients who are included in the study were recorded. Visual analogue scale was used for pain and fatigue severity scale was used for fatigue, Nottingham health profile (NHP) was used for life quality related to health. Following the first evaluation, body awareness therapy (BAT) was applied to patients for six weeks per 60 minutes in three sessions. Results: Among patients with TTH, there was statistical difference between visual analogue scale, fatigue severity scale and total NHP score before and after BAT (p < 0.05). Among patients with migraine, there was statistical difference between total NHP score before and after BAT (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Body awareness therapy is an effective method that can be used in order to increase life quality related to health among female patients with TTH and migraine.

Trastornos Alimentarios y Terapia de la Conciencia Corporal Basal: un enfoque de "Fisioterapia en Salud Mental" / Eating Disorders and Basic Body Awareness Therapy: A "Physiotherapy in Mental Health" approach

La Terapia de la Conciencia Corporal Basal intenta lograr la calidad del movimiento corporal a través de patrones motores musculares libres de presión y tensión, con el objetivo de promover la conciencia corporal y optimizar el esquema corporal de la persona. El objetivo de esta revisión narrativa de la literatura es determinar los beneficios que la Terapia de la Conciencia Corporal Basal puede brindar en el tratamiento de los trastornos alimentarios. Los estudios incluidos en esta revisión de la literatura respaldaron la eficacia de la Terapia de la Conciencia Corporal Basal como terapia adyuvante de los Trastornos Alimentarios, aunque muchos estudios tienen importantes limitaciones con respecto a su metodología. El papel del fisioterapeuta está ganando protagonismo en el tratamiento de pacientes con Trastornos Alimentarios, ya que las técnicas fisioterapéuticas como la Terapia de la Conciencia Corporal Basal proporcionan una mejora significativa en la calidad de vida, los síntomas psiquiátricos y la salud física de los pacientes afectados.

The Basic Body Awareness Therapy attempts to achieve the quality of body movement through muscular motor patterns free of pressure and tension with the aim of promoting body awareness and optimizing the person's body scheme. The aim of this narrative review of the literature is to determine the benefits that Basic Body Awareness Therapy can provide as a treatment for Eating Disorders. The studies including in this review of the literature supported the efficacy of Basic Body Awareness Therapy as an adjunctive therapy of Eating Disorders, but many studies have important limitations regarding their methodology. The role of the Physiotherapist is gaining prominence in the treatment of patients with Eating Disorders, as physiotherapeutic technics such as Basic Body Awareness Therapy provide significant improvement in the quality of life, psychiatric symptoms, and physical health of the affected patients.

Body image perception and sense of agency: notes from the alien hand experiment / Percepção de imagem corporal e senso de agência: notas do experimento da mão alienígena / Percepción de imagem corporal y senso de agencia: notas del experimento de la mano alienígena

Body image perception comprises stable and dynamic representational features. Here, we examined whether a stable body image (BI) measure correlates to a dynamic sense of agency (SoA) score. Moreover, we tested whether differential BI perception scores predicts SoA performance under sensory conflict conditions. A total of 21 university students (age M=25.9, SD=9.29) completed the Brazilian version of the Silhouette Figures Scale (SFS) and participated in The Alien Hand Experiment (TAHE). TAHE is a task that manipulates participants' hand movement SoA. A Bayesian correlation matrix revealed substantial negative correlation probability between BI perception and SoA confidence in accuracy responses, specifically in experimental conditions where agency was manipulated. Based on the SFS scores, participants were divided into groups with and without evidences of BI distortion. Bayesian Independent Samples T-Tests evidenced substantial differential probability between groups. Analyzes confirmed lower SoA confidence among subjects with BI distortion greater than ±3kg/m².

A percepção da imagem corporal compreende características representacionais estáveis e dinâmicas. Aqui, examinamos se uma medida estável da imagem corporal (IC) correlaciona com o senso de agência (SA) de movimentos corporais. Um total de 21 estudantes universitários (M=25,9, DP=9,29) completaram a versão brasileira da Escala de Figuras de Silhuetas (EFS) e participaram do Experimento da Mão Alienígena. Uma matriz de correlação bayesiana revelou uma probabilidade de correlação negativa substancial entre a percepção de IC e a confiança em SA, especificamente nas condições experimentais onde o SA foi manipulado pelo experimento. Com base nos escores da EFS, os participantes foram divididos em grupos com e sem evidências de distorção de IC. Testes de comparação de grupos evidenciaram uma diferença substancial entre os grupos de IC. As análises confirmaram uma menor confiança em SA entre indivíduos com distorção de IC maior que ±3kg/m².

La percepción de la imagen corporal comprende características representativas estables y dinámicas. Aquí examinamos si una medida estable de la imagen corporal (IC) correlaciona con el senso de agencia (SA) de movimientos corporales. Un total de 21 estudiantes universitarios (M=25,9, DP=9,29) completaron la versión brasileña de la Escala de Figuras de Siluetas (EFS) y participaran en el Experimento de la Mano Alienígena. Una matriz de correlación bayesiana reveló una probabilidad de correlación negativa sustancial entre IC y la confianza en SA, específicamente en las condiciones experimentales donde el SA fue manipulado. Con base en los escores de la EFS, los participantes se dividieron en grupos con y sin evidencias de distorsión de IC. Las comparaciónes de grupos evidenciaron una diferencia sustancial entre los grupos. Los análisis confirmaron una menor confianza en SA entre individuos con distorsión de IC mayor que ±3kg/m².

Benefits of psychodynamic group therapy on depression, burden and quality of life of family caregivers to Alzheimer’s disease patients

Abstract Background Family members providing continuous care to demented patients suffer from severe burden that impairs quality of life and often evolves to depression. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effect of psychodynamic group psychotherapy (PGT) compared to body awareness therapy (BAT) on caregiver burden, depressive symptoms, and quality of life among family caregivers to Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Methods Thirty-seven healthy family caregivers were randomly allocated to receive PGT (n = 20) or BAT (n = 17). Interventions were administered in the format of 14 weekly group sessions. Outcome measures were: modification of scores on Zarit Burden Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and WHO-QoL Scale. Results Participants in the PGT group displayed significant reduction on burden (p = 0.01) and depression scores (p = 0.005), and improved quality of life (p = 0.002), whereas those in the BAT group showed improvements in burden of care (p = 0.001) and quality of life (p = 0.01), but not on depressive symptoms (p = 0.13). Discussion Psychodynamic psychotherapy was associated with amelioration of depressive symptoms, but overall benefits on burden of care and quality of life were similar irrespective of the type of intervention, i.e., psychologically-oriented or not. We hypothesize that these interventions can be complementary to improve depression and burden of care among family caregivers of AD patients.

A study on body awareness and dietary life of adults who perform regular exercise / 한국영양학회지

This study was conducted in order to investigate body awareness and dietary life according to gender. Subjects of the study were 120 men and 127 women aged 20 to 30 years, who exercise regularly at a fitness center in Seoul. The subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire on body awareness, reason for regular exercise, dietary behaviors, and nutrition knowledge. The percentage of overweight and obesity was 69.2% in men, and 25.2% in women. The percentage of subjects who considered themselves as overweight was 38.3% in men and 59.8% in women. Intake of protein in men was higher than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). Intake of energy in women was lower than the estimated energy requirement (EER). Men who considered themselves as overweight showed lower energy intake than men who considered their body weight as under and normal, whereas no difference in energy intake was observed between women who considered themselves as overweight and women who considered their body weight as under and normal.

Dolor crónico y modificaciones de la conciencia corporal / Chronic pain and disturbances in body awareness

Este artículo aborda la relación entre el dolor crónico y la conciencia corporal. El dolor crónico se refiere a un conjunto de patologías que se caracterizan por la presencia constante de dolor, cuya intensidad y duración no pueden ser explicadas en términos de lesiones del sistema nervioso periférico. La falta de explicación en términos de daño periférico ha llevado a los investigadores a suponer que el sistema nervioso central desempeña un papel crucial en estos síndromes. En particular, se ha propuesto que la cronicidad del dolor causada posiblemente por una perturbación de los mecanismos involucrados en lo que podría llamar-se la conciencia corporal 'exteroceptiva'. En la primera parte de este artículo presento estudios que muestran una relación bidireccional entre el dolor crónico y la conciencia corporal exteroceptiva, así como la hipótesis que el este dolor resulta de la perturbación de los mecanismos subyacentes a este tipo de conciencia corporal. A continuación, presento algunos problemas que esta hipótesis no logra explicar, y considero la relación entre el dolor crónico y el sistema nervioso autónomo. Por último, considero esta última relación a la luz de la noción de conciencia corporal 'interoceptiva', y sugiero que la comprensión de los mecanismos que relacionan los aspectos exteroceptivos e interoceptivos de la conciencia corporal, podrían contribuir a la comprensión de la naturaleza y el desarrollo de dolor crónico.

This review article addresses the relationship between chronic pain and body awareness. Chronic pain refers to an ensemble of pain conditions whose common characteristic is the fact that peripheral lesions cannot explain the duration and intensity of the pain. The lack of explanation in terms of peripheral damage has led researchers to assume that the central nervous system plays a crucial role in these conditions. In particular, one suggestion about how such central factors might operate is by influencing patients’ body awareness. In the first part of this article I present evidence showing a bidirectional relationship between chronic pain and what might be called ‘ exteroceptive’ body awareness, as well as the related hypothesis that pain results from a disruption in the mechanisms underlying exteroceptive body awareness. Next, I discuss some issues that this hypothesis fails to explain, and I consider the relationship between chronic pain and the autonomic nervous system. Finally, I relate this latter relationship to the notion of ‘interoceptive’ body awareness, and explore the idea that understanding the mechanisms that relate exteroceptive and interoceptive aspects of body awareness might shed light on the nature and development of chronic pain.

Interocepción y corteza insular: convergencia multimodal y surgimiento de la conciencia corporal / Interoception and insular cortex: multimodal convergence and the emergence of body awareness

La interocepción como censado del estado homeostático y visceral, ha sido recientemente postulada como requisito para la conciencia de estados emocionales corporales (Craig, 2009). Vías parasimpáticas y espinotalámicas que codifican esta información corporal tienen relevo en la corteza insular. Simultáneamente, han sido descriptas otras funciones insulares implicadas en procesos conscientes, como la intencionalidad, la toma de decisiones, la conciencia sensorio-motora, la percepción temporal, reconocer la imagen visual de uno mismo o percibir confiables a otros individuos (Craig, 2009; Ibanez, Gleichgerrcht, & Manes, 2010). Esta evidencia, sumada a resultados de estudios de lesión y neuroimágenes funcionales, sugiere que la corteza insular anterior (IA) sería la encargada de integrar señales multimodales cognitivas, emocionales y sociales para dirigir las conductas motivacionales que entrañan la supervivencia del individuo. En esta revisión analizamos el cúmulo de evidencia que involucran a la interocepción y al procesamiento insular integrativo en el surgimiento de estados emocionales conscientes, a través de estudios de lesiones y de técnicas de conectividad funcional en resonancia magnética funcional (RMF).

Recent research have suggested that interoception, defined as the sensing of homeostatic and visceral state, is a prerequisite for the emerging of conscious body feelings (Craig, 2009). Parasympathetic and spinothalamic pathways coding such information from the body have their final station in insular cortex neurons. At the same time, several other cognitive functions related to awareness, have been associated with insular activation such as intentionality, decision making, sensory motor consciousness, time perception, recognition of self´s image, or trust on someone else (Craig, 2009; Ibanez et al., 2010). Lesion studies and functional neuroimaging research is in line with this evidence, suggesting that anterior insular cortex would be engaged in integrate multimodal cognitive, emotional and social information in order to modulate motivational behavior leading to the survival of the individual. In this review, we analyze last research works on interoception and integrative insular processing through lesion studies and functional connectivity in functional magnetic resonance imaging (FC-fMRI).

A imagem corporal na dança de salão / Body image in ballroom dance

A dança é uma forma de manifestação corporal que promove união do corpo-mente-emoção e que tem influência sobre os aspectos psicológicos e fisiológicos do ser humano. A dança de salão é a expressão dos movimentos do corpo em sincronia com um parceiro, em harmonia com o ritmo musical,organizados em um padrão espacial. Dançar permite que conheçamos novos caminhos que nos coloca em contato com nós mesmos e com o ambiente. Essa é uma maneira de produzir mudanças na relação mente corpo proporcionando aprendizado cognitivo e perceptivo dos sistemas, influenciando a imagem corporal. A imagem corporal é o caminho que o corpo aparece para o indivíduo. Representa a forma com que uma pessoa experimenta e conceitua seu corpo. Sofre influência dos processos neurais e estados emocionais por isso está em constante mutação. Partindo do princípio que a dança desencadeia emoções e quepromove a melhora na relação corporal pressupomos que ela tenha influência positiva na auto-imagem. Sendo assim, a proposta desse estudo é de ampliar os dados acerca da prática de dança de salão avaliando seus benefícios na imagem corporal de indivíduos iniciantes. Para isso foi utilizada a escala de silhuetas proposta por Stunkard capaz de avaliar o grau de auto-satisfação corporal antes e depois do módulo inicialde aulas de dança. Concluímos que a dança de salão trouxe benefícios nos aspectos psicológicos para ambos os sexos. Sendo responsável, principalmente, pela melhoria na satisfação corporal das mulheres, que a princípio apresentavam-se descontentes com sua auto-imagem.

Dance is a complex behavior that integrates body-mind-emotion. Dance is responsible for the improvement of psychological and physiological aspects of human. Ballroom dance is an expression of synchronic body movements with the partners in a rhythm music harmony, organizing themselves in a region of space integrated with different sensations. Dancing with a partner develops knowledge aboutnew ways to put us in touch with ourselves and with the environment. It produces changes in the relationbetween body and mind. Dance has competence to develop cognitive and perceptual systems and improve the body image. Body image is understood as how the body appears for us. It is represented by the way that the individual experiences and conceptualize his/her own body. It is influenced by neural processes and emotional states, so it is constantly in changing. Assuming that dance allows the individual toexpresses his emotions and that it improves their body relationship, the prediction is that dancing influencethe body image. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to study and confirm if ballroom dancing improves the body image in beginners. We used the silhouettes scale describes by Stunkard for assessing the degree of bodily self-satisfaction. These measures were compared at the beginning and the end of a journey of classrooms groups. With this prediction, this study proved that ballroom dance was responsible for the improvement in body satisfaction for man and woman. And also the influence is still higher for women, who initially presented unhappy with their self-image.

A percepção corporal no paradigma da mente encarnada / Body perception on the embodied mind paradigm

Discuto algumas concepções teóricas a respeito da percepção eu-objeto a partir de influências filosóficas, da ciência cognitiva e da psicanálise, visando demonstrar como a oscilação entre a experiência adualista e dualista da relação eu-mundo pode estar associada a diferentes formas de significar a relação com o entorno. Essa experiência cognitiva e afetiva é baseada num know how que define a ética da ação no mundo. Como conciliar a percepção de si e do outro enquanto objetos simultaneamente distintos e contíguos? Que repercussões as diferentes formas de perceber-se no mundo podem trazer para a preservação da vida e do laço social?

I discuss different theorethical approachs of the perception self-object repporting some phylosophical influences, cognitive sciences and psychoanalysis, to show how an oscillation between adualistic and dualistic experience of the relation self-world could be associated to different forms of meaning the relation to the environment. This cognitive and affective experience is based in a certain know how that defines an ethical action in the world. How to conciliate the perception of self and self related to other as objects simultaneously distincts and contiguos? Which repercutions of these both perceptions could bring to the conservation of live and social bounds?