Embodied arts therapies

The body is a particular kind of object. It is the only “thing” that we can perceive from the inside as well as from the outside. For this reason, it is intricately related to the problem of consciousness. This article provides an insight into embodiment approaches as they are emerging in phenomenology and cognitive psychology. The authors introduce important principles of embodiment – unity of body and mind, bidirectionality of cognitive and motor systems, enaction, extension, types of embodiment, relation to empathy –, and connect them with the arts in therapy.

► The embodiment perspective is introduced and related to arts therapies.
► The bidirectionality principle between body and mind is explained and related to body feedback research.
► The embodied, enactive, and extended self are distinguished and related to research subjects.
► Four forms of embodiment are distinguished and the process character is highlighted.
► The mutual fruitful collaboration of the cognitive sciences and arts therapy is highlighted and related to phenomenology.