Conference Body Boundaries in Integrative Body Psychotherapy

Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) approaches the human being as an inseparable psychosomatic whole, in which mental, emotional and physical processes operate in close interrelation. At the heart of this approach, the concept of body boundaries (or somatic boundaries) is understood not merely as the anatomical barrier of the skin, but as a living psychological and relational boundary.

Programme

Psychology Conference
16 November | 10:00 am
Lusófona University - Porto University Centre - Salão Nobre

Speaker:
Dr Fátima Nunes

This presentation explores how bodily boundaries define an individual's identity (“where I end and the other begins”) and regulate their capacity for self-regulation and safe contact with their environment. Throughout development, experiences of trauma, intrusion or neglect tend to manifest in the body in the form of “muscular armour” and chronic tension. These physical defences create dysfunctional boundaries, which fall mainly into two clinical extremes:

Rigid boundaries: Manifested through muscle hypertonia and emotional isolation, preventing contact.

Diffuse boundaries: Characterised by hypotonia, difficulty saying “no”, vulnerability to psychological intrusion or exhaustion.

Finally, the role of the body psychotherapist in repairing these boundaries through clinical practice will be addressed. Interventions involving body awareness, regulated breathing and spatial somatic exercises will be discussed, with the aim of helping patients restore a sense of inner security and enabling them to inhabit their own bodies with autonomy, flexibility and integrity.