Often we as group therapists assume that verbalizations are more direct expressions of thought than the body's movement. We assume that verbal communication is more trustworthy than nonverbal communication because it is less active, or at least appears to be. Yet we know that more than half of the information conveyed in the expression of members of our verbal groups is nonverbal in nature. Hillman (1964) writes that analysis observes and listens to the body as experience. "The body is the vessel in which the transformation process takes place. The analyst knows that there are no lasting changes unless the body is affected." 

In this talk we will discuss how the deliberate integration of mental and physical experience in group therapy may serve as a reminder that the spoken word is no more direct an expression of thought than the body's movement.

Joan Wittig BC-DMT, LCAT is the Director of the Graduate Dance/Movement Therapy Program at Pratt Institute in New York City. Wittig has been running groups for over 20 years with a wide variety of populations. She teaches and presents widely, both nationally and internationally, and has recently started the first dance/movement therapy training program in mainland China. Wittig was formerly on the Executive Committee of EGPS. She published an article in the EGPS journal Group, titled The Body and Nonverbal Expression in Dance/Movement Group Therapy and Verbal Group Therapy.

FEES:

EGPS Member: $20        

Non-members: $30

Graduate Students or Residents: $15

Register is on-site from 7:00 - 7:30 PM