Speaking about the Unspeakable (Dennis McCarthy)

When I began practicing Bioenergetic Therapy some years back I clearly saw a relationship to the spontaneous and transformative work of the play therapy I was doing with children and Bioenenergetic Analysis. Both have a trust in and a means of evoking unconscious material through the nonverbal experience. Alexander Lowen used to refer to Bioenergetic Analysis as “analysis from below” in contrast to talk therapy from the head. In Speaking about the Unspeakable a book edited by Dennis McCarthy many gifted clinicians discuss their nonverbal methods for working with children. Though their modalities (sandplay, clay work, dance therapy, EMDR, art therapy, play therapy) differ they all have in common a faith in the transformative power of nonverbal experiences that put the child in contact with an internal innate process that moves toward healing and integration. In this informative and inspiring collection of articles child therapists using different mediums show the power of play that engages the child’s imagination and body. Once issues arise through play there is the opportunity for the release of held affects which leads to more wholeness and less symtomology. What all of these practitioners have in common is a faith in the individual child’s desire and ability to heal himself or herself. This faith is what allows the therapist to enter into the world of the child without preconceived notions about what is needed to happen that session. In the writing there is recognition of the duality of not knowing and knowing in this kind of work. For there to be a truly transformative experience the therapist must let go of control and not know where the session will go. Yet it is the therapist’s knowledge that can deepen the experience. The first article ‘The Hidden Treasure of the Self’ focuses more on the letting go and following the child’s lead in sandplay work. In Jenny Bates, the author's own words, “ What is profound about sandplay is not that it only stimulates expression and transformation but also, through feelings evoked, provides its own interpretation”. Psychotherapists who work with the body might find the chapters “Speaking to the Body: Using Dance/Movement to Enhance Communication and Healing with Young Children” by Claire Lemessurier and “Dance/Movement Therapy with Children” by Rena Kornblum particularly interesting. Both articles focus on meeting the child where he or she is and provide specific techniques that might be offered at different developmental levels. It was interesting to see how aligned the body techniques are with Bionergetic techniques. In his introduction Dennis McCarthy speaks to the concern that children are sometimes treated as little adults and too often child therapists attempt to help the child primarily through talk. This book shows the power of nonverbal ways of working with children and especially may be helpful for therapists who want bring more physically energetic processes to their work with children.