Skip to Main Content
13
Views
11
CrossRef citations
Altmetric

Article

The Somatic Component of the Script in Early Development

Pages 21-30
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
Translator disclaimer

This article integrates transactional analysis theory and neo-Reichian perspectives. Following a developmental model, the author describes how the child may tense and relax the body physiologically in a comfortable and healthy environment, one with an optimal level of frustration. Traumatic experiences and excessive or unpredictable frustrations are linked to chronic muscle contraction and retraction. The child establishes a gestalt, with specific feelings, thoughts, muscle tone, and levels of energy that maintain the script in its structural form. Clinical manifestations of body scripting and phases of treatment are considered. A case example is provided to illustrate this process.

Additional information

Author information

Susanna Ligabue

Susanna Ligabue, Ph.D., Clinical Member of ITAA, is an expert in neo-Reichian body techniques who works in Milan, Italy, at Centro di Psicologia e Analisi Transazionale.