About

Founded

The ABP was founded on the 3 September 2019 in Hørsholm, Denmark. It is a non-profit worldwide organisation.

Mission

The ABP aims to promote quality of life, well-being and human rights using body psychology and conflict resolution.

Vision

People: To be an inspiring community that connects Bodynamic Practitioners of Body Psychology across nations to share ideas, unite in projects, uphold the same ethical standards and grow as professionals.

Society: For body psychology to become commonly known, and a well-respected approach to relieve involuntary suffering and improve well-being.

Partners: To nurture a winning network of healthcare, psychotherapy and humanitarian organizations, together creating enduring impact and value.

Research: ABP supports practical and relevant research.

The Board

• James Nicolas – Chairman
• Volker Dammann – Secretary
• Yassine El-Kedim – Treasurer
• Jonathan Zerbin
• Leidulv Risstad
• Philip Ribeiro
• Johanna Baum
• Dana Biechonsky
• Nanaya Liv Steno

Lisbeth Marcher

Lisbeth is the founder of the Bodynamic System and of Bodynamic International in collaboration with various colleagues. She is the former director of the Bodynamic System, and currently is the international supervisor for all educational issues. Lisbeth Marcher is the former president of EABP.

She has presented her work and taught in many countries and at many conferences since the 1970′s. One of her main contributions to the Bodynamic System is the recognition of the hyporesponsive reaction in peoples’ way of being, and how this behavior is represented in the muscles in the body as hyporesponsive muscles in opposition to the normally accepted armor reaction – hyperresponsive muscles. She developed this recognition into a Bodymap and a Character structure system that could be taught to people. During the late 1980′s she was part of developing the Bodynamic approach to resolving shock-trauma.

Raja Selvam, PhD

Raja Selvam, PhD, is the developer of Integral Somatic Psychology™ (ISP™), an advanced approach for integrating body, energy, and consciousness into psychological processes in all therapeutic modalities. ISP is a master training for experienced clinicians. ISP seeks to improve clinical outcomes through greater embodiment of all experiences and all levels of the psyche in the physical body of the individual. Raja Selvam is a Registered Clinical Psychologist, California PSY30233.

Raja’s eclectic approach draws from bodywork systems of Postural Integration, Biodynamic Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Polarity Therapy, body psychotherapy systems of Reichian Therapy, Bioenergetics, Bodynamic Analysis, Jungian and Archetypal psychologies, psychoanalytic schools of Object Relations and Inter-Subjectivity, Somatic Experiencing^® (SE™), Affective Neuroscience, Quantum Physics, Yoga, and Advaita Vedanta.

Kimberly Barthel

Kim Barthel is an award-winning occupational therapist from Canada, a trans-disciplinary teacher and best-selling author who is actively supporting function, healing and learning across many contexts. A pioneer in reinforcing the importance of relationship, Kim’s passionate interests include complex behaviour, attachment, movement, sensory-processing and mental health. She is an Advanced Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT) instructor keen on collaboration, and invests most of her teaching time today training professionals in their trauma-sensitive practice. Kim’s mission is to support the conscious evolution of the human spirit. www.kimbarthel.ca

Dr. Ian Macnaughton

Ian Macnaughton MBA, PhD, FEA, SEP, has been a teacher and practitioner of trauma resolution, mind-body and family systems psychotherapy for 50 years and is a Bodynamic Analyst and trainer. He has worked with Somatic Experiencing since the early 70’s and is now Levine Legacy faculty for the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education. His psychotherapy practice includes a high percentage of executives, medical practitioners and therapists and others in the helping professions both for psychotherapy and supervision. He maintains an ongoing training group for clinical practitioners, as well as delivering public workshops for helping professionals.

Ian also has owned a number of businesses and maintains an active practice working with business families, families of wealth, and various organizations. He is on the teaching faculty for, and a Fellow of the International Family Firm Institute and his clients have included many government ministries and corporations. He is the holder of the Richard Beckhard Practice Award for contributions in the field of Family Business Advising.

Dr. Macnaughton has taught at numerous universities and colleges, both undergraduate and graduate levels in psychology and in business. His publications include, Embodying the Mind and Minding the Body, and Body, Breath and Consciousness: A Somatic Anthology, The Role of Breathing in The Handbook of Body Psychotherapy & Somatic Psychology, and Self, Other, and the System in Catalyzing the Field. His other writings on family business have been published in a number of venues as well as his work in Systems Science published in Comprehensive Systems Design: A New Educational Technology: NATO Workshop on Systemic Educational Design.

Ross Laird, PhD

Ross Laird, PhD RCC is a clinical consultant focused on trauma, addictions, and social vulnerability. He is a best-selling author, award-winning scholar and educator, and clinical supervisor for British Columbia’s largest government-funded program in addictions and mental health. Ross has taught at more than a dozen post-secondary institutions and has worked with hundreds of organizations in more than 30 years of professional practice. He focuses particularly on traumatized and marginalized client populations — those navigating homelessness, mental illness, and complex trauma — and provides professional development training for organizations that serve them: social service agencies, first responders, cultural groups, nonprofits, and educational institutions.

Ross’ approach is grounded in creative modalities, contemporary research, and cultural knowledge. He is the co-author of Musem Objects, Health and Healing (developed in partnership with the 9/11 Museum and the War Childhood Museum), which proposes a new methodology for cultural institutions to grapple with historic legacies such as national trauma and war. His chapter in the widely-acclaimed Object-Based Learning and Well-Being explores the natural world as a context for curated and cultural experiences of health and healing.

Ross is the founder of the Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the co-founder of KPU’s Amazon Field School, and an advocate for renewal and innovation in post-secondary education. He is a sought-after speaker on themes of adolescent development, adult mentorship, and whole-person learning.

In his teaching, consulting, and mentorship, Ross is continually reminded of the complexity and nuance of human behaviour, the crucial role of cultures and communities, and the surprisingly diverse pathways of health and healing discovered by those who search for them. Please visit rosslaird.com for more information.