MOD127 – Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP)

Definition

Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) is a comprehensive belief change modality that integrates elements of psychomotor therapy, cognitive restructuring, and guided imagery to address deep-seated emotional and psychological issues. This innovative approach combines body-based interventions with cognitive techniques to facilitate profound personal transformation.

Explanation

PBSP practitioners employ a unique set of structured exercises and role-playing techniques to guide clients through a process of exploring and reframing past experiences. This method, known as ‘structures’, creates a safe and controlled environment where clients can revisit and heal emotional wounds from their developmental years.

The therapy utilises ‘placeholder’ figures to represent significant individuals from the client’s life, allowing for the creation of new, symbolic memories that fulfil unmet childhood needs. Through this process, clients develop a more positive ‘pilot’ or internal voice, leading to healthier behavioural patterns and improved emotional regulation.

PBSP sessions often involve physical movement and expression, tapping into the body’s innate wisdom to unlock emotional insights. This somatic component distinguishes PBSP from purely talk-based therapies, offering a holistic approach to healing that addresses both mind and body.

By working with ‘ideal figures’ and creating ‘antidotes’ to painful past experiences, PBSP enables clients to construct a more empowering personal narrative. This comprehensive approach aims to resolve deep-rooted issues, enhance self-awareness, and foster lasting positive change in clients’ lives.

Evidence to Efficacy

Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) has demonstrated promising results in promoting emotional well-being and personal growth. While specific scientific research on PBSP is limited, the approach is grounded in well-established psychological principles and supported by anecdotal evidence.

The method integrates psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, and system-oriented principles, aligning with current research on cognition, emotion, memory systems, and brain functions. This comprehensive approach addresses both mind and body, potentially offering more holistic healing than traditional talk therapies alone.

Clients report experiencing more pleasure and satisfaction in life, greater meaning as their sense of self grows, and increased connectedness in their key relationships. These outcomes suggest that PBSP effectively helps individuals improve self-awareness, enhance emotional resilience, and promote personal growth.

Professor Bessel van der Kolk, an international authority on trauma work, has praised PBSP, stating that it provides “people with experiences that were missing during their growth and development” and can be “a unique and profoundly life-altering experience”. This endorsement from a respected expert in the field lends credibility to the approach’s efficacy.

PBSP’s focus on creating ‘new memories’ to meet unmet developmental needs aligns with current understanding of neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation. This innovative aspect of the therapy offers a unique pathway for healing past traumas and reshaping limiting beliefs.

The method’s effectiveness is further supported by its application in various settings, including clinical environments. Al Pesso, the co-founder, worked at McLean Hospital in the USA, applying PBSP in a clinical setting. This practical application in a respected medical institution speaks to the therapy’s potential benefits.

While more extensive research would further validate PBSP’s efficacy, the existing evidence, expert endorsements, and positive client outcomes indicate that this modality offers a valuable approach to emotional healing and personal development.

Neuroscience and Physiology

Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) integrates cutting-edge neuroscience with body-based interventions to facilitate profound psychological healing. The neuroscience behind PBSP is grounded in our understanding of neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation, and the mind-body connection.

Neuroplasticity and Memory Formation –

PBSP leverages the brain’s ability to form new neural connections throughout life. During a PBSP session, clients engage in structured exercises that create “new memories” to fulfil unmet developmental needs. This process activates neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to form new neural pathways associated with positive experiences and emotions.

The creation of these “symbolic memories” involves the hippocampus, a key structure in memory formation. As clients engage in role-playing and guided imagery, the hippocampus encodes these new experiences, integrating them into the broader network of autobiographical memories.

Emotional Regulation and the Limbic System

PBSP techniques target the limbic system, particularly the amygdala, which is central to emotional processing. By addressing past traumas and unmet needs, PBSP helps regulate the amygdala’s response to emotional triggers. This leads to improved emotional resilience and reduced reactivity to stress.

Mirror Neurons and Empathy

The use of “placeholder” figures in PBSP sessions activates the mirror neuron system. This network of neurons fires both when an individual performs an action and when they observe someone else performing the same action. In PBSP, this system facilitates empathy and emotional attunement between the client and the symbolic figures representing significant others.

Quantum Principles in PBSP

While not directly invoking quantum mechanics, PBSP’s approach to creating “new memories” parallels quantum concepts of superposition and entanglement. Just as quantum particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously, PBSP allows clients to hold both past experiences and new, healing experiences in their consciousness. This creates a form of psychological superposition, where new possibilities coexist with old patterns.

Body-Mind Integration

PBSP’s emphasis on physical movement and expression taps into the bidirectional communication between the body and brain. This aligns with recent research on embodied cognition, which posits that our physical experiences shape our cognitive processes and vice versa.

The therapy’s focus on somatic experiences activates the insula, a brain region involved in interoception (the perception of internal bodily sensations). This heightened body awareness contributes to improved emotional regulation and self-understanding.

Neurotransmitter Dynamics

While specific neurotransmitter changes in PBSP have not been extensively studied, the therapy’s effects on emotional well-being suggest potential modulation of key neurotransmitter systems:

• Serotonin: Associated with mood regulation and feelings of well-being
• Dopamine: Involved in reward and motivation
• Oxytocin: Linked to social bonding and trust

By creating positive emotional experiences and fostering a sense of safety and connection, PBSP likely influences these neurotransmitter systems, contributing to its therapeutic effects.

In conclusion, PBSP’s approach aligns with our current understanding of neuroscience, leveraging the brain’s plasticity and the intricate connections between mind and body to facilitate healing and personal growth. While more research is needed to fully elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms at play, the therapy’s effectiveness in clinical settings speaks to its ability to harness the brain’s innate capacity for change and healing.

Governing Body

The Pesso Boyden Training Institute is the UK’s only accredited body offering internationally recognised PBSP Certification/Accreditation. They provide a structured training programme for qualified counsellors, psychotherapists, and other professionals seeking to become PBSP practitioners or integrate PBSP methods into their practice.

Globally, PBSP training and certification are overseen by several organisations:

Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) International: The official global body for PBSP, overseeing training and certification worldwide.

These organisations maintain standards for PBSP practice and offer various levels of training, from introductory workshops to full certification programmes. PBSP is now practiced by certified therapists in the US and 11 countries worldwide, with training available through workshops, modular programmes, and full certification courses.

What Good Looks Like

In a good PBSP session, you’ll experience a unique and transformative journey that engages both your mind and body. Here’s what you can expect:

• You’ll feel a sense of safety and control throughout the session. The therapist will empower you to guide your own therapeutic process, allowing you to maintain autonomy while receiving support.
• As you engage in the session, you’ll become increasingly aware of your internal “maps” or blueprints for living. These are the patterns formed early in your life that may be limiting your present-day attitudes and decisions.
• You’ll participate in carefully structured exercises that help you access hidden emotional processes and limiting patterns based on past experiences. These exercises will feel respectful and tailored to your specific needs.
• During the session, you’ll learn to become more sensitive to your body’s sensorimotor and emotional signals. This heightened awareness will help you understand physical sensations that you may have previously dismissed as simple pain.
• A key aspect of the session will involve creating “new memories”. This process will feel deeply emotional and healing as you work to offset past emotional deficiencies. You’ll engage in role-playing exercises with “placeholder” figures representing significant others from your life.
• You’ll experience a unique process called a “Structure”, where you’ll identify emotional deficits and create symbolic fulfillment of basic developmental needs such as place, nurture, support, protection, and limits.
• Throughout the session, you’ll notice a strong focus on body-mind integration. Physical movements and expressions will be incorporated, making the experience feel holistic and deeply grounded in your physical self.
• By the end of a good PBSP session, you should feel a sense of emotional release and newfound clarity. You’ll likely experience a shift in perspective on life’s dilemmas and difficulties, feeling more connected to your true self.

Remember, a successful PBSP session is one where you feel respected, empowered, and experience a tangible shift in your emotional landscape. The key is your active participation and openness to the unique mind-body approach that PBSP offers.

What to Ask a Practitioner

Here are key questions to ask when selecting an exceptional Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) practitioner, along with desired answers:

How do you create a ‘safe space’ during a PBSP session?

Desired answer: Mentions of “placeholder figures”, “ideal parents”, and creating a “symbolic realm”. The practitioner should emphasise the importance of client autonomy and control throughout the process.

Can you explain how you use ‘structures’ in your PBSP practice?

Desired answer: A detailed explanation of how they guide clients through creating new “symbolic memories” to fulfil unmet developmental needs. They should mention terms like “holes in roles” and “antidotes”.

How do you incorporate body awareness into your PBSP sessions?

Desired answer: Discussion of “somatic markers”, “body signals”, and how they use physical sensations to access and process emotions.

What is your approach to working with ‘pilot’ and ‘witness’ figures in PBSP?

Desired answer: An explanation of how these symbolic figures help clients gain perspective on their experiences and emotions. The practitioner should describe how they help strengthen the client’s “pilot” or inner voice.

How do you help clients create ‘new memories’ during a session?

Desired answer: A description of role-playing exercises using “placeholder figures” to represent significant others. They should explain how this process helps offset past emotional deficits.

Can you describe how you use ‘microtracking’ in your practice?

Desired answer: An explanation of how they closely observe and respond to subtle changes in the client’s facial expressions, body language, and emotional states during the session.

How do you integrate the concept of ‘holes in roles’ into your PBSP work?

Desired answer: A discussion of how they help clients identify and address unmet developmental needs from their past, using terms like “ideal parents” and “antidotes”.

What is your approach to working with ‘bookmarks’ in PBSP sessions?

Desired answer: An explanation of how they use these pauses in the process to help clients integrate new insights and experiences.

How do you help clients develop a stronger ‘pilot’ or internal voice?

Desired answer: A description of techniques that enhance self-awareness and decision-making abilities, referencing the PBSP concept of the “pilot”.

Can you explain how you use ‘possibility spheres’ in your PBSP practice?

Desired answer: A discussion of how they help clients explore alternative perspectives and potential outcomes, expanding their sense of possibility in life.

An exceptional PBSP practitioner should demonstrate a deep understanding of these specific concepts and techniques, using the terminology unique to PBSP in their explanations. Their responses should reflect a client-centred approach that emphasises emotional safety, body awareness, and the creation of new, healing experiences.

Self-Study Resources

Here are some valuable resources to learn more about Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP):

Books

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk – chapter 18 focuses on PBSP

Working with Traumatic Memories to Heal Adults with Unresolved Childhood Trauma by Petra Winnette and Jonathan Baylin

Landscapes of the Heart: The working world of a sex and relationship therapist by Juliet Grayson – there are 3 chapters on PBSP

Secrets, Lies, Betrayals: How the Body Holds the Secrets of a Life, and How to Unlock Them by Maggie Scarf – there are 3 chapters on PBSP

Online Resources

Al Pesso PBSP Channel

Pesso Boyden System of Psychotherapy (PBSP)

Juliet Grayson – How Pesso Boyden Systems Psychotherapy helps

These resources offer a mix of theoretical background, practical applications, and personal experiences with PBSP, providing a comprehensive understanding of this therapeutic approach.

Related Therapies

Somatic Experiencing (MOD152): Focuses on releasing physical tension and trauma-related symptoms by regulating the nervous system’s response to stress and trauma.

Art Therapy (MOD016): Utilises creative techniques such as drawing, painting, or sculpting to help individuals explore and express emotions, reduce anxiety, and increase self-awareness.

Dance Therapy (MOD038): A therapeutic approach that uses movement and dance to support emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration. Drumming often naturally leads to movement, making this a complementary practice.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) (MOD116): Analyses and alters behaviour patterns learned through experience to improve personal development.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (MOD026): A psychotherapeutic approach that addresses dysfunctional emotions, behaviours, and thought patterns through goal-oriented techniques, often incorporating mindfulness practices.

Integrative Body Psychotherapy (MOD077): A therapeutic approach that combines talk therapy with body-centred techniques to address psychological issues.