BODILY COMMUNICATION AND RELATED DISORDER S

Embodiment and bodily existence may be regarded as a basis of interper sonality which is mostly latent, yet all the more important in its psy chopathological alterations. Ic includes different phenomena such as u nderstanding of expression, empathy, suggestion, fascination or fusion experiences. Disorders of bodily intentionality may become apparent i n disturbances of bodily communication and have diagnostic as well as therapeutic relevance; their intuitive awareness is an important thoug h rarely considered element of psychiatric experience. Based on phenom enological theories of the live body, especially by M. Merleau-Ponty a nd H. Schmitz, categories of bodily communication are developed, and p ossible disturbances of bodily interaction in depression and schizophr enia are examined.