CLINICAL CLUES IN THE BREATHING BEHAVIORS OF PATIENT AND THERAPIST

Verbal communications have dominated treatment theories and will remai n a privileged source of communication. This paper directs the therapi st's attention to some of the possible breathing behaviors in treatmen t which may, like verbal language, convey an unconscious or conscious message that is possibly interpretable. Breathing has meaning in the t ransference-countertransference intersubjective world. Behavior symbol ized by breathing may be included in the earliest somatic, dyadic inte raction and may therefore go with one through life and reappear in eve ry new relationship. This paper directs the clinician's attention to s ome of the possible meanings and interpretations of breathing behavior during treatment. It calls attention to techniques for exploring the rich connection between breathing, body, object and somatization.