Somatic Psychotherapy Method created by Pethö Sándor during WWII to treat psychological trauma, later integrated to psychotherapy to restore body-mind self-regulation. Calatonia® - subtle touch as part of Psychotherapy
This text presents a brief introduction to Calatonia and its integration into the psychotherapeutic work, starting by presenting the creator of this method, Prof Dr Sándor Pethö an
d the circumstances in which he developed his work. Given the conditions created by the war, he often found himself in situations where resources were poor or medicines were of little help for people with varied injuries, in his words:
"This method was devised during World War II, based on observations made in cases of rehabilitation of injured and frozen in the aftermath of the Great Recession of Russia. In a hospital of the Red Cross many different complaints were met in the post -operative stage from phantom limbs and nervous breakdown, to depression and compulsive reactions."(1)
In view of those problems, it was virtually impossible to establish a boundary between the physical trauma and psychological suffering that affected those people. Sándor was already aware of the close relationship between bodily processes and the psycho-emotional functioning. Thus, in those extreme work conditions, Sándor attempted to apply the usual methods of relaxation of the time, for example, Schultz and Jacobson methods, without success. The severity of the patients' conditions did not allow them to concentrate and collaborate with those methods. That's when Sándor noted the following:
"It was noticed that along with the usual medication and routine care, the interpersonal contact and gentle touch to the extremities of the body and neck with some slight modifications on the position of the parties manipulated, produced muscle relaxation, vasomotor interactions and improved mood of the patients operated on, in a unexpected large and positive scale."(2)
The two quotes above, translated in lay language, tell us 'how' and 'when' Sándor realized that "the attentive and gentle touch brought therapeutic effects" for his patients' recovery. Sándor and his family had been hit hard by the horrors of war, as well. However, it can be seen in the descriptions above that it was his compassionate and loving attitude that orientated the care for his patients. For another three years after the end of the war Sándor worked in German hospitals, caring for patients with psychological or neuropsychiatric complaints. There he began to systematize and explain his Calatonia technique - his first sequence of subtle touches, applied to the feet - based on knowledge of psychology and neurology. In 1949 he emigrated to Brazil, where he continued his work, mainly in the area of psychology. Working in São Paulo as a psychotherapist and teacher, he began to apply and teach Calatonia, which became known initially by his students as a "relaxation method". And as such, began to be used in psychotherapy. How does it work? How does it differ from other methods of relaxation? What are its applications? The meaning of the term itself answer some of these questions:
According to Sándor, the word Calatonia "indicates a relaxed tone, loose, but not limited to static and muscular point of view. The original Greek verb 'Khalaó' indicates relaxation and also feeding; moving away from a state of wrath, fury, violence; opening a door; loosening the shackles; letting go; forgiving one's parents; removing all veils; etc."(3)
We can say that Calatonia aims to promote a releasing of muscle strain, in other words, a "regulation of tone." But its effects go beyond just muscle level, leading to a "psycho-physiological reorganization" on several levels. How this happens: the basic procedure of Calatonia consists of a series of 'light touches' the therapist performs in nine points of the feet, plus a touch in the neck-head (occipital region). These touches are made in silence, very gently, for 1 to 3 minutes for each point, over the bare skin. It is worth to mention some of the particular characteristics of the skin, this kind of "envelope" that sets our body's limits. The skin is actually highly covered with nerve receptors that make it the largest organ of the body (Montagu (4); it is not just tissue that surrounds and protects our body from the weather. The skin is considered our main sensory equipment not only because our other senses are in fact skin tissue that has differentiated evolutionary (such as the mucosa in the mouth for tasting) but also because the skin is packed with numerous neurological structures to capture and conduct various types of stimuli: heat, cold, pressure, etc. They are like tiny radars keeping us informed of the multitude of stimuli reaching us in every moment. There is another important feature of the skin, linked to its embryonic origin: The cells that give rise to the skin come from the same primary embryonic layer (the ectoderm) that forms the central nervous system. This fact led the researcher Montagu to make this curious statement: "Therefore, the nervous system is a hidden part of the skin, or rather, the skin can be considered as the exposed portion of the nervous system." (5)
From the psychological perspective, many authors recognize the importance of touch both for a child's development and psychophysical balance in adults. This is not a recent finding in psychology: Jung said in 1935 that our human ancestors' consciousness emerged from the "sensorineural relationship of our skin to the outside world" (6). Neumann (7), researching child development, expressed a similar view stating that the newborn 'sense of self' is formed gradually from the physical contact established between the child and the mother. How Calatonia works
The touches are made in the skin and these stimuli act on the numerous nerve receptors and propagate naturally - through the neuropaths - to the nervous system as a whole. Their effects manifest then in very particularly ways for each recipient. In some, there may be predominantly physiological or motor responses (via perception of sensations or more or less subtle movements). For others, affective or emotional responses, (in the form of memories, associations, feelings, etc.); and yet in others, there might be changes in the state of consciousness, similar to what happens in meditation or dream state, with eventual image recalling. Thus, Calatonia operates at various levels on the complex psycho-physical structure of each individual, bringing out elements that can be worked on within the context of psychotherapy. In addition, it promotes the rebalancing of the psychophysical system through more subtle processes, somewhat too complex so be discussed here. In brief, this process can be expressed for example in the reorganization of the body image of the person who is receiving it integrated to the therapeutic process. For readers interested in clinical cases we suggest the book "Relaxation Techniques" (8). Sándor's work implies a certain way of understanding both the nature of the human being and the function of psychotherapy: Calatonia is more than a simple technique (defined by its protocol or procedures), it is a psychotherapeutic method. A method that integrates elements of depth psychology (especially Jung's ideas) to promote the psychophysical integration of the individual. Further developments
For over forty years of work Sándor added numerous other techniques to the original sequence Calatonia, known as "Brazilian Toe Technique": He kept the basic features of gentle tactile stimuli to create other sequences and taught the anatomical and physiological basis involved in those sequences. Finally, although Calatonia is primarily a psychological method, it is not restricted to the psychotherapeutic setting. Several colleagues in related fields have reported the application of subtle touches with great results in speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pedagogy and education, etc. Sándor passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 28, 1992, after predicting an opportunity to 'transition' a year earlier, despite being healthy and in full activity. His method continues to be carried out in various study groups and clinical practice led by his former students. The post-graduate Instituto Sedes Sapientiae of São Paulo offers specialization courses in Sándor's method taught by his former students, and the Pontifícia Universidade Católica in São Paulo offers an integrative course that teaches Sándor's method at the professional psychology course. A group of his oldest former students committed to the systematization and transmission of his teachings created the CID - Centre for Integration and Development - with the purpose of promoting courses, workshops, publications, and other events to keep alive the spirit of Sándor's work. Since then, Calatonia is a Registered mark (internationally), and the criteria and regulations for teaching the method have been defined based on Sándor's standard of practice. References
1. Sándor, P. (ed.) Relaxation Techniques, Ed Vector.; London: Chapter on Calatonia.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Montagu, A. Play: The Human Significance of Skin, Ed Summus;. São Paulo.
5. Ib. P. 23.
6. JUNG. CG "Fundamentals of Analytical Psychology", Ed Voices.; Petrópolis, p. 5, paragraph 14.
7. NEUMANN, E. Child: Structures and Dynamics of Development in personality from the Home of Your Training, Ed Cultrix;. São Paulo.
8. Work cited above in item 1: Articles prepared by therapists Beatriz Helena
Site: www.calatonia.net
Rosa Maria Farah - Psychologist- CRP 06/1315. Prof School of Psychology at PUC-SP
Coordinator of "The Body in Psychology" in the School of Psychology. rfarah@uol.com.br
