An Interdisciplinary Examination of Body Awareness and Self-Regulation in Body-Oriented Psychotherapy

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K03142
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10030:Clinical psychology-related
• Research Institution: Oita University
• Principal Investigator: Ikenaga Megumi 大分大学, 福祉健康科学部, 准教授 (50618072)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 阿南 雅也 大分大学, 福祉健康科学部, 准教授 (10517080)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 身体感覚 / 自己制御 / アレキシサイミア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research project was to examine empirically from two experiments how psychological characteristics and attention to the body make a difference in awareness of bodily sensation and actual motor control. The main result of the study showed that the accuracy of muscle sensation calculated based on the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures, suggested that the group with higher alexithymia tendency tended to have not only lower subjective certainty of sensation of muscle tension, but also lower accuracy of sensation of muscle tension, compared to the group with lower alexithymia tendency.

Free Research Field

臨床心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年身体志向の心理療法が注目されているものの、身体的側面、特に動作や筋緊張といった観点から関連について心理的側面との関連について検討した研究は少ない。本研究で得られた結果は、心身相関に関する基礎的知見となるとともに、身体や身体感覚を活用した心理療法の作用機序の解明やその有用性に関するエビデンスにつながる可能性が示唆される。