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THE PESSO SYSTEM

Pesso Boyden Somatic Psychotherapy is a body-based, somatic psychotherapy method. It is a fast, deep, structured, experiential therapy designed to gently draw out and remedy traumatic experience, unmet needs and unconscious beliefs which hold us back.

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Pesso does this by creating and consolidating corrective cognitive and body experiences or memories. These provide the right experience at the right time, from the right people on a symbolic level; and the client is helped to internalise the new experience. The therapists goal is to work with you to give you the most reparative experience possible within the Pesso structure.

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The Pesso System can work faster than talk therapy modalities and is experienced at its best in a group format. This is because well-run groups offer group safety, respect and cohesion which in itself can be a healing. Pesso works well in a one-to-one format as well as in a group but this precludes the possibility of benefiting from the structures of group members other than yourself!

PESSO STRUCTURES (THERAPY SESSIONS)

In a Pesso structure, the therapist brings out the things needed - consciously or not - by the client. The therapist may then direct group members to help by; fetching and positioning day-to-day objects, taking a role and speaking words chosen by the client and therapist, and carrying out actions - also chosen by the client and therapist. The words and actions are symbolic and delivered in the Pesso format under the direction of the therapist.

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Within a Pesso structure we aim to create an atmosphere of possibility. A Pesso therapist will look to establish and witness what is happening in the present, help the client get in touch with their body experience and identify their needs. This is gently explored with the client and used to create reparative guided therapeutic experiences. We collaborate to consolidate and integrate these into a new, deep, body feeling. The client takes this feeling away with them.

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In this way,  the Pesso System creates a new map within the client. This can gently alter and regulate their thoughts, feelings and beliefs  and so create a new sense of hope and possibility.  The process allows people to have more positive experiences of themselves and others in the world. Pesso is a profoundly collaborative method which helps avoid the pitfalls of didactic or manualised psychotherapies. Pesso is a practiced route to unfolding of and understanding of emotional issues and attitudes and it enables deeply respectful reparative work to take place.

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WHAT CAN PESSO DO?

Through mind-body integration, helpful experience in the present, memory reconsolidation and somatic awareness, Pesso addresses:

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  • Childhood trauma

  • Early neglect

  • Attachment difficulties

  • Grief and loss

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Relationship struggles

  • Self-esteem, resilience and balance

  • Coaching

  • Work and performance issues

  • Self-awareness

  • Overcoming limiting patterns

  • Strengthening and stabilising relationships

  • Enhancing leadership potential

  • Unlocking personal potential

  • Creating empowering inner experience

PESSO RESEARCH

Research suggests that Pesso therapy can act as a kind of primer for other therapies and enhance the benefit of the.  It does this by “enhancing perception of parental care” (Ryum, Vogel, Hagen and Stiles 2008) Pesso enhances perception of parental care  by internalising healing roles, promoting internal cooperation, introducing the ‘pilot’ - an integrated and objective adult self. Pesso effectiveness varies from person to person depending on personal history and attachment patterns. (Crandell, Morrison and Willis 2002) It is valued amongst CPTSD community professionals for its experiential depth.

 

A pilot functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery (fMRI) study in 2005 monitored brain activity in traumatized individuals before and after two Pesso System sessions.  This revealed observable changes in neural response to trauma-related stimuli, suggesting the Pesso System can activate neurobiological shifts (Horáček, Pesso, Tintěra,Vančura, Lucká, , Kobrle,, Kopeček, Španiel and Dockery, 2005). This emerging research on body-based interventions supports Pesso’s foundational premise; combining body-based awareness with cognitive processing strengthens emotional healing. 

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Overall, the Pesso System shows strong potential for addressing deep developmental trauma and attachment wounds and early case reports and preliminary neuroscience finding are encouraging. However large-scale controlled trials are needed to complete this picture and it appears outcomes depend significantly on client background, therapist skill, and therapeutic fit. Many clients report profound, lasting shifts, even from a small number of sessions, but scientific validation is still catching up.​

PESSO ORIGINS

We are indebted to Al Pesso and Diane Boyden for their creation, refinement and simplification of the Pesso Boyden System. They, and subsequent generations of Pesso therapists, trainers and supervisors, have used somatic and psychodynamic methods and skill to enhance its effectiveness.  Whilst, it remains less well-known than modalities like CBT or EMDR, it has gained recognition in trauma-informed therapy circles for its deep, experiential approach.

​REFERENCES 

 

Crandell, J., Morrison, R, & Willis,K. (2002) ‘Using Psychomotor to Treat Dissociative Identity Disorder’ Journal of Trauma and Dissociation. Vol. 3 Issue 2. Pp 57-80. Taylor & Francis https://doi.org/10.1300/J229v03n02_04

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Horáček, J., Pesso, A., Tintěra, J., Vančura, M., Lucká, Y. , Kobrle, L., Kopeček, N., Španiel, P. and Dockery, C.(2005) ‘The Effect Of Two Sessions Of PBSP Psychotherapy On Brain Activation In Respoonse To Trauma-Related Stimuli The Pilot fMRI Study In Traumatized Persons’ in PSYCHIATRIE Supplementum 3, 2005.  (Czech journal). https://pbsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/published-prague-research-paper.pdf

 

Ryum, T., Vogel, P.A., Hagen R. & Stiles, T,C. (2008) ‘Memories of early attachment: the use of PBI as a predictor of outcome in Pesso–Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) group therapy, Cognitive–Behavioural Group Therapy (CBGT), Individual Cognitive–Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Individual Treatment As Usual (TAU) with adult out-patients’ in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy Vol. 15 Issue 4. Pp 276-285. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.576

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Slaninová, G. & Pidimová, P. (2014) ‘Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor as a Method of Work with Battered Victims’ in Social and Behavioural Sciences Volume 112, Pp 387-394 Procedia https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1179

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https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/pesso-boyden-system-psychomotor

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