Body-oriented Mentalizing in Clinical Practice: Supporting Patients With Persistent Physical Symptoms

Body-oriented mentalization-based therapy (B-MBT) helps patients link physical signals to their inner experiences, such as thoughts, emotions, and memories, allowing them to become aware of previously unrecognised bodily sensations and internal responses. This book explores how B-MBT may be used to provide therapeutic support to patients with severe Persistent Physical Symptoms (PPS), formerly also known as Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS).

Chapters present vivid examples of B-MBT in practice and highlight key therapeutic skills for readers to apply to their own work with patients. Divided into three sections, chapters cover:

• An introduction to theory behind B-MBT and PPS.
• A section exploring treatment, including basic interventions, non-verbal therapies, responding to old inner pains, and guidance for encouraging patients to progress towards a balanced lifestyle.
• A section on practical tools for group, systemic and multidisciplinary therapeutic treatments.

Body-Oriented Mentalizing in Clinical Practice is an essential read for any practitioner who wants to learn more about treatment options for patients experiencing severe PPS. It will be of particular interest to (para)medical professionals, mental health specialists and non-verbal therapists.

Tables 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1, 9.1, A.1, A.2, A.3, A.5.1, A.5.2 and A.5.3 are available as downloadable support materials from www.routledge.com/9781041068617

Jaap Spaans is a senior clinical psychologist and published author. He is the co-founder of the Dutch National Network for Persistent Physical Symptoms. Currently, Jaap supports health care professionals through different services including therapy and supervision.