CULTURAL SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS AND VERBAL SHARING

Japanese dmts, including me, have been learning DMT from the United States or European countries. They influence us as they do with other psychotherapeutic approaches. One Western idea is the importance of verbalization, especially from the DMT psychoanalytical approach, where the talk about what is felt after movement is quite central.

Though verbalization is important, it was hard for me to find a way to incorporate it when I started learning DMT in the United States. Sharing was done in pairs, small or large groups, and it was too much for me. Expressing my feelings in English was difficult, but beyond my language skills, I felt overwhelmed by speaking about unformed feelings. I needed more time to notice, feel, and hold it before verbalization.

However, in my many years of clinical experience in Japan, after a movement session, I often experience, together with the participants, a peaceful and quiet time of being together in the present moment. All is calm, and clients seem satisfied without verbalization. It is not meant to avoid confrontation against unsolved emotions which are hard to express. When the time for verbalization comes, we can share our feelings.

The experience of moving in a group and sharing space and time is sometimes therapeutic enough. Even if one doesn’t express his/her feelings verbally, the other group members recognize, through the movement, both the emotions and the sense of belonging.

Sometimes we cannot verbalize our feelings in the same session, but we can hold on to them. We can express our feelings in drawing or painting or singing. We might use these kinds of creative ways of expression. We also need to feel empathy with other group members. This is important for a sense of belonging. Just to be there is OK. This is not only for clients who cannot express their feelings in words such as small children or people with intellectual disabilities, but for all of our clients. All dmts understand that as a profession, we need to wait for clients’ words, and they should not be rushed. It is best for clients if their feelings come up like a spring and they speak of them naturally. Verbalization puts some meaningful words on emotions.

Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy originated in the Western world. There is some discomfort about verbalization amongjapanese psychotherapists. Clinical psychologist, Tanaka (2011) summarizes her ideas on the importance of careful and cautious verbalization. She also insists that it is not necessary to replace experience with words and says experiences will naturally be condensed into words if necessary. Finally, she concludes that the experience may be enough. She also points out:

In countries where multiple ethnic groups are gathered, they don’t have a shared agreement or understanding. Therefore, they must build a consensual foundation to avoid ambiguity. Since Japan is a homogenous nation, it makes it more possible for the Japanese to figure out meanings from feeling and to understand through atmosphere than replacing feelings into apparently clear words. Our country has been putting more values on understanding ambiguous atmosphere than clear verbalization.

(pp. 14-15 Translated by Sakiyama)

Jacobs (2005) pointed out some issues to consider:

One root of the problem, I believe, stems from the historical fact that although Freud was a keen observer of nonverbal behavior in his patients, he did not elaborate on or develop this aspect of analytic work.

(pp. 166-167)

Despite the clear evidence that nonverbal transactions are of the greatest importance in analysis, instruction in this aspect of clinical work remains minimal. In many institutes, in fact, it is nonexistent.

In the training analysis, too, the nonverbal dimension of communication is often overlooked. Many senior analysts, though highly experienced in other aspects of analysis, have had comparatively little experience in the decoding and interpretation of nonverbal data. Often uncomfortable in working with this mode of expression, they tend to slight it in favor of the more familiar and more congenial verbal material. As a consequence, communications that are conveyed through posture, gesture, movement, and other bodily means often go unrecognized (p. 185).

Stern (1995) criticized traditional psychoanalysis and the intellectual tendency against placing action at the center in understanding human behavior.

As Eugene Gendlin states the problem:

Many people conclude that anything human depends entirely on language, concepts and history. Nothing of human animal seems to remain. As Foucault (1977) puts it: our erstwhile animal bodies were “utterly destroyed” by history. History and language seem utterly to determine what we will perceive, what we will distinguish as touched, seen or heard.

(Gendlin, 1992, pp. 341-342)

Gendlin focused on the Felt Sense of the body and Stern worked with infants and caregivers whose primary way of communication is nonverbal. Dmts are always aware of body knowledge and have an understanding that we can wait patiently to “listen” to what our eloquent body will have to say.

Japanese say that they always live in relationships and the importance of WA (good harmony in human relationships) is often emphasized in social life. In a sense, Japanese have a tendency to compare with others in their belongingness at home, school, neighbor, society. People who need psychotherapy are troubled with or worried about such relationships around them. As a dmt with a Japanese cultural background, I always take special care not to force something in sessions. Japanese often make great effort not to give offense to others. Tactfulness and concern for the other group members are not required, but we tend to “read” the atmosphere and think what to do for IVA in the groups to which they belong.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AS KMP ANALYST INTEGRATING WESTERN AND JAPANESE INFLUENCES

The advantage of learning LMA (Laban Movement Analysis) or KMP (Kestenberg Movement Profile) is having a universal language with which to observe and manifest qualities of movement. KMP language in particular gives many possibilities to express tiny nuances so that we can understand the features of our clients’ movements. Being able to share this information enables useful feedback for further approaches.

Japanese dmts who only study in Japan don’t have many opportunities to study Laban or Kestenberg observational techniques. This doesn’t mean Japanese dmts don’t have words for expressing quality of movements. Instead, we make use of onomatopoeia.

The Japanese language has a lot of onomatopoeia, and it is natural to use it in our daily life. When we go to Onsen, we will be hokkori, which means warm and fluffy^-. When children tap their mothers’ shoulders, the shoulder tapping rhythm is expressed by tan ton tan ton just like an old song. Even in Noguchi Taiso, Nenyoro is one famous movement for relaxation. Ne means lying on the floor and nyoro is an onomatopoeia which means curvy and soft movement like snakes. We can describe various qualities of movement by using onomatopoeias. To my advantage, I have two languages to express and describe movement.

SUMMARY

DMT is still developing in Japan. As ever, there shall always be four seasons in Japan. There is a bathing culture where many Japanese people share the same tub. DMT cannot ignore the view of our body culture which includes our spiritual selves and experiences fundamental to our development. Many of these characteristics may already be shared in other countries, as DMT always considers what the client requires and should keep in mind their cultural background.

It is hard to simplify Japanese culture. However, the author has tried to illustrate influences related to culture which would affect DMT in Japan. Attention to the Butoh method, touch and massage and further awareness of the body, bathing and the importance of the seasons are all considerations.

NOTES

• 1. Pasochan (2017) Wanobutai Daisyugo Noh kanzeryu Shimai Kasanodan [video file]. 2017 July 19. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=tshFlDR5ROO.
• 2. Area mj (2019) Futago Onikenbai Iwate Kizuna Matsuri in Miyako 2019 [video file]. 2019 July 15. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch7v-E7hoISRSNo.
• 3. A. Kawata (2012) Какого о Funavasetsuzukeru ShikaOdori digest Michinoku Geinou Matsuri2012 [video file]. 2012 August 13. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIE_RI.WiSfI&t=98s.
• 4. Japan National Tourism Information; Things to do hot springs (Onsen). 2020 April 18. Retrieved from www.japan.travel/en/things-to-do/relaxation/on.sen/.
• 5. maniwa menuet (2014) Kata Tataki song [video file]. 2014 April 17. Retrieved from 5vww.youtube.com/ watch?v=hMr80bx5X48.
• 6. Mt. Yoshino Tourist Association (2009) Cherry; autumn leaves and hydrangea of Mt. Yoshino. 2020 April 18. Retrieved from www.yoshinoyama-sakura.jp/english/.
• 7. Kibogaoka Bunka Keen (2015) 2015/12/23 Ochibade Yakiimo Zukurifvideo file]. 2015 December 25. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj8IRx-X2Iw.
• 8. Arakawa, K. Founder of Body Mind Health Center. Retrieved from http://bmh-c.org/ Sakiyama translated Arakawa’s explanation of DMT in Japanese in her website into English.

Jingu, K. Founder of DMTLab. Retrieved from https://dmtlab.net/. She also explains what DMT is in her website.

• 9. Tension Flow Attributes is one of technical terms of Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP), consisting of six factors, such as Even Flow-Flow Adjustment, High Intensity-Low Intensity, Abruptness-Graduality
• 10. P. Esposito & T. Kasai (2017) Butoh Dance, Noguchi Taiso and Healing. 2020 April 18. Retrieved from http://relak.net/butoh_us/paola_book2015/.

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