Viewpoint: Body and soul
Therapy Today, December 2025 - January 2026

In therapy we often speak of wholeness, presence and the integration of mind and soul – but what of the body? In my experience as a therapist, nutritionist and personal trainer, I have seen how often the body is left behind, cast into the shadows of clinical language or conceptual frameworks. Yet it is through the body that we feel, breathe, digest and heal. Our bodies carry the stories of our lives, holding trauma, memory, wisdom and even joy at a deep cellular level.

As a psychosynthesis-trained therapist who also works with nutrition, fitness, soul and spiritual development, I believe it is time we asked a difficult but essential question: have we forgotten the body in therapy? This article explores that question – not just from a professional standpoint but from my own lived journey. It reflects on the discomfort I encountered around the topic of the body during my training, the projections I experienced and the silence that often surrounds this fundamental aspect of being. It also shares the possibilities that open when we as therapists dare to bring the body, our body thus our clients’ bodies, back into the room fully. 

Four worlds 

From a young age I felt a quiet but persistent calling – a sense that I was here for a reason. That there was something I came to do, something my soul had chosen. Over the years that whisper became louder and clearer – a guiding principle in my life and work. I stand on the platform that our souls choose this life: our family, our body and the lessons we are here to learn. My work is grounded in listening to that calling and helping others do the same. 

Throughout the past decade I have worked as a therapist, psychosynthesis counsellor, nutritionist, personal trainer, massage therapist, Sivananda yoga teacher and life coach. Rather than viewing these as separate practices, I’ve come to understand them as interwoven expressions of one truth: the mind and body are not separate – they are one unified system, transporting our soul through this life. In my work as a therapeutic personal trainer (dual practitioner) I integrate therapy, nutrition and exercise to help clients remember this unity. 

In shadow

During my training as a therapist/ counsellor I noticed something troubling – despite the frequent references to embodiment, breathwork and ‘being in the body’, there was a powerful discomfort around the body itself. Theoretical discussions about connection and presence were common, but when I tried to bring in my own knowledge – grounded in neuroscience, nutrition, fitness and anatomy – I was often met with resistance, deflection and at times outright projection.

When I spoke about food, movement or bodily awareness I was sometimes asked whether I had an eating disorder. These were not curious questions – they were assumptions, rooted in discomfort and a culture of silence. It became clear that for some in the therapeutic field the body was still considered taboo, or worse pathologised. As educators and practitioners our words carry weight, and these kinds of projections – particularly when made in professional spaces – can and do cause harm. They also reflect an unresolved cultural shadow around the body that continues to permeate therapeutic communities.

In those moments I felt not only silenced but scapegoated – made to carry the discomfort or blame of the collective, even when it wasn’t mine to hold. To be scapegoated, as defined by Gabor Maté, is to be unfairly burdened with the emotional weight or dysfunction of a group, often to preserve its illusion of harmony.¹ It mirrored patterns from my own childhood – being the one who speaks up, only to be dismissed or shamed for it. But this discomfort, I’ve come to realise, is not unique to me. It’s part of a broader cultural narrative where the body is mistrusted, objectified or simply ignored – especially in spaces that privilege the intellect, soul or spirit over the physical. 

Research confirms that adolescence is a critical period for body awareness, often shaping lifelong patterns of self-image and embodiment.² If therapists have not explored and healed their own wounds around this stage of life – or the body itself – those wounds can unconsciously be passed on to clients and students. In this sense, avoiding the body is not neutral; it is a form of neglect. If we are to act as mirrors for our clients we must also be willing to reflect inward, to examine what parts of ourselves – and of our human experience – we are leaving in shadow. 

Body reclaim

To move beyond this collective forgetting we must actively reclaim the body as an essential part of our therapeutic work. In my practice this reclamation begins with a simple but powerful truth: the body is wise. It holds the imprints of our past, the signals of our present and the seeds of our future and the knowledge of our ancestors. When we learn to listen – truly listen – we find that the body has all the knowledge, answers and wisdom that are required, and speaks in profound and specific ways.  

Bringing people back into relationship with their bodies requires more than words and metaphor. It requires tools – scientific, psychological, physiological and natural approaches along with real, heart-led, soul-connected guidance and psychoeducation on the body. It requires knowledge of how trauma affects the nervous system, how nutrition influences mental health, and how movement can regulate mood and release the trauma – and the joy – stored in the body. 

Research has consistently shown that diet and exercise are among the most effective ways to manage depression and anxiety.^3,4 The body doesn’t just reflect how we feel – it actively shapes it. What we eat and how we move have a real impact on our mood, energy and resilience. Experts in fields like nutritional psychiatry and sports medicine continue to highlight these lifestyle choices as powerful, non-pharmaceutical tools for supporting mental wellbeing. Felice Jacka’s research, for instance, shows that improving the diet can reduce the risk of depression by around 30%,³ and a major review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirms that regular exercise can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression – sometimes even rivalling medication.^4Ìý

Adding to this, Maté, a renowned expert on trauma and mind-body health, emphasises that unprocessed emotional stress plays a major role in physical and mental illness. His work suggests that healing is not just about diet or discipline – it’s about addressing the emotional root causes, allowing the body and mind to recover together. 

Psychosynthesis, for example, was never meant to be purely psychological. Roberto Assagioli, the founder of the model, believed deeply in the integration of mind and body.⁵ He collaborated with Jørgen Peter Müller, a Danish personal trainer and author of My System⁶ to design exercise and nutrition plans for therapeutic use.⁷ Assagioli’s original name for his work was not just psychosynthesis but bio-psychosynthesis – a reminder that the body must never be forgotten. It seems that as the world is becoming more technology-driven, we are forgetting the one thing that connects us to our humanness, to our true essence: the body.  

We build our lives on foundations – and those foundations are physical. Without good nutrition, regular movement and body awareness, the psyche cannot fully thrive. As with any structure, we must first lay the foundations; only then can a house be built. If the foundations are weak the whole house will eventually sink. ‘You are what you eat’ may sound a cliché but in truth it’s biology. Nutrition accounts for approximately 80% of our overall health. When we fuel the body with love and care we lay the foundations and create the inner conditions for clarity, resilience and the soul’s calling to be heard so that it can guide us into transformation. 

Ethical call 

My integrated approach is built on a simple premise: the body is the vehicle of the soul. If we believe that our souls have a purpose in this life, then the body is how we carry that purpose out. Just like a car needs fuel, maintenance and the right environment to function well, so do we. Our ability to hear and then fulfil our calling depends on the health and alignment of our physical self. 

This integrated model brings together therapy, nutrition, exercise, life coaching and financial awareness into a cohesive journey. At its core is the belief that every person carries an inner compass – their true north – and by clearing the noise of old patterns, societal expectations, and trauma stored in the body, we can begin to see and hear its direction again. 

In practice this involves helping clients map out the steps they need to take, not only emotionally but physically and logistically. We explore their patterns, or ‘blueprints’, unconscious beliefs and habits that may be holding them back – and replace them with conscious, embodied action in line with their calling. This is not about fixing the self but about reclaiming the self, fully and unapologetically. 

This model invites therapists to ask a deeper question: is it ethical to ignore the body in therapy? If the body is the place where trauma is stored, where healing occurs and where selfregulation is made possible, then neglecting it is not merely an oversight, it may be a disservice. The body holds a person’s wisdom, stability and connection to the present. To guide someone towards healing while ignoring the body is like putting petrol in a diesel car and expecting it to run without damage. Sooner or later the system will break down. 

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Therapy today is evolving, and as practitioners we are being asked to evolve with it. To become more whole in how we hold space for others we must first be willing to become more whole in ourselves. That means not just acknowledging the body but honouring it. Listening to it. Learning its language. And, yes, healing our own relationship with it so we can help others do the same. 

Whether it’s through understanding the gut-brain connection, recognising the impact of food and exercise on mood and mental health, we need to offer clients tools and practices that regulate the nervous system – tools that go beyond talk. Tools that are backed by research and science so the wisdom of the body can be accessed. 

Psychosynthesis has always been about synthesis – of parts into a greater whole. When we bring the body back into therapy we are not stepping outside that model – we are fulfilling it. Other integrative models – such as Gestalt therapy, somatic experiencing (Peter Levine), body psychotherapy (for example, bioenergetics, core energetics) and dance/movement therapy – also emphasise the body as central to the healing process. They remind us that embodiment is not an addition to the work but a return to its roots. 

As therapists we must be willing to ask the hard questions: what are we avoiding in ourselves? What do we pass on unconsciously to our clients? And what becomes possible when we remember that healing is not just a mental process but a full-bodied, soul-guided journey? 

In a world heavily driven by prolonged screen time we risk losing connection to our bodies, experiencing a decline in mental health and increasing stress. My aim is to restore balance in the world with an approach and practices that remind individuals of their humanness, keeping them engaged with their bodies and creativity and allowing them to perform their life at their best. 

I’d love to see this method explored more deeply by therapists and other professionals. This would be a way to deepen our relationship with ourselves, build greater awareness of our own bodies and support our physical health and boundaries. In doing so we can better accompany clients in releasing held tension or emotion in the body – and help bring the body out of the shadows. It would also be a way to follow and embed a supportive and steady structure that encourages the gradual healing, over time, of the physical body from the inside out. It would help engage you in a process held with care and integrity, supported by close collaboration with experienced supervisors and elders from both the therapy and fitness worlds. And it would support me to contribute to the development of a wider vision: that this approach may one day be recognised by professional bodies such as the Complementary Medical Association and implemented into the educational system. Part of this process includes exploring its application across diverse practitioner groups, including therapists. 

The body comes with a manual – we’ve just forgotten how to read it. In remembering the body we remember ourselves, and from that place real healing can begin.