Bodily self-disclosure as a counsellor ...

I've had an interesting week ... personally & professionally.  And all caused by a silly accident with a candle and a match last weekend, which resulted in nasty burns to two of my fingers.

One of the main strands of my PhD research is the idea of the counsellor's body as a form of self-disclosure. As therapists, we are trained to not disclose any of our personal information or circumstances to our clients.  This is to ensure the neutrality of the therapy and to ensure that the experiences and feelings which occur in the therapy room are essentially those of the client.  As a result of my research, I'm increasingly recognising the therapist's body as a form of self disclosure which it is impossible to hide or deny. It's there in the room for the client to see.  It's there in the room for the client to relate to, to think about, to make judgements about, to think about ...

In terms of my research, I've considered the potential effects on the client and the therapy of the therapist's bodily shape and size.  Our bodies do say a lot about us; through their shape and size, through how we use them, hold them, how we express ourselves through our body language, even how we dress them.  We disclose a lot about ourselves, quite often unconsciously, through, and by, our bodies.

The bandages I've had on my two fingers this week have been impossible to hide.  And it's been interesting to note how different clients ... and also different people outside of the therapy room ... have responded to that.  Some people comment straight away; sometimes out of curiosity, sometimes out of concern.  I've seen other people notice my fingers, but then not say anything.  Others simply haven't noticed because they've been too immersed in their own thoughts and feelings to notice my hand.  And for me, all of those different responses are okay; it's just interesting to note the differences.

As a therapist, it raises a much bigger question for me though ... just how much do our illnesses, personal tragedies, pains and injuries impact on our clients and the therapeutic relationship?  Major injuries are plain to see and can't be denied.  Our personal pains and tragedies may not be so visible, but maybe they too, play out via our bodies ... lack of sleep, worry, concern etc., often show as tiredness, dark eyes, lethargy, maybe even changes in how we dress and present ourselves.  I wonder how aware our clients are of these minor bodily manifestations?  And how it does impact the therapy.  Does the client comment on what they see?  Or do they keep it to themselves, but then spend their session wondering about the counsellor's story?  Maybe, consciously or unconsciously, editing the things they talk about so as to protect the therapist from further pain?

It's a really interesting area for me; and one that's been brought to the forefront of my mind because of my injury.  But it also enables me to see that my research has much wider implications than just therapists' bodies in terms of working with clients with eating disorders ...