Embodied conflict resolution: The use of body psychotherapy, Gestalt equine psychotherapy, and Aikido to resolve conflict amongst adolescents

This paper describes a clinical experiment integrating body psychotherapy, Gestalt equine psychotherapy, and Aikido principles with a group of adolescents. The project consisted of ten two-hour sessions in which the author’s purpose was to generate ideas, explore themes, and create a lasting approach to resolving interpersonal conflict. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was the qualitative method used to gather and analyse data. This study included its participants in the process of problem identification, data analysis, the creation of an intervention to address interpersonal conflict resolution, and the integration of feedback from their community. Findings show that GEP and Aikido supported the participants’ exploration of somatic responses to conflict and understanding their physical responses to conflict. Integrating body psychotherapy, GEP and Aikido may help adolescents create a more successful and satisfactory conflict resolution.