The research conducted by the Somatics
Lab in the Psychology Department at the University of
Utah is guided by 3 basic assumptions:
1. Psychological experience is always relational
"Psychological experience always implies a connection,
a relationship: with another person, with cultural tools
or language, or with the natural environment. Life is
a network of relationships" (Fogel, 2001b, p 93).
The Revised Relational Coding System Manual - PDF
2.Psychological experience is always changing
"Psychological experience is always dynamic and changing.
The simplest visual perception requires a change, either
in a movement of the object, or a movement of the eyes,
head, or body. Thoughts and feelings fluctuate in a continuous
pattern of change. These patterns of change themselves
change as people develop. Life is a series of changes"
(Fogel, 2001b, p 93).
3. Psychological experience is always embodied
"Information is created at the interface between
perception and action. It is not just that I can perform
an action to achieve a purpose that is meaningful, but
it is what I discover about how I perform the action:
what my arms and legs can do, my cardiovascular tolerance,
my trust in my ears and eyes to assist me. It is this
last point, the salience of the body - the artistry of
the performance and the simple pleasure of perceiving
- that is missing in many theories of meaning." (Fogel,
1993, p 76).
"Infants (and adults) can see some part of their
own bodies - their nose, at a minimum- at all times
in their field of vision. This means that at the same
time you are seeing things in the environment, you are
also seeing part of yourself. Thus, your perception
of the environment is also a perception of yourself
in relation to the environment" (Fogel, 2001a,
p 232-233). |
