eiseEducation

Psychotherapy is often described as a “talking therapy,” with primary attention placed on the words patients bring into the room. Yet alongside spoken language sits an equally rich and often overlooked dimension of communication: physical gesture. In this webinar, Dr Simon Heyland will draw on the Conversational Model to explore the developmental origins of gesture, the diverse forms gestures can take, and the ways they communicate aspects of inner experience that may not yet be symbolised in words. He will also offer a brief historical overview of how gestures have been understood and used within psychotherapeutic traditions over time. Finally, he will outline clinical techniques—including the therapist’s own responsive use of gesture—that can illuminate meaning, deepen attunement, and unlock the therapeutic potential of this subtle but powerful mode of communication.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the significance of gestures as living symbols.

Learn how to respond to gestures in ways that enhance clinical effectiveness.

Identify how gestures can signal shifts in affect, defensive processes, or dissociative states.

Develop skills in integrating gesture-based observations into moment-to-moment therapeutic dialogue, in line with the Conversational Model.