Abstract Western – and Northern – psychology and psychotherapy stand accused of an over emphasis on the individual, ego, and self (“the Self”), autonomy, and self-development. These criticisms have been made from other intellectual, cultural, social, spiritual and wisdom traditions, but may also be found in critical and radical traditions within Western thought. In this article, exponents of ten different theoretical orientations within or modalities of psychotherapy reflect on one or two key aspects of their respective theories which, together, offer a holistic conception of the person; account for family/social/cultural context; provide an understanding of the human trend to homonomy (or belonging) alongside autonomy; articulate a relational understanding of human development, attachment to and engagement with others; and emphasise spirit, group, and community. As such, these psychotherapies – and critiques of Western psychotherapy – offer a wider vision of the scope and practice of psychotherapy and its relevance in and to Aotearoa New Zealand. Whakarāpopoto E tū ana te whakapae, e kaha rawa ana te whakapau wā ki te takitahi a te whakaora hinengaro o te Uru me te Raki i te takitahi, te whakaī, me te whaiaro (“te Whaiaro”), tino rangatiratanga, me te whanaketanga whaiaro. I ara ake ana ēnei kūrakuraku i ētahi atu tikanga hinengaro, ahurea, hapori, wairua, me te mātauranga, engari ka kitea anō hoki i roto i ngā tikanga arohaeheanga rerekē hoki o te whakaarohanga Taiuru. Kei tēnei kōrero, ko ngā tauira o ngā ariā tekau āhua mau ki roto, ki te āhua rānei o te kaiwhakaora hinengaro e whakaata ana i tētahi, ētahi tirohanga rānei o ā rātou ake aria, ā, ngātahi e tuku ariā tapeke ana o te tangata; whakaaturanga horopaki whānau/hāpori; whakarato moohiotanga o te ia o te tangata ki te whakaōrite (whai tūrangawaewae rānei) i te taha o te tino rangatiratanga. Ki te whakapapa mātauranga whakapā ki te ira tangata, tōna whakapiri ki me te whakapiri ki ētahi atu hoki, ā, ka whakatāpua wairua, rōpū, hāpori hoki. Koia rā, ko ēnei kaiwhakaora hinengaro – paearu kaiwhakaora hinengaro o te Uru  – e tuku tirohanga whānui ana o te matapae me te mahi a te kaiwhakaora hinengaro me ana whakapaanga katoa i Aotearoa nei.

How does Bioenergetics, which is focused on the body of the individual, articulate its concerns about the family and gender roles? And how can we add new ideas to Bioenergetics without betraying Alexander Lowen’s essential ideas, whose integrity he strongly protected? The model of ‘suspicion and recovery’ of Paul Ricoeur, the French philosopher, allows us to discover what is unexamined, unexplored or repressed in Lowen’s ideas on the body and the self. This hermeneutic perspective enables us to examine the otherness of the embodied self in a way that honors Lowen’s genius and his emphasis on the body. It also provides a way to critique the historical limitations of Lowen’s views on the development of the self, the family and gender roles, and provides a pathway for incorporating new knowledge into Bioenergetics.

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Alexander Lowen’s views on oedipal transference were formed within the intellectual framework of Freudian and Reichian drive theory and ego psychology. Lowen did not favor analytic work with transference and believed that countertransference indicated that the therapy was «faulted”. This article critically examines his classical approach and offers a re-examination of pre-oedipal transference phenomena in a way that both honors Lowen’s unique insights into the transformative power of Bioenergetic Analysis, and at the same time offers a Kleinian/Bionian object relations understanding of pre-oedipal transference that can be incorporated into modern Bioenergetic Analysis. An extended case example illustrates the effective integration of object relations theory and bioenergetic practice. The concluding discussion provides a rationale for introducing an object relations approach into Bioenergetic Analysis.

Bioenergetic Analysis, the Clinical journal of the IIBA is published annually and is distributed to all members of the international organization. Its purpose is to further elaborate theoretical and scientific concepts and to make links to enhance communication and broaden our connection with other schools of therapy, as well as with academic psychology, medicine, and other psychosomatic schools of thought. The journal publishes reports on empirical research, theoretical papers, and case studies. Some local IIBA societies produce journals in their native languages. This journal has been published in English since 1985, making it the oldest journal for the IIBA. Edited by Léia Cardenuto, Garry Cockburn, Maê Nascimento