From body‐talk to body‐stories: body work in complementary and alternative medicine

Abstract

This paper explores the 'body work' undertaken by practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), in the light of ethnographic research on the education of osteopaths and homeopaths. The data presented focus on practitioners' experiences of learning to communicate, touch and facilitate the healing process for their patients. Two new concepts are introduced: listening to body-talk and constructing body-stories, which are discussed as aspects of body work. Body-talk expresses the idea that the embodied patient is not a passive recipient of healthcare, but that the 'body' is able to communicate its distress and its needs. The body-story concept highlights the interactional nature of the therapeutic encounter and the profound interrelation between the treatment and case-taking aspects of the practitioner's clinical tasks. By drawing on key sociological concepts of the body and embodiment, reflexivity and narrative, I argue that the dialogical construction of body-stories challenges Cartesian dualism. Finally, I discuss what the data might mean for the future development of the sociological concept of 'body work', drawing particular attention to the necessity to problematise the concept of the 'body' and to pay great attention to body work as embodied work.

Modes of Embodiment in Breast Cancer Patients Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine

“…From a patient perspective, however, the encounter between the patient and CAM can produce derivative benefits such as a sense of bodily responsibility that induces new health practices (Baarts & Pedersen, 2009). Gale (2010) has discussed the "body work" undertaken by CAM practitioners, based on an idea of "body-talk". Here, the body is seen as being able to communicate its distress and needs, and the embodied patient is not perceived as a passive recipient of health-care.…”

Epistemic cultures in complementary medicine: knowledge-making in university departments of osteopathy and Chinese medicine

“…The osteopaths, on the contrary, were much less convinced that this methodology, along with its emphasis on physical outcome measures, held the capacity to effectively capture the therapeutic effects of their practice. OL7 explained that the nature of the osteopathic patient encounter – characterised by Gale (2011) as embodied interaction – presented a complex challenge when attempting to isolate particular components that could be subjected to trials: There are a lot of things within the patient encounter that we do – and, by the way, spinal manipulation is only a small part of what we do, it’s a lot of different manual interventions, be it stretching and isometric contraction and rehab, you know, exercise therapy and all sort, mobilisation and so on – but also reassurance is really important and the recognition of that biopsychosocial model in recent years has grown. (OL7)…”

“…Compared to Asian medicines, osteopathy has received only scant attention within social science, but Gale’s (2011) ethnography of osteopathy training in a British college offers important insights into its ontology. Gale (2011) reveals the centrality of ‘embodied interaction’ – between the bodies of the practitioner and client, and based on observation, talk and touch – to the osteopathic diagnostic process, and demonstrates that this must be learned experientially and bodily.…”

“…Gale (2011) reveals the centrality of ‘embodied interaction’ – between the bodies of the practitioner and client, and based on observation, talk and touch – to the osteopathic diagnostic process, and demonstrates that this must be learned experientially and bodily. Palpatory skills are the cornerstone of practice, involving tacit knowledge that cannot easily be described through language.…”

“…Palpatory skills are the cornerstone of practice, involving tacit knowledge that cannot easily be described through language. At the same time, narrative, co-constructed by patient and practitioner, forms part of osteopathic diagnosis and treatment; therefore Cartesian dualisms are challenged in osteopathic philosophy and practice (Gale, 2011). …”