Reflections on Working with Defenses and Resistances in the Context of Teletherapy

Abstract

This article focuses on the challenges we face as bioenergetic therapists when doing teletherapy. It addresses the difficulty of working with defenses and resistances in a context where the client is not physically present and where we only see part of the body through a screen, in a two-dimensional representation (sessions on video) or not at all (phone sessions). It offers practical suggestions to compensate for what cannot be apprehended directly due to distant communication. It also offers some research data on the level of efficacy and on the quality of the relationship, when teletherapy is compared with face-to-face therapy. Finally, it offers practical suggestions with regards to visual fatigue and as well as some elements of understanding Zoom fatigue.