Embodiment refers to both the embedding of cognitive processes in brain circuitry and to the origin of these processes in an organism’s sensory-motor experience. Thus, action and perception are no longer interpreted in terms of the classic physical–mental dichotomy, but rather as closely interlinked (Fuchs, 2009). Embodiment research has shown impressively that the line between mind and body is not a one-way street. As a consequence the body has a strong influence on the mind. Can the body and it`s actions be used to help change the minds of our clients? The answer is yes. This special issue of European Psychotherapy is trying to explicate this more differently.

Authors: Andrea Behrends, Susanne Bender, Marianne Eberhard-Kaechele, Thomas Fuchs, Gernot Hauke, Sabine C. Koch, Christina Lohr, Lily Martin, Rosemarie Samaritter, Helen Payne, Tanja Pietrzak, Mario Pfammatter, Valerie Pohlmann, Wolfgang Tschacher