The System of the Dimensions of the Organism (SDO): A common vocabulary for body psychotherapy1

This article outlines the System of the Dimensions of the Organism (SDO). The system is an intra-psychic model developed by the main author from discussions with colleagues from a wide range of body psychotherapy approaches, relaxation methods, body-mind approaches and methods from the Far East (India, China and Japan). It proposes a common vocabulary to map basic forms of intervention, which are differentiated in most schools of body psychotherapy. I distinguish explicitly the following terms: organism, body, behaviour, psyche, metabolism and global physiological regulators. The aim of the model is to propose a basic terminology and classification, which could be used to exchange knowledge between different schools of thought in the ‘mind-body’ territory.