The Experience of Anxiety in Body and Mind: A Transactional Analysis Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Anxiety occurs in both the body and the mind, with explicit aspects (e.g., reported symptoms and emotions) and implicit aspects (e.g., thoughts, prejudices, and internalized traumatic experiences) that are unexplored even by the anxious individual. During the diagnosis and treatment process, the goal is to build bridges between these aspects, give new meanings to them, and foster the growth of individuals trapped in their symptoms. The body, which was previously anxious, unpredictable, and insecure, gradually becomes a source of needs, desires, and resources that can be understood and addressed. Transactional analysis (especially the concepts of ego states and script) can be a guide to interpreting the transformation of internalized relationships that reverberate in the therapeutic relationship. The clinical dialogue is a space in which the body, once deadened by symptoms, can rediscover its potential. Some clinical examples accompany theoretical reflections.