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Contributi originali

No. 1-2 (2023)

Working on the border among body, group and disability

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/gruoa1-2-2023oa21223
Submitted
ottobre 7, 2025
Published
2025-10-23

Abstract

The work the authors are presenting originates in a research group on the dynamics of therapeutic groups. Pandemic closure induced the authors to focus on the dimension of the body in relation to group; they wondered whether the group analytic setting could be adopted in the context of severe congenital and acquired disability, where expressive and relational possibilities are very limited. The authors consider that the tangibility of the verbal, motor and cognitive limitations of the disabled body needs an area of play and creative exploration to develop new potentials for expression and relationship. Even though it is not the elective nosographic context for group analysis, the hypothesis is that adopting a group analytical paradigm when working with severe disability empowers mental health interventions and enables opportunities for full participation, promoting self-determination and self-representation. Clinical experiences are presented in order to observe how the group analytic approach can support the mobilization of body and thought, by exploring new possibilities of communication and relationship.

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