Wiesław Sikorski

Zachowania proksemiczne (przestrzenne) w relacji terapeutycznej                 89

Proxemic behaviours in the therapeutic relation 89

Summary:

In the article the meaning of physical environment and the role of personal space during a therapeutic session is presented. In the first case the author focuses on the characteristic of various physical features of the room intended for therapy running. In turn, the furnishings: furniture, equipment, wall colouring, lighting as well its location are considered. All in all, a suitably designed room creates a favourable atmosphere: warmth, intimacy, privacy and a lack of embarrassment. This results in the activation of different kinds of non-specific therapeutic factors, i.e. ritual therapist's work. By giving the examples of his own therapeutic practice, the author proves the effectiveness of therapy when the care of therapeutic environment is taken into account. In the second case the author considers the influence of interpersonal space, physical distance between a therapist and a patient on the quality of insight work. There is a hint that the optimal distance for the proper progress of therapeutic communication is the area indicated by an upper limit of the personal zone or a lower limit of the social zone, up to 20 centimetres. This is the best physical distance as neither patient nor therapist feels uncomfortable in their private territory invisible "air balloons" surrounding their bodies are carefully protected. Moreover, the author brings up the problem of the proper choice of the table and the way of the patient seats. The best choice is a round table which gives the impression of partnership. If a table is square or rectangle the best option is to seat patients next to a therapist or diagonally on the opposite corner. The first choice emphasizes the willingness of cooperation and identification with patient's problems while the second choice shows a friendly attitude and makes conversation comfortable.