ABSTRACT
To nurture an integrated bodyself image and grow in self-confidence, a child needs a mother who values herself and has a fulfilled relationship with her body and self. This chapter considers that any deep therapy that acts on a mental level and ignores the active role played by the body leads a woman far away from a true connection with her baby. Parents teach their child assertiveness and self-trust through their confident posture and firm way of holding, as their attitudes and feelings constantly take shape through their muscular tension and body language. A parent communicates with her prenatal and newborn baby through bodily cues such as breathing, touch, eye contact, movement, and facial expression. Body image plays a fundamental role in modulating the relationship between posture, movement, and gesture, allowing the whole body to move in space. Babies are particularly sensitive to the close relationship between the mental and physical states of their caregivers.
