ABSTRACT
Several mechanisms of action explain why chairwork generates often dramatic changes in thought, feeling, and behaviour. The theory of interacting cognitive systems (Teasdale & Barnard, 1993) identifies two levels of meaning: a propositional code concerned with verifiable, language-correspondent forms of knowledge (i.e. ‘head-level’ intellectual belief) and an implicational code concerned with global, holistic forms of knowledge (i.e. ‘heart-level’ emotional belief). Whilst many cognitive-behavioural interventions principally influence propositional knowledge, chairwork is believed to impact directly upon implicational knowledge due to its evocative, multisensory qualities. This explains why these techniques often bring about deep and persistent changes in cognitive-affective processes.
