Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP) - Bibiane
Culture 4 Change — Supporting recovery from collective trauma through body-oriented practice
As co-founders of Culture 4 Change (C4C), we have worked for many years in countries affected by war, displacement, and collective violence, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Iraq, Myanmar, Rwanda, and Sudan. Throughout this work, we have seen that even in the most difficult circumstances, people have a remarkable capacity to survive, adapt, and rebuild their lives.
These experiences inspired us to deepen our work on complex and collective trauma. At the request of NGOs, C4C provides training, clinical supervision, and therapeutic support to professionals working with trauma-affected individuals and communities. Our approach combines field experience with current insights from trauma psychology, neuroscience, and body-oriented psychotherapy. Research shows that trauma is not caused solely by overwhelming events, but by the body’s inability to fully process and integrate its natural survival responses. When these responses remain unresolved, they can later emerge as physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal difficulties.
This understanding has transformed trauma treatment. Van der Kolk (2014) argues that trauma is held not only in memory but also in the body and nervous system, influencing emotional regulation, perception, and behavior. Similarly, Selvam (2022) emphasizes that recovery depends on developing the capacity to safely experience, integrate, and release unresolved physiological and emotional activation.
These insights underpin Integral Somatic Psychology® (ISP), a body-oriented approach developed by Dr. Raja Selvam. Building on Somatic Experiencing® and integrating Western psychology with Eastern contemplative traditions, ISP supports the integration of emotional, cognitive, physiological, and relational processes. Rather than focusing only on symptom reduction, it strengthens the body’s capacity to remain present with difficult emotions while completing unresolved survival responses. Through awareness, movement, breath, imagination, and self-touch, clients gradually develop greater resilience, emotional flexibility, and healing capacity.
In addition to therapeutic work, the co-founder of C4C contributes to the international training of therapists in Integral Somatic Psychology®. She assists Dr. Raja Selvam in professional ISP training programs in Belgium, Croatia, Israel, Spain, and the Netherlands, while providing clinical supervision and facilitating practice sessions that help participants apply theory in clinical practice.
For more information about the therapeutic work of Bibiane van Mierlo, please visit www.therapie-bibianevanmierlo.com.
For more information about the professional training programme in Integral Somatic Psychology®, please visit Become a More Effective Therapist with
Join one of the upcoming Integral Somatic Psychology® Trainings
Integral Somatic Psychology® (Become a More Effective Therapist with Integral Somatic Psychology®) as developed by Raja Selvam, PhD, is a master training for therapists, social workers and humanitarian workers that work with people affected by adverse life events. The approach aims to increase the body’s capacity to remain present with difficult emotions while supporting the nervous system in completing previously interrupted survival responses.
The co-founder of C4C (www.therapie-bibianevanmierlo.com) will be actively involved in these upcoming trainings; she will provide workshops in Belgium and Poland, and assist Raja Selvam during ISP training programs in Austria, Croatia, Israel, Spain, and the Netherlands, while providing clinical supervision and facilitating practice sessions that help participants translate theory into therapeutic practice.
Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE) Fordham -Willem
Online class — Fall 2026
