""What I seek is not elsewhere. It is within me."" Helen Keller
Authentic movement offers words, symbols, sensations, and movement in bodily form, with the goal of creating a bridge to the self and the subconscious. Participants learn about the bodily expression of self-concept through the movement of themselves and others, through kinetic and verbal relationships and reflections.
Support your inner wisdom and well-being. Experiencing wholeness starts with small steps. You will find your authentic self-expression deep within yourself.
The methodology of authentic movement was founded by Mary Starks Whitehouse (1911-1979), who was a dancer and psychotherapist. She was interested in CG Jung's research on analytical psychology and especially active imagination, movement without clear intention, the practice of "being here", which is used today by many mindfulness practitioners. Her work was further developed by Janet Adler (1941-2023), who deepened the role and nature of the "observer" in the methodological plan. In an authentic movement session, we work in a safe, self-guided, non-judgmental and empathetic framework. We move, learn about body awareness, body-thought-feeling connections, movement meditation. Practical movement experience alternates with discussions about movement-based expression, ethics, bodily themes, there is space for personal discoveries and questions. Equipment: comfortable clothes for movement, notepads, pencil… The methodology that combines movement and thinking allows the participant to:
- develop ease of movement
- value and deepen your strengths
- notice and change your thinking about your own limitations
- get in touch with your creativity
- create clarity in personal decision-making processes and goals
- understand yourself better to create more balance in your daily life
- develop professionalism when your work is affected by your personality, attitudes and behavior
- to get good thoughts, reflections, ideas to live a satisfying physical life
Process description
We begin the meeting by identifying the individual goals and expectations of each participant, which helps create context and adapt activities. Both individual and group meetings support personal introspection and help develop changes. The mover has his eyes closed, his task is to notice the needs of the body and respond to them, while observing what is happening in his thoughts and feelings. It is important to remember here that movement does not always mean learned dance steps, jumps, rhythms, but movement can also be internal, breathing, minimal changes in the internal state. The safety of the space and the mover is maintained by the observer, who observes the mover and his own reactions to the movement. The movement is followed by a period of silence, when one looks back at the movement experience, thoughts, feelings. The process ends with (voluntary) reflection, based on a solid framework that ensures security and freedom of judgment.
Meetings are most effective when we respect both the need to move and the need to be still, the desire to change and the desire to understand what is. During this process, you will learn to consciously use time to connect new introspections and movement patterns. Time supports the creation of meaningful changes both physically and emotionally. Time, connection, integration can mean a "pause" to think about what happened and feel the experience physically, or the ability to find the most suitable way for you to create meanings – walking, writing, drawing, poetry or even singing in the shower – whatever helps you reflect. Perhaps you will receive a gift of some movement exercises to incorporate into your daily routine. All of this will help you take better care of yourself and ensure sustainable development and necessary changes.
The duration depends on the needs of the individual participant. Typically, the length of one individual session is 1.2 – 2 hours and 3-4 hours for groups.
