Authentic Movement

Authentic Movement was developed from the foundation of Jung’s theory of active imagination and incorporates the art of dance through improvisation. It was developed by Mary Starks Whitehouse, Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow. Several professionals (Whitehouse, Chodorow, Adler) worked together to create this innovative form of therapy and its uses range from self-exploration to meditation and modern dance creation. The fluid and creative expression involved in authentic movement allow for a wide use of applications and make this form of therapy particularly flexible. This method of therapy can be used for groups or for individuals who are unable to express themselves fully in a verbal capacity or are unable to progress with other more traditional forms of therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

• Process of Authentic Movement
• Role of Therapist in Authentic Movement

Process of Authentic Movement

In Authentic Movement, participants are encouraged to focus their attention on the present and act out their inner feelings through improvised dance movements while keeping their eyes closed. By doing so, a client is forced to sever the outside stimulus that can cloud his or her internal perspective and focus only on his or her body’s responses. Authentic Movement is also referred to as a movement meditation and challenges a client to aspire to a purity of perception and introspective mind set. The movements are intended to be a response to the derivatives of these reflective states and require a client maintains a physical and mental stillness in order to achieve clarity of insight.

Role of Therapist in Authentic Movement

A clinician will work with a client to incite the process by helping him achieve a state of calm. The primary purpose of the clinician is to witness the movements in a free and open forum, thus fostering trust and building a relationship free of judgment. This ultimately opens the door to the healing process so that progress can be made. Clinicians will work with clients to identify the meaning of the responses and how to use that knowledge to affect change. Authentic Movement can be experienced individually or with others in a group setting and is facilitated by a witness or trainer.