Authentic Movement

“Movement, to be experienced, has to be ‘found’ in the body, not put on like a dress or a coat. There is that in us which has moved from the very beginning. It is that which can liberate us.”

Mary Starks Whitehouse

When Mary Starks Whitehouse started developing a movement practice rooted in Carl Jung’s Active Imagination, she called it Movement in depth.

This method, born in the convergence between dance and psychoanalysis, aims at the integration of body, mind and soul.

Janet Adler was one of the students that brought the practice further. Although it was born in the field of Dance Movement Therapy, it has been widely used for movement exploration or self-development.

The basic components are very simple: there’s at least one mover, and at least one witness. The movers close their eyes and move from their inner impulses. The witnesses offer a non-judgemental presence providing a safe space for the movers to express themselves. Often, there’s a space for sharing verbally in the end.

The duration and setting can be changed and agreed before starting. Often it’s combined with other activities such as drawing or writing.