Concentrative movement therapy (KBT)

Domain IV · Body-oriented psychotherapy · Helmuth Stolze · 1958 · Munich, Germany

What it is

KBT is a body-oriented, psychodynamically based psychotherapy, used in individual and group settings, inpatient and outpatient. It is a standard part of multimodal treatment in German psychosomatic clinics. The pressroom page counts 92 clinics and about 260 outpatient therapists in Germany, and KBT…

Format

• Session structure (core unit). Every session alternates an experience space (nonverbal: an Angebot, or offer, followed by the client's own exploration) with a reflection space (verbal: reporting, deepening, dialogue). The order can vary, and in individual work talk and offers may alternate several…
• The typical group sequence (Löffler) is:

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Repeat without adding interpretation.
• Perfectionism. Repeat that there is no right way.
• Intellectual guessing of the weight versus sensing it.
• Pulling hard enough to cause a fall. Agree a gentle intensity.
• Embodied memories surfacing. Pace the talk so the client can integrate them.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.