Orgodynamics · Atlas

1. Introduction

Version followed: Orgodynamik® as set out in Gabrielle Plesse-St. Clair, Orgodynamik – Menschen multidimensional begleiten (Klinkhardt, 2011; only the publisher's foreword and contents preview are drawn on), plus the current curricula of the Institut für Orgodynamik / Orgoville (Kernausbildung years 1–3, Weiterbildung Dynamische Körperarbeit M1–6, Aufbau-Zyklus; 2026 website). The founder's 2010 Kassel dissertation is not drawn on [uncertain].

What it is. Orgodynamik ("orgodynamics") is a German-language, body-oriented method of transpersonal psychology developed from 1986 by Gabrielle (Plesse-)St. Clair (b. 1953) and Michael Plesse (b. 1945); the first institute was founded in Seattle, the network ORGOVILLE INTERNATIONAL in 1991, and training now runs near Kassel (Edermünde) under Frithjof Paulig (lead since 2012) with St. Clair. The founder first defined it as a "transpersonale und körperorientierte Methode der Erwachsenenbildung" (adult education), and the institute now presents it as integrative body psychotherapy combined with consciousness training; it is recognised as a body-psychotherapy method by the EABP and DGK but is not a guideline psychotherapy procedure in Germany. The founders' names (Plesse-St. Clair, Plesse) are confirmed. [source: Plesse-St. Clair 2011 foreword; orgodynamik.de "Über uns" and Kernausbildung pages; Marjorie-Wiki]

It is a framework, not a manualised therapy. The authors state that it is not a fixed "how to do it right" method: it is a map (five dimensions, four paradigms, a "method wheel") into which they place techniques borrowed from neo-Reichian body work (Radix/Laura Dillon, Organismic Psychotherapy/Malcolm Brown, Biosynthesis/David Boadella, Reichian work/Al Bauman, Postural Integration/Jack Painter, Biodynamic Psychology after Gerda Boyesen via Michael Plesse), energy work (Michael Barnett), dehypnotherapy, ritual work (Paul Rebillot), neo-Tantra (Margo Anand Naslednikov), Cherokee-tradition ritual, and meditation (Zazen, Subud Latihan, silent sitting), later shaped by Richard Moss and Stephen Wolinsky's quantum psychology and framed with Ken Wilber's quadrants. No step-by-step published protocol for its body techniques was found; the inventory below therefore names each method the authors list, reports what the sources say, and gives practice steps that are explicitly marked [synthesis]. [source: Plesse-St. Clair 2011 foreword pp. 11–13; Kernausbildung page]

Core idea of change. The name joins Reich's "Orgon" with "Dynamik", glossed as following the dynamics of life energy (the school's own theory, not physiology). People are seen as living in five equal dimensions (mental, emotional, physical, subtle-energetic, essential) around a centre called "das Größere" (the larger whole); each dimension is a "gate" to that centre. Change is expected when a person learns to be present in several dimensions, perceive them in a differentiated way and move fluidly between them, through three modes of "consciousness modulation": immersion (fully entering experience), integration (holding polarities in a widening web of relations) and deconstruction (letting go of every method, state and concept). Tensions are not fought but perceived and accepted so that old patterns can "melt"; the aim is unfolding of potential rather than symptom removal, and there is no fixed goal the client must reach. [source: Marjorie-Wiki; Kernausbildung page; Mohr practitioner page]

2. Framework

No published phase model for individual therapy was found [uncertain]. The sources give three structuring devices; the individual-session sequence below is [synthesis].

a) The Lebensbogen (life arc), 1985 onward: the training and group framework. Seminars and trainings are ordered along life themes from birth to death. Current core training (three years, each year bookable separately; roughly 23 days a year in about four residential blocks; supervision alongside): [source: Plesse-St. Clair 2011 foreword p. 11; Kernausbildung page; Marjorie-Wiki]

Year 1. M1 Self-concepts and child identities (family and relationship patterns, trust, holding, self-acceptance; holding approaches, embodiment, parts work, identity differentiation). M2 Self-perception and consciousness (self-regulation, withdrawal, slowing down; meditation forms, ritual, dyads, gentle body work, imaginal and energy work). M3 Light and shadow (hero's journey, archetypes, polarity, constructive aggression; counselling, mirror structures, "Prema" work, energy Tai Chi, body-oriented trance).
Year 2. M4 Creativity and expression (voice work, movement expression, process-oriented and dynamic body work). M5 Self-image and trust (eros as life energy, threshold ritual; body self-perception exercises, mirror work, resource work, ritualised body work). M6 Birth as transformation (regression techniques, breath work, essence-oriented and dynamic body work, creative imagination, ritual process work).
Year 3. M7 Relationship and relatedness (dyads, dynamic expression work, group dynamics, dialogic methods). M8 Mortality, death in life (contemplative practice, farewell rituals, body-oriented transition support, breath and meditation). M9 Life direction and presence (creative future design, structured process work, body anchoring, "Dialogspirale", "Prema feedback").
Entry: an introductory seminar or a preliminary talk. Certificates: Orgodynamik-Practitioner, then Master-Practitioner; certification also requires supervision, personal sessions received and documented sessions given.

b) The seven-segment sequence of Dynamische Körperarbeit (body-work further training). Two cycles of three modules (each Thursday 18:00 to Sunday 14:00), moving from top to bottom of the body following Reich's segment map, which the school adopts: M1 eyes (seeing, being seen, non-judging); M2 mouth and throat (expression, the organic cycle of contraction and release, nourishing); M3 chest (holding, neediness, resistance, breath, heart presence); M4 diaphragm and belly (feelings, boundaries, the "intensity trap", the "transpersonal window"); M5 pelvis (pulsation, eros as theme, transference, stress positions and grounding); M6 continuum movement through all segments, birth-level work and regression. An advanced cycle adds energy build-up and "Streamings", EMDR-based eye work, core identities ("Driver and Compensator") and trauma. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit and Aufbau-Zyklus pages]

c) Diagnostic stance. Diagnostics are deliberately withheld early: no neurosis categories, character types or body-structure typologies are taught in basic training; diagnostic knowledge is added only once the practitioner's presence is strong enough that a map does not become the sole guide. [source: Marjorie-Wiki] For a licensed clinician this cannot replace standard clinical assessment and risk screening [synthesis].

d) Individual-session arc for clinicians (all [synthesis], built from the paradigms and three modes):

Contact and contracting (1–3 sessions): standard intake, medical and trauma history, contraindication screen (Section 4 "Screening"), touch preferences, goals stated as what the client wants to live more of (the practitioners' guiding question "How do I truly want to live my life?"). Move on when the client can name a theme and has a stop signal and a resource.
Presence and resourcing: sitting or standing presence, grounding, body awareness. Move on when the client can track sensation for a few minutes without flooding or blanking.
Dimension exploration: follow the theme through body, feeling, thought, energy/imagery and "essence" (Methodenrad). Move on when a body locus or recurring pattern is identified.
Immersion and expression (segment work, voice, movement, breath): only within the window of tolerance. Move on when charge has been expressed and settled at least once within a session.
Integration: relate polarities, parts and the relational meaning; dyad or dialogue reflection.
Deconstruction: loosen identification with the story, state or technique; rest in not-knowing.
Anchoring in the world: body anchor for a direction, concrete action, closure ritual. Phases recur within single sessions; individual-session length and number are not stated by the institute (it offers a free 20-minute introductory call) [uncertain]. A typical body-psychotherapy individual session of 50–90 minutes is a reasonable default [synthesis].

3. Guiding principles

[source unless marked: Marjorie-Wiki; Kernausbildung page; Plesse-St. Clair 2011 contents/foreword; Mohr practitioner page]

Präsenz (presence). Undivided attention is the central offer; in practice, your own grounded state is the first intervention, before any technique.
Multidimensionalität. Five equal dimensions (mental, emotional, physical, subtle-energy, essential) plus the outer world; in practice, ask which dimension the client is in now and which is missing.
Fließendes Gewahrsein (FlieG, "flow"). Mindfulness kept up in movement and daily life; in practice, train awareness while the client moves, speaks and acts, not only in stillness.
Bewusste Bezogenheit (conscious relatedness). The "triangle" of relation to self, to the other ("Du") and to the larger whole; in practice, track all three and name relational moments between you.
Forschergeist / gemeinsames Forschen (research spirit, shared inquiry). Test everything, believe nothing unchecked; in practice, frame each exercise as an experiment you explore together, and drop it if it does not fit.
Self-inquiry in dialogue. Knowledge arises from experience reflected with others; in practice, debrief every exercise in words.
Process orientation. The method itself keeps evolving; in practice, follow what emerges rather than a fixed sequence.
Three modes: immersion, integration, deconstruction. In practice, choose deliberately whether to deepen, connect or let go at each point.
Non-hierarchical method wheel. No dimension or method is superior, and methods are not mixed arbitrarily; in practice, pick one access route at a time and say why.
Ring of deconstruction / readiness to let go. No method, state or concept is final; a method pursued as a goal limits contact; in practice, never chase a catharsis or a peak state.
No analytic-causal or purely technical methods. In practice, avoid explaining symptoms by fixed causal formulas; stay with present experience.
Experience first. Practice precedes theory; in practice, give models ("context talks") only after an experience.
Tensions as "an old friend". Defences are perceived and understood, not broken; in practice, invite curiosity toward tension rather than pressure to release it. [source: Mohr]
No fixed goal, no imposed tempo. In practice, let the client set pace and direction ("ohne uns irgendein Tempo vorzugeben", Ewert). [source: Ewert/Mohr practitioner pages]
Holonic view and caution against narcissism. The person is part of larger wholes; intensive self-experience is balanced by awareness of impermanence; in practice, connect inner work to relationships, community and action in the world.
Not tied to any religion. Spiritual practices are offered as methods, not beliefs; in practice, check the client's own worldview before using meditation or ritual language [synthesis on the check].
Pedagogical, not only clinical, framing. The founder warns against "die Fallen des Helfen-Wollens" (the traps of wanting to help). In practice, resist rescuing; support the client's own resources. [source: foreword p. 9]
Clinical safety layer (all [synthesis]). The sources available do not state contraindications or touch-consent procedures; licensed clinicians should add standard screening, consent to touch, window-of-tolerance pacing and documentation (Sections 4–5).

4. Intervention inventory

How to read this section. Every method below is named in an Orgodynamik source (founder's book contents and foreword, institute curricula, encyclopedia entry). None of the sources gives step-by-step instructions, positions, durations or scripts; the institute teaches these in residential training. Steps are therefore [synthesis]: standard body-psychotherapy practice shaped to the method's stated aims, not the founders' protocol. Train with the institute before using the more activating techniques. Example language is illustrative throughout.

Screening before any activating work (breath intensification, stress positions, expression/cathartic work, regression, energy build-up, deep touch) [synthesis; the sources name no contraindications]: pregnancy; cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, aneurysm, stroke history; asthma, COPD or other respiratory illness; epilepsy or seizure history; recent injury, surgery, fractures or osteoporosis; glaucoma or retinal detachment (for straining and head-down work); psychosis or bipolar mania history; severe dissociation or dissociative disorder; active suicidality or recent self-harm; recent trauma or PTSD without stabilisation; substance intoxication; panic disorder (for breath work). For these clients use only the gentle, presence and resource methods, or refer.

Consent protocol for every technique that uses touch [the sources name "holding", "gentle" and "ritualised" body work but give no consent procedure; all steps are synthesis]:

Explain what the touch is for, where your hand will go, how long, and that it is optional.
Ask explicitly; accept only a clear yes; record the agreement.
Offer a no-touch alternative each time (client places own hand; you mirror at a distance; cushion or wall).
Agree a stop signal (word plus a raised hand) and practise it once.
Check in during the touch ("Is this still all right?") and after ("How was the contact?").
Touch only non-intimate areas (hands, forearms, shoulders, upper back, sternum with permission, feet); never breasts, buttocks, genitals or inner thighs; never sexual touch. Eros appears in the curriculum (M5, a "libidinal" body-work seminar) only as a theme of life energy and transference; it is not a touch technique in this guide.
Touch requires specific body-psychotherapy training and supervision; check what your licence, professional code and jurisdiction allow, and whether your insurance covers it.

A. Presence and awareness methods

1. Presence practice and daily meditation (silent sitting, Zazen, Latihan)

Purpose: build Präsenz, the base of every other intervention; daily meditation has been part of the training since 1986. Use at the start of sessions, with anxious or scattered clients, and as home practice. [source: foreword p. 12; contents 5.2.4 "Achtsamkeitsmethoden und Übungen zur Präsenz"]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) client sits upright, feet on floor, eyes open or half-closed; (2) attention to contact points (feet, seat, back) for one minute; (3) then to breath without changing it; (4) then widen to sounds and the room; (5) when attention wanders, note "wandering" and return; (6) 3–10 minutes in session, 10–20 at home; (7) close by opening eyes, looking around, naming one sensation. Zazen (formal seated Zen) and Latihan (Subud's spontaneous inner-movement exercise) are named influences; teach them only if you are trained in those traditions [uncertain how they are used in Orgodynamik].
Example language (illustrative): "Let your weight arrive in the chair. Nothing needs to change; just notice what is here."
Watch for: rising anxiety, dissociation (glazed look, flat voice); keep eyes open and shorten. Working: client reports more detail in sensation and can return attention more easily.

2. Fließendes Gewahrsein (FlieG): mindfulness in movement

Purpose: carry awareness into motion and everyday action, the school's "flow" paradigm (drawing on Csikszentmihalyi and the Subud school). Use after stillness practice, for clients who freeze in stillness, and as a bridge to daily life. [source: contents 5.4; Dynamische Körperarbeit page]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) standing, client begins a slow movement of choice (arms, spine, walking); (2) attention stays on the inner sensation of moving; (3) client lets movement follow impulse rather than plan; (4) you track and occasionally name what you see; (5) 5–15 minutes; (6) slow to stillness, stand, feel aftereffects; (7) debrief: where was attention lost, what returned it; (8) home: one everyday action done with full awareness.
Example language (illustrative): "Let the movement move you. Notice the moment you start directing it, and come back to feeling it."
Watch for: performance, self-consciousness; reduce to tiny movements. Working: smoother, less effortful movement and reports of absorbed attention.

3. Grounding ("Verwurzeln im eigenen Körperselbst")

Purpose: root the client in the body and floor; stabilise before and after intensity. Paired with stress positions in M5 and named as an aim of the advanced cycle. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit; Aufbau-Zyklus]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) standing, feet hip-width, knees soft; (2) feel the soles, rock slightly forward/back and side to side to find centre; (3) on exhale, sense weight dropping through legs; (4) gently bend and lengthen knees 6–10 times; (5) optional: client presses feet into floor and notices legs; (6) close by naming feeling of stability. Seated version for those who cannot stand.
Example language (illustrative): "Feel the floor holding you. Let your knees be soft. What happens in your legs?"
Watch for: dizziness, locked knees, holding breath. Working: steadier stance, slower breathing, client describes feeling "here".

4. Multidimensional exploration with the Methodenrad (five dimensions)

Purpose: map a theme through mental, emotional, physical, subtle-energy and essential dimensions and the outer world, each seen as a "gate" to the larger whole; choose the access route. Use at the start of a theme and whenever the work gets one-sided. [source: Marjorie-Wiki; contents 4.1–4.4, 5.3]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) client names the theme; (2) ask in turn what they think (mental), feel (emotional), sense in the body (physical), notice as energy, image or atmosphere (subtle-energy), and what feels most essential or true (essential); (3) note which is vivid and which absent; (4) agree which gate to enter (e.g. body if thinking dominates); (5) proceed with a method from that dimension; (6) at the end, revisit all five briefly.
Example language (illustrative): "You've told me what you think about it. If we leave the thoughts for a moment, what does your body say?"
Watch for: treating energy or essence talk as fact; keep it phenomenological. Working: client moves between dimensions more easily and notices links.

5. Immersion ("activation of feeling perception")

Purpose: fully enter an experience with all senses, the first of the three modes. Use when a client talks about rather than from experience. [source: Marjorie-Wiki; contents 5.6.1]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) choose a present sensation or feeling; (2) slow down; (3) invite sensory detail (size, temperature, movement, colour); (4) let it amplify slightly through breath or posture if tolerable; (5) stay 2–5 minutes; (6) step out by orienting to the room; (7) talk it through.
Example language (illustrative): "Stay with that warmth in your chest. Let yourself be inside it rather than looking at it."
Watch for: flooding; use titration (in and out). Working: richer description and emotional coherence.

6. Integration of polarities; light and shadow work

Purpose: embed opposing parts (light/shadow, strong/needy) in a wider web; integrate split-off parts and handle aggression constructively (core module M3, hero's journey and archetypes). [source: Marjorie-Wiki; Kernausbildung M3; contents 5.6.2]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) identify the polarity; (2) locate each pole in the body or in two places in the room; (3) client embodies pole A (posture, gesture, a sentence), then pole B; (4) stand between and feel both; (5) ask what each needs from the other; (6) find a posture holding both; (7) debrief, linking to the client's archetypal or life story if they wish.
Example language (illustrative): "Let the angry one have a posture... now the one who wants to be liked. What happens when both are in the room?"
Watch for: shame when the shadow appears; normalise. Working: less either/or language, softer self-judgement.

7. Deconstruction and "Nicht-Wissen" (not-knowing)

Purpose: release identification with any form, story, state or method (the "ring of deconstruction"), creating openness to the unknown; influenced by Wolinsky's quantum psychology and Moss. Use after integration, when a client clings to an insight or identity, or when a technique has become a goal. [source: Marjorie-Wiki; foreword p. 12; Aufbau-Zyklus]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) name the current story, state or self-image; (2) ask where it is in the body and what it is made of (images, words, sensations); (3) inquire who or what is aware of it; (4) let the client rest a minute without a label; (5) return gently to ordinary contact and practical next steps.
Example language (illustrative): "You've found something important. Can you hold it lightly, as one way of seeing, and notice what is here without a name?"
Watch for: depersonalisation or spiritual bypassing of pain; avoid with dissociative or psychotic clients [synthesis]. Working: relaxed curiosity, more flexible self-view.

B. Body work (Dynamische, prozessorientierte und essenzorientierte Körperarbeit)

Orgodynamik adopts Reich's seven "segments" (rings of tension: eyes, mouth, throat, chest, diaphragm, belly, pelvis) as the order of its body-work training. Reich held that chronic muscular "armour" in these rings binds emotion and life energy; this is the school's theory, not established physiology. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit page] The methods below follow that order. Specific orgodynamic techniques per segment are not published [uncertain]; steps are [synthesis] drawn from standard neo-Reichian practice and kept gentle.

8. Segment I (eyes): seeing, being seen, non-judging

Purpose: contact and presence through the eyes; non-judgmental observation; identity (M1). Use early, with withdrawn or hyper-vigilant clients. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M1]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) seated or lying; (2) client lets eyes rest, then slowly looks around the room, naming what is seen without evaluating; (3) slow tracking of the therapist's finger or a light in large arcs (stop at any strain); (4) optional brief eye contact with you, client controls duration and can look away; (5) close eyes, palm them with own hands, rest; (6) debrief: what was it like to see and be seen.
Example language (illustrative): "Just let your eyes take in the room. Name what you see, nothing more. You decide when to look at me and when to look away."
Watch for: tearing, shame, dissociation in eye contact; reduce. Working: softer gaze, more spontaneous contact.

9. Trauma-sensitive eye work (EMDR-based)

Purpose: process incompletely integrated experiences; the advanced cycle teaches eye work based on Francine Shapiro's EMDR plus other methods, and individual sessions offer "traumasensible Augenarbeit". [source: Aufbau-Zyklus; Einzelbegleitungen page]
Steps: the orgodynamic version is not published [uncertain]. Use only within full EMDR training and the standard EMDR protocol (history, preparation, assessment, bilateral stimulation, installation, body scan, closure, re-evaluation); do not improvise eye-movement trauma work [synthesis].
Watch for: abreaction beyond the window of tolerance, dissociation; stop and stabilise. Working: reduced distress on recall, body scan clears.

10. Segments II–III (mouth, throat): expression, the organic cycle, nourishing

Purpose: "the healing power of expression": allow sound and feeling to pass the mouth and throat; handle intense fear and anger; experience the organic cycle of contraction and release; receive nourishment in a ritual frame (M2). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M2]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) lying on back, knees bent, or sitting; (2) notice jaw, lips, throat; (3) gentle jaw release: open and close slowly, small side-to-side movements, 6–10 times; (4) let a sound ride the exhale (a sigh, "ah"), from soft to fuller, only as far as comfortable; (5) if a feeling arises, invite words or sound; (6) contraction-release: client tightens the area for a few seconds, then releases, noticing the difference, 3–5 rounds; (7) nourishing: client receives a warm drink, a held hand (with consent) or a kind sentence and notices taking it in; (8) rest and debrief.
Example language (illustrative): "Let a little sound come out with the breath. You don't have to make it big. What wants to be said?"
Watch for: gagging, choking sensations, panic, memories of oral or medical trauma; slow down, sit up. Working: freer voice, spontaneous feeling expression that settles afterwards.

11. Segment IV (chest): holding, breath and heart presence

Purpose: meet neediness and resistance, explore the role of breath, "Holding" in body work, heart and "space" presence (M3; holding approaches also in core M1). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M3; Kernausbildung M1]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) lying or sitting; (2) client notices breath in the chest without changing it; (3) client places own hand on sternum (no-touch default); (4) with consent, therapist's hand rests lightly on upper back or sternum, or holds a hand or shoulder (holding = steady, non-moving supportive contact), 1–5 minutes; (5) invite whatever feeling arises; (6) withdraw touch slowly with announcement; (7) client senses the after-effect; (8) debrief neediness or resistance that showed up. Follow the consent protocol above every time.
Example language (illustrative): "I'll rest my hand on your upper back, just resting, if that's all right. Tell me if you want it lighter, or gone."
Watch for: collapse into regression, longing that overwhelms, freeze; transference (wish to be held by you). Working: deeper spontaneous breath, tears or warmth that settle, client can ask for or decline contact.

12. Segments V–VI (diaphragm, belly): feelings, boundaries, the intensity trap

Purpose: emotion in the belly, boundary and potential awareness, avoiding the "intensity trap" (chasing ever stronger experiences), and noticing the "transpersonal window" (moments of wider awareness) (M4). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M4]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) lying, knees bent; (2) client's hands on belly, breath let into the belly without forcing, 2–3 minutes; (3) boundary work: client stands, extends arms, says "stop" or pushes a cushion you hold; feels the edge of own space; then explores where you may stand (closer/further); (4) after any intensity, return to quiet and ask what is present now (the "window"); (5) debrief boundaries in daily life.
Example language (illustrative): "Show me with your hand where your space ends. I'll step closer slowly; say stop when it's right."
Watch for: nausea, pressure on recent abdominal surgery or pregnancy (contraindicated), escalating intensity for its own sake. Working: clear "stop", easier belly breath, calmer after expression.

13. Segment VII (pelvis): pulsation, grounding, stress positions

Purpose: pulsation and flow, grounding, and eros as life energy; transference and countertransference are explicitly taught here (M5). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M5] No touch to the pelvis is described in this guide; pelvic work here is self-directed movement only [synthesis].
Steps [synthesis]: (1) lying, knees bent, feet flat; (2) small pelvic rocks with the breath (tilt on exhale, release on inhale), 10–20 times; (3) standing grounding (method 3); (4) stress position: see method 14; (5) rest and notice vitality; (6) debrief, including any arousal, shame or transference, in plain professional language.
Example language (illustrative): "Just a small rocking of the pelvis with your breath. Keep it easy; stop whenever you like."
Watch for: sexual-trauma activation, shame, erotic transference; slow down, sit up, name boundaries clearly. Working: freer movement, sense of vitality without flooding.

14. Stress positions

Purpose: build energetic charge and vibration in the legs and body for grounding (named in M5, from neo-Reichian/bioenergetic practice). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M5] Orgodynamic specifics not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: (1) screen (see above; especially cardiovascular, knee, back, pregnancy, epilepsy); (2) standing, feet parallel, knees bent, weight forward on the balls of the feet (a bioenergetic-style "grounding" stance); or lying with legs raised and knees slightly bent; (3) breathe naturally; (4) let trembling come if it does; (5) 30 seconds to 2 minutes, client ends at will; (6) come out slowly, stand, feel feet; (7) debrief.
Example language (illustrative): "If shaking comes, let it. You end this whenever you choose."
Watch for: pain, dizziness, breath-holding, panic. Working: easy vibration, warmth, sense of standing more firmly.

15. Continuum movement through all segments

Purpose: let movement and awareness flow through all seven segments; vitality and the "yes to life" (M6). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M6]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) lying or standing; (2) start with small movements at the eyes, then jaw, neck, chest, diaphragm, belly, pelvis, legs, a minute or two each; (3) let each region's movement continue as the next begins; (4) end with whole-body movement then stillness; (5) debrief where movement flowed and where it stopped.
Example language (illustrative): "Let the movement travel down from your eyes to your jaw... let it keep going as it reaches your chest."
Watch for: getting stuck in one region; work there briefly. Working: more connected, wave-like movement.

16. Energy build-up and "Streamings"

Purpose: mindful build-up, direction and holding of "higher energy levels" and the initiation of "Streamings" (neo-Reichian term for flowing, tingling sensations), using neo-Reichian and tantric approaches to awaken, calm and balance body dynamics (advanced cycle). [source: Aufbau-Zyklus] The energy framing is the school's theory. Detailed technique not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: advanced only, after training; (1) screen; (2) gentle deepened breath for a few minutes; (3) attention to tingling or warmth; (4) let it spread rather than push; (5) balance with slow, calming breath and grounding; (6) end with full orientation and talk.
Watch for: hyperventilation signs (tingling around the mouth, cramping hands), dizziness, anxiety; slow the breath. Working: pleasant flow that the client can calm at will.

17. Breath work and breath methods

Purpose: deepen process, used with birth work (M6) and transition support (M8); Michael Plesse's background includes breath work after Dürckheim [source: Kernausbildung M6, M8; foreword p. 10] Specific protocol not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: (1) screen; (2) observe the natural breath; (3) gently lengthen the exhale for calming, or deepen and quicken the inhale slightly for activation, always client-paced; (4) rounds of 2–5 minutes with rests; (5) return to natural breath; (6) debrief.
Watch for: hyperventilation, panic, dissociation, epilepsy risk. Working: affect accessible and settles.

18. Birth-level work and regression

Purpose: work with birth as an archetypal transition and the phases of birth; regression techniques (M6). [source: Kernausbildung M6; Dynamische Körperarbeit M6] Orgodynamic procedure not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: use symbolic, adult-anchored forms only: (1) client reflects on a current "new beginning"; (2) explores in posture or movement the phases of being held, pressure, pushing through and arriving (e.g. curling, then unfolding); (3) keeps an adult observer and eye contact available; (4) receives welcome (a kind sentence); (5) relates to the present transition. Avoid suggestive "memory" recovery work.
Watch for: deep regression, flooding, false-memory risk, pregnancy and perinatal loss histories. Working: felt sense of emerging, linked to present life.

19. Gentle body work and massage

Purpose: soothing, ritualised touch to support self-perception; the founder taught massage widely and used extended hand and foot massage before full-body massage to lower cultural barriers to touch. [source: foreword p. 11; Kernausbildung M2, M5]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) full consent protocol; (2) client clothed, lying or seated; (3) start with hands or feet; slow, even pressure; (4) 5–15 minutes; (5) progress to forearms, shoulders, back only if agreed; (6) end with a still resting hand, then withdraw; (7) debrief what the client noticed and felt.
Watch for: freezing, compliance, trauma activation. Working: relaxed tone and words for what is felt.

20. Energy work and Energy Tai Chi

Purpose: subtle-energy dimension practices (influence: Michael Barnett) and "energy Tai Chi" (M3). [source: foreword p. 11; Kernausbildung M3] Specific forms not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: slow, flowing standing movements with soft knees, coordinated with breath, attention on sensation between the hands and in the body; 5–15 minutes; close standing still.
Watch for: claims of healing; keep it experiential. Working: calm, centred state.

21. Body-oriented trance work and imaginal methods

Purpose: deepen access through trance, imagery and creative imagination (M2, M3, M6, M8); roots in katathymes Bilderleben (guided affective imagery) and dehypnotherapy (Dick Shoulders). [source: Kernausbildung; foreword pp. 9, 11]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) relaxed position; (2) brief body scan; (3) invite an image from a felt sense ("if this feeling were a place..."); (4) explore it with all senses; (5) let the image change; (6) return with counting up and orientation; (7) draw or describe it.
Watch for: intrusive or frightening imagery; open eyes. Working: images that shift and carry meaning.

22. Voice work, movement expression and creative expression

Purpose: authentic expression through body, voice and action; creativity as a resource (M4); earlier roots in action painting and psychodrama. [source: Kernausbildung M4; foreword pp. 9–10]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) warm up body and breath; (2) a sound or movement for a felt state; (3) amplify, vary, slow; (4) translate into a drawing, painting or a sentence; (5) witness and debrief.
Watch for: self-judgement, performance. Working: spontaneity and play.

C. Relational and dialogic methods

23. Dyad work (self-inquiry in dialogue)

Purpose: "Selbsterforschung im Dialog", one of the four research principles; dyads appear in core modules M2 and M7 and in the body-work training. Mainly a group/training format; in individual therapy you are the partner. [source: contents 3.2.4; Kernausbildung; Dynamische Körperarbeit]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) pairs sit facing; (2) one asks a set question (e.g. "What do you notice in your body right now?"), the other answers aloud for 3–5 minutes; the asker only listens, without comment; (3) switch; (4) a minute of silence; (5) share briefly what was learned, not advice.
Example language (illustrative): "Your only job is to listen fully. No nodding commentary, no advice."
Watch for: advice-giving, monologue to avoid feeling. Working: answers move from story to present experience.

24. Dialogspirale (dialogue spiral)

Purpose: named as a method of M9 (life direction, integrating the training). [source: Kernausbildung M9] Its structure is not described in any source [uncertain]; do not use the name for your own improvised format.

25. "Prema" work and "Prema feedback"

Purpose: named in M3 ("Prema-Arbeit") and M9 ("Prema-Feedback"); "prema" is a Sanskrit word for love, suggesting heart-centred feedback. [source: Kernausbildung] Content not described in the sources [uncertain]. A neutral, appreciative-feedback format (speaker names what they genuinely value in the other, in specific observed terms) is a safe approximation, labelled as your own [synthesis].

26. Mirror work and mirror structures

Purpose: see self-image and how one is seen (M3, M5). [source: Kernausbildung] Specific procedure not published [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: (a) with a physical mirror: client looks at own face or posture for 1–3 minutes, notices judgement, then describes only what is seen, then speaks a kind sentence to the image; (b) movement mirroring: you or a group partner mirror the client's posture or gesture so the client can see it from outside; (c) debrief.
Example language (illustrative): "Describe what you see as if meeting this person for the first time."
Watch for: shame, body-image distress (eating disorders: use with great care or omit) [synthesis]. Working: kinder, more descriptive self-talk.

27. Parts work, identity differentiation and core identities ("Driver and Compensator")

Purpose: explore self-concepts and child identities (M1), personality parts, and in the advanced cycle core identities named "Driver" and "Compensator" and how they act in body-dynamic work. [source: Kernausbildung M1; Aufbau-Zyklus] The Driver/Compensator model's content is not described [uncertain]; the terms echo Wolinsky's quantum-psychology idea of a core false identity and its compensating identity [uncertain inference].
Steps [synthesis]: (1) name a familiar self-image (e.g. "the one who copes"); (2) find its posture, gesture and typical sentence; (3) find the feeling or belief it protects against and its body pattern; (4) differentiate: "I have this part; I am more than it"; (5) notice the body when not in either.
Example language (illustrative): "Show me how 'the one who copes' stands. And what is underneath that it is managing?"
Watch for: harsh self-labelling. Working: humour and distance toward old identities.

28. Transsystemic constellation method

Purpose: systemic constellation work ("Transsystemik®") used in M1 and offered in individual sessions. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M1; Über uns; Einzelbegleitungen] Procedure not described [uncertain]; use only with constellation training.

29. Resource work and body self-perception exercises

Purpose: strengthen self-efficacy and self-acceptance (M5); support before and after intensity. [source: Kernausbildung M5]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) recall a moment of strength, safety or joy; (2) find where it lives in the body and its posture; (3) amplify it slightly; (4) choose a gesture or word as an anchor; (5) rehearse calling it up; (6) use it to end sessions.
Example language (illustrative): "Where in your body do you feel that steadiness? Let it grow a little."
Watch for: resource collapses into a painful memory; switch resource. Working: reliable calming when the anchor is used.

D. Ritual, meaning and integration

30. Ritual work (threshold, farewell and ritual process work)

Purpose: mark transitions; ritual work influenced by Paul Rebillot and Cherokee-tradition ritual; threshold rituals (M5), farewell rituals (M8), ritual process work (M6), ritual frames for nourishing (body-work M2). [source: foreword p. 11; Kernausbildung; Dynamische Körperarbeit] Specific forms not described [uncertain]. Do not imitate Indigenous ceremonies without authorisation [synthesis].
Steps [synthesis]: (1) agree the intention (e.g. leaving a role); (2) prepare a simple space (a line or doorway as threshold); (3) client says what is left behind, steps across, says what is taken forward; (4) a witness acknowledges; (5) silence; (6) talk about first concrete steps.
Example language (illustrative): "When you are ready, say what you are leaving on this side, and step across."
Watch for: grief surfacing; give time. Working: felt sense of closure.

31. Contemplative practice on mortality ("death in life")

Purpose: impermanence, farewells, closing open cycles, renewed vitality (M8). [source: Kernausbildung M8]
Steps [synthesis]: screen first for suicidality, recent bereavement and depression; (1) seated presence; (2) reflect on one thing that is ending; (3) notice body response; (4) name what remains important; (5) close with grounding and a life-affirming action.
Watch for: hopelessness, suicidal ideation (assess directly). Working: calm acceptance and clearer priorities.

32. Creative future design and body anchoring of life direction

Purpose: identify core themes and values, anchor potential and life direction in the body, "standing in one's own axis" around money and work (M9). [source: Kernausbildung M9]
Steps [synthesis]: (1) client describes a desired direction; (2) stands and finds a posture that embodies it; (3) walks forward into it a few steps; (4) names one concrete action within a week; (5) recalls the posture when taking that action.
Example language (illustrative): "Stand the way the person who already lives this would stand."
Watch for: grandiosity or vagueness; make it concrete. Working: plans the client follows.

33. Context talks (Kontexttalks) and models

Purpose: short theory inputs given in context of experience, e.g. the book's "Eros and presence in multidimensional consciousness" talk (what eros is, what hinders and supports it). [source: foreword p. 12; contents 7]
Steps [synthesis]: after an exercise, give a 5–10 minute model linked to what was just experienced; invite questions; do not lecture before experience.

34. Multidimensional evaluation (Auswertungsmatrix)

Purpose: evaluate practice across dimensions; the book provides a multidimensional evaluation matrix and items for further empirical study. [source: contents 6.3–6.4] Items not reproduced or seen [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]: at regular reviews, ask the client to rate change in each dimension (thinking, feeling, body, energy/vitality, sense of meaning, relationships, action in the world); add a standard validated outcome measure your setting uses.

5. Handling problems

The sources give a few stance-level answers (tensions as "an old friend", no imposed tempo, the "intensity trap", the ring of deconstruction, caution against narcissism, "boundary-setting in facilitation", transference taught in M5). Everything else is [synthesis].

Stuck client (nothing moves, repeats the same story). Source stance: do not push; treat the block as information. [source: Mohr; Marjorie-Wiki] Concretely [synthesis]: change dimension with the Methodenrad (from talk to body, from body to image); make the exercise smaller; invite curiosity about the stuckness itself ("What does this stuck place feel like?"); use the deconstruction move (hold the goal of change lightly).
Resistance and defences. Source stance: tensions are not fought; they are perceived, understood and accepted "like an old friend". [source: Mohr] Concretely [synthesis]: name and honour the protective function; ask the tension what it guards; give full permission to decline any exercise; never apply forcing pressure to "break" armour (contrast with older Reichian practice).
Overwhelm, flooding, the "intensity trap". The body-work training warns against chasing intensity. [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M4] Concretely [synthesis]: stop the exercise; sit the client up, eyes open; slow exhale-led breathing; feet pressed into the floor; name five things seen; reduce to resource work (method 29); next session start with presence and grounding only; reassess window of tolerance; never end a session while the client is still flooded.
Dissociation during body work [synthesis]: signs are glazed eyes, flat voice, delayed responses, numbness; respond by orienting (name, date, room), movement of hands and feet, temperature or texture cues, and switch to non-touch, eyes-open work; screen for a dissociative disorder before further activating work.
Non-adherence to home practice [synthesis]: shrink the practice (one minute of presence, one daily action done with FlieG); tie to an existing routine; explore what the practice evokes; drop practices that clash with the client's worldview (Orgodynamik is not tied to any religion).
Ruptures in the relationship [synthesis, consistent with the "conscious relatedness" paradigm]: name the moment openly, take your share, ask what the client experienced, repair in words and, if body work was involved, re-negotiate consent; document.
Touch-related ruptures, unwanted arousal or erotic transference. Transference and countertransference and eros are explicit curriculum themes (M5). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M5] Concretely [synthesis]: stop touch immediately; restate professional boundaries plainly and kindly; work verbally with the meaning; take it to supervision; never sexualise or continue touch; refer if the frame cannot be held. Sexual contact with clients is unethical and illegal in most jurisdictions.
Transpersonal or spiritual experiences ("transpersonal window", Streamings, essence states). The sources treat these as part of the work and emphasise letting go of states (deconstruction). [source: Dynamische Körperarbeit M4; Aufbau-Zyklus; Marjorie-Wiki] Concretely [synthesis]: normalise without inflating; ground afterwards; link back to daily life; distinguish from emerging psychosis or mania (sleep loss, grandiosity, thought disorder) and assess or refer.
Spiritual bypassing and narcissistic inflation. The authors counter intensive self-experience with the holonic view and impermanence. [source: Marjorie-Wiki] Concretely [synthesis]: ask how the insight changes behaviour toward others this week; bring in relationships and responsibility.
Activation of trauma memories, especially in birth, regression or pelvic work [synthesis]: pause, orient to the present adult self, use resources; do not interpret images as literal memories; move to trauma-specific methods (EMDR only if trained; method 9).
Suicidality or self-harm emerging, particularly in mortality work (M8) [synthesis]: pause body work; do a standard risk assessment (ideation, intent, plan, history, protective factors); safety plan; lethal-means counselling (secure or remove means); involve emergency services or crisis care when risk is high; avoid activating methods until stable.
Medical symptoms during exercises (chest pain, severe dizziness, fainting, seizure, persistent hyperventilation) [synthesis]: stop, sit or lie safely, call medical help where indicated; resume only after medical clearance. Never present Orgodynamik or energy work as treatment for physical disease.
Clients wanting "energy" explanations as fact [synthesis]: present energy and segment language as the school's metaphors and experiential map, not physiology.
Group-specific problems (dyads, residential modules) [synthesis]: pressure to participate (state opt-out rules at the start); contagion of intense expression (structure turns, contain the room); boundary confusion between participants (clear agreements on touch and contact outside sessions).
Scope and licensing [synthesis]: Orgodynamik is not a guideline procedure in Germany and certification is a training credential, not a licence; integrate it within your licensed practice, document consent and methods, and keep supervision.

Sources

Sources:

Further reading (not drawn on): KOBRA Kassel repository record of the dissertation; institute Jahresprogramm 2026 PDF; Braun (2014) Regensburg dissertation on body psychotherapy in German clinics (no mention of Orgodynamik).

Books and articles cited (not drawn on beyond previews):

Plesse-St. Clair, G. (2011). Orgodynamik – Menschen multidimensional begleiten. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.
St. Clair, G. (2010). Orgodynamik als Konzept und Methode einer transpersonal orientierten Forschungs- und Lehrpraxis. Dissertation, Universität Kassel. [uncertain]
Plesse, M. (2010; 2011). Von der Bewusstseinsweite zum ko-kreativen Handeln, Teil I and II. Transpersonale Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 2/2010 and 1/2011. [uncertain]
Plesse, M. & Plesse-St. Clair, G. (1988). Feuer der Sinnlichkeit, Licht des Herzens. Goldmann. [authorship inferred from the institute timeline, uncertain]
Boyesen, G. (1987). Über den Körper die Seele heilen. Kösel. [background; not drawn on]
Wolinsky, S. (2001). Der Weg des Menschlichen. Notizbücher zur Quantenpsychologie. Econ. [background; not drawn on]
Marlock, G. & Weiss, H. (Hrsg.) (2006). Handbuch der Körperpsychotherapie. Schattauer. [background; not drawn on]

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