Atlas›Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies›Guide 089
Guide VIII-089

Authentic Movement and movement-in-depth

Mary Starks Whitehouse, Janet Adler1950
A 40 · L 32 · M 2818 interventions in the Trinity explorer
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[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: Janet Adler's Discipline of Authentic Movement (the mover–witness "ground form" and its progression of roles), as Adler describes it on the Discipline's own site and in her Mandorla paper, with Mary Starks Whitehouse's earlier "movement in depth" as its root, and clinical adaptations from dance movement therapy authors (Stromsted 2009; Payne 2001, 2023; Barkai 2024). Where those differ, the difference is named.

Authentic Movement is a practice rather than a manualised therapy. Mary Starks Whitehouse (1911–1979), a dancer who trained with Martha Graham and Mary Wigman and was influenced by Jungian analysis, began teaching "movement in depth" in the 1950s, using Jung's active imagination in bodily form [source: Plevin 2014, p. 132; Wikipedia; Farah 2016]. She regarded herself as a dance teacher and did not present a formal therapy model [source: Farah 2016]. Janet Adler (1941–2023), who met Whitehouse's work in 1969, formalised the mover–witness relationship and in the early 1980s named it the Discipline of Authentic Movement; she frames it as a contemporary mystical practice for developing "embodied witness consciousness" [source: Discipline of Authentic Movement site; Inner Traditions book page]. Joan Chodorow, a Jungian analyst, carried it into clinical depth-psychology work [source: Plevin 2014, p. 132; Wikipedia].

Core idea of change: a mover, eyes closed, waits for and follows impulses that arise without planning (Whitehouse's distinction between "I move" and "I am moved"), while a witness, eyes open, watches and tracks her own inner response. In the practice's own account, being seen by a non-judging witness, and then putting the movement into present-tense words, brings unconscious material into awareness and gradually builds an "inner witness": the capacity to observe one's own experience with compassion rather than judgement [source: Farah 2016; Adler, Mandorla 2014, p. 4; Discipline of Authentic Movement site]. In therapy, the therapist usually takes the witness role [source: Stromsted 2009, p. 3; Barkai 2024].

2. Framework

No session-count protocol exists. None of the sources gives a fixed number of sessions, phase lengths or outcome-based criteria; the structure below is the developmental sequence Adler describes, plus session-level timings reported by teachers and clinicians [uncertain: phase criteria in Adler's books (2002, 2022)].

Developmental stages of the practice (Adler) [source: Discipline of Authentic Movement site; Adler, Mandorla 2014, pp. 4–8]

  • Individual: growth of the inner witness.
  • Dyad / ground form: one mover, one outer witness (often the teacher or therapist). Goal: personal and historical material can be explored inside a "safe-enough" relational container.
  • Moving witness: two movers move at the same time with eyes closed, each witnessing the other while moving.
  • Silent witness: the mover, in turn, sits at the side with eyes open, watching the other and tracking her own experience without speaking about it. Adler describes this silence as protecting both people from a responsibility the new witness is not yet ready for (p. 7).
  • Speaking witness: first with one mover, later with more.
  • Circle and collective body: small groups (Adler's "Circles of Four" training) and later larger groups in which each person declares, before each round, whether they will move or witness.
  • Criterion for moving on: the experience and skills of the current role are "absorbed, integrated enough"; returning to earlier roles is expected (Mandorla p. 4).

Typical session format (clinical and training adaptations)

  • Arrival and agreements; mover and witness make eye contact; mover closes eyes and enters the space [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 2; Payne 2023, p. 3].
  • Movement period whose length is agreed beforehand and held by the witness: reported ranges are about 20–60 minutes in a training group, and silent witnessing from about five minutes to an hour or more [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; CTP course page; Barkai 2024]. With new or fragile clients start much shorter [synthesis].
  • Transition: a few minutes of drawing, writing or clay before speaking (CTP reports about 10 minutes of writing) [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Stromsted 2009, p. 4; CTP; Barkai 2024].
  • Mover speaks first; witness speaks only if the mover asks; short shared dialogue; closing [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Payne 2001; Barkai 2024].
  • Format: individual therapy, small groups, training groups; used for therapy, personal growth, professional development and training movement therapists [source: Barkai 2024; Stromsted 2009].

Suggested clinical phases for a psychotherapist [synthesis]

  1. Assessment and preparation (1–3 sessions): screening (see 4.1), explanation, consent and touch agreement, short eyes-open movement trials. Move on when the client can describe body sensations, tolerates being looked at, and can say stop.
  2. Ground-form work: brief rounds, therapist as witness, client speaks first. Lengthen rounds as the client stays oriented and returns from movement able to speak about it.
  3. Deepening: longer rounds; the client asks for witnessing more freely; optional silent-witness turns for the client in groups.
  4. Integration and ending: fewer movement rounds, more linking of material to the client's life; plan the last session in advance.

Who may use it. Adler's publisher states that witnesses should be professionally trained in psychotherapeutic practice and names dance/movement therapists, somatic psychotherapists and creative arts therapists as especially qualified [source: Inner Traditions book page]. In the USA the dance/movement therapy credentials are ADTA's R-DMT (master's level, via an approved programme or alternate route) and BC-DMT (advanced) [source: ADTA, Become a DMT]. In the UK, ADMP UK registers dance movement psychotherapists (MA training) and is an organisational member of UKCP's Humanistic and Integrative College; its UKCP route covers adult clients only [source: ADMP UK, UKCP accreditation]. Dance movement psychotherapy is not among the HCPC-regulated arts therapies [uncertain]. There is no statutory credential for Authentic Movement itself; teaching lineages include Adler's Circles of Four and the Authentic Movement Institute (Berkeley) [source: Discipline of Authentic Movement site; Wikipedia]. A psychotherapist without DMT training should first do sustained personal practice as a mover and witness in a recognised training group and take supervision from a trained practitioner before using it with clients [synthesis].

3. Guiding principles

  • No agenda for the mover. No outer or inner instruction; the mover enters empty space and waits [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 5]. Practically: do not set movement tasks or goals in the ground form.
  • Being moved, not choosing to move. Movement that arises from impulse is distinguished from deliberate exercise, improvisation or creative movement [source: Payne 2001; Farah 2016]. Practically: stillness, lying down or not moving at all are full participation.
  • "I move" and "I am moved" form a continuum. Both can occur in one session [source: Farah 2016]. Practically: don't treat deliberate movement as failure.
  • Eyes closed for the mover, open for the witness. Turning inward reduces visual input and heightens other senses [source: CTP; Payne 2001]. Practically: offer half-closed or open eyes when closing them is unsafe or frightening (see 5).
  • The witness carries the container. A "benign presence", safe, contained and receptive [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Stromsted 2009, p. 4]. Practically: sit still, attentive, without phone, notes or clock-watching during the round.
  • Track two streams. The witness follows the mover and her own inner experience at the same time [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 4]. Practically: notice your sensations, images and feelings as data about yourself, not the client.
  • Own projection, judgement and interpretation. The witness recognises these as hers [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7; Payne 2001; Payne 2023]. Practically: speak in first person ("I see… I notice in me…"), never "you were feeling…".
  • The mover speaks first and controls the witnessing. Witness speaks only if invited and only about movements the mover named [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Payne 2001; Barkai 2024]. Practically: ask "Would you like witnessing?" and accept no.
  • Present tense, speaking the movement rather than about it. [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 4; Barkai 2024]. Practically: "I am lying on my side…" rather than "I lay down because…".
  • Only witness what you saw. If the witness did not see a movement, she cannot witness it [source: Payne 2023, p. 3].
  • The mover chooses what to take in. She accepts or rejects witnessing [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Barkai 2024]. Practically: don't defend your perception.
  • Silence protects. Silent witnessing protects the witness from premature responsibility and the mover from unaware responses [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7; Barkai 2024]. Practically: when unsure, say less.
  • Gradual development of roles. Move to a new role only when the previous one is integrated enough [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 4].
  • Guide only as much as needed (Whitehouse). The leader suggests themes or images only when the mover lacks expressive autonomy; the mover may refuse them; and "waiting too long" can harm as much as not waiting [source: Farah 2016, quoting Whitehouse].
  • Ego strength matters. Chodorow is reported as recommending the work for reasonably stable people able to meet unconscious contents [source: Farah 2016]. Practically: screen first.
  • Safety is the mover's responsibility too. Movers keep some attention on their surroundings and peek when needed [source: Ottawa/Gatineau group guidelines].
  • Touch only by conscious choice. In Adler's moving-witness stage, movers may touch or move together only if they consciously choose [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 6]. Practically: in therapy, the therapist-witness does not touch the eyes-closed client; any contact rules are agreed in advance [synthesis].
  • Confidentiality of content. What was witnessed is not referred to later without permission [source: Ottawa/Gatineau group guidelines].
  • Not diagnostic. Movement in this practice is not an assessment; never read movement as evidence of abuse or disorder [synthesis; no validated assessment use found in sources].

4. Intervention inventory

The ground form has few named techniques: the work lies in the structure (eye contact, eyes-closed moving, timed witnessing, transition, speaking). Items 4.1–4.3 are preparation steps that the published sources mostly do not spell out; they are marked [synthesis] accordingly.

4.1 Screening and readiness

  • Purpose: decide whether eyes-closed, unstructured movement is suitable now.
  • Steps: [synthesis, informed by Chodorow's reported caution in Farah 2016] (1) Ask about current psychosis, dissociative episodes, recent trauma, seizures, falls, balance, pregnancy, joint or heart conditions, and medication causing dizziness. (2) Ask how the client feels about being looked at and about closing their eyes with another person present. (3) Ask about touch history and preferences (see 4.2). (4) For clients with fragile ego boundaries, active psychosis, or frequent dissociation, defer the eyes-closed ground form; use eyes-open, shorter, more structured movement work instead, or refer to a trained dance movement psychotherapist. (5) Seek medical clearance where physical risk is present.
  • Example language (illustrative): "In this practice you would move, or not move, with your eyes closed while I watch. Before we try it, I'd like to know what it is like for you to be watched, and whether closing your eyes feels okay."
  • Watch for: startle, held breath, or reluctance when eyes closing is described; vague answers about dissociation. Working if: the client can name sensations and say what they would need to feel safe.

4.2 Consent and touch agreement

  • Purpose: make explicit before any movement who may touch whom, and how to stop.
  • Steps: [synthesis; group rules from Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines; principle of conscious choice from Adler, Mandorla p. 6] (1) State that the therapist-witness will not touch the client during moving; the only exception is to prevent an injury, and in that case they will speak first ("Stop, wall") and touch only a shoulder or arm if speech is not enough. (2) In groups, agree in advance: movers start intending to move alone; if they meet another mover by accident, both pause and acknowledge the contact; each decides whether to continue or part; anyone can withdraw at any time; lost contact is not pursued [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (3) Make clear that touch is never sexual and never to genital areas, breasts or buttocks; any mover may say or signal "no" without explanation. (4) Agree an opt-out: the mover may open their eyes, stop, sit at the side, or become a witness at any time [source: CTP; Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (5) Check cultural and religious norms on touch and mixed-gender contact, and trauma history; offer a no-contact arrangement (e.g. separate zones of the room). (6) Record the agreement and revisit it each session.
  • Example language (illustrative): "I will stay seated and won't touch you. If you are about to bump into something I will say 'stop' first. You can open your eyes and stop at any point; you don't need to explain."
  • Watch for: compliance without real agreement (quick yes, no questions); freeze when contact is mentioned. Working if: the client uses the opt-out at least once without apology.

4.3 Preparing the space: falls and eyes-closed safety

  • Purpose: prevent injury when movers cannot see.
  • Steps: [synthesis, plus mover-safety rules from Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines] (1) Clear room of furniture edges, glass, cables; pad or mark pillars and radiators; non-slip floor, clean and warm enough to lie on; bare feet or non-slip socks. (2) Set enough floor area per mover (groups: keep movers well spaced; reduce numbers if the room is small). (3) Witnesses sit around the edge, so they also act as a boundary. (4) Teach movers before starting: keep part of attention on surroundings; open the eyes slightly for large, fast or strong movements or loud sounds; look down before stamping, up before rising quickly; no loud sounds near others' ears [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (5) Encourage low and slow movement at first; no jumps or spins with eyes closed for new movers. (6) Witness keeps eyes on the mover throughout and intervenes verbally if a collision or fall is likely. (7) Have a first-aid plan and know how to call help.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Keep a little attention on the room. If you want to move fast or big, open your eyes slightly first."
  • Watch for: rapid spinning, backward travelling, sudden rising (dizziness), approaching walls.

4.4 Opening: eye contact and entering the space

  • Purpose: mark the threshold between ordinary time and the movement round, and establish being seen.
  • Steps: (1) Agree the length of the round; the witness holds the time [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. (2) Mover and witness make eye contact [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 2; Payne 2023, p. 3]. (3) The mover steps into the clear space and closes their eyes [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 2]. (4) The witness settles into stillness at the side of the space [source: Inner Traditions book page; Barkai 2024].
  • Example language (illustrative): "We have fifteen minutes. When you're ready, look at me, then go into the space and close your eyes."
  • Watch for: a mover who avoids the eye contact or rushes in; note it, don't comment during the round.

4.5 Moving: waiting for impulse, following it (mover's practice)

  • Purpose: let unplanned movement arise (active imagination in movement), observed by the mover's own developing witness.
  • Steps: (1) With eyes closed, the mover waits and listens to the body; Whitehouse described this as a listening in which change can happen [source: Farah 2016]. (2) When a sensation, emotion, image or memory arises, the mover allows it to become movement, sound or stillness [source: Stromsted 2009, p. 3; Barkai 2024; Wikipedia]. (3) No direction is given; the freedom is likened to free association [source: CTP]. (4) Stillness, sound, speech or even sleep are acceptable [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines; Barkai 2024]. (5) Movement is not to be repeated or turned into choreography; process matters, not product [source: Farah 2016; Plevin 2014, p. 134]. (6) At the end signal, the mover opens their eyes and returns to the witness [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 2].
  • Example language (illustrative): "There's nothing to do. Wait, and if something wants to move, let it. Staying still is also fine."
  • Watch for: performing for the witness (repeated looking-good shapes), which usually eases with practice [source: Barkai 2024]; signs of overwhelm (see 5). Working if: movement becomes more varied, slower or more specific; the mover reports moments of surprise or being moved.

4.6 Whitehouse-style leader suggestions: polarities and stillness

  • Purpose: support a mover who cannot yet find impulses (low expressive autonomy), drawing on Whitehouse's movement-in-depth classes.
  • Steps: (1) Use only when needed; the mover may accept or reject the suggestion [source: Farah 2016]. (2) Offer a polarity to explore: right/left, slow/quick, front/back, light/heavy, moving/not moving [source: Farah 2016]. (3) Or offer an image or theme, then step back into silent witnessing. (4) Treat stillness as active: invite the mover to notice what continues inside while still [source: Farah 2016].
  • Example language (illustrative): "If you'd like a starting point, notice the difference between your right and left side, and let one of them lead."
  • Watch for: the mover following the instruction to please you. Working if: self-initiated movement takes over from the suggestion. Note: this is Whitehouse's teaching approach; Adler's ground form gives no instruction [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 5].

4.7 Witness tracking (therapist's internal practice)

  • Purpose: provide containment and gather material for later witnessing; notice countertransference.
  • Steps: (1) Sit still and attentive with eyes open. (2) Track the mover's visible actions and sounds: which body part, direction, speed, level, sequence [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. (3) Simultaneously track your own kinaesthetic impulses (not acted on), sensations, feelings, images and stories [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Adler, Mandorla p. 4]. (4) Label inwardly what is projection, judgement or interpretation [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7]. (5) Keep visual safety watch (4.3). (6) If a mover approaches you, move aside rather than engage; eyes-open witnesses do not interact with eyes-closed movers [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (7) If attention drops (slouching, clock-watching), re-settle [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines].
  • Example language: none during the round; silence.
  • Watch for: in yourself, strong urges to rescue, interpret or join in; drowsiness (may be your own fatigue or a response to the mover; note it for supervision) [synthesis]. Payne links this practice to recognising transference and countertransference [source: Payne 2001].

4.8 Holding time and closing the round

  • Purpose: give a predictable boundary.
  • Steps: (1) The witness holds the agreed duration [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. (2) In groups, use agreed signals; one community group uses one bell to start and three to end [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (3) Give a soft verbal warning a minute or two before the end [synthesis]. (4) Invite the mover to find an ending, open their eyes slowly, look around the room, and return to the witness.
  • Example language (illustrative): "In a minute or so, begin to find an ending… When you're ready, open your eyes and come back over here."
  • Watch for: a mover who does not respond to the signal (possible dissociation or sleep, see 5).

4.9 Transition through art-making or writing

  • Purpose: bridge from wordless body experience to speech; anchor the experience.
  • Steps: (1) After the round, give a few minutes for free writing, drawing, mark-making or clay [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Stromsted 2009, p. 4; Barkai 2024]; CTP reports about 10 minutes of writing [source: CTP]. (2) Have materials ready beforehand (paper, crayons, non-toxic clay; avoid sharp tools) [synthesis]. (3) The witness may also draw or write first and speak later [source: Payne 2001].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Take a few minutes with the paper before we talk. Anything that helps you remember is fine."
  • Watch for: writing used to avoid speaking every time; that can be noted gently later.

4.10 Mover speaks first, in the present tense

  • Purpose: make the experience conscious by speaking the movement itself.
  • Steps: (1) The mover returns and describes significant movement moments and the thoughts, feelings, images or sensations that came with them [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. (2) Encourage present tense, speaking the movement rather than about it [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 4]. (3) The mover chooses what to voice and what to keep private [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 4]. (4) Witness listens until the mover has finished [source: Barkai 2024].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Start wherever you like, as if it is happening now: 'I am…'"; client example: "I am curled on my side. My left hand is pressing the floor. I feel heat in my chest."
  • Watch for: explanation and interpretation replacing description ("I did that because…"); gently redirect to sensation. Working if: descriptions become more specific and embodied.

4.11 Requested witnessing (speaking witness)

  • Purpose: let the mover be seen, accurately and without judgement.
  • Steps: (1) Ask whether the mover wants witnessing, and whether in words, movement or both [source: Payne 2023, p. 3; Barkai 2024]. (2) If yes, speak only about movements the mover mentioned, and only those you saw [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. (3) Use first person and present tense [source: Barkai 2024]: describe the movement concretely, then, where useful, your own response, owned as yours [source: Payne 2001; Adler, Mandorla p. 7]. (4) Stay close to the mover's own gestures and words [source: Discipline of Authentic Movement site]. (5) Leave out interpretations of meaning, diagnoses and advice. (6) Then a brief shared dialogue in which the mover accepts or rejects the witnessing [source: Payne 2023, p. 3].
  • Example language (illustrative): "I see you lying on your side; your left hand presses into the floor. As I watch, I notice warmth in my own chest and an image of a small boat."
  • Watch for: your sentences beginning with "you felt" or "that meant"; mover nodding politely but closing down. Working if: the mover adds, corrects or chooses which words to take in; over time, clients witness themselves more kindly (inner witness).

4.12 Witnessing in movement

  • Purpose: offer witnessing without words, so the mover sees how they were seen.
  • Steps: (1) Ask if the mover prefers movement testimony [source: Barkai 2024]. (2) With eyes open, the witness briefly reflects a few movements the mover mentioned, in their own body, scaled down [source: Barkai 2024; scaling down is synthesis]. (3) Mover watches, then says what it was like.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Would you like me to show you what I saw, rather than say it?"
  • Watch for: copying that looks like mimicry or mockery; keep it respectful and short.

4.13 Declining witnessing; silent witnessing

  • Purpose: protect the mover's autonomy and the pace of integration.
  • Steps: (1) Accept a "no" to testimony; the mover may stay alone with the experience [source: Barkai 2024]. (2) For the witness, choose silence when unsure; silence protects against premature responsibility [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7; Barkai 2024].
  • Example language (illustrative): "That's fine. I'll hold what I saw."
  • Watch for: routine refusals that seem to mean fear of being seen; discuss in the verbal part of therapy, not as a demand.

4.14 Moving witness (two movers)

  • Purpose: later-stage dyad/group work: each mover witnesses the other while moving.
  • Steps: (1) Two movers move at the same time, eyes closed [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 6]. (2) Contact or moving together happens only by conscious choice [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 6]; apply 4.2. (3) A trained outer witness remains present for safety in clinical use [synthesis]. (4) Each speaks afterwards as in 4.10.
  • Example language (illustrative): "You'll both move. If you meet, pause; each of you decides whether to stay in contact or move away."
  • Watch for: one mover seeking contact the other is tolerating rather than choosing; stop and re-agree. Not suitable for clients with boundary difficulties or recent sexual trauma without careful preparation [synthesis].

4.15 Silent-witness turns for the client (groups)

  • Purpose: build the client's own capacity to watch another without judgement.
  • Steps: (1) In a group, the client takes turns sitting at the side with eyes open, watching another mover and tracking their own experience [source: Adler, Mandorla pp. 6–7]. (2) They do not speak about the mover at this stage [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7; Barkai 2024]. (3) In the speaking part they can speak about their own experience.
  • Example language (illustrative): "This time you'll sit and watch. Notice what happens in you; you won't need to say anything about the mover."
  • Watch for: harsh self-comparison with the mover; growing curiosity indicates progress.

4.16 Group forms: circles, speaking circle, closing

  • Purpose: run Authentic Movement with several movers and witnesses.
  • Steps: (1) Before each round, each person declares whether they will move or witness [source: Adler, Mandorla p. 7]. (2) Keep a minimum number of witnesses (one community group uses about one third of participants) spread around the walls [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (3) Movers enter by making eye contact with a witness and closing their eyes; they return by opening their eyes where they are and going back to the wall [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (4) Speaking circle afterwards: first person, present tense, no names ("I am the mover who…", "I am the witness who…"), no interruptions, no comments on others; movers may speak before witnesses [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. (5) Close with a shared gesture (the Ottawa group lowers outstretched hands slowly to the floor) and treat content as confidential unless permission is asked [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. Note: these are one peer community's guidelines, not Adler's text.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Speak as 'I am the mover who…' and don't name others."
  • Watch for: group members commenting on one another's material; restate the guideline.

4.17 Outdoor witnessing with nature

  • Purpose: an adaptation in which a tree, plant or animal serves as "silent witness" or the client witnesses nature.
  • Steps: (1) Mover moves with eyes closed or half closed, with human witnesses (eyes open) present [source: Payne 2023, p. 9]. (2) Or the participant chooses a tree, plant or animal, attends to it for an agreed time, then records the experience by gesture, writing, drawing, collage or clay [source: Payne 2023, p. 8]. (3) Speak in self-referential present tense [source: Payne 2023, pp. 8–9].
  • Watch for: uneven ground, weather, insects, privacy; half-closed eyes are safer outdoors [synthesis].

4.18 Witnessing as therapist development and supervision

  • Purpose: sharpen the therapist's attunement and awareness of countertransference.
  • Steps: (1) Practise regularly as mover and witness in a training group [source: CTP; Payne 2001]. (2) Use witnessing in supervision to notice one's own judgements, projections and body responses to a client [source: Payne 2001]. (3) Bring material from clinical witnessing to supervision.
  • Watch for: using the client's sessions for one's own process; keep the focus on the client.

5. Handling problems

The sources say little about clinical difficulties; most of this section is [synthesis] unless a source is given.

  • Overwhelm, flooding or panic while moving. Movers who feel overwhelmed may open their eyes and sit at the side of the space [source: CTP]. Response [synthesis]: speak calmly from where you sit ("You can open your eyes now"), invite orientation (name five things seen, feel feet on floor), shorten or end the round, and move to eyes-open, grounded work. Next time use shorter rounds and half-open eyes. Chodorow's reported caution about ego strength applies [source: Farah 2016].
  • Dissociation or trauma memory surfacing. Signs [synthesis]: glazed stillness, no response to the end signal, repetitive rocking, sudden collapse, child-like voice. Respond with voice first, then eyes-open orientation; do not touch unless injury is imminent. Afterwards, return to stabilisation before more eyes-closed work. Absorption by unconscious material is a recognised risk [source: Farah 2016].
  • Fear of closing the eyes. Offer half-closed or lowered gaze (used in the outdoor adaptation [source: Payne 2023, p. 9]), facing the witness, or shorter rounds [synthesis].
  • Feeling watched, self-consciousness, "performing". Early anxiety often eases with practice [source: Barkai 2024]. Response [synthesis]: allow the witness to sit further away or angled; reassure that stillness is enough; begin with very short rounds.
  • Stuck: "nothing happens". Accept stillness as active [source: Farah 2016]. If prolonged and distressing, offer a single Whitehouse-style polarity or image (4.6) [source: Farah 2016]. Remember Whitehouse's warning that waiting too long can be as harmful as not waiting long enough [source: Farah 2016].
  • Falling asleep. Barkai describes a patient who fell asleep in session, illustrating the value of a non-demanding witness [source: Barkai 2024]. Response [synthesis]: allow it, wake gently by voice at the end, and explore its meaning later (exhaustion, withdrawal, safety).
  • Resistance to the body. One breast cancer survivor initially asked why she should return to a body that had betrayed her [source: Stromsted 2009, p. 6]. Response [synthesis]: acknowledge the anger, offer smaller doses (seated, eyes open), and let trust grow over time [source: Stromsted 2009, p. 6].
  • Witness rupture ("that's not what I meant"). The mover may reject witnessing [source: Payne 2023, p. 3]. Response [synthesis]: thank the mover, withdraw your interpretation, restate only the concrete movement, and review whether you slipped into judgement or interpretation; take it to supervision.
  • Non-adherence to the structure (talking throughout, keeping eyes open, refusing to speak afterwards). Response [synthesis]: treat it as information; offer the form again without pressure, or adapt (eyes open, writing instead of speaking). Do not insist.
  • Unwanted contact in groups. Pause both movers, restate that each may withdraw at any time and that lost contact is not pursued [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]. If a mover repeatedly seeks contact, speak with them privately, restrict to solo practice, and consider whether group work suits them [synthesis]. Any sexualised contact ends the round; follow your safeguarding and complaints procedures [synthesis].
  • Approaching witness or wall. Witness moves aside rather than engaging [source: Ottawa/Gatineau guidelines]; give a verbal warning before collisions [synthesis].
  • Physical injury, dizziness, falls. Stop the round, first aid, record the incident, review the room set-up and the client's medical fitness [synthesis].
  • Mystical or spiritual experiences. Adler frames the practice as a mystical discipline [source: Discipline of Authentic Movement site]. In therapy, receive such experiences respectfully as the client's experience, without endorsing or interpreting them as fact; refer to the client's own tradition if they wish [synthesis].
  • Children and young people. No child-specific protocol is given in the sources (Barkai mentions a child resting in therapy [source: Barkai 2024]; the ADMP UKCP route covers adults only [source: ADMP UK]). Guidance [synthesis]: obtain parent or carer consent and the child's own assent; keep eyes open or offer the choice; keep rounds very short; no touch; inform parents of the method; follow local safeguarding and mandatory-reporting duties for any disclosure; never interpret a child's movement as evidence of abuse.
  • Interpreting movement. Do not treat a posture or movement as proof of a trauma history or diagnosis; Authentic Movement has no validated assessment use in the sources [synthesis].
  • Therapist without adequate training. Stop and refer, or get supervision from a registered DMT/DMP [synthesis; see Section 2].

Sources

Sources:

Further reading (not drawn on) [uncertain for detailed content]:

  • Adler, J. (2002). Offering from the Conscious Body: The Discipline of Authentic Movement. Inner Traditions.
  • Adler, J. (2022). Intimacy in Emptiness: An Evolution of Embodied Consciousness. Inner Traditions.
  • Pallaro, P. (ed.) (1999). Authentic Movement: Essays by Mary Starks Whitehouse, Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow. Jessica Kingsley.
  • Pallaro, P. (ed.) (2007). Authentic Movement: Moving the Body, Moving the Self, Being Moved, Volume Two. Jessica Kingsley.
  • Chodorow, J. (1991). Dance Therapy and Depth Psychology: The Moving Imagination. Routledge.
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