Ideokinesis and the Franklin Method

1. Introduction

Version followed: for ideokinesis, the Todd–Sweigard–Clark lineage as André Bernard's introductory article and the Sweigard archive at thinkingbody.org describe it, with constructive rest as given in Claire Risa Cohn's review of Sweigard's Human Movement Potential (1974). For the Franklin Method, the current Institut für Franklin-Methode description of Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery (DNI), with Eric Franklin's Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance (3rd edition) for imagery categories. Where the two differ, each is named.

What these are. Both are imagery-based movement education, not psychotherapies. Ideokinesis is a teaching tradition rather than a manualised method. Mabel E. Todd, a voice teacher in Boston and later at Teachers College, Columbia University, developed it after her own back injury. Her student Lulu Sweigard (1895–1974) taught it at New York University and then at the Juilliard School. Barbara Clark, a nurse who had polio as a child, worked with Todd, specialised in teaching children, assisted Sweigard in New York from 1949, and wrote manuals rather than a book. [source: Bernard, An Introduction to Ideokinesis; thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive] Sweigard first called the work "neuromuscular reeducation". She borrowed the word "ideokinesis" from Luigi Bonpensiere, a piano teacher, and it became the common name through her 1974 book. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review; Wikipedia, Ideokinesis] Later teachers include André Bernard, Irene Dowd, Erick Hawkins, Pamela Matt and Eric Franklin. [source: Wikipedia, Ideokinesis] Irene Dowd's own published method was not verified [uncertain: not verified].

The Franklin Method was created by Eric Franklin, a dancer and choreographer who has taught imagery since 1986. It is run by the Institut für Franklin-Methode GmbH, which his publisher places in Wetzikon, Switzerland. [source: Human Kinetics author biography; franklinmethod.com DNI page] Its start date is given as 1994 by the publisher and "since 1995" by the Institute [uncertain: sources differ]. DNI is the Institute's newer academic name for the method plus later clinical and research updates. [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page]

How change is said to happen (attributed). In ideokinesis, posture and movement patterns are organised by the nervous system below conscious control. Sweigard argued in 1949 that posture cannot be changed effectively "at will" but can be "reconditioned" through mental activity. [source: thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive] The student therefore imagines a clear, moving image of the desired movement while making no voluntary movement, and the nervous system is said to reorganise the muscle pattern in response to the clarity of the concept. [source: Bernard article] In the Franklin Method, progressive movement exercises are combined with imagery that directs attention to anatomical structures, biomechanics and the spatial relationships between body segments. Sensory cues, proprioception, self-talk and self-touch are added. [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page]

Evidence status (attributed). Ideokinesis rests mainly on historical accounts, case reports and personal testimony. Bernard's introduction offers Todd's own recovery as its main support. [source: Bernard article] Drid Williams's book draws on case studies of three professional dancers. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review] Sweigard's unpublished 1939 NYU thesis analysed X-rays of 497 standing subjects and identified seven patterns of deviation in bilateral alignment. [source: thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive] A literature review of imagery in dance (Pavlik and Nordin-Bates, 2016, Journal of Dance Medicine & Science) is reported to find support for rehearsal-type imagery but insufficient data on metaphorical imagery. [source: Wikipedia, Ideokinesis; the review itself [uncertain: not verified]] For DNI, one small randomised trial in 20 people with Parkinson's disease compared it with a home exercise programme. The DNI group improved in imagery ability, disease severity and motor and spatial-cognitive function, and both groups enjoyed their programme. [source: Abraham, Hart, Andrade & Hackney 2018, Parkinson's Disease] The Institute also cites dance-student studies, one listed as "in preparation". [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page] Neither method is a treatment for disease. Use them as movement education alongside, never instead of, medical and physiotherapy care. [synthesis]

2. Framework

Who may deliver it. No government regulation of either method is documented in the cited sources [uncertain: not verified]. Ideokinesis has no single certifying body. It is passed on through teacher lineages and university dance and physical-education teaching. thinkingbody.org keeps an archive and catalogue of the tradition. [source: thinkingbody.org pages] The Franklin Method has an institute-run teacher training. It lists four live-and-online modules (Pelvis, Shoulder, Spine, Knee) of 10 days each, with mentorship, printed manuals and equipment such as balls. It also offers a Level 1 online teacher training and specialist certifications (Pelvic Power Instructor, Psoas Trainer, Hand Trainer). Graduates appear as "Licensed FM Educators", and one teacher is described as a "certified Franklin Method Level 3 educator". [source: franklinmethod.com modular training and DNI pages; Royal Ballet School interview] Full certification requirements, such as exams, practicum and renewal, were not verified [uncertain: not verified].

Can a psychotherapist deliver it? Both are verbal, self-practice and group formats, so a psychotherapist trained in them may legitimately teach the imagery work. For the Franklin Method, this means the Institute's training and licence before using its name. For ideokinesis, it means sustained study with an experienced teacher in the lineage, plus enough functional anatomy to give accurate images. [synthesis, based on the training routes above] Hands-on cueing and partner touch are covered under touch below. A psychotherapist uses them only if their own professional code and training allow it. Without that, the psychotherapist works alongside a movement teacher and refers. [synthesis; source: UKCP code item 23; BACP 2018 para 13]

Published course structure: ideokinesis (Bernard).

• Phase 1, lecture: anatomy, physiology and body mechanics are taught so that images are accurate.
• Phase 2, laboratory in constructive rest: students work in pairs. One lies in constructive rest and images, while the partner gives light tactile cues for where an image is and which way it moves. Then they swap roles.
• Phase 3, new images: Bernard describes adding new images roughly weekly as the course goes on.
• Phase 4, transfer: later lessons take the imagery into sitting, standing, walking and simple movements.

Bernard frames it as a long-term educational process rather than a quick fix. [source: Bernard article] Sweigard's book also gives kinetic imagery for everyday actions such as sitting, lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, climbing stairs and bending. [source: Cohn review]

Published course structure: Franklin Method (DNI). The method is built on progressive movement exercises paired with imagery. Its parts are:

• attention to anatomy and the relationships between body parts in motion, for example the pelvis counter-rotating during walking;
• sensory cues and self-touch;
• self-talk;
• transfer to everyday activities and to other movement techniques, which the Institute says include yoga, Pilates and Feldenkrais.

[source: franklinmethod.com DNI page] A Royal Ballet School account describes a sequence that moves from standing awareness, through sensory stimulation such as tapping and fascia movement, to imagery and then everyday activities. [source: Royal Ballet School interview] In the trial, the protocol was at least 16 hours of DNI training within two weeks. That is a research protocol, not a recommendation. [source: Abraham et al. 2018]

Criteria for moving on. Bernard moves students from lying to upright work as imaging in constructive rest becomes established. [source: Bernard article] In clinical use, move on when the client can hold an image with curiosity rather than effort, reports no pain or distress, and wants to bring the work into daily movement. [synthesis]

Screening before starting. Screening is [synthesis] unless marked otherwise.

• Ask about pain, recent injury or surgery, and conditions that make lying on the floor, or getting down to and up from it, difficult or unsafe. Examples are later pregnancy, balance problems, Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis.
• Ask about current medical or physiotherapy care, and seek medical clearance where there is doubt.
• Ask about trauma history and dissociation, panic triggered by relaxation or closed eyes, psychosis, and eating disorders or body dysmorphic concerns.
• Ask about the client's history with touch.

With the client's consent, coordinate with their physiotherapist or neurologist for neurological conditions. Pelvic-floor imagery (for example Franklin's "Pelvic Power") is movement education only. Refer pelvic symptoms to a regulated pelvic-health clinician. [synthesis] The Cohn review allows padding, pillows and turning on the side for comfort, and advises getting up by rolling to the side and coming through a crawl position. [source: Cohn review] A cited dance-imagery review raises the possibility that imagery used as relaxation may be contraindicated for some people. [source: Wikipedia, Ideokinesis, citing Pavlik & Nordin-Bates 2016 [uncertain: not verified]]

Touch. Both traditions use touch. In ideokinesis, a partner or teacher gives light tactile cues. The Franklin Method uses self-touch, tapping, touch-based release and hands used to cue. [source: Bernard article; franklinmethod.com DNI page; Human Kinetics contents]

• Self-touch by the client is the default in therapy.
• Any touch by the therapist needs explicit consent before and during, the right to refuse or stop at any time, and periodic re-checking of consent, which should be recorded. [source: USABP Code of Ethics VIII]
• The client should be informed in advance that body techniques may be used. [source: EABP Ethics Guidelines Principle 7]
• Never touch genital or sexual areas, and never touch sexually. [source: USABP Code of Ethics]
• Mainstream talk-therapy codes (BACP, UKCP, BPS, HCPC, APA, AAMFT) contain no explicit touch clause. They all prohibit sexual contact and require practising within competence. [source: compiled codes, see Sources]
• Do not add therapist touch unless your profession and training permit it. Offer a chaperone, or a recorded session with consent, where touch is used. In group pairs, let clients decline partner touch and work alone without needing to explain. [synthesis]

3. Guiding principles

• Image, do not do (ideokinesis). The student pictures movement without muscular effort. Voluntary effort is said to disrupt the nervous system's planning of coordination. Practical meaning: ask for watching and imagining, never "try harder". [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
• The image must move. Images describe motion in a direction, not a fixed position. Practical meaning: phrase images as flows and directions, such as "spreading", "dropping" or "lengthening", not as poses to hold. [source: Bernard article]
• Accurate anatomy first. Both traditions teach anatomy so that images match real structures. Ideokinesis does this through its lecture phase, and DNI through attention to anatomical structures and their relationships. Practical meaning: check your own anatomy before offering an image. [source: Bernard article; franklinmethod.com DNI page]
• Faulty movement is a faulty concept. Bernard attributes poor movement to an unclear concept or an established habit, so the task is to "rethink the movement". Practical meaning: treat difficulty as a learning issue, not a personal failing. [source: Bernard article]
• Individualise images. Cohn asks students which images "click" and builds on those, because body types and responses vary. Practical meaning: let the client choose and adapt images, and drop ones that do not land. [source: Cohn review]
• Rest between explorations. Cohn gives time to rest between exercises. Franklin's book includes imagery for rest and regeneration. Practical meaning: leave pauses and do not stack images. [source: Cohn review; Human Kinetics contents]
• Positive rather than negative prompts. Williams teaches positive rather than negative prompts and warns that mirror use can encourage self-criticism and reduce kinesthetic awareness. Practical meaning: say what to allow rather than what is wrong, and work without mirrors. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review of Williams]
• Anatomical versus aesthetic imagery. Williams separates imagery about how the body works from imagery for expressive effect. Sweigard was not interested in imagery for performance. Franklin's book uses both, including metaphorical imagery. Practical meaning: decide which you are offering and say so. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review; Human Kinetics contents]
• Posture is adaptable, not fixed. In the Franklin Method, there is no single correct posture, and change comes "without needing to force or fix anything". Practical meaning: avoid ideal-body language. [source: Royal Ballet School interview]
• Mind–body feedback both ways. The Franklin Method rests on functional anatomy, feedback from body to mind, and the mind's conscious influence on movement. Practical meaning: invite reports of sensation and mood alike. [source: Royal Ballet School interview]
• Patience and self-responsibility. Ideokinesis is presented as a long-term educational process that depends on regular practice by the student. Practical meaning: frame it as a skill the client owns, not a technique done to them. [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
• Safety, choice and consent override the method. Practical meaning: offer eyes-open options and seated or standing alternatives to lying down, and let the client stop at any moment. [synthesis; source: USABP Code VIII for the right to stop touch]

4. Intervention inventory

Part A covers ideokinesis, Part B the Franklin Method (DNI), and Part C the psychotherapist's integrating role. All example language is illustrative unless quoted with a source. No durations, repetition counts or breath instructions are given as prescriptions.

Part A. Ideokinesis

A1. Constructive rest position (CRP)

• Purpose: this is the base position for beginners. Gravity can act evenly on the spine while the student makes no voluntary movement and only imagines movement. [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
• Steps:
  • Lie on the back on a firm, padded surface with the knees bent (Bernard: about a right angle) and the feet apart on the floor.
  • Fold or cross the arms over the chest, low enough that their weight does not restrict breathing.
  • Props are optional: Bernard describes a small pillow or foam under the base of the skull and under the balls of the feet. A loose tie just above the knees can stop the legs falling apart.
  • For comfort, use padding, a small pillow under the neck or low back, or turn onto the side.
  • Bernard and Cohn report the traditional practice as daily, around activity. Here that is stated as published tradition, not as an instruction.
  • [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
  • In therapy, offer the tie as optional or leave it out, because some clients will experience restraint of the legs as threatening. Offer seated imagery as an equal alternative. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "If lying on the floor feels fine today, we can set up a resting position. If not, the chair works just as well. You decide." "Let the floor take the weight. There is nothing to do except watch an image."
• Watch for:
  • pain in the back, hips or neck;
  • dizziness on lying down;
  • discomfort lying supine in pregnancy;
  • feeling trapped or exposed, frozen stillness or dissociation;
  • difficulty getting up.
  Signs it is working are a reported sense of weight released into the floor, softer breathing without any instruction to breathe, and the client describing it as restful. [synthesis]

A2. Ideokinetic imaging (moving image, no doing)

• Purpose: to change the habitual movement pattern through a clear mental image of movement, without voluntary muscular effort. [source: Bernard article]
• Steps:
  • Teach briefly where the structure is, using a picture or model.
  • Offer one image that moves in a direction.
  • Ask the client to watch or imagine it, not to do it.
  • If muscles start working, return to watching.
  • Pause, then ask what the client noticed.
  • Published examples:
    • Sweigard's 1946 Self magazine image of the body as "a bag of sand", with sand flowing in various directions. [source: thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive]
    • Imagery of the hip, shoulder and head (occipital) joints hanging loosely downward from the spine, with heaviness along the spine. [source: Cohn review]
• Example language (illustrative): "Picture sand slowly pouring through the body toward the floor. You don't need to make it happen. Just watch where it seems to go." "If you notice yourself pushing, that's fine. Go back to watching the picture."
• Watch for:
  • effortful "doing" such as breath-holding, a set jaw or fidgeting;
  • frustration that "nothing is happening";
  • images that evoke unwanted emotion or memories (see Part C).
  Signs it is working are effortless attention, the client reporting changes in felt length, width or weight, and later spontaneous ease in movement. [synthesis, consistent with Bernard's description]

A3. Lines of movement

• Purpose: Sweigard organised her images into named directional pathways (her "lines of movement", nine in number, starting from the upright position). [source: thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive, which mentions a Juilliard handout on lines of movement; Kim 2002, Ewha Womans University thesis abstract; Dowd 1983 as listed on thinkingbody.org] Williams pictured beams of light travelling along set pathways through the body. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review]
• Steps: Sweigard's own nine lines are set out in Human Movement Potential (1974), and Irene Dowd wrote on them in "Ideokinesis: The Nine Lines of Movement" (Contact Quarterly 8(2), 1983) [source: thinkingbody.org, Irene Dowd page]. The individual lines are not reproduced here [uncertain]; a teacher who wants to use them should work from those texts. Without that list, offer only anatomically sound, general directional images in the A2 manner, and say they are your own. Examples are the spine lengthening downward toward the tail, or the width across the back of the pelvis spreading. [synthesis, not attributed to Sweigard]
• Example language (illustrative): "Imagine a line of light travelling from the base of your skull down toward your tailbone. Just follow it with your attention."
• Watch for:
  • images being heard as commands to straighten or pull in;
  • any image the client finds unpleasant. Drop it.
  Signs it is working are the client being able to "follow" a line without bracing. [synthesis]

A4. Tactile cueing (partner or teacher touch)

• Purpose: to show where an image is located and which way it moves, using light touch, stationary or moving. [source: Bernard article]
• Steps:
  • In therapy, use the client's own hand first: for example, a palm resting on the sternum or the side of the pelvis.
  • Therapist touch is only for those whose code and training allow it, after informed (ideally written) consent and with re-checks during the session. The client may stop it at any moment, and genital or sexual areas are never touched. [source: USABP Code VIII; EABP Principle 7]
  • In groups, partner touch is opt-in, and clients can work solo instead. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Would it help to place your own hand where we're imagining? You can move it away whenever you like." If the therapist is trained and permitted: "I'd suggest a light touch on your shoulder blade to show the direction. Yes, no, or not today are all fine answers."
• Watch for:
  • startle, holding the breath, apologising, or saying "yes" with a frozen face (fawning);
  • the client asking for more touch as comfort, which suggests dependency (USABP notes this).
  Signs it is working are clearer localisation and a calm body.

A5. Anatomy teaching (the lecture phase)

• Purpose: an accurate body concept is the basis of an effective image. [source: Bernard article] Williams's teaching includes functional anatomy. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review]
• Steps:
  • Use a model, a picture or palpation of bony landmarks by the client themself.
  • Link one fact to one image.
  • Check the client's existing beliefs about their body, for example "my spine is weak".
• Example language (illustrative): "Your hip joint sits deeper and further toward the midline than most people think. Let's find it on the picture before we imagine it."
• Watch for:
  • anatomical talk that triggers health anxiety, or shame in body dysmorphic or eating-disorder presentations. Keep it functional, not about appearance.
  Signs it is working are that the client revises a mistaken body map. [synthesis]

A6. Three weight units: head, chest, pelvis

• Purpose: to build kinesthetic awareness of how the main weight masses balance on the spine in upright alignment. [source: Cohn review]
• Steps:
  • Sitting or standing, the client notices in turn where the head, the chest and the pelvis seem to rest.
  • Then pair this with a downward-flowing image (A2) rather than any correction.
• Example language (illustrative): "Notice your head balancing on top of the spine, then your ribcage, then your pelvis. No need to adjust anything. Just notice how they stack today."
• Watch for: the client self-correcting into a stiff "good posture". [synthesis]

A7. Transfer to sitting, standing, walking and everyday actions

• Purpose: to take the imagery out of the lying position. Bernard describes moving on to sitting, standing, walking and simple movements. Sweigard gives kinetic imagery for sitting, lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, climbing stairs and bending. [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
• Steps:
  • Choose one daily action the client cares about.
  • Rehearse it in imagination first.
  • Then perform it slowly while keeping the image.
  • Discuss what changed.
• Example language (illustrative): "Before you stand up, imagine the movement once, with your weight flowing down through your feet. Now stand, and let the picture lead."
• Watch for:
  • falls risk in people with balance or neurological problems. Use a stable chair, and consider physiotherapy input.
  Signs it is working are that the client reports easier everyday actions. [synthesis]

A8. Getting up from constructive rest

• Purpose: to leave the floor safely and without strain. [source: Cohn review]
• Steps: roll to one side, come onto hands and knees, then stand. Use a chair for support if needed. [source: Cohn review; chair support is synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Take your time. Roll onto your side, rest there if you like, then come up through hands and knees."
• Watch for: light-headedness on standing, joint pain on kneeling, and the client rushing to look "fine". [synthesis]

A9. Choosing, adapting and resting between images

• Purpose: individual differences mean that images must be personalised. [source: Cohn review]
• Steps:
  • Offer a small number of options.
  • Ask which "clicks".
  • Let the client re-word it in their own language.
  • Rest between explorations.
  • Keep a short, client-written record of the images that work.
  • [source: Cohn review; the record is synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Did either picture make sense in your body? Put it in your own words, so it's your image, not mine."
• Watch for: the client complying with your image to please you. Signs it is working are that the client starts generating their own images. [synthesis]

A10. Positive prompts and mirror-free work

• Purpose: to reduce self-criticism and protect kinesthetic attention. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review of Williams]
• Steps:
  • Phrase every cue as what to allow, not what is wrong.
  • Work without mirrors or video unless the client asks for them and it is clinically useful. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Let the back of your neck be long" rather than "Stop poking your chin forward."
• Watch for: spontaneous negative self-talk about the body. Pause and explore it (Part C).

Part B. Franklin Method (Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery)

The Institute's own exercise sequences (for example in its Pelvis, Shoulder, Spine and Knee modules and in the Pelvic Power and Psoas courses) were not verified in detail [uncertain: not verified]. The items below are limited to components the Institute, publisher and teachers describe publicly.

B1. Standing awareness baseline

• Purpose: to build body awareness before imagery, by noticing weight distribution, shoulder height and tension. [source: Royal Ballet School interview]
• Steps:
  • Stand, or sit if standing is unsafe.
  • Scan in turn: weight through the feet, the height of the shoulders, and areas of tension.
  • Note these without correcting them, so they can be compared after the imagery.
  • [source: Royal Ballet School interview; the sitting option and comparison are synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Just notice: is your weight more in the heels or the front of the feet? Is one shoulder a bit higher? We're not fixing anything, just taking a snapshot."
• Watch for: the client judging rather than noticing ("my posture is terrible"). Re-frame it as data. Signs it is working are a clear before-and-after comparison. [synthesis]

B2. Sensory stimulation: tapping and fascia movement

• Purpose: described as calming the nervous system and waking up body awareness. [source: Royal Ballet School interview] The Institute's claim that it helps calm "the parasympathetic nervous system" is attributed to that teacher, and its evidence was not established [uncertain].
• Steps:
  • The client lightly taps or brushes their own arms, legs or shoulders, or gently moves the skin over the tissue beneath.
  • Pause and compare sensation with the other side.
  • Self-touch only, at a pressure the client chooses.
  • [source: Royal Ballet School interview; DNI page for self-touch; the side-to-side comparison is synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Using your own hand, tap lightly down the outside of your left arm, at whatever pressure feels pleasant. Then pause and compare the two arms."
• Watch for:
  • aversion to touching one's own body, which is common after trauma or with body-image distress;
  • skin conditions, recent injury, or bruising on anticoagulants. Avoid those areas.
  Signs it is working are livelier, more even sensation and a calmer face. [synthesis]

B3. Anatomical imagery during movement

• Purpose: the core DNI element. Attention is directed to anatomical structures, biomechanics and the relationship between body segments during a movement, for example the pelvis counter-rotating in gait. [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page]
• Steps:
  • Teach the structure (as in A5).
  • Have the client make a simple, comfortable movement, such as walking slowly or a small rotation.
  • Add an image of how the parts move in relation to each other.
  • Repeat the movement without the image and compare.
  • [source: DNI page; the comparison step is synthesis consistent with B1]
• Example language (illustrative): "As you walk, imagine the two halves of your pelvis gently swinging opposite to your shoulders, like a quiet counterbalance. Then walk once without the picture. What's different?"
• Watch for:
  • over-control or a stiffer gait;
  • pain;
  • balance loss in people with Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions, who should be supervised with a stable support, and whose physiotherapist should be informed with consent.
  Signs it is working are reported ease and a more fluid movement. [synthesis]

B4. Self-touch to locate structures

• Purpose: to sharpen the body map and anchor an image. [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page]
• Steps:
  • The client places their own hands on a bony landmark, for example the lower ribs, the sides of the pelvis or the jaw joint.
  • They feel it move during a small motion, then imagine it while the hands rest there.
  • Remove the hands and keep the image.
  • [source: DNI page lists self-touch; the specific landmarks are synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Rest your hands on the sides of your lower ribs. As you breathe naturally, notice how they move under your hands. There's no need to change the breath."
• Watch for:
  • attention to the abdomen, chest or pelvis, which can trigger shame or memories. Offer neutral sites such as hands, forearms or shoulders.
  Signs it is working are that the image stays vivid after the hands are removed. [synthesis]

B5. Self-talk and mindset

• Purpose: the Institute lists self-talk as a practice element. [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page] A Franklin teacher describes a group thinking about feeling flexible and happy as standing visibly differently from a group feeling tired and stiff. [source: Royal Ballet School interview]
• Steps:
  • Elicit the client's current inner commentary during a movement.
  • Co-write a short, believable, kind phrase about the movement, not about appearance.
  • Try the movement with the phrase in mind, then compare.
  • [synthesis on the source element]
• Example language (illustrative): "What do you usually say to yourself when you bend down? Let's find a phrase that's true and a bit kinder, maybe 'my spine knows how to bend'."
• Watch for: phrases that feel false, which raise distress, and perfectionist self-talk being transferred into the new phrase. This overlaps with cognitive work (Part C). [synthesis]

B6. Direct and metaphorical imagery; imagery strings

• Purpose: Franklin's book distinguishes direct imagery from metaphorical imagery and uses "imagery strings". [source: Human Kinetics contents] The page does not define these terms [uncertain]. The working definitions here are synthesis: direct imagery pictures the actual action or structure ("the thigh bone rotating in the socket"), metaphorical imagery uses a comparison ("the head floating like a balloon"), and an imagery string is a sequence of related images built up across a movement.
• Steps:
  • Offer one direct and one metaphorical image for the same movement.
  • Ask which works better.
  • If useful, link two or three images in order through a movement.
  • [synthesis on the source categories]
• Example language (illustrative): "Option one: picture your thigh bone turning in the hip socket. Option two: imagine your knee is a lantern lighting the way forward. Which one helps?"
• Watch for:
  • metaphors with personal emotional meaning, for example water for someone who has nearly drowned. Ask the client before using them.
  • Note that the cited dance review is reported to find limited data for metaphorical imagery. [source: Wikipedia, Ideokinesis]

B7. Basic movement imagery: intention, sensation, space, weight, rhythm, breath

• Purpose: Franklin's book groups basic movement imagery into intention, body sensation, space, weight, rhythm and breath. [source: Human Kinetics contents]
• Steps:
  • Choose one category per exploration.
  • For breath, use only noticing or imagery of natural breathing. Never give pacing, counts or holds. [synthesis]
  • Then let the client move freely while holding the category in mind.
• Example language (illustrative): "This time, just think about the weight of your arms as you lift and lower them. Let them be as heavy as they really are." "Notice your breath moving on its own. There's no need to change it."
• Watch for:
  • breath focus triggering panic or air hunger. Switch to an external focus such as the feet on the floor or sounds in the room.
  • Dizziness or tingling may signal over-breathing. Stop and return to ordinary breathing.
  • [synthesis]

B8. Props: balls, bands and fascia trainers

• Purpose: the Institute sells and uses balls, bands and "fascia trainer" tools, and its training includes equipment such as balls. [source: franklinmethod.com modular training and DNI pages] The specific exercises were not verified [uncertain: not verified]. Use props only after training with the Institute. Claims about fascia are the Institute's, and their evidence was not established [uncertain].
• Steps: these are not given here, beyond the general rule that the client controls the pressure and can stop. Avoid lying or sitting on props over painful, injured or bruised areas. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "You're in charge of how much pressure goes into the ball. Ease off whenever you want."
• Watch for: pain, numbness, bruising and loss of balance. Refer musculoskeletal complaints to a physiotherapist. [synthesis]

B9. Rest, touch-based release and guided imagery

• Purpose: Franklin's book includes imagery for rest and regeneration, touch-based release, guided imagery, and audio meditations narrated by the author for rest. [source: Human Kinetics contents]
• Steps:
  • Seated or lying, as the client chooses.
  • Offer a short, slow, guided image of release in one area.
  • Use self-touch only.
  • End by orienting to the room before standing.
  • [synthesis on the source categories]
• Example language (illustrative): "Let your eyes rest open or closed, whichever feels safer. Imagine your shoulders melting a little toward the chair. When you're ready, look around the room and notice three things you can see."
• Watch for:
  • relaxation-induced anxiety, dissociation or intrusive images. Keep the eyes open, shorten the exploration and orient to the room.
  • Signs it is working are reported rest and an alert, present return to the room. [synthesis]

B10. Transfer to everyday activities and other techniques

• Purpose: to apply imagery in walking and sitting, and within other movement techniques. [source: Royal Ballet School interview; franklinmethod.com DNI page]
• Steps:
  • Pick one daily cue, such as standing up from a chair, walking to the door or sitting at a desk.
  • Attach the client's chosen image to it.
  • Review what they noticed at the next session.
  • [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "This week, whenever you stand up from your desk, think of the picture you liked. Don't practise it as a chore. Just notice what happens."
• Watch for: the work turning into a self-monitoring ritual that raises body-focused anxiety. Reduce or pause it. [synthesis]

B11. Improvisation with imagery

• Purpose: Franklin's book includes imagery-based improvisation, with work for children and contact improvisation. [source: Human Kinetics contents]
• Steps:
  • In therapy, use only free, solo, small-scale movement guided by one image.
  • Contact improvisation and partnered work belong to trained movement or dance-movement settings. [synthesis]
  • With children, obtain parental consent and the child's assent, and follow safeguarding procedures. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Let the image of seaweed in water move your arms in any way at all. There's no right shape."
• Watch for: self-consciousness and shame. Offer eyes-down or seated options, and normalise stillness as a valid choice. [synthesis]

Part C. The psychotherapist's role

This whole part is [synthesis]. Neither tradition publishes a psychotherapy protocol. The touch and boundary points draw on the codes listed in Sources.

C1. Bringing imagery-based body awareness into therapy

• Purpose: to use brief ideokinetic or Franklin-style imagery as a grounding, interoceptive or self-efficacy tool inside psychotherapy, for example with chronic tension, stress-related bracing, or performers' anxiety.
• Steps:
  • Agree the aim and get consent for body-focused work.
  • Choose a format: seated, standing or constructive rest.
  • Offer one image (A2, B3 or B7).
  • Debrief with three questions: what was noticed physically, what emotionally, and what the client makes of it.
  • Link the experience back to the therapy goals.
• Example language (illustrative): "We've been talking about how you brace before meetings. Would you like to try a short imagery experiment with your shoulders, and then talk about what you notice?"
• Watch for:
  • the work replacing verbal processing;
  • the client experiencing it as being "managed".
  Signs it is working are that the client starts using the image on their own in stressful moments.

C2. Body image work

• Purpose: functional, sensation-based images such as weight, length, movement and support can offer an alternative to appearance-based self-evaluation. Positive prompts and mirror-free work support this. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review of Williams, for the mirror caution]
• Steps:
  • Screen for eating disorders and body dysmorphic concerns, and coordinate with the treating team.
  • Choose neutral body regions first.
  • Keep all language about function and sensation, never about shape or size.
  • Avoid weighing, measuring, mirrors and posture "ideals".
  • Process any self-critical thoughts that come up, using the therapy's usual method.
• Example language (illustrative): "Instead of how your legs look, let's notice what they do: how they carry you to the door."
• Watch for: checking behaviours, comparison, or increased preoccupation after sessions. If these appear, pause the body work and return to it later, or not at all.

C3. When emotion or memories arise

• Purpose: quiet supine imagery and touch can evoke strong emotion, body memories or dissociation.
• Steps:
  • Stop the imagery. Invite the client to open their eyes, sit up and orient to the room.
  • Use grounding through the feet and the chair.
  • Validate the experience without interpreting it as proof of past events. Images and body sensations that come up during body work are not reliable evidence of memory, so avoid suggestive questioning.
  • Return to verbal processing, and adjust or stop the body work in the treatment plan.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let's pause the picture. Open your eyes, feel your feet on the floor, and look around the room. What you felt matters, and we can make sense of it together without jumping to conclusions."
• Watch for: continued dissociation after the session, and safety concerns. Follow standard risk assessment.

C4. Referral and collaboration

• Purpose: clients may want a dedicated teacher for deeper study or for injury-specific work.
• Steps:
  • Refer to a Licensed FM Educator through the Institute's "Find a Trainer" listing [source: franklinmethod.com DNI page], or to an experienced ideokinesis teacher.
  • For pain, injury, pelvic symptoms or neurological disease, refer to a physiotherapist or physician first.
  • With consent, share relevant information such as trauma-related needs and touch preferences.
  • Discuss with the client how the two services fit together, to avoid confusion. [source: EABP Ethics Guidelines 6.b]
• Example language (illustrative): "If you'd like to go further with this, a trained Franklin educator could teach you more. With your permission, I can let them know you prefer working without hands-on contact."
• Watch for: health claims by a teacher that go beyond movement education, and pressure to stop medical care.

C5. Boundary violations and reporting

• Purpose: to protect clients when touch is used in movement settings.
• Steps:
  • Explain clients' rights in advance: consent, the right to stop, and no sexual touch, ever.
  • If a client reports inappropriate touch by any practitioner, take it seriously and document it.
  • Support the client to report it to that practitioner's training body or employer, and to the police where a crime may have occurred.
  • Follow your own safeguarding and professional reporting duties.
  • Because neither method is regulated by government, complaints may go only to the training institute. [uncertain: not verified]
• Example language (illustrative): "What you describe isn't acceptable in any movement or body practice. You have choices about reporting, and I'll support whichever you decide."
• Watch for: self-blame and minimisation by the client.

5. Handling problems

All responses below are [synthesis] unless a source is named.

• "Nothing is happening" or the client is stuck.
  • Effort is the usual culprit, because voluntary doing is said to interfere with the process. [source: Bernard article; Cohn review]
  • Reduce the task to watching, switch between direct and metaphorical images (B6), or try a different sense, such as touch (B4) or weight (B7).
  • Normalise slow change: Bernard frames this as long-term education. [source: Bernard article]
• Trying too hard or perfectionism.
  • Use positive, permissive prompts and avoid mirrors. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012 review of Williams]
  • Explicitly permit "doing it wrong", and explore the perfectionism verbally.
• Overwhelm, panic or dissociation in constructive rest or with eyes closed.
  • Use eyes-open, seated or standing formats, and leave out the knee tie.
  • Shorten the explorations and orient to the room (C3).
  • Avoid breath-focused imagery for clients who panic.
• Pain or physical discomfort.
  • Stop, then modify with padding, pillows or turning on the side. [source: Cohn review]
  • Do not image into an injured area.
  • Refer for medical or physiotherapy assessment if pain persists.
• Dizziness on getting up. Rise slowly through side-lying and hands and knees. [source: Cohn review] Sit before standing.
• Non-adherence to home practice.
  • Swap formal practice for a single everyday cue (B10).
  • Let the client choose the image and the cue.
  • Avoid prescribing practice. Explore what gets in the way.
• Ruptures around touch or body focus.
  • Name the rupture and apologise for any pressure.
  • Return to client-led choice, offer to drop the body work entirely, and record the agreement.
  • Re-consent before any future touch. [source: USABP Code VIII on monitoring consent]
• Shame or body-image distress triggered by anatomy talk. Move to function-based language and neutral regions (C2), and slow the pace.
• Images with unwanted personal meaning. Ask before using metaphors, and invite the client to replace any image.
• Clients wanting a cure for a physical condition.
  • Clarify that these are movement-education methods. Evidence is limited: for DNI, one small Parkinson's trial; for ideokinesis, mainly case reports. [source: Abraham et al. 2018; Bernard article; Nettl-Fiol 2012 review]
  • Coordinate with the treating clinicians.
• Neurological conditions and balance.
  • Work seated or with stable support, and avoid floor transfers when they are unsafe.
  • Liaise with the physiotherapist. The trial population was people with Parkinson's disease at Hoehn and Yahr stages I–III. [source: Abraham et al. 2018]
• Pregnancy. Consider positions other than lying on the back later in pregnancy, and follow the client's obstetric advice.
• Children and young dancers.
  • Clark specialised in children. [source: Bernard article]
  • In therapy, obtain parental consent and the child's assent, use no touch by the therapist, and follow safeguarding procedures.
  • Avoid ideal-body language with young dancers. [source for the adaptable-posture stance: Royal Ballet School interview]
• Scope drift.
  • Do not use the Franklin Method name, or teach its props and protocols, without the Institute's training. [source: franklinmethod.com, on regulated teacher training]
  • Keep therapist touch within your own code and competence. [source: UKCP item 23; BACP 2018 para 13; USABP Code VIII]

Sources

Web sources: methods and evidence

• Lulu Sweigard (thinkingbody.org archive)
• Irene Dowd (thinkingbody.org education page, with bibliography)
• Kim E-Y. A study of the motor learning in dance adopting Lulu Sweigard's ideokinesis. Master's thesis, Ewha Womans University, 2002 (record and abstract)
• Bernard, A. An Introduction to Ideokinesis (PDF, thinkingbody.org; date not stated)
• Human Movement Potential: Its Ideokinetic Facilitation (thinkingbody.org catalogue)
• Cohn, C. R. Review of Sweigard, Human Movement Potential (Self & Society 8(3), AHP; year [uncertain])
• Nettl-Fiol, R. (2012). Review of Drid Williams, Teaching Dancing with Ideokinetic Principles. Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement 19(1)
• Ideokinesis (Wikipedia; secondary, used for history and review citations)
• Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery (DNI), Franklin Method
• Dynamic Neuro-cognitive Imagery, Franklin Method Yoga
• Franklin Method Live Modular Teacher Training
• Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance, 3rd Edition (Human Kinetics)
• Trame, K. (2024). Reimagining posture in ballet: Sarah Daultry on the Franklin Method (Royal Ballet School)
• Abraham, A., Hart, A., Andrade, I., & Hackney, M. E. (2018). Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery improves mental imagery ability, disease severity, and motor and cognitive functions in people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's Disease, 2018, 6168507 (Emory repository)

Web sources: professional codes on touch, boundaries and referral

• BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2018)
• BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2026)
• UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (2019)
• BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct (2009 text, Keele-hosted)
• HCPC Standards of Proficiency: Practitioner Psychologists (2023)
• APA, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002, amended 2010 and 2016)
• AAMFT Code of Ethics (2015)
• USABP Code of Ethics
• EABP Ethics Guidelines (2020)

Books cited

• Todd, M. E. (1937). The Thinking Body. Dance Horizons reprint 1968 with a preface by Sweigard. [source for dates: Bernard article; thinkingbody.org Sweigard archive]
• Todd, M. E. (1953). The Hidden You. [source: Bernard article]
• Sweigard, L. E. (1974). Human Movement Potential: Its Ideokinetic Facilitation. New York: Harper & Row. Reprinted by Allegro Editions, 2013. [source: Cohn review; thinkingbody.org catalogue]
• Williams, D. (2011). Teaching Dancing with Ideokinetic Principles. University of Illinois Press. [source: Nettl-Fiol 2012]
• Matt, P. A Kinesthetic Legacy (on Barbara Clark). [year uncertain]
• Franklin, E. Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery. Human Kinetics. 2nd edition 2012 (first published 1996) as cited by Wikipedia. A 3rd edition exists [uncertain: year not verified].
• Franklin, E. Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance, 3rd edition. Human Kinetics, release date given as 30 October 2026. ISBN 9781718238107.
• Pavlik, K., & Nordin-Bates, S. (2016). Imagery in dance: A literature review. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 20(2), 51–63. [as cited by Wikipedia; uncertain: not verified]
• Irene Dowd's published work: [uncertain: not verified]