Authentic Movement, as is stated on wikipedia, is an expressive improvisational movement practice that allows a group of participants a type of free association of the body. It was started by Mary Starks Whitehouse in the 1950s as "movement in depth".
"When starting a basic AM session, participants start in a comfortable position, eyes closed to sense their inner body-mind processes. They then wait for stimuli to arise within them, and follow each impulse expressing movement or sound. Taking the form of sudden jerks, yells or prolonged gesticulations (or whatever the participant feels compelled do), individuals move through the space entirely free from any direction or expectation. This allows people to explore psychological processes as they arise into kinaesthetic responses of movement or sound."
I first learned of Authentic Movement in 1999 when I first began my graduate studies in depth psychology through Suzanne Lovell's Masters Program in Art Therapy at Sonoma State University. We would meet at an old dance hall in the countryside. The hall had old hardwood floors to move on, and gardens outside to sit and have a quiet lunch or connect with other movers during break.
The entire process was a total game-changer for me. I was forever changed by the world it led me to, a deep imaginal world. It was my first true relationship with what Carl Jung refers to as the personal and collective unconscious, in an embodied experience. It was there and then that I experienced going into my Deep Blue Seas of imaginal process, where I had rich inner dialogues with my higher consciousness, and tapped into the collective conscious with ancestors who've passed away, and with other movers who were also tapping into the collective unconscious in their own deep process. It was in Authentic Movement where I first made a true connection with the interior world of my body, with presence and deeper awareness.
Through the shamanic skill of our seasoned facilitator, I was invited into a new world of compassionate communication, witnessing my own imaginal process as well as the process of others, and juicy, authentic relating. We were reminded to speak from our own experience, using the first person pronoun, and to become aware of how easily we move into projecting our stuff onto others during the sharing process. Often we'd then learn how to recognize and avoid our projections with compassionate redirection from the facilitator. It all brought on big growth that came with many a trigger from something someone was doing or saying that bugged me. I started to see how all of "their" stuff was in me, especially if I was triggered by it. The deep imaginal process of each movement, the conscious relating work...This was all very gritty work! And I knew on a deeper level I would later return to it one day.
Years later, it is now 2011, and plenty of time has passed. I've used it to experience the magical mystery tour of practical life. In that time, I've watched myself grow more and more distant from that rich world of being a mover, as I've had to learn to immerse myself inside the big think tank of an overstimulated culture. In my 12 year sabbatical from AM, I've had time to think and dream of starting up an Authentic Movement Group myself. I've decided that it's time, time to move. Not in the popular cultural term, but in the embodied sense. It's time to move my body, and go down into its deeper levels of knowing and awareness.
I miss being a Mover and the process of going inward with other movers. I miss the process of being the Compassionate Witness who holds the group's space for others to safely move and be seen with non-judgment and compassion. I miss the deep imaginal work that goes with each movement, and the process time of making art images about the places I'd journey to in my movements.
I miss the group sharing that followed each movement. That was a place I learned of a kinder, more conscious way of relating with others. I learned about tolerance on a cellular level. I learned how to see myself in the process of others. I learned how to own my own stuff, and notice when I was projecting my stuff onto others. Through my deep imaginal dives during the movements, I learned to use my body's intrinsic wisdom of spontaneous and free movement to release old garbage from my childhood. With different moves and sounds, I moved into and then let go of old hurts and old beliefs that I'd been carrying around in my body for years. I had conversations with family members, telling them things I didn't know how to say in person. I'd let myself have a tantrum that I was never allowed as a child, I'd pretend to be a tiger or a snake. I'd encounter other movers who wanted to engage with me as their own animal spirit, all while keeping our eyes closed and our hearts open. I had conversations with ancestors and family members long gone. I even dialogued with parts of my body and went inward to sit with that body part on an imaginal level. This was weird and wonderful stuff!
At first, I often wondered what a stranger coming onto the scene would think. Then, my concerns for external approval began to drop, likely due to my own increased connection to Self. With that new level of awareness, I began to experiment with outwardly expressing my inner experience in bolder ways, curious to know what it would feel like to push the edges of how much I care about how I was being perceived. I'd yell out, "You don't care about me!" to actualize a childhood feeling toward a parent. Sometimes someone would respond from their own process to combine it with mine, "No, I don't care!" Sometimes it would spark a giggle from the knowledge that we were traversing taboo territory. Sometimes it would elicit slow sobbing from someone who felt triggered. Often, strange and wonderful synchronicities would emerge from multiple movers to create a healing catalyst within a collectively held experience. We would share about the wonder and mystery of it all afterwards in the circle.
In sharing about this part of my process, I see that I'm pushing the boundaries once more. I'm letting go of what the reader will think of all this. And I'm embracing the spirit of authentic sharing and relating. I hope it inspires the same in you, in whatever way that feels true for you.
The following is the description for the Authentic Movement Group I am creating on Meetup.com's website:
http://www.meetup.com/Authentic-Movement-Group/
This group is designed for both experienced and inexperienced movers. Authentic movement is a practice of being in one's body and spirit within a controlled area that is safe to move freely in, explore ones inner edges, explore how our body-spirits want to be expressed in each moment, and to connect deeper with one's inner experience. The premise for each session is held within the framework of non-judgment, and is an opportunity for each mover to develop ones own compassionate witness and a deeper connection to Self.
There will be a main Witness to hold the space while each mover embarks on her imaginal journey. After each movement session, we will have time to sit in a circle where we will write and make art about our movement process, and then share our personal experiences within the group. Both the movements and group communication will be facilitated by a Registered Art Therapist. We will practice compassionate communication from an authentic voice, speaking from the First Person. This is a practice of owning our personal experience while developing respectful listening and witnessing skills, allowing for deeper compassion for the personal experience of others. This is a process oriented, body-centered awareness practice for movers in and around the Santa Rosa area.
As a newly forming group, once there are 5 confirmed movers signed up, we can then set a time for our first movement together. The venue will likely be in the countryside at the old Alpine Hall on St. Helena Road. I look forward to sharing the journey together.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authentic_Move...
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