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The form of active imagination in movement, or Authentic Movement, was developed by Mary Whitehouse, and further evolved by Adler, Chodorow and others, as a container for the exploration and integration of the many levels of movement process. Adler's evolution of this work she names the discipline of Authentic Movement; her approach, which has evolved over nearly thirty years of practice and exploration of essential questions about the form, focuses upon the direct experience of both mover and witness. It is differentiated by Adler from active imagination in movement, which addresses more specifically the psychological process of the mover(13), in its embracing of the experience of both mover and witness in the presence of each other, and the relationship between them. Adler introduced certain concepts and structures such as the ground form, long circle, witness circle, and collective body into the discipline and language of Authentic Movement. The ground form of authentic movement practice involves a mover and a witness. The witness creates and holds a safe space, the witness circle, into which the mover enters and begins to move, usually with eyes closed, following her own internal impulses. Both mover and witness attend to their own experiences as the mover's process unfolds. By working with her eyes closed, or the vision inwardly focused, the mover is enabled to give full attention to her inner sensory and imaginal processes, with minimal distraction from outside. External influences, such as sounds or contact with other movers, may acquire meaning significant to her unfolding inner story when visual information and the perspective of objective reality are not present; unexpected disturbances often provide important impulses for new experience and awareness, or a catalyst for the discovery of insight. We live in a visually oriented culture, and our dominant visual sense is closely connected to our ego position and our hold on the world - many people use their vision, more than is physiologically necessary, to literally hold themselves in balance, to the detriment of the other somatically-based senses. Letting go of this holding to our habitual orientation allows for other experiences, as we surrender ego to the unknown hidden worlds within. Approaching the unconscious through attending to the body, we gain access to a great range and depth of sensory and emotional experience. We begin by listening inwardly to the flow of sensations, images, feelings, sounds, memories, and movement impulses which emerge into awareness: 'The unconscious manifests itself through an ongoing stream of body sensation and mental imagery. Its relatively formless products may include inner throbbings, pulsings, tinglings, pressures, surges, waves of differentiated and undifferentiated energies, inner voices, sounds, words, fantasies, feelings, moods, memories and impulses' (14). The mover then begins to give form to these inner sensations and impulses. Mary Whitehouse described Authentic Movement as '... following the inner sensation, allowing the impulse to take the form of physical action...' (15). During this phase of the process the mover attends fully to the movement itself; images may arise or not in conjunction with the movement. Sometimes an image may provide the impulse to move, and she follows her internal imaging process, giving expression to this in movement. The movement session usually ends when the witness gives a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, after a mutually agreed period of time. The time frame provided by the witness is a boundary which helps to create safety for the mover, who can enter her process for a circumscribed period knowing that she will be recalled by her witness; thus she can release the ego-function of time-keeping for a while, and more readily enter the timeless world of the unconscious. After each movement session it is important to anchor the experience in consciousness; this can be done by recalling the experience to the witness, or by recording it through artwork or writing. In Authentic Movement practice the witness then offers her personal responses to the mover; her presence and witnessing help to bring unconscious material into conscious awareness, and help to prevent the experience from slipping back into unconsciousness again. The integration of unconscious material into conscious awareness is the ultimate goal, so that we may grow into an ever deepening and embracing sense of being. During an Authentic Movement session we enter into our unfolding inner process, interacting with, responding to, and embodying in movement our inner figures. Ego reactions to the content emerging from the unconscious can be more readily understood and integrated when fully embodied in movement. Chodorow writes: 'Jung describes the ego as a complex datum which is constituted primarily of a general awareness of the body.' (CW #18, para 18.)..... 'Although the impulse to move may spring from a source in the unconscious, the body, which allows the impulse to manifest itself, remains firmly rooted in the fact of its own existence. The actual act of moving creates proprioceptive and kinesthetic feedback which serves to confront the unconscious with the body ego's reality. As the unconscious impulse and the body ego encounter each other's different realities, an intense and fully mutual education is likely to occur.' (16) In the final stage of active imagination, Jung emphasised the importance of putting into practice the understanding and insight gained from the work. When a genuine inner change has taken place, integration will occur without the great effort and resistance encountered when we try, through will power alone, to make changes in our life, or act upon the ethical considerations which have arisen through the work. As Chodorow affirms, the actual physical and energetic embodiment of new levels of consciousness and integration, which occurs in the dance movement process itself, greatly facilitates the expression and integration of new energies and insights into everyday life. |
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The Practice and Discipline of Authentic Movement |
