Over the past 20 years significant progress has been made in describing and

analysing the impact trauma has on the body and the overall nervous system,

resulting in the vast development of treatment approaches incorporating body

work in psychotherapy. Based on current research into neuroscience and guided

by theories of dance/movement therapy, the aim of this body-based group is to

give and increase attention and awareness to fundamental movement principles

(Bartenieff fundamentals), effectively increasing body awareness and embodied

sense of control, allowing a person to move more fully and expressively, and to feel

more connected to their body and sense of self. This is particularly helpful for

trauma clients, who have coped by numbing or completely disconnecting from

their bodies, and/or lost their sense of self. While these coping strategies allowed

the client to survive, long-term it causes many to feel chronically unsafe in their

bodies and disables them to track shifts in emotional states before they become

too intense to handle efficiently. Consequently, this group programme focuses on

re-establishing a connection with the body in a structured and safe way, enabling

participants to not just see their body as a place of trauma, but as a resource and

place of healing.

Group Facilitator: Jessica Lochte

Co-Facilitator: To be determined