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SelfinMotion

Intheearly1950s,thefoundersofGestalttherapypositedaradicalnotionofself.

Self,theystated,isaprocessemergentintheactivityofcreativeadjusting—

dynamic,fluidandchanging.Intheexperienceofmovingthroughtheworld,self

discoversandinventstheworlditismovingthrough.Similartoeveryrevolutionary

idea,thisradicalthinkingoffersustherichgroundforfurtherexpansionand

developmentofitsphenomenologicalstance.Itgivesusthefoundationfromwhich

tosaywhatisalreadythereandthefoundationtosaywhatisyettobesaid.

Asaphenomenologicalmethodology,Gestalttherapyisconcernedwithan

understandingofhowwelivethesituationweareliving:howtoanalyze,describe

andknowit.Inthischapter,Ihopetoilluminatemorefullytheorganizingprocesses

ofselfbypresentingacloserinvestigationornextstepintothedynamicsofhuman

movement.Iadvanceananalysisofthestructureandfunctionofmovement

progressionsandgiveaphenomenologicalaccountofcreativeadjustingbybreaking

downmovementintoitsmostbasicelementsandexploringthemeansbywhichwe

makemanifestexperiencebeforeitbecomesobjectifiedinreflection.Iarguehere

fortheunderstandingofmovementaspartofanyphenomenologicalanalysis

regardingself.Further,Iemphasizethesignificanceoffundamentalmovements

emerginginthetimeframeofthefirstyearoflifeandtheirconstitutive

participationinthemoment-to-momentexperiencesthroughoutlife:a

developmentalperspective.

Ingeneral,theessenceofmyworkhasbeentorecognizeandvalidatethe

importanceofinteractivemovementinthecreatingandorganizingofexperience.I

observeandidentifymovementpatternsinrelationshipdyads:specificallybaby-

parentandtherapist-patientdyads.Iexploremovementfromastructural-

functionalperspectiveandconsiderhoweachpersonintherelationshipcreatively

adjustswithintheirparticularsituation.Thatis,Iexaminethespecificsofhoweach

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movesandisbeingmovedinrelationtotheother.Thisbecomesanimportant

meansbywhichtheprocessesofcreativeadjustingcanbemadeknown.Asthe

authorsofGestalttherapysignificantlynoted,theprocessofcreativeadjustingisthe

essentialfunctionofself(Perls,Hefferline,Goodman1972/1951:247).Lookingat

theseovertandsubtlemovementtransactionsbetweenbabyandparent,therapist

andpatient,welearnsomethingessentialabouttheprocessesbywhichselfarises.

BeforeIcontinuetodiscusstheemergenceofselfasmovement,Ineedto

elucidatemyunderstandingoftheprimaryandfundamentalpositionmovement

holdsintheplayofhumanexperience.

Kinesthesiaandthefeelofourself-movements

Althoughmovementisthemostbasiccommondenominatortoourexistence,to

manymovementisoftenthoughtofasnomorethanalocationalshift.Movementis,

however,muchmorethanthisandneedsagreaterandmoreprecisedescriptionto

bemorefullycomprehended.Movementistheshapingofspacebybodiesinmotion

–onewiththeother–withinavarietyofcontextsfromwhichitsqualitative

characterarises.Movementisdynamic,relational,andsituational.Assuch,itmakes

sensetobeginwithmovementasthestartingplacetolookatthenatureof

contactingandtheemergingsense-of-self.

Sensitizingourselvestoourownmovementexperiencesis,tome,aprimary

requirementfortheorganizingofflexibleandcreativeadjusting.Through

kinesthesia,ormovementinawareness,weareindirectexperiencewiththe

situationweareliving.ThewordkinesthesiaisderivedfromtheGreekcineo,“to

putinmotion,”andaesthesis,“sensation”or“impression.”Kinesthesiaisthesense

orfeelofourself-movements.

Webecomekinestheticallyawareasweexperienceonepartofourmovingbody

inrelationtotheothers;senseourbodyweightandmusculartensions;andfeel

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variouspressuresagainstourbody.Throughkinesthesiawelistenorattendtoour

self-movementsandfeeloursubtlecreativeadjustingwithinthesituation.Welearn

thatweare,howweareandwhereweare.Kinestheticexperiencescaneitherbe

concealedfromusorbroughttoawareness.Andwhenbroughtforeground,valuable

informationregardingourconditionandthestateofourworldbecomesavailable.

Thesituationunveilsitselftousthroughavarietyoffeltqualitiesandcombinations

ofqualitiesexperiencedthroughmoving.Feltqualitiesarenotemotions,butrather

particularfeeling-tonesoraffects;i.e.thecontinuumsofbound-free,gradual-abrupt,

even-changing,high-lowintensity,andmanymore.Flowingonthestreamof

movement,theseaffectivehappeningsarepartofthestructure/functionfromwhich

“lived”experiencecomesintobeing.Bodiesfeltinmotionarecentraltotheco-

creatingofone’sexperiencedworld.

Iopenthedoorandseeyoursmile.Isharplyinhaleandfeelthewholeofmybody

riseupandtheareaofmyheartbulgeforward.IfeellightandItoosmile.Youlaugh,

leantowardsmeandgraspontomyshoulders.Feelingthefirmnessofyourhands

aroundme,Inowsensemyurgetomoveclosertoyou.Astheweightofmybodyshifts

fromheelstotheballsofmytoes,Istepforward.

Thiskindofinteractiveprocessistheintersubjectivedimensionofsubjectivity.

Andit’sbasedonkinestheticresonance--reverberatingfeelingtonesthatare

generatedfromonepersontoanother.Itisthephenomenonbroughtforwardmost

stronglyincontactingexperience:thesensed,thefelt,andthelived.Itishowwe

listentoourselveswithothersandfeel(thenknow)wearehere.Kinesthetic

resonanceistherelationalfeelofourrelationality.

Wheneverthereissomechangeinsituation,howevergrandorslight,thereis

somechangeinthefeltqualityofmovementandachangeintheoverallmuscular

toneofthebody.Ouroverallmusculartoneformsaposturalattitudeorthe

readinesstorespondandrelate:todosomethinginrelationtooursituation.

Posturalattitudeisthefeltgroundfromwhichactionsemergeandfeelingsarise.

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Again,wheneverthereisachangeinsituation,thereisachangeinthequalityof

movements,whichchangefeelings,andashiftinoverallposturaltone/attitude,

whichorganizesthenextaction.Andlikewise,asfeelingsandactionssurface,

posturalattitudesshift.

Movement,feeling,andposturaltone,then,areinextricablyintertwined.They

makeapparentourexperienceoftheworld.Suchexperiencesdonotrequire

mediationbythoughtsorconcepts,butratheraretheperson’simmediate

evaluationofthesituation.Thisdelicateinterweaving,alongwithfeedbackfromour

externalsenseorgansandtactility,formsthebasisofawareness.Kinesthetically

resonatingandinformed,weknowwhatweknowbeforeweknowit.Fromhere,

emotionsorganize,cognitiontakesshapeandwecanfurtherappraisethesituation.

Kinesthesiaisthemeansbywhichpsychotherapistscanmorefullyunderstand

thedynamicsoftheunfoldingpatient-therapistrelationship.Itis“….thepre-

reflectiveexperienceofempathy”and“…opensthepathwaytointimacy”

(Staemmler2011:3,14).Awareandresonatingwithothers,wearemorelikelyto

disallowourwell-practicedhabitualmodesofbeingandbehaving.Wecanmodify

ourmodeofcontactingbychangingthequalityofunderlyingsupportsasweshift

fromroutinizedbehaviorstothemorespontaneousandnovel.Indoingso,wehave

greateraccesstohowanothermovingbody—separatefromus,butnonetheless

similar—mightfeel.Thekineticsoftheothermatchesourownandwecanintuitthe

feelingsarecomparable.

Kineticsandtheperceptionofmoving

Thereisanothercomponenttoourmovement–thekineticsormovementitself.

Aswemoveinrelationtoothers,wenotonlyfeelourselvesmovebutwe

simultaneouslyperceiveourmovementsandalongparticulardimensions:

horizontal(spreading-enclosing),vertical(ascending-descending),andsagittal

(advancing-retreating).Movementformsorshapesspacealongthesethree

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dimensions.Thesekineticpathwaysthatareboundedbyspatialdimensionsalso

contributetothefeelofmovement.Inotherwords,wefeelthequalitiesofour

movementaswemovealongdimensionalspace,andwesensedimensionalspace

throughtheexperienceofthesequalities.AccordingtomovementtheoristMaxine

Sheets-Johnstone,“Spatialqualities...arefundamentaltothethree-dimensional

experiencemanifestedinself-movement.”(Sheets-Johnstone2010:114).Atany

momentandthroughanymovement,thefeelingof“inner”andperceptionof“outer”

canbedirectlysensed,andalwaysinrelation.

Allmovementshaveaspatialdynamic—aforceinrelationtocounterforcesorin

phenomenologicalterms,apushingagainstinrelationtoapushing-back.Wemove

tocompletesometask,i.e.satisfyaninterest,curiosityordesirecalledforthfrom

theenvironment,andindoingso,ourkinestheticself-movementsarerecognizedas

spatialmovements.This“situationalspatiality”(Merleau-Ponty2012/1945:102)is

foundedonourbeinglocatedinaworldthatiskinestheticallysensedandfelt.As

kinestheticresonancefacilitatesmovementandmovementisalwaysorienting:the

feelofintentionalityisunavoidable.

Beforethereisbody,beforethereisworld,thereismovement

Beforethereisrelationship,thereiscontact

Throughthefeeloftheirmovements,babieslearnwhattheycanandcannotdo

withanother.Theypracticetheirmovementpatternsrepeatedlyinorderto

accomplishanoveltask.Thisprocessoflearningisatotalexperience:moving,

sensing,feeling,perceivingandthekinestheticallyarrivedmeaningmadefromthis.

Intime,arepertoireoffundamentalmovementtransactionswillappear.Asthese

primarypatternsform,alwaysinrelationtotheworld,theyinformthebaby’s

growingkinestheticsense-of-self,whichinturninformsthecapacitytomove.

Movementofferstheexperienceofbeingabodyand,almostsimultaneously,beinga

bodyofferstheexperienceofbeingoftheworld.Therefromthestart,movement

criticallyorganizesthesense-of-selfthatweareandwillbecome.

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Imaginethatathreemonth-oldbabyliesinthearmsofherfatherandlooksupat

hisface.Father,holdingthebabywithafirmandgentlegrasp,gazesdownathischild.

Thebabylightlysquirmsinresponsetoherfather’sholdingandhisgaze.Asshemoves,

sheiskinestheticallyresonatinginrelationtoherfather.Thebaby’smovementsare

notsomethingseparatefromthesituationinwhichsheisliving,butratherexpress

thatsituation.Thebabyprogressivelyformstheexperienceof“Iseeyouseeme.”“Ifeel

youfeelme.”

Imaginethatthebabysmilesatherfather.Thefathersmilesbackandthebaby

wigglesandlaughs.Wemightinferforthebaby,“Isaw-felt-foundapartofmyselfin

yourface,thatIdidnotknowwasthereuntilthisverymoment.NotuntilIexperienced

asmilingfacerespondingtomysmiledidIknowitwasmineandthatitmattered.”

Nowthebabysoftlyandgraduallyreachesherhandtowardsherfather’ssmiling

faceand,kinestheticallyresonatingwithinthesituation,sensesandfeelshowthemove

willcompleteitself.Itsanticipatedachievementismadeknowthroughthedynamicsof

apresidingfeltexperience.

Throughmoving,thebabyrealizeshowherbodyin-formstheworldandhowthe

worldin-formsher.Movingistheprimarysourceofthebaby’semergingsenseof

agencyatapre-reflectivelevel,(Stern1985,Beebe&Lachmann2002).The

kinesthetic-kinetic-affectivedynamicofhumanexperienceiscriticaltoourfeelof

agency.“Reliablekinestheticexpectations,likethekinestheticregularitiesonwhich

theyarebased,arethefoundationtooursenseofagency,toourbuildinga

repertoireof‘Icans,’toourabilitytomoveandthenmoveinmeaningfulways”

(Sheets-Johnstone1999:145).Bodilypowers,then,arisefromourprimitivesense

ofaliveness.Intime,“IknowwhatIcandowithyoubecauseIhavedonewithyou,”

andsimultaneously,“Ilearnwhatyoucandowithme.”Thefeltpastisgroundtothe

feelingpresent.

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Sixfundamentalmovements:Themotionofself

Tounderstandtheexperienceofkinestheticresonanceingreaterdepth,wemust

explorethestreamuponwhichitflows–thesixfundamentalmovements(R.Frank,

2001,R.Frank&F.LaBarre,2010,R.Frank2013).Intheprocessoffindingand

makingthemselvesintheworld,babiesuseanonverbalvocabularyofmicro-

movements.Theyexperiencethemselvesyieldingwith,pushingagainst,reaching

for,graspingonto,pullingtowardandreleasingfromtheother.Co-constructed

withintheearlyrelationalfield,theseinteractionsareprimitivecallsandresponses

inongoingrapport.Theyorganizeanexperiencethatisspatialaswellassocial

(Hermans&Hermans-Konopka2010)andgivethebabyasenseofconnectingwith

whileseparatingfromothers.Movingthroughtheirworld,babiesdevelopapre-

reflectivekinestheticorientingthatletsthemknowtheexistenceofthatother;one

whosespaceisnotmine,butatthesametimeisformingmine.

Developinginthefirstyearoflife,thesesixfundamentalmovementpatterns

continuetobeessentialtoallourinteractionsthroughoutlife,supportingthemost

basicelementsofanimatedpsychologicalfunctioning.Althoughtheyarecontinually

perceived,theyremainperipheraltoperception.Theyarethe“forcefield”of

contacting(MichaelVincentMiller2015inconversation)andshapethebackground

fromwhichakinestheticresonatingsense-of-selfemerges.

Thelaterpatternsofanimatedbeingarefoundedontheearlier,whichinturnare

influencedbythenexttocome,andalwaysexpressedandexperiencedinrelation.

Althoughthesetransactionalpatternsmayappeartobelinearanddiscrete,by

naturetheyarenot.Onecategoryofmovementdoesnotoccurinisolationfromthe

others.Rathereachmovement,alongwithitsever-changingkinestheticquality,

interpenetratestheothersandcontributestoaspiralofexperience—onethat

expandsandcondenses,pulsatingwithlife.

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Subjectiveexperienceisyokedtothesemovingpatternswiththeiraccompanying

kinesthesia;akinesthesiathatispersistently“….reconstructedaftereachphaseof

movement.”(Merleau-Ponty2012/1945:118).Wecanpushagainsttheotherfreely

orwithagreaterboundquality,wecanreachabruptlyorgradually,wecangrasp

withlowerorhigherintensity.Thetasktobeaccomplishedcallsforwardthe

movementstobeperformed.Theperformance,inresponse,callsbacktothetask.

Eachnoveltasktobecompleted—contactingexperiencetobeconsummated—

offersapotentiallydifferentinvitationtobeaccepted(ornot),fromwhichthe

possibilityofadiversesequenceofmovementsandtheirvariedqualitiesappear;

co-createdwithinamotorarcofintentionality(Merleau-Ponty2012/1945:137).

Fromthebaby’sandthenadult’scontinuedpracticeoftheseinvariant

fundamentals—yieldingwith,pushingagainst,reachingfor,graspingonto,pulling

towardandreleasingfrom—variationsinpatternspringforthandcontactingis

modifiedbyamultitudeofkinestheticallyfeltqualities.Althoughlearnedinthefirst

yearoflife,thesepatternsfunctionhere-and-nowconstitutedbyandconstitutingall

presentexperience.

Throughbodiesinmotion,temporalsequencesevolve,spacetakesformandthe

babydevelopsaprimordialsenseofagency.Bodilyagencyisbasedonmoving

experience:“Ireachforyouthere,asImovehere.”“Igraspontoyouandfeelyou

graspontome.”Throughtheattractiveother,movementpatternstakeshape.Every

coordinatingpatternsupportsthesequencesofcontacting—fore-contacting,

contacting,finalcontactingandpost-contacting—fromtheincipientco-creatingof

interest,curiosity,anddesireuntilitsconsummation.Theprocessesofcontacting

andtheirprimarysensorimotorsupportsareinextricablylinked—onedoesnot

existwithouttheother(Perls1992:84.).

Iofferthemovementvocabularybelowasawayofanalyzingthestructureof

contactingandthebuildingofanemergentsense-of-self—kinesthetic,temporal,

spatial,and,ofcourse,dynamic.Verbsthemselvesdonotexistwithouttheirobject

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andsoIhaveplacedaprepositionfollowingeachofthesixfundamentalmovements

tobestdescribetherelationshipthatisalwaysalreadythereinthedirectedactof

moving.

Fore-contacting:

Asproprioceptiveawarenessdevelops,theexperienceofyieldingwith

(surrenderingwithorallowingtobewith)theothermovestotheforeground.Atthis

timeinthesequence,boundarieshavenotbeenwellclarified.Thelivedbody(the

bodyIexperience)hasagraduallyemergingsenseofweightandasenseofwidth

andvolume.Breathingisdeepandwide.Apre-reflectiveknowingofthesituation

springsintoexistence.ManypossibilitiesareavailableasIgraduallyorientmyself

withintheenvironment.

Contacting:

Yieldingwithnowbecomestheground,supportingthefurtheranceofthesequence

fromwhichpushingagainstnaturallyarises.WhereverandwheneverIshiftmy

weightinordertomove,thereispushingagainsttheother—separatingfromwhile

atthesametimeincludingthatentityinexperience.Apushfromanyofmylimbs

(head,baseofpelvis,arms,legs)enhancessensationsofmymidlineasmybody

coheres.Whatissensedattheperiphery,thelimbsinrelationtothatwhichthey

touchandwhichtouchesthem,canbefeltatthecenter,formingaunifiedwhole.

Possibilitiesofthesituationnownarrowandmyintentionclarifies–afigure

emerges.AsIfeelthequalityofmypushingagainsttheother,Iexperienceanactive

“pushing-back”asthesituationrevealsitself.Thereisamarkedtransitionor

greaterdifferentiationbetweenwhatis“me”andwhatis“other.”Thequalityof

pushingagainst,orresistingtheotherastheotherpushesbackandresistsme,

generatesathicknessofexperience.Excitementbuilds.

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Inthepushingprocess,desireclarifiesasanincipientreachingemergestowards

itsobject.Contactingprogressesandtheunfoldingofmyreachingfor,supportedby

mypushingagainst,bringstheotherintocloserrelationandIambetterinformedas

tothedevelopingsituation(orthechoicemaybetopushaway).

Finalcontacting

Thesequencecontinuesasreachingforbecomesgroundforgraspingonto.Inmy

grasp,whatIdesireisnowsensed,feltandknown.Fromhere,aninnatepulling

towardtheothertoincorporateemergesandthedifferentiationbetween“I”and

“you”isatitsgreatest.Myintentionandyoursisunderstood,sensedandfeltby

eachofus.Excitementpeaks.

Post-Contacting:

Thepullingtowardofincorporationisfollowedbyanexperienceofreleasing

from,whichmovesforegroundasthewelldifferentiated“I”spreadsandwidensand

anexperienceofrelativemergingfollows.Whatwasformerlyotherdisorganizesas

“I”and“You”become“I/You”sometimesknownas“We.”

Releasingfromthenmovesintotheexperienceofyieldingwithoncemore.

Excitementdiminishesandthefigureclosesandbecomesground.Withinthenowof

thisyieldingexperienceisthesupportofwhatwas,thepastexperienceonwhichit

nowstands.

Anotherwaytodescribethisongoingspatialtemporaldynamic:imagineavast

seawhenitiscalm,mereripplesonitssurface.Fromthisbackgroundofapparent

stillness,awavecollects,pushesupwardandinevitablyreachestowardthe

attractiveandattractingother,thesandybeach.Onceseameetssand,itgraspsonto

andpullsthisothertowarditself.Asthewavelosesform,thesandisreleasedand

graduallysinksdownwardtobecomepart/wholeofthesedimentationfromwhich

thenextwavearises.Ebbingandflowing,risingandfalling,expandingand

condensing–suchistheprimordialrhythmofalllife.

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Themovingprocessesdescribedaboveformthegroundofakinetic-kinesthetic

resonatingsense-of-self.Intheactofmovingwith,against,for,onto,towardand

fromtheother,wefindandmakeourselvesintheprocess.Wearethemoverand

themove.Theseunderlyingcurrentsarethecoreelementsthatcontributetofigure-

groundformation.Aswesee,sense,feelhowthesecurrentsflow,weknow

somethingimportantastohowweexistinrelation;howwemeetatthisvery

moment.

Ihavegiventheexampleofcontactingprocessesinwhichexcitementsariseand

diminishfluidly.Herethesemovingpatternsformthegroundforthenextonesto

emergeasthenext,inturn,feedbacktotheearlierinarhythmicallymovingspiral

ofexperience.Eachpatternmovesforegroundandbackgroundnaturallyinservice

ofthearisingorganizingfigure.Butthisexampleofafluidlymovingprocessisnot

alwaysthecase.Whenthereisfixation,oneortwopatternsmayappearheldin

foregroundwhiletheothersremainfarbackgroundseemingunavailableandalmost

irretrievable.Thesense-of-selfhardensandtherhythmicflownecessaryfora

fluidlybuildingexperienceishabituallyconstrained.Repetitionreplaces

spontaneityandcreativityisreplacedbythealltoofamiliar/habitual.

Previously,weimaginedababy-parentdyadinharmonyandreciprocityand

exemplifyingafluidlydevelopingsense-of-self.Nowweexamineadifferentdyad

illustratingthedevelopingofrepetitiveconstraints.

Asthefatherreachesdowntopickuphisbaby,henarrowstheskinalonghis

foreheadandpusheshislipstogether.Asheliftshisdaughteroutofhercrib,his

movementsarebound,high-intensityandabrupt.Thebaby,especiallysensitiveto

facialexpressions,isbothvisuallyandbodilyresonatingwiththekineticsofherfather

andrespondskineticallyandkinesthetically.Inotherwords,asshefeelshim

advancingtowardherandthenliftingherupandawayfromthesupportofhercrib,

shepullsherarmsandlegstogether,whichnarrowstheareasofherchestand

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abdomenandsheholdsherbreath.Shekinestheticallyregistersthesefeelingsas“not

good.”

Whileholdingontoherwithhisbound,highintensitygrasp,thebabyabruptly

reachesherheadandeyesawayfromherfatherandbeginstosubtlyyetfirmlypush

herpelvisandlegsagainstthelimitingresistanceofherfather’sboundembrace.

Misinterpretinghisdaughter’sdevelopingdiscomfortanddesirefordistanceand

imaginingthatsheiscallingforamoresolidcontainer,thefatherabruptlypullshis

daughtertowardshischest.Thebabythenwhimpers,andherfatherbeginsquickly

bouncingherup-and-downwithanunyieldingstaccatorhythm.

Inthisexample,bothparentandbabybringakinesthetic-kinetichistorytotheir

meeting.Perhapsthefatherwasnotwellenoughsupportedinhisinfancyand

throughouthischildhood.Ashereachesdowntopickuphischild,anenduring

relationaltheme(Jacobs2009:69)emerges.Theunawareandself-fulfilled

expectationofawkwardness:“NooneheldmeandmademefeelsafesoIdon’t

knowhowtodothatforyou.”Ortheunawareexpressionofresentment:“Why

wouldImakeyoufeelsafeifnoonemademefeelsafe?”Thefather’sdynamical

reachingaction,bound,abruptandhigh-intensity,wasatonetimewellpracticedin

reactiontothesignificantfiguresinhisearlylife.Thesehistoricexperiencesof

reachingandbeingreachedarenowre-stimulatedinthepresentandcreatea

familiarkinestheticresonancethatisonlyperipherallysensedandfelt.Although

thefather’sbehaviorisnotyetunderstoodcognitively,itisalreadygraspedinterms

ofbodilyengagement.

Imaginethatinthelifeofthebaby,atenuousholdingexperiencehasalready

becomeroutine.Now,evenbeforesheistouchedandmoved,shewillpredictwhat

iscoming–thattheholdingsituationwillnotbesupportive–andshereactsin

anticipation.Assheseesherfathermovetowardher,shepreparesbybindingher

muscles,holdingherbreath,andheighteningtheintensityofhermovements.

Kinestheticallyresonatingandpre-reflectivelyawareofhercircumstance,shefeels

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thecoming“next.”Shelivesthesituationathand,contactingthefullrealityofher

experience.Thesekindsofrepeatedoccurrencesbecomeetchedintothenewly

formingrepertoireofbaby-parenttransactionsandthebaby’spatternsofbreath,

gesture,postureandgaittakeform.Herongoingbodilyresponsestoherfather

confirmhowshewasreceived.Theparent’sbodyalsoisinfluencedintheseongoing

nonverbalconversations.

Asexemplifiedinthebaby-parentscenarioabove,theexperiencedpast

kinestheticallyresonatesineachnewmoment.Theunfoldingre-memberingis

neitherinthemusclesnornervoussystemofthechildnorparent,butrather

springsforwardintheco-createdformingofakinestheticallysituatedsense-of-self.

Patternsofkinesthetic-kineticrememberingarenotintheleastimpreciseor

abstractforbabynorforadult.Aspostural-gesturalpatternsareco-shapedinthis

nownewmoment,theearliercontactingexperiencesinrelationtopreviousand

significantothersinourlifeandtheirkinestheticvaluesareenfoldedwithin.The

earlierexperienceisalwayspart/wholeofthecontinuingemergingsense-of-self.At

everythresholdofexperience,welookfortheotherthatisalreadythere.

Imaginethepatientwho,duringsession,slowlyreacheshisarmstowardshis

therapistashesimultaneouslymoveshisupperbodyforwardandawayfromtheback

ofhischair.Ashisreachingpatternunfolds,familiarkinesthetic-kineticimpressions

nowinformandformhispattern.Feelinghimselfmovebeyondthepresumedsafetyof

hispersonalkinesphereandintoaspacewherehemaynotbelong,hesuddenlypulls

hisarmsinwardandpusheshimselfback.

Envelopedwithinbothhisreachingtowardandpushingbackfromthetherapist,is

thekinesthetic-kineticfamiliarandreliablehistoricexpectationofwhatheimagines

hecanandcannotdowithher.Witheverykinestheticallyfeltrelationalmove,the

sedimentedpastflowsintotheanticipatedfuture.

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Thetherapist,sensitizingherselftothedynamicsofsituation,seesandfeelsherself

movedbyherpatient’sreachingout-pushingbackgesture.Asshemakesherself

presenttothesubtleyetprofoundtransactionsofthisencounterandattunestohim,

shelaysthegroundfromwhichhecantakesupport.Thesituationrearrangesanda

novelco-creatingofrelationshipismadepossible.

Thekinetic-kinestheticallyfeltpastispartofpre-reflectiveconsciousnessthat

maynevercometofullconsciousness.Anditisnotalwaysnecessarytomake

consciouswhatisinthepre-reflectiverealm.Itisapre-cognitivekindof

understanding,notyetmadedistinct,andwhichsaysfarmorethanwhenwemake

itdistinctbyourinterpreting.

Thepriorparent-babyandadultpatient-therapistscenariosillustratethe

phenomenalpassageoftrans-generationaltrauma—developmentallyorotherwise

organized—anditbeginswithkinesthetic-kineticresonance.Intrauma,andforvery

goodreasons,wenolongergiveintoandtakefromtheworldspontaneouslyor

creatively.Theembodiedandrepeatingrelationalthemesthataccompanyour

limitedmovementrepertoiresaremoreoftenunawarebutneverthelessfelt.

Whereasonceitwaspossibletoclearlyattunetoandresonatewiththeintentionsof

theotherandrespond,inadissociatedstateoftraumawithdiminishedsense-of-

selfatthecontactboundary,kinestheticcapacityisdulledandthepossibilitiesof

thesituationclose.

Fromtheorytopractice:

“Asweawakentotheexperienceofourmovingbody,weawakentothe

experienceoftheworld”MauriceMerleau-Ponty

Astherapists,inourquesttounderstandthephenomenologyofdeveloping

humanexperience,whetherinthetime-lineofthefirstyearoflifeorthemoment-

to-momentofthepresent,weneedtoknowhowfundamentalandspontaneous

interactionsformakinetic-kinestheticresonantbackgroundfromwhichcreative

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waysofbeingandbehavingcanemergeor,conversely,howsuchprimary

interactivepatternsbecomefixedandformdistortionsinresonance.Insodoing,we

investigatetheformingandfunctioningofself.

Thecasevignettebelowisakindofmicroanalysisofthemoment-to-moment

structureoftherapybylookingatthefunctionofmovementtransactions.The

patient’semergingselfdevelopsinlearningwhatshecanandcannotdowithinthe

therapysituationasshediscoversherselfthroughmovement.

Justasbabieslearntheirbodiesandthemselvesfirstandforemostthrough

ongoingandco-createdkinetic-kinestheticexperiences,sotoocantheadultpatient

relearnhercapacitytomakesenseofhersubjectiveselfwithinthepatient-therapist

field.

Atthetimeofthissession,42year-oldSaraandIhadbeenworkingtogetherfor

severalmonths.Beforecomingtome,shehadbeenapatientingestalttherapyfor

approximatelyfiveyears.

Saratellsmeastoryaboutanuncomfortablesituationbetweenherselfandaboy

shedatedwhenshewas17.Theboyaskedhertodosomethingsexualwithhimthat

madeSarafeeluncomfortable.Butratherthansay“no,”shecomplied.

Asshespeaks,Saraslowlyhollowsandnarrowsherchestandshortensherspine.

Herheadnowpushesdownwardandshelooksatthefloor.Herhands,oncerestingby

hersides,nowgraspontoeachother.Herfeet,whichappearedplantedonthefloor,

nowsubtlypushbackwardleavingSaraprecariouslybalancedoneachsetoftoes.Her

thighsrotateandpressinwardasherkneespulltogether.Saraappearstobe

shrinking.

Sittingacrossfromandrelativelyclosetoher,IfeelfartherawaythanIactuallyam

andInoticeIamholdingmybreath.Itakeafullerexhale,bringmyhandstomylap

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andenjoythefeeloftheirweightonmythighs.Amemoryemerges,somethinglong

forgotten,andIfindmyselfidentifyingwithSara’sstory.

Whenshefinishes,webothpause.Ifeelasenseofemptinessaroundmeanda

sinkingfeelingofdefeatinmychest.Iadjustmyselffindingthebackofmychair

behindandtheseatunderme.Itakeaslowfullbreathandthenwonderaloudwhat

Saramightbefeelingaftertellingmeherstory

Sararaisesherheadandlooksdirectlyatme.“Ifeelshame.”sheresponds,andthen

glancesdownward.

Iwaitseveralmomentsandask,“HowmightIbepartofyourshamefulexperience?”

Saralooksdirectlyatmeandsays,“IalwaysfeelshamefulwhenItalkaboutthisor

evenwhenIthinkaboutwhathappened.”

Ipauseandaskagain,“HowmightIbepartofyourshamefulexperience.”

ThistimeSarawaitsandthensighsdeeply.“Well,thiskindofthingwouldnever

happentoyou,”shesaysconvincedandconvincingly.

“Whatmakesyouthinkso?”Iask.

“Yousitupsostraightandtall.No,thiswouldneverhappentoyou.”

Throughtheclarityofherstatement,ournextexplorationisconstructed.Atmy

invitation,SaraandIbegin“shrinking”and“growing”veryslowlyandincrementally

inrelationtooneanother.Withoutwords,weexplorethefeelofourmovementsandin

alldimensions.Ishorten,narrowandhollow,whileshelengthens,widensandbulges,

andsoforthasweexplorethiscontinuum.

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Aftersometimepassesinmutualfascination,SaraandIcometomirroreach

other—webothsimultaneouslygrowandexpand.Saralooksatme,momentarily

pauses,andthensuddenlyshrinks,“Icannotbeasbigasyou,”sheexclaims.

Intheexperiment,SaraandIreflecteduponourselvesandprimarilythrough

movementratherthancognitively.Weactedinconcertwithoneanotherandwith

nopre-conceivednotionsofwhatweweredoingorwhatweweretodo.Igaveas

muchattentiontomyexperienceofhermovementsandtomyownasIdidmy

visualperceptionofthem.Ifelt/graspedthesubtlemovementsofherbodyand

evaluatedtheiraestheticvalues.ByimaginingthefeelofSara’smovements,Icould

enterherworld.Inthecontinuingprocessoftherapy,thesekindsofongoing

animateexperiencesbecamewovenintothefabricoftherelationship,accumulating

insightsforbothSaraandmyself.

Noposture-gesturecanbecompletelyfreedfromitssociallyacquiredmeaning,

butwhenweattendtoarisingkinestheticresonancesproducedbyandproducing

gesturesofone’sownandoftheother,wecanseparatewhatweassumea

movementmeansanddiscovertherealityofthemovingsituationitself.Sara’s

familiarstuntedposturethatsheperenniallylabeledas“bad”tookonnewand

differentmeaninginthemomentasitsrelationalsignificanceclarified.Myupright

posture“said”somethingimportanttoSaraashershrinkingexperience“said”

somethingimportanttome.Inaddition,withaheighteningofkinesthetic

awareness,Saracouldexpandherposture-gesturalrepertoireovertimeand

experiencethenoveltyofourbuildingrelationship.

AsJean-MarieRobinestates,“Whenapatientsitsinfrontofmeandtellsmethat

heisanxious,Icanchoosetolistentohiswordsnotonlyaswordsinacertain

situation,butalsoaswordsofthesituation,asifthesewordswerebelongingtoan

undifferentiatedfieldwhichhastobeexplored,insteadoftoanindividual,theone

whotellsthem”(Robine2011:113).Similarly,ratherthanthemovementof

shrinkingbeingSara’sindividualsymptom,ittoobelongedtoanundifferentiated

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field.Asweexplored,attuningtotheemergingkinetic-kinestheticresonances,Sara

andIcouldspontaneouslyevaluateourrelationshipandtogethervalidatewhatwas

happeningbetweenusasrealandtrue.Fromhere,anewnarrativecouldemerge

andthroughmovementinawareness,it’smeaningcomealive.

Experiencesofkinesthetic-kineticresonancegroundoursocialinteractionsfrom

theverybeginningofourlivesandarecrucialinthemakingofmeaningthroughout

life.Suchbody-to-bodykinestheticallyfeltengagementsshapethebackgroundfrom

whichthepresentexperiencebecomesfigural.Inoureverydaytherapyexperience,

thisprocessbeginsassoonasourpatientspressourdoorbellwithacertainrhythm

andintensity,sayhelloandwalkintoourconsultingroomandseatthemselveson

ourcouchincharacteristicways.Thesetransactionsareessentialandfundamental

totheopeningdialogueor“startingsituation”oftherapy(Perls,Hefferline,

Goodman1972/1951).Ifwelistentoourbodilyresonancerightfromthestart,we

areopentothepossibilitiesofwhatisemergingbetweenourpatientsand

ourselves.Stayingclosetothefelt-qualitiesofamovingdialogueallowsthe

therapisttoremainopentowhateverunfolds.Wewaitwithutmostavailabilityand

listenforthenextstepratherthanmakingithappen.Thisiscrucialinallowingthe

relationshiptodiscloseitselfratherthanclosingitoffbyinterpretingthemoment

toosoonoratall.

Workingthroughmovementinawareness,were-findourlivedsensuality,the

motionofselfinprocess,whichsometimeshasfeltirretrievablylosttobothpatient

andtherapist.Wearenotmerelyawareofhowwesitinthechairorhowwe

breathe,commonandusefulinterventionsingestalttherapy,butfurtherhowwe

negotiatethequalitiesofoursensedsituatedspatiality.Inotherwords,alltheways

themicro-movementsofourexistencemovethroughtheotherastheothermoves

throughus.Thatis,wefocusonthecontinualdancewecallcontacting—thedance

ofthebetween.

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InSummary

Thesixfundamentalmovementsandtheaccompanyingaesthetickinesthetic

resonancestheyelicitarethephenomenalexperienceofanemerginganddynamic

functionofselfandaddamorecompleteaspecttotheunfoldingprocessesof

contacting.Theyprovidemultiplepre-reflectivemeaningsthatarepart/wholeof

thearisingsituation.Fromhere,reflectivecognitionismade.

Attendingtokinetic-kinestheticresonancewithintherapyisnotmerelytoattend

solelytothephysicalorsolelytothefeelingqualitiesofexperienceastheyarenot

separatefromoneanother,butrathertheprocessofresonanceisaholistic

apprehensionoftheemergingmoment.Intheprocessofcapturingtheother,

animatedfunctionofselfbecomesmanifest.Aswecomeintothiskindofdirectand

profoundcontactwiththeother,wealsobecomepartofagreatercollectiveprocess

commontoallhumanexperience,thatofcomingintobeing.

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Frank, R. (2001). Body of Awareness: A somatic and developmental approach to

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Center for Somatic Studies. Hermans, H. and Hermans-Konopka, A. (2010). Dialogical Self Theory: Positioning and counter positioning in a globalizing society. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Jacobs,L.(2009).Relationality:Foundationalassumptions.Co-creatingthefield:Intentionandpracticeintheageofcomplexity.D.A.W.Ullman,G.NewYork,GestaltPress/Routledge.Merleau-Ponty,M.(2012).(1945).PhenomenologyofPerception,trans.D.A.Landes(London:Routledge).Perls,F.,Hefferline,R.,Goodman,P.(1972).(1951).GestaltTherapy:Excitementandgrowthinthehumanpersonality.London:SouvenirPressLtd.Perls,L.,(1992).LivingAtTheBoundary.ME:GestaltJournalPress.Robine,J.M.,(2011).OntheOccasionoftheOther.NewYork:GestaltJournalPress.Sheets-Johnstone,M.(1999).ThePrimacyofMovement.Philadelphia:JohnBenjamins.Sheets-Johnstone,M.(2010).‘Kinestheticexperience:understandingmovementinsideandout,’Body,MovementandDanceinPsychotherapy,5/2:111-117.Staemmler,F.(2011).EmpathyinPsychotherapy:Howtherapistsandclientsunderstandeachother.NewYork:SpringerPublishingCo.LLC.Stern,D.(1985).TheInterpersonalWorldoftheInfant.NewYork:BasicBooks.

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