Landscape of movement

The landscape of movement in narrative practice

Elena Grebenyuk, Olga Zotova The 3d Europe+ Narattive Therapy and Community Work Conference

Iasi, Romania, 4 July 2014

Our hope for today To make the landscape of body and movement more visible and present in narrative practice

Our plan for today

1. Share some our ideas and cases

2. Practice of movement

3. Reflection

Why to use landscape of movement?

In different cultures when people are happy they DANCE

What is «movement/dance»?

Self is embodied, as well as

relational and constructed

Movement is already there

«If you don’t dance

your dance,

who will?»

Gabrielle Roth

Movement as an EXPRESSION of self

Body-mind as THE self

"Our brains take their input from the rest of our bodies. What our bodies are like and how they function in the world thus structures the

very concepts we can use to think. We cannot think just anything — only what

our embodied brains permit.” George Lakoff

Narrative view on the body From BODY-MIND as unseparable connection

…to BODY-MIND-CULTURE

as unique interplay of self in the world

Movement as an experience of self as a PROCESS

«Every time I dance I turn into a new version of me»

What does draw your own interest in this landscape of movement?

Some advances and challenges for entering this landscape in practice

Decrease the gap between “to know” and “to act”

The versions of myself are not connected

I stuck in the problem story

Non-verbal clients/experience:

words are not possible/enough

So, the landscape of movement opens the possibilities…

To find another language and entry points into the preferred story

To connect the landscapes

of action and

identity

To increase the number of alternatives

Not only rich description – rich living the

experience

And something else?

But… why don’t we use it so much?

Person is not used to this way of work, this is not his/her language – isn’t it too expert/ wierd?

- Find the relevant moment

- Explain the idea

- Ask for permission

- Invite into experimenting

- Listen to ‘No’

- What else?

There are a lot of restricting practices and ideas in our culture about body/movement (body-mind division)

- Make it visible - deconstruction

It can be too strong, painful, problematic experience

- Don’t traumatize – select what moments to embody, “find a safe territory of embodiment”

Journey into preferred spaces

Personal reflection

• When did you experience this preferred state for the first time? What was it like?

• Who wouldn’t be surprised that this is a preferred state?

• If you would be able to find the way to this preferred state more easily/more often what difference would it make?

• What/who could help you to stay connected to this state?

Professional reflection

• How could this connection to the body&movement landscape enrich your practice?

• Let's share ideas about possible entries to this landscape

Looking forward to your feedback!

Elena Grebenyuk elena.grebenyuk@gmail.com

Olga Zotova zotova@gmail.com http://olgazotova.com