Authentic Movement:

Clinical Considerations

Shira Musicant

Clinical considerations of authentic movement and its contribu-

tions to dance/movement therapy are addressed in this paper. Au-
thentic movement is discussed as an intervention or approach in
dance/movement therapy and as a movement practice or discipline
outside the field of dance/movement therapy. Levys (1988) formula-
tion of the therapists style of intervention, the degree of therapist
control, and the focus of the therapists attention are the elements
used to place authentic movement in the spectrum of dance/move-
ment therapy practice. Conditions of safety in the use of authentic
movement are considered, and clinical examples with therapeutic ra-
tionales for the use of authentic movement are presented. The ongo-
ing practice of authentic movement is discussed in terms of its contri-
butions to training for dance/movement therapists.

KEY WORDS: authentic movement; clinical contributions.

A uthentic movement and dance/movement therapy have intertwining

roots, histories, philosophies, and elements of practice. In discussing
clinical considerations related to authentic movement, two views of the
relationship between authentic movement and dance/movement therapy
are held. First, authentic movement is seen as an approach within the
practice of dance/movement therapy, involving inner-directed movement
with the therapist as witness. In addition, authentic movement is viewed
as a movement practice, outside the therapeutic context, which is devel-
oping a unique theoretical and methodological body of knowledge involv-
American Journal of Dance Therapy 2001 American Dance
Vol. 23, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2001 17 Therapy Association
18 Shira Musicant

ing the relationship between observation and action, witness and mover
(Adler, 1999). Both uses are amplified in the body of the paper.
This paper is divided into two sections. In Authentic Movement in
Dance/Movement Therapy, the author discusses authentic movement as
an intervention and considers the methodological integration of authen-
tic movement in the therapy session. In Contributions of Authentic
Movement, the author suggests that the practice of authentic move-
ment, in which the therapist participates as both mover and witness,
may offer clinical training opportunities for skill development and in-
creased awareness of therapeutic issues.

Authentic Movement in
Dance/Movement Therapy
The Form and Process of Authentic Movement
Much of the dance/movement therapy literature contains descriptions of
authentic movement. Different aspects of the form and process are de-
scribed throughout Authentic Movement: Essays by Mary Starks White-
house, Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow (Pallaro, 1999). The outer form
of this work is simple writes Adler, one person moves in the presence
of another (1999, p. 142). One begins with eyes closed, allowing oneself
to be moved by the inner world of sensation, image, and feeling. The
witness, as Adler came to call the observer, sits at the side of the move-
ment space and brings conscious attention to the mover. In a group con-
text, there may be several movers. Group participants may have their
own individual witnesses or they may be witnessed by one or more peo-
ple witnessing the group as a whole.
Whitehouse describes the experience of the mover as that of being
moved (1999, p. 82). The mover focuses on internal experience and re-
sponding to that experience, rather than on the shape or direction of the
movement. While the mover invites the unconscious into the movement
process, the mover does not relinquish conscious attention. Whitehouse
writes that the unconscious is allowed to speak whatever and however
it likes while consciousness looks on, participating but not directing, co-
operating but not choosing (p. 83).
Adler describes how the witness brings a specific quality of attention
or presence to the experience of the mover (1999, p. 142). The witness
attends to temporal and spatial logistics, keeping eyes open and atten-
tion on the mover. At the same time, the witness pays attention to and
quietly contains his or her own judgments, feelings, sensation, and im-
pulses to move.
 Authentic Movement 19

Following the movement, the mover and witness usually talk together,
although they may also use writing or art to bring form and meaning to
the movement experience.

Authentic Movement in the Dance/Movement

Therapy Context
The process of authentic movement reflects theoretical and methodologi-
cal concepts which are core to the field of dance/movement therapy.
Among these concepts are the importance of the body and of accessing
the unconscious, the validity of an organically unfolding process, the pri-
macy of the experiencers knowing, the necessity for safety in order to
take risks, and the need for the container of the therapeutic relationship.
This knowledge emerges out of a focus on direct, in-the-moment experi-
ence, and mindful attention to that experience. Whether using authentic
movement, outer-directed movement, body awareness, or talking, this
knowledge shapes the intention, direction, and focus of the session.
Authentic movement, as a process in dance/movement therapy, is one
of the approaches that contributes to the diversity within dance/move-
ment therapy practice. Levy (1988) discusses this rich diversity through-
out Dance Movement Therapy: A Healing Art. She focuses on three di-
mensions of practice in her discussion of the early pioneers: the style of
intervention; the degree of therapist control; and the focus of therapist
attention. These dimensions are useful in describing the relationship of
authentic movement to the spectrum of dance/movement therapy prac-
tice.
The style of intervention has at one end of its spectrum the therapists
combined verbal and nonverbal participation in the movement process.
At the other end of the spectrum is the empathic observer role, in which
the therapist watches without overt movement participation, and facili-
tates through verbal communication and presence. A Chacian group
would be an example of the former. Authentic movement falls in the
latter range of the spectrum, in that the therapist as witness sits and
observes the mover/client. Throughout this spectrum of intervention
styles, the therapeutic relationship is of major importance (Levy, 1988).
A second dimension Levy (1988) discusses, as she compares ap-
proaches, is that of the degree of therapist control. At one end of the
spectrum is the outer-directed movement process. Outer-direction might
include the therapists verbal or movement suggestions, music, rhythms
of other group members, or visual cues from group members. One exam-
ple of an outer-directed movement process, reflecting a high degree of
therapist control, is the teaching of a skill, such as three-dimensional
breathing. At the other end of the continuum is the inner-directed move-
20 Shira Musicant

ment process, reflecting a low degree of therapist control. Authentic

movement, based on the clients internal world of information, is an ex-
ample of an intervention at this inner-directed end of the spectrum.
A third dimension of dance/movement therapy practice is that of the
focus of the therapists attention. Levy (1988) uses the concepts of hori-
zontal and vertical foci. A horizontal orientation might be exemplified by
a group theme or a generalization of an individuals theme, need, or feel-
ing, so that it can belong to the group as a whole. A vertical focus is
the exploration and deepening of the individuals experience, feelings,
memories, and themes. Authentic movement, in both group and individ-
ual therapeutic contexts, primarily falls in this latter range, providing
an opportunity for the mover to focus inwardly on kinesthetic, imagistic,
and affective material. However, when authentic movement is part of a
group context, the vertical dimensions might be verbally shared, or
shared through the processes of moving or witnessing, so that greater
play between the vertical and horizontal dimensions occurs.
In looking at the broad picture of dance/movement therapy practice,
authentic movement falls into the range of client inner-directed move-
ment with a vertical focus of attention. While there may be variations of
intervention style in how the therapist guides the client into the authen-
tic movement process, once the client enters authentic movement, the
therapist as witness becomes an empathic observer, reflecting a low de-
gree of control.

Clinical Use of Authentic Movement1

In authentic movement, the mover is involved in an immediate, direct,

and intimate relationship with the self in the presence of another. This
process can be profound as clients are seen and accepted as they enter
the unknown in themselves and listen deeply to themselves. For those
whose relationship to their own knowing has become distorted, this pro-
cess can be both challenging and healing.
As an intervention in a clinical setting, authentic movement may have
many variations. It may last most of the session, or only a few minutes;
it may be offered in the context of a movement process or may be sug-
gested during verbal work. As noted above, it may also vary in the style
of therapist intervention. The therapist may be the witness and time-
keeper only, or may guide the client into the process with either move-
ment or verbal suggestions. Verbal suggestions may range from those

1
Portions of Authentic Movement in Clinical Practice were presented at the 35th An-
nual ADTA Conference in Seattle, Washington, October 2000.
 Authentic Movement 21

that encourage or support the process to those that suggest a particular

theme to explore. Clinical examples of a range and variation in the ways
therapists use authentic movement can be found throughout Joan Cho-
dorows descriptions of her work (1999a, 1999b).
In the context of a clinical setting, as with any intervention, the appro-
priateness of authentic movement must be evaluated. In this regard,
therapeutic conditions of safety and rationales for the use of authentic
movement as intervention are important. Safety has several dimensions,
including the individuals capacity to attend to, and to organize, internal
information. Beyond this dimension, safety also includes interpersonal
trust and some familiarity with inner-directed moving, focusing in-
wardly, and having a witness.
An introduction to the process of inner-directed movement may facili-
tate safety. Mindful attention to body experience in either a directed
body scan or an outer-directed movement process may provide this intro-
duction. Resistance to moving, and to authentic movement in particular,
is evidence that some aspect of safety may not be in place (Musicant,
1994).
The examples described below illustrate several rationales for the in-
troduction of authentic movement in therapy. These rationales are dis-
cussed after each example. The examples reflect a range in the applica-
tion of authentic movement in terms of the length of time and the context
of the process.

Clinical Examples and Discussion

Susan is a 44 year-old woman who has seen me in therapy for two years.
She struggles with numerous losses in her life and a recurring depres-
sion. We were sitting across from each other in chairs, as she spoke about
wanting external justification and validation for having been wronged
by a friend. Although she had worked with the situation and come to an
understanding of it, she still wanted others to say she was right. I asked
her to stay with that feeling, to see if it had a home in her body. Susan
closed her eyes and focused on the feeling. Its here, she reported, as
she brought her hand up to her chest. I asked her to allow that feeling
to move her any way it wanted and to allow the rest of her body and
attention to participate any way it wanted, saying she could take as
much time as needed. I witnessed quietly. Susan brought both hands up
and rubbed along her sternum. She folded her shoulders in and started
to cry softly, while moving her hands gently on and around her chest
and heart. She stroked her chest and explored the space around her
chest with her hands and fingers. Her shoulders opened and her chest
expanded, as her crying diminished. This lasted about two or three min-
22 Shira Musicant

utes. When she spoke about her experience, she described memories of
feeling left out and unseen by her mother, and ongoing thoughts about
how unfair and wrong this was. The sensation in her chest, which had
softened during the movement, became a reference point for her longing
for acknowledgment. Her movement experience became a reference point
for her self-acknowledgment.
In this example, Susans awareness of a feeling having a home in her
body was the beginning of a movement process. The context is notewor-
thy in this example in that the authentic movement took place in a pri-
marily verbal session, with a high degree of therapist control present on
either side of the authentic movement experience. My verbal direction
facilitated Susans ability to enter the inner attending and self-directed
authentic movement process. This example also illustrates a range in
the forms of intervention possible in a session. In this example, a high
degree of verbal participation bracketed the empathic observer role. The
focus of attention, however, was vertical throughout this example.
There were several rationales for using inner attending and self-di-
rected movement with Susan at this time. First, she had come to an
impasse in what she was able to verbally process and explore. In addi-
tion, she was describing a feeling that she knew was old and familiar,
but she could not make sense of it and wanted to stop it. One intention
of the authentic movement intervention was to bring conscious attention
to the experience of that feeling and to the information available in that
experience. Another intention was for her to be in a relationship with
that feeling, and ultimately, in a relationship with herself.
Several weeks later, Susan and I were moving with a new lightness
she had found in her rib cage and feet. Her eyes were open as we played
with tapping, stomping, and stepping in different ways while allowing
the arms and ribs to float and glide. There was laughter and playfulness.
As we slowed and quieted, I saw that her arms had begun to swing
slightly. I asked her to continue to let her arms move, expressing what-
ever they wanted, and to begin to focus inward, becoming aware of, and
allowing any sensations, feelings and movement impulses to emerge. I
suggested she take five minutes to stay with herself in this way. I sat
down to witness. Her eyes closed after a minute and her arms began to
gently move around her torso. Her knees were soft and her feet were
grounded, as she rotated and moved around her strong vertical axis.
After five minutes, I asked her to take another minute to finish moving,
and to notice how she felt as she ended. When she spoke, Susan de-
scribed her erectness, her sense of balance, and her experience of being
okay in there with herself. Later in the session, Susan was able to
bring up a painful relationship, to look at her part in creating it, and, to
look at how big that creating it part is inside her. But this isnt going
to bring me to my knees, she said, I can stay balanced, like when I
 Authentic Movement 23

moved, and still look at this. Her experience with herself in movement
was again becoming a reference for her knowing about herself, in this
case knowing about her own resources.
Whereas the previous example illustrated authentic movement in a
verbal session, this example with Susan shows authentic movement
evolving out of another movement process. This movement process, be-
fore the authentic movement, was both directed and interactive, reflect-
ing a high degree of therapist control and a participatory style of thera-
pist intervention. The authentic movement process reflected a low degree
of therapist control in that Susans movement was inner-directed.
Through out the authentic movement process, I was in the empathic ob-
server role, and the focus of attention was vertical.
As in the earlier example, the primary intention was to bring aware-
ness to the body experience and to any information available in that
experience. A secondary intention was to honor, to listen to, and to follow
a movement impulse, thereby acknowledging Susans internal experi-
ence. There is a meta-level of teaching which occurs when the therapist
asks the client to pay attention to a movement impulse. For Susan, the
message was: Your experience and your inner life are worthy of your
attention. My goal for Susan was an expanded relationship with herself,
one that was of a different order than her mothers relationship with her,
one in which she did not leave herself out.
In another example, Tina and Mitch, married two years, had come to
therapy to work on communication issues. During the previous six
months, they had learned to identify the issues that they each brought
into the marriage and to listen to and to talk to each other without too
much defensiveness. As Tina became more aware of her needs in the
relationship, she began to notice that when Mitch was home, she ori-
ented herself to him, so that her needs were sometimes not available to
her as information, and might later enter their interaction as resent-
ment. We explored this in a directed movement structure. Mitch moved
around the room, involved in his own experience, while Tina literally
followed him about and oriented herself to him. She exaggerated that
process, scooting alongside him with her face and upper chest reaching
up to him. While it became humorous and ended in laughter, Tina and
Mitch realized how familiar it was in their relationship, as well as in
Tinas relationship with her father and in Mitchs relationship with his
mother. What would it be like for Tina to not abandon herself, but in-
stead, to stay present when she and Mitch are together? How would that
affect Mitchs sense of responsibility, this feeling that he must live up to
some expectation to be okay in Tinas eyes? These were the questions
that launched us into including the practice of authentic movement with
our clinical work. They had moved with me before, and mindful attention
was integral to their experience in our sessions. We began with each of
24 Shira Musicant

them moving in the space at the same time for about seven minutes,
with myself as witness. In the first few sessions, each had personal in-
sights. Mitch became aware of the core of aliveness in his body center,
and how he experienced the rest of his body as dead. Tina had a mem-
ory of a childhood time she had felt powerless and alone, not listened to
by the adults in her life. She related this to a feeling she gets with Mitch.
Insights such as these became part of the grist for our work. After sev-
eral sessions, and longer periods of movement, they expressed a desire
to witness each other, and I began teaching them how to witness.
This continued to be an essential part of our therapy process for sev-
eral months. Witnessing gave them each a new tool for being with each
other during painful and conflictual times. Mitch, in particular, learned
about developing his internal witness, and generalized this awareness
to his work environment and to his relationship with his parents.
In the example with Tina and Mitch, the practice of authentic move-
ment was introduced in a therapeutic context. They came to our two-
hour sessions with the expectation of moving and witnessing. I gave
them the time frame and became the timekeeper and overall witness, in
addition to teaching the form itself. Authentic movement with Mitch and
Tina looked typical in terms of Levys dimensions: I participated as an
empathic observer, the movement was client-directed, and the focus of
attention was vertical. One exception was that some couple themes, a
more horizontal focus, emerged at times, as Mitch and Tina witnessed
each other. In addition, a high degree of therapist control was evident in
the teaching aspect of authentic movement.
Because the larger context of this work was psychotherapeutic, a con-
tinual assessment of the appropriateness of this practice was required.
There were several sessions that were scheduled for authentic movement
in which we chose to have a more typical psychotherapy session involv-
ing verbal and movement processes. Whether the authentic movement
practice could have held the conflictual material in these sessions is an
ongoing area of exploration.
For both Tina and Mitch, the intervention of authentic movement was
intended to facilitate awareness of impulse, sensation and feeling, the
somatic basis for their respective knowing. For the couple, the interven-
tion allowed each to explore and to honor his or her own inner life in
each others presence. The introduction of authentic movement as an
ongoing practice allowed us to focus on the development of the internal
witness and the capacity to witness each other.
The three examples described above illustrate a range of application
of authentic movement in a clinical setting. In each case, the appropri-
ateness and intent of the intervention was considered; in each case
safety was assessed.
 Authentic Movement 25

Contributions of Authentic Movement

Authentic movement has developed both within and outside the field of
dance/movement therapy. Because it is based in the wisdom of the body,
the embodiment of experience, and the relationships between conscious
and unconscious, physical and symbolic, it has potential as a healing,
integrative process. Thus it can also make meaningful contributions out-
side the field of psychotherapy. A discussion of this is beyond the scope
of the present paper, except to note that there is a developing theory
and methodology of authentic movement that stands independent of the
practice of dance/movement therapy. Peer groups and training groups
practicing authentic movement are contributing to a developing body of
knowledge regarding authentic movement as a transformative process.
This body of knowledge, rooted in dance/movement therapy, yet grow-
ing outside the therapeutic arena, offers clinical and theoretical contri-
butions to dance/movement therapy and to other forms of psychotherapy.
In addition, the practice of authentic movement, in which participants
both move and witness, offers unique training opportunities for dance/
movement therapists and verbal therapists alike. Some of these contri-
butions are discussed below.
Among the contributions of authentic movement is the therapists
heightened awareness of the timing and the content of interventions,
and of transferential material. Because authentic movement is based on
the relationship between the mover and the witness, it has the potential
to amplify aspects of the client/therapist relationship and the therapeu-
tic process. The witness brings mindful attention to the relationship with
the mover in both the process of witnessing and the subsequent verbal
interaction. This attention to the relationship may heighten awareness
of transference and countertransference. Training in this dimension of
authentic movement may also heighten the therapists understanding of
when to be quietly attentive and when to guide. Thereby, it may increase
the therapists skill in containing and utilizing transferential material,
especially in terms of timing and content.
Another contribution of authentic movement is to the therapists in-
creased understanding of the conditions that allow for the emergence
of unconscious and preconscious material. In the practice of authentic
movement, a deeply observant witness in the mover brings mindful at-
tention to the movers imagistic, kinesthetic and affective material. This
internal witness learns to notice and to stay compassionate in the face
of judgements and uncomfortable psychological material, possibly choos-
ing to move with this material. At the same time, the mover is internaliz-
ing the attitude of openness and non-judgmental acceptance that charac-
terizes the external witness. Thus, over time, this internal witness
26 Shira Musicant

becomes both stronger and more self-accepting, exemplifying a particu-

lar way of being with regard to the self; observing, compassionate, re-
spectful, and curious. All of these qualities allow for an atmosphere of
safety that supports working on issues in-depth.
In addition to the mover/witness relationship, authentic movement is
based on the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the
known and unknown. Certain guidelines inherent in the practice of au-
thentic movement facilitate the emergence of the unconscious. Among
these are the following: that the witness stay present, and be time
keeper; that there be no expectations about the movement itself other
than physical safety; and that the mover can exercise volitional move-
ment, or can stop at any time. Guidelines are also evolving in the prac-
tice of authentic movement for both the process and content of the wit-
ness feedback to the mover. The rationale for these guiding principles is
the creation of conditions that allow the emergence and integration of
unconscious material. Training and practice in these guidelines may con-
tribute to a therapists knowledge of the safety issues involved in any
in-depth psychological exploration. Furthermore, research indicates that
training in authentic movement may enhance qualities in the therapist
which facilitate the establishment of conditions of safety. These qualities
include the development of personal boundaries and the ability to con-
tain projections (Lucchi, 1998) that are strengthened through the prac-
tice of witnessing.
An additional contribution of training in authentic movement is found
in the process of developing a strong internal witness. This internal wit-
ness gives the therapist an experiential basis for viewing the relation-
ship each person has to the self. This perspective allows the therapist to
evaluate the nature of the mover/witness relationship within each client.
The therapist can assess the clients capacity to be aware of needs, long-
ings, and other aspects of internal life. The therapist can also consider
the clients attitude and openness to this information; whether it is, for
example, accepting or dismissive.
Another contribution of authentic movement is to the therapists in-
creased understanding of group process. When practiced in a group for-
mat, authentic movement involves relationships between movers, be-
tween witnesses, and between multiple movers and witnesses. Because
mindful attention is brought to these numerous relationships, training
in this practice may offer the group dance/movement therapist height-
ened awareness regarding collectively held material, insight as to group
members roles, and tools for utilizing the power of multiple witnesses.
An additional contribution of authentic movement is to the therapists
heightened awareness of and openess to clients spiritual issues. Move-
ment with a spiritual dimension, or movement that is experienced as
transcendent, may emerge for the mover and the witness in authentic
 Authentic Movement 27

movement. Thus, ongoing training in this practice has the potential to

increase the therapists knowledge of, comfort with, and ability to work
with the role and importance of spirituality in the process of transforma-
tion and in psychotherapy.

Conclusion
The clinical uses of authentic movement allow clients to be seen and
accepted while they listen deeply to themselves, and while they risk ex-
periencing unknown feelings, thoughts, and images. For clients, this pro-
cess not only provides an opportunity for greater self-understanding, but
also transforms the relationship to the self.
It is also suggested here that therapist training in authentic move-
ment has value beyond the use of authentic movement as an interven-
tion in dance/movement therapy. Ongoing training, in which the thera-
pist participates as both mover and witness, gives the therapist an
experiential basis for understanding aspects of the therapeutic relation-
ship and therapeutic process. The development of the therapists wit-
nessing skills may enhance the ability to contain and to work with trans-
ferential material. At the same time, the development of the internal
witness gives the therapist a perspective from which to view and address
the clients relationship to the self. Training in authentic movement may
also deepen the therapists understanding of safety issues with any psy-
chological work, and facilitate qualities in the therapist that create
safety. The experience of both mover and witness in a group format may
heighten the therapists awareness of various aspects of group process.
Finally, because spiritual experiences may emerge in the authentic
movement process, ongoing training can provide the therapist with
awareness of, and skills for including the spiritual dimension in dance/
movement therapy.
In conclusion, authentic movement has the potential to greatly amplify
therapists skills, sensitivity, and awareness. It greatly increases aware-
ness of both individual and group process issues. The nature of the prac-
tice supports working in-depth with unconscious material and working
with spiritual issues. Authentic movement has value for dance/move-
ment therapists both as a clinical intervention and as an ongoing prac-
tice.

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